A small reflection

Hi! Remember me?

Yeah, it's been a while...and after I told all of you I'd be here a lot more often, and give all of you loyal friends and readers more to read, and(I hope)enjoy!

I think all of us know how THAT can be sometimes, eh?:-)

Anyway, I felt led to post today because I wanted to share a thought I can't seem to shake from my mind any other way!

It's quite personal, so if you're looking for insightful commentary on a gospel music issue(or any other kind), you might want to either wait or check out some of the other items here in this little corner of the web.

Anyway, like many of you, I am a happy member of Facebook. The social utility has been quite a joy for me, for through it, I've been able to keep up with both old and new dear friends alike!

I'm a-l-m-o-s-t to 500 friends now, and they run the gamut from gospel music personalities that have become friends to fellow radio pros and work colleagues to old school friends I've not spoken to or heard from in decades.

But now, they're all a click away via Facebook! Plus, the true love of my life is there too, and that's also very nice.

Anyway, this morning, one of my relatively newer yet unquestionably dear friends achieved something there that I've been trying to do(with all I can muster)for nearly five years now, and I'm extremely happy for him and the other person involved! They're BOTH very deserving of blessings from God, and the finest fellowship that either of them can have.

But a part of me still feels a little sad...why? Why can't my joy just come forth, with no "catch" to it? After all, I truly want the best for both in my heart.

Why am I sad? Because like everyone of us, I want more than I have.

And THAT attitude is not of God...I should be content in all things, with whatever I have. If I want, I'm subconsciously telling God, "Yes, I'm blessed...but the degree to which you've blessed me isn't enough." How DARE I be so ungrateful to my Lord, who gave His very life on earth to assure my eternal destiny AND give me a life that I could not HOPE to have on my own.

Consider...

1. I am saved....if I die at any moment, I'm assured of an eternal existence in His presence. What's better than that? Two answers...and one doesn't count!:-)

2. I'm in good general health...sure, it could be better, but it could EASILY be a lot worse! I'm glad I'm still here to enjoy life!!

3. The Lord has seen fit to give me(finally)the girl of my dreams, and not only that, I've got the BEST possible collection of friends(in Facebook AND real-life)that anyone could have...I don't need anything more, nor is it possible to have anything better there than I have.

What more do I need? NOTHING!

Yet I'm disspirited(if that's even a word...I don't think so)because someone I value a great deal has something I want(even though I truly celebrate that!). What an ingrate I am!

Forgive me Lord, for my lack of trust...I really AM blessed beyond description...certainly beyond what I deserve!

And forgive all of us for being the very same way.

They own the podium

As promised, I will now elaborate on my prediction of two days ago that the Canadian men's hockey team would win the gold medal in the just-concluded 2010 Winter Olympics in the world's most beautiful city, Vancouver, British Columbia...which they did.

First of all, for those curious as to why Vancouver is my favorite place in the world, that stems back to a trip I made there in 1985...I wanted to check out Canada, never having been there before, and since I was in the Seattle area at the time, it seemed as good a time as any to go up and look. When I got to Vancouver, I was struck by the stunning beauty of this huge metropoils seemingly surrounded by clean, blue water and mountains as far as one could see. The weather was wonderful and mild, and I STILL have never seen a cleaner place in my life. I immediately envisioned myself possibly settling down there someday, if circumstances would ever present themselves in such a way.

And now, a part of my heart resides very close by, underlining my attachment to this gloriously beautiful part of the earth.

Too, I've always loved ice hockey, and I naturally have become a BIG fan of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks...so my love for my favorite place intensifies during the winter months...and given that this year's Winter Games were being held there, you can imagine what I've been doing with the tiny window of spare time that I have.

OK, now back to the game. The above backdrop will possibly explain why today's gold medal battle was significant to me...beyond what a regular hockey game would be. I was looking forward to seeing my native country(the U.S.)against another country I feel warmth toward(Canada). Besides, the tournament showed that they, not Canada and Russia(as many experts claimed at the outset)were the class of the world field.

The Canadians had probably the best possible available lineup of the world's top players, with NHL stars such as Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Jonathan Toews, Jarome Iginla, Duncan Keith, captain Scott Niedermayer, and great young defensive talent such as Shea Weber and Drew Doughty, not to mention two of the world's top goaltenders in Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo, not to mention Marc-Andre Fleury of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

The U.S. team was also stocked with solid NHL talent like Patrick Kane, Ryan Kesler, Jamie Langenbrunner, Phil Kessel, Zach Parise, Jack Johnson, and Eric Johnson, plus goaltender Ryan Miller, quietly having a statistically excellent season for the NHL's Buffalo Sabres.

But honestly and objectively, if you put the Canadian and US lineups back-to-back and projected them to their best on the ice, I couldn't really see the U.S. beating the Canadians when it mattered most.

But the U.S. DID beat the Canadians when it din't matter much, in the preliminary seeding round...where the U.S. won despite being outshot nearly 2-to-1 and dominated on the ice by the more savvy Canadian team. The U.S. managed to win on the strength of extraordinary goaltending by Miller, and big plays at timely moments.

Unfortunately, the victory served mostly to wake up a Canadian team that was still a bit disorganized at that point in the tournament. It gave the team a focus and purpose that it may not have had previously, despite the immense pressure they were under in their own country to win a Gold Medal with all that superlative talent. Now they were driven not only by that pressure, but also by the desire to avenge their loss to the U.S. and win the Gold in the same game.

The U.S. continued to play excellently, seemingly improving with each game. The Canadians continued to roll on through the tougher bracket, focused on the Gold and playing their best.

It stood to reason then, that when it became apparent that the U.S. and Canada would indeed face off in a rematch for the Gold, that Canada would have the advantage in the matchup....for except for the Canadian game and a one-period, six-goal ouburst against the bronze medalist team Finland, the U.S. never did approach the dominating force on the ice the Canadians were, despite not having trailed in a game to that point in the tournament.

But in today's game, the U.S. team saved its' best for last...with the Canadians determined to win the game and the gold, and the U.S. determined to duplicate their gold medal hockey performance of 30 and 50 years ago, the result was one of the most intensely competitive hockey games the world has ever seen. The quality of play on both sides was nothing short of remarkable.

But the U.S. realized it wasn't playing Switzerland or Finland this time, and it was all they could do to stay with the determined Canadians on the ice...and the skill of the Canadians won out in the beginning, staking their team to a 2-0 lead by the 2nd period.

The U.S. would cut it to 2-1, and hang in there through much of the third period...but they could not sem to tie the score. Finally, with regulation time about to expire, the U.S. used an extra attacker to put a rebound past Luongo to tie the game and send it into overtime.

Overtime seemed appropriate for this game, since both teams played equally well and deserved to win on effort. But now it would come down to a sudden death overtime.

7 minutes in, Crosby took a pass from Iginla off a turnover and blasted the puck past the heroic-in-defeat Miller, and Canada was the deserving Gold Medal Olympic men's hockey champion.

If all the attention in goal were not squarely on Miller(which admittedly was understandable), perhaps observers might have paid more attention to the equally gifted Luongo, who as the Canucks' goalie had the majority of the fans on his side to go with his excellent career record in international competition and a similar 3-2 win over Miller in th builcing when the Canucks beat the Sabres there in late January.

Luongo was also especially determined to win, for he was battling an undeserved "choker" image, and only was playing when Brodeur, the original Canadian starter, was pulled after the first U.S. loss. A Gold Medal would help Luongo change his public image among some hockey fans.

Bottom line, every player on both the Canadian and U.S. teams earned my unending respect and admiration for the way they played and conducted themselves...the game will do a lot for the sport of hockey by showing the world what a great game of skill hockey is.

Perhaps only in a city as beautiful as Vancouver could such a beautiful display of athletic skill take place. Then again, perhaps not.

But it was still a great game...in a great city.

A prediction…

I make no claims to be an "expert" in ANYTHING, still less one in predicting the outcome of sporting events.

But I'll stick my neck out here and make one prediction for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC(my favorite city in the entire world).

The Canadian men's hockey team will win the gold medal on Sunday, beating the United States team in the championship game.

