Dave, Duane, and Neil…a review
Time has an effect on all of us, some of us deliterious, others of us just a reminder of what treasures we have in our midst.
The latter is definitely the case when discussing Dave, Duane, and Neil…the former(and original)Couriers, one of the most legendary and accomplished artists in the history of gospel music. They are no longer fulltime touring gospel singers on the “circuit”, but in a sense that’s a blessing, because they can sing on their own terms where they want to, without the need to prove themselves to anyone. After all, after nearly 50 albums, three Dove Awards, and a position of preeminence in the gospel music industry shared by only a few other artists, what do they need to do for an encore?
Nothing, as far as I’m concerned. Last night, Dave, Duane, and Neil were singing at a church in Costa Mesa(Newport Mesa Christian Center), having awakened before dawn in their home state of Pennsylvania, and spending the entire day crossing the country by airplane.
I drove down from Fresno to see them, for not only are they among my favorite singers of all time, but also good personal friends of mine. I was accompanied by my good friend Nicole(who lives in Glendale), for I knew that she would enjoy the singing, and enjoy meeting these gospel legends as well.
Despite obvious fatigue and recurring sound problems, the three were in good vocal form as always. It’s almost a given that when you’ve sung together for nearly five decades, it’s almost second nature that you’ll sound in top form, even with a minimum of practice time…and Dave, Duane, and Neil are no exception.
As far as their repertoire, it was a nice mix of old Courier songs, originals from renowned group songwriter and lead singer Neil Enloe, some old classic hymns, and newer songs that they plan to record soon. NOTE: They plan a new release at the end of the year. Take note…that’ll be a project worth waiting for.
On and offstage, these guys are real, dedicated, and caring. They spent a lot of time talking to those who were there(naturally, I got my share of quality time in)…and the half-full church was extremely blessed by their congeniality and their enthusiasm for singing and sharing.
The major impression one would get if one was coming to see them for the first time is how much they really enjoyed singing, and how Christ-centered their program is. It’s obvious Messrs. Kyllonen, Nicholson, and Enloe love to sing, and love to sing together! That enthusiasm and joy leaps out to every member of the audience that they sing to.
Predictably, the songs that got the biggest response were the patriotic ones, along with their standards, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”, and the classic “Statue of Liberty”, but the newest song, a Neil Enloe original entitled “Next Time I Get Married, I Want To Be The Bride” also got quite an enthusiastic response, partly because of the overall message of the song, and partly because of the tongue in cheek humor of the very non-PC lyrics.
The closing number, for a switch, was the very touching “He Has Forgiven Me”, the closing number of their lone project thus far under their new name, featuring the very poignant lead of tenor Duane Nicholson.
As Dave pointed out, they almost never closed a program in 51 years without some message preached by Dave, and tonight was no exception. Dave preached a very timely, pertinent message on living on the edge of human experience. It spoke to both Nicole and me in separate, but equally powerful ways.
The audience seemed to be quite happy with what they had seen. It was clearly a night of great music, great fellowship, and a great statement all around.
You know, one of the biggest controversies in gospel music is the false dichotomy between “ministry” and “entertainment”. As the Couriers, Dave, Duane, and Neil were point men in the trend toward an emphasis on evangelism and music ministry in gospel music. But, as I’ve long insisted, the Couriers have always ministered AND entertained, simultaneously…and once again, as they’ve done countless times in their long careers, Dave, Duane, and Neil brought those who came to see them a memorable night of quality music, and quality ministry.
Or, as perhaps Nicole put it best when she told Neil Enloe what she thought of the evening, “I was entertained, AND I was ministered to.” Thus the secret of the formula of the Couriers for 50 years, and Dave, Duane, and Neil today.
Posted on Oct 08, 2006 - 09:30 PM | [2]
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October 8th, 2006 at 7:31 pm e
Great review, John. Sounds like a blessing and a great time! To quote the Perrys “I wish I coulda been there!”