A take on the Inspirations

Moving forward then...

A bit of a debate has arisen of late between my friend and fellow blogger Daniel Mount, and another well-known blogger(and those who share his opinion)on the reason for the impressive popularity to this day of the Inspirations, even after nearly 43 years of existence.

Daniel seems to be convinced that that popularity is mostly due to the song material that they have chosen, while those on the other side of this fence are convinced that there are more factors than simply that.

Well, sorry Daniel, but I believe it's more a case of the latter...now mind you, song selection has been a very important factor in the long popularity of the Inspirations...they seem to have had the knack over the years to consistently find songs that fit their style, and they have also seemed to consistently perform those songs in a way that their many fans enjoy...not once, but again and again.

But saying THAT infers that there is more to the Inspirations' popularity than merely their song selection.

And there is. What factors do I think help make them so well-liked by fans, and so well-respected by their peers and by so many others(they ARE, you know)?

For one, the Inspirations have definite, inbred musical ability. Now I hear those of you out there who cringe when you hear them sing in their North Carolina mountain accents saying, musical ability? The Inspirations?:-)

Yes, musical ability. The Inspirations.

For openers, I constantly hear about how "pitchy" the Inspirations allegedly are when they sing. Oh, really? Any of you care to cite song and verse where the Inspirations are off pitch or off rhythm? Come on, I'm waiting.

Now, every group misses a note now and then. And I'm not saying the Inspirations are technically flawless, by any means. They do NOT and never have sung with the technical proficiency of say, the Blackwood Brothers or Statesmen. And they don't have a smooth blend reminiscent of such quartets as the Cathedral Quartet or even today's King's Heralds.

But the Inspirations are NOT off-pitch typically. Some may be turned off by the way some of their individual voices sound from time to time, but that is a LONG way from saying that they can't sing.

The Inspirations' musical accompaniment also comes in for criticism from time to time. Because Martin Cook plays a relatively simple and uncomplicated piano style, he's accused on occasion of being an unaccomplished pianist. Same goes for his son Myron on the bass. But because they don't extend themselves more than they do instrumentally, does it follow that they're necessarily "bad" musicians? Of course not.

To illustrate that last point, I harken back to the days of the late Hank Williams, Sr. and his longtime backing band, the Drifting Cowboys. Their relatively simple backing led some to believe that they were not very accomplished musicians, either. But there was much more to them than met the ear.

One of them said in a magazine interview in the 1970s that Williams ORDERED them not to get too "hot" on their instruments, offering as his reason the idea that his audiences wanted the music to be kept simple. If they played like that, Williams said, people would tell them that they were one of the best bands they had ever heard.

And you know what? That's EXACTLY what people told the Drifting Cowboys...maybe ol' Hank had a little more on the ball musically than he was given credit for.

In a closer example, anyone remember the Chuck Wagon Gang? They were only the gospel group that sold more records than any other gospel group before them, or since them. And their vocal style was not far removed from the basic songbooks. Dave "Dad" Carter always told them that he wanted their listeners to think they ould sing just as good as any member of the Gang...in other words, they sang for the people, to the people, just the way that the people themselves would. And this quality endeared the Chucks to millions of people for decades...and still does today.

The Inspirations are products of that same tradition. They put on no airs in person or on record, they sing songs people like to hear, in the way they like to hear it...with plenty of the time-honored gospel quartet staples...lots of tenor leads, LOTS of low bass singing, and a lot of convention style four part harmony(as in their 1992 version of "Glory To God In The Highest", a song that Daniel was impressed with hearing them sing when he saw them do it live), and they stick with what they do best, and deliver it on a consistent basis. You always know what you'll hear on an Inspirations album...for better or worse(depending on your tastes). None of this chasing after that elusive "cutting edge"...the Inspirations know what they do best, they know what their audiences want, and they give it to them.

IMHO, that's why people continue to like the Inspirations, and flock to their concerts even today, despite the fact that the group is aging(with all the things that go with that), and despite the fact that the group has chosen to keep its distance from both the Gaither machine and the NQC(which they VOLUNTARILY skipped on occasion in the 1980s).

And the Inspirations are careful to project an image that their fans can admire, and non-gospel fans can respect, as well.

The Inspirations are about as self-contained as a gospel music organization as one can imagine, and they have insisted on putting their fans and what they want first. So it should be no surprise, if one goes back and analyzes their career carefully, why they continue to hold such popularity with gospel music fans after all these years.

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