I'll elaborate on this and explain my prediction in a subsequent posting.

I just wanted to get that prediction out there, on the record.

Here’s to the Dean…

I'd like to take a little time(and space)to salute someone who does a LOT to contribute to the education and appreciation of southern-style gospel music online, and in "real life".

Dean Adkins is a native West Virginia resident who loves gospel quartet music, and loves to share that love with others.

When Dean was in high school in Huntington, WV, his teacher for band was a fellow named Harold Lane. Gospel music fans know Lane as a founding member of the Gospel Harmony Boys, a longtime member of the Speer Family singing group, and one of the newest members of the SGMA Hall of Fame.

Dean is also a cousin to the Toney Brothers, one of the leading gospel groups of the 1950s and 1960s, and still active today.

And Dean's brother Will sang bass for the Gospel Harmony Boys for several years, and was one of the lowest bass singers to be in a traveling group.

To top it off, Dean is a Ph.D....and taught biology for many years at West Virginia's Marshall University.

Dean is retired now, but he still finds time to share gospel quartet music with people...and make as many concerts as he can. He is a regular attendee at the Grand Old Gospel Reunion each year, and often makes the National Quartet Convention as well...and attends the annual SGMA Hall of Fame ceremonies as well.

Dean has a large collection of gospel music. He stores his more than 4,000 LPs in a specially created room in his home, where they're all organized, filed, and maintained. I've often joked with Dean that if I ever get back East, and go through West Virginia, I'll take up lodging in his record room. Trouble is, once in there amidst all those golden gospel treasures, I may never emerge.

Dean has garnered a bit of recent recognition for his posting of classic gospel quartet video clips on YouTube. These clips, which include the likes of the Blackwood Brothers, the Oak Ridge Boys, the Statesmen, the Rebels, the Gospel Harmony Boys, the Cathedrals, Gold City, and even the old Happy Two are a MUST viewing for anyone interested in the art form that IS gospel quartet music. Dean does much for the art form by his generous sharing of these gospel video nuggets.

I first met Dean on the various gospel music message boards. He has never failed to courteously answer any questions someone would ask about a gospel artist or a gospel music history fact. I learned a lot from the things he would share.

In fact, there are a number of history articles I wrote for Southern Gospel News that would not have been possible to write without Dean's generous help with pictures or other resources he would provide me with. If you liked what you read there, Dean deserves your thanks as well.

There are two people in this world I would go to if I were stuck on a historical question about gospel music and could not otherwise find an answer. One is John Crenshaw, probably the leading expert on gospel music recordings in the world(certainly the United States, at least), and the other is Dean. I've long stated that if either of those men is unaware of a gospel music fact, it's probably not worth knowing...such is the breadth of knowledge those two men possess.

I recieved a CD in the mail today from Dean....it will be a valuable assist in executing the "flashback" feature of the gospel music radio show I co-host. It's not the first time Dean has helped me and my recording library, and I doubt it will be the last. Dean is always too happy to help anyone who wants to know more about gospel music.

I am proud to call Dean Adkins a friend, and to salute him here in my little corner of the web for all he does to further the cause of the appreciation of gospel quartet music, the world's greatest music.

Take a bow, Dean...and thanks again.

Works every time…

I know, I know...you've heard it all...and you might be tempted to brush this post off as a mere internet infomercial.

And I can understand that,,,,and if you truly feel that this is indeed such a thing, I hear you,,,and I wouldn't blame you for moving on to another page altogether.

For those of you left, thank you for staying and hearing(or should it be reading)me out.You won't be sorry.

Many moons ago, in this very little corner of the web, I told you how, for me, gospel music is my balm in Gilead...it will cheer me up when nothing else can or has.

There is no more sublime music on this earth....and the thoughts that fill my head when I hear it have served to bring me comfort and reassurance like almost nothing else has. And this week, which has been difficult to deal with (due to a number of factors I can't even begin to name here), the strength and joy I got from those songs got me AGAIN through a very difficult time..

So once more, I'm compelled to play a gospel song when I'm down...because I know that the message therein is going to improve my morale and remind me that I'm still special, even though right them I might not feel thst way.

