Far from the madding crowds

I know...as a blogger who specializes in writing about gospel music, my thoughts should be focused on its' biggest annual event,. the National Quartet Convention...finishing up tonight in Louisville.

But I can't help it...my gospel music thoughts are elsewhere today...far, far from Louisville.

My good friends Dave, Duane, and Neil(aka the "original" Couriers)are finishing up a two-week stint in Alaska...singing tomorrow at the North Pole(!)and in Fairbanks.

Alaska is hardly a "hotbed" for anything....let alone "southern" gospel music. It's hard to get farther north than the North Pole!

Yet when those three men, along with Don Baldwin and Eddie Reece, left Bible college in 1958 to enter the world of gospel music, they were determined to fulfill their calling of taking the gospel via music anywhere they were told to go. Now sure, as the Couriers, they were regulars for years at the NQC, and they're quite familiar with what that event can do for an artist in terms of fame and exposure among their peers and the fans. They know all about it...but here they are, each of them in the 70-year old age neighborhood, and when many of their peers are either retired from singing alrogether or at the NQC taking all the "gospel glitz" in(whatever THAT would be), they're out there in one of the farthest corners of the earth, carrying the message they were entrusted with carrying over 50 years ago to people who never get to see that kind of singing any other way, some longtime fans, some not.

They may have passed the name on to a new group of men, but I assure you...Dave, Duane, and Neil continue to be true Couriers.

Now I've never been lucky enough to attend the NQC. But I have attended most of the Western conventions here in California...and I'm throughly familiar with conventions and their atmosphere...and I enjoy them, as well as the fellowship I get at those events. I'm looking forward to next year's Western convention already...and it's still eight months away!

But having been blessed to hear Dave, Duane, and Neil in person...and to know them as people, and know their hearts...I can't help but think of them during this NQC week, as they once again faithfully fulfill their calling they first answered some 50+ years ago, in the farthest reaches of our 49th state.

Yeah, I'm a different sort of blogger...but that's me.

Page 1 of 1 pages

Comments

Add Comments

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Please enter the word you see in the image below:

* Note: Members of Southern Gospel News.com who are logged in do not have to fill in the above information each time they post

By posting you agree to our Comments Policy

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?