The Great Western Southern Gospel Fan Festival, Friday
Well, day two was even more fun than day one...which seems to be the rule in most multi-day events!
I know you all will be happy to know that I worked out the parking and scheduling kinks I encountered last night..I got to see much more of the music than I did last night...and I didn't have to walk so far to get there to do it!:-)
So here's what happened...
The evening began with a short set from a California mixed group, Eternal Praise. The singing was OK, but what was really outstanding about them was their radiant smiles...I could tell that they were having the times of their lives doing just what the name implies...praising relentlessly in song!
After a brief comedy interlude from the Booth Brothers and the Greenes(comedy is a big part of these events, particularly in the daytime presentations, which I unfortunately cannot attend[gotta work my day job, y'know?]), Legacy Five opened things up with "Somebody Sing", which if I didn't know better could well have been a challenge to all the groups on the program tonight.
If it was, the next group more than met that challenge! The Liberty Quartet from Boise, ID followed...and those who read this blog on a semi-regular basis know that I regard them as one of the finest quartets in the nation today, period!
They sing a most eclectic repertoire, from a touch of contemporary to your basic old-time gospel quartet sound...and they do it ALL well. Musically, they are as top-notch as any quartet I have heard in the last 40 years or so. In addition, they are reminiscent of the old Couriers in their dedication to ministry through their music, and the way they interact with the fans...they are fine Christian gentlemen who love their fans, and judging from the response they got from their set, that feeling is definitely mutual!
I am proud to know them as people, and proud that such a talented group is based out in the Western United States(see, you don't HAVE to be from North Carolina or Texas to sing gospel quartet music well!)! Proof of their quartet expertise is the fact that Carl Ramsey plays their music often on his All-Quartets Radio!
And then, for the first time in five years, the Greenes came out to sing in Fresno! And judging from the quality of their set, it's like they were never gone! They(particularly Taranda)connect with audiences so well...it was a joy to see the Greenes back out this way....even if it took the "excuse" of a convention to get them back out there(having certain in-laws who own the event doesn't hurt either!).
Speaking of certain in-laws, Dean Hopper came out to clown with Tony Greene for a bit, then one of America's outstanding musical groups(notice I didn't qualify myself by saying just "gospel")came out...the Isaacs. Their bluegrass-tinged music got a lot of the slightly-larger-than-last-night crowd to react with delight to their offerings. But it's not all about style with the Isaacs. They were unflinching when it came to stating ehere they "came from", so to speak. Let's just say that there can be no doubt whatsoever that the Isaacs are about Christ...and even those who might notice them due to their authentic bluegrass sound would know that there is much more to them than that. And the outstanding example of that was their stunningly beautiful a cappella rendition of "It Is Well With My Soul". People were literally stopping whatever else they were doing when they sang it. It was as close to "having church" as anything I've ever seen at that event.
Almost no one could have followed that set without appearing rude and/or impertient. ALMOST, that is. But the Booth Brothers are not just anyone...they are one of gospel music's top groups of the day...and they made the transition as smooth as one could imagine. With their unique blend of harmony, humor, and humility, the Booths had the crowd eating out of their hands(just as last night). A particular treat was a version of "Don't Fence Me In"(complete with ill-fitting cowboy hats)that, in the words of Ron Booth, "...wasn't very spiritual, but it sure was fun!" The crowd agreed...and I marvel when watching and hearing the Booth Brothers knowing that if they wanted to, they could easily have a successful career in secular music. But, thankfully, they'r not "built" that way!(Not that there's anything wrong with secular, per se!)They choose to use their considerable talents to further the gospel music heritage, as Ron Booth, Sr. did before them.
From there, the Florida Boys wrapped up the first half with a very entetaining set, featuring Glen Allred(who missed last night's set, but thankfully made tonight's), singing "More About Jesus", Josh Garner's wonderful rendition of "For God So Loved" and concluding with "Declaration of Dependence"(with Les Beasley even joining in on vocals...more on that later!). The Florida Boys showed once again why they are living gospel music legends...it is always a privilege to hear them.
Again, I had a wonderful night of fellowship with the artists, and fans of our show, and other people I just struck up conversations with during the evening. Clearly, there was no more fun place to be in Fresno on this Friday night than the Save Mart Center.
Kim Hopper opened the second half, then after a bit, the Beene Family(Fresno natives!)came out to charm the audience with their now-polished pop gospel stylings, followed by Greater Vision. Now, I confess I have never been a big fan of Greater Vision...yes, they sing good songs...yes, they sing them well...but their standard trio arrangements usually bore this quartet partisan to no end(they are GREAT guys, though). But tonight, for whatever reason, they seemed to kick things up a notch, and they presented an energetic, fast-moving set of fine songs, sung with power!
Next was the Evergreen State Quartet out of Washington State, and they are a fine quartet! You know, I read some observations from some other writers that the talent pool in gospel music these days is not that deep...and while I can't speak for the rest of the country, I would venture to say that out West, there is a much deeper pool of talent than one would imagine or expect.
And no group demonstrated that more vividly tonight than a female group from Grass Valley called the Johnson Family Singers. Although their stage presence is not particularly polished, their singing is quite listenable, and quite enthusiastic...and I had to break up my conversation with Hugo Shirley when they came out, because he wanted to listen to their set. So I did, too..and like Hugo, I was quite impressed. Gospel music is in good shape out here because of artists like the Johnsons, the Evergreens, Chosen Vision, the Beenes, the Liberty Quartet, and of course, the Herb Henry Family!
Wrapping up the night were the Hoppers, who showed they're not all about tracks and such these days. Their track for "Jerusalem" completely malfunctioned, so with the help of Stan Whitmire(who was on hand to back up a lot of the groups tonight)and Mike Hopper taking the drums, they sang the song anyway...and it did not suffer in the least from the lack of orchestrattion. It is a testament to the professionalism and musicianship of the Hoppers(and Whitmire)that they could pull that off...and the evening ended on a most happy note.
Two more things to add here...
I apologize for completely omitting Jessy Dixon's fine set from Thursday....he closed the first half Thursday night, and had I not been walking arounf the building socializing, I would have caught his exciting program complete with backing choir...Jessy's career has new life thanks to Bill Gaither, and people here loved him Thursday night. I apologize again for my oversight there.
And my night ended on a humorous note when I came up to Les Beasley as we were all leaving for the night. You'll recall above that I mentioned that Les had sung with the Florida Boys on "Declaration of Dependence". I was glad to see Les join in on the vocals, and I wanted to tell him so. Now Les likes to make self-deprecating statements onstage about his singing, and he stepped down from his lead singer spot in 1994 to help propel his quartet into its' modern era...so keeping all that in mind as I spoke, I told Les, "Les, I enjoy it when you sing, believe it or not!" Well, you should have seen the laughter that just erupted for Les as I said that. Immediately, he reached over and told Gerald Wolfe and Rodney Griffin(standing right next to us)what I'd just said....he was laughing incessantly!
I was embarrassed but glad...I enjoy more than anything making people smile and laugh...and I'm glad Les understood what I said, and appreciated my intentions. More than that, I just enjoyed making him happy...Les Beasley is one fine gentleman and representative of gospel music. (See, SGMRadio, if you listen in context, you realize that I mean no harm to anyone...try it sometime!)
One more night to go...and you'll read about it right here, 24 hours from now! See ya then!
Posted on Apr 21, 2007 - 10:58 AM | [2]
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