Gospel music is the one human-derived activity that I can depend on 24/7/365 for immediate joy and comfort, not to mention it serves as a kind of "ear candy" to me..I may not be able to provide anyone here with any kind of a "money back guarantee" if this doesn't work for you! Fortunately, I have unshakable faith that it DOES work, if you wiuld be so kind, try it, you'll like it!

For there is nothing more profound than a well-written song about our Lord, taken to heart.

Please give it a try sometime, won't you?

Tiger finally speaks…

...aren't we all relieved now?:-)

When professional golfer par excellence Tiger Woods finally emerged from almost three months of seclusion following the revelations of his marital infidelity and the accident involving his SUV, his wife, and a tree not far from one of his homes, the coverage of his statement announcing his feelings on the matter bordered on the importance given say, the President's State of the Union address.

I guess that's understandable when one considers the celebrity status of Woods exceeds that of most actors in the entertainment business, CERTAINLY most politicians, and even that of items concerning Ernie Haase and Signature Sound on gospel music websites(just kidding there).

Why is Woods so enormously popular? Because he's young, photogenic, EXTREMELY wealthy, and possibly the greatest golfer ever to play in the sport(after all the records are in the book, he probably will be)?

Well, yes, that's probably part of it...

But as is the case with many of our star athletes, we tend to put them on pedestals reserved for mankind's greatest heroes. We hope for them to be role models for us and our children to such a degree that we start to EXPECT such behavior from them, possibly forgetting that they're no different from the rest of us less-athletically skilled people. subject to the same conditions and real-life obstacles all of us human-types are.

So when a multi-millionaire, successful, college-educated athlete(yes, golfers are athletes)like Woods is found to have committed numerous acts of adultery against his equally celebrity-gifted wife, and gets into an auto accident upon the revelation of such activities, our moral indignation is thrust toward Woods as if he were a pope, a pastor, a head of state, or the CEO of a multinational corporation(not that the latter would ever be exempt from such scrutiny ordinarily).

Which is partly why Woods has maintained an extremely low public profile since the Novemeber incident...after all, Tiger Woods is more than a man, a golfer, or even a celebrity...he is a BRAND...and millions and millions of dollars are generated through his name alone.

So he, wishing to finally put aside some of the intense public attention all this has garnered, finally chose yesterday to make a public address(NOT, significantly, a news conference)on this subhect at last.

Did he address the issues satisfactorily, and responsibly, by so doing?

IMO, yes he did. He is not obliged(NOT the non-word "obligated" that is SO popular with SO many in this English-starved age)to do anything more for us, the general public.

For Woods correctly stated that these personal issues involving his wife are between the two of them, and are essentially none of our business. As much as we crave to know everyone's dirty laundry, he is absolutely correct...it isn't.

Why was this only a gathering of family and friends(and NOT, significantly, his wife, who was not there for some unknown reason)and NOT a press conference, where Woods would answer questions from reporters?

Well, it's none of their business, either. And anyone who follows the media in this day and age knows full well the lack of honor, taste, and scruples inherent in most press conference questions these days knows EXACTLY why Woods would not consent to such a circus. If this issue is to be finally put to bed(as it should be), such an event CANNOT be conducted before the vulture-like media at large these days.

Woods was right when he asserted yesterday that no matter how bad his behavior was, there is NO justification for the media and paparazzi to stalk and follow his FAMILY everywhere they go, and report their whereabouts and what they're doing? Why do we need to know all that?

We think we do...because we are part of an ever-sickening society that no longer values decency, privacy, dignity, or self-respect.

Like every one of us, Tiger Woods is a sinner in need of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. If we start treating him like Jesus would(instead of how a lot of us do), it's possible Woods may feel led to investigate his need for that kind of redemption, and maybe surrender to God's will at last, and subsequently become the kind of father and man he said he wanted to be yesterday.

Isn't us leaving him alone, praying for him, and not being so demanding to follow a moral standard that none of the rest of us even expect of ourselves worth a try?

I think so. And I'll be praying for Tiger Woods, too...care to join me?

It’s official…I’m old…

While at work yesterday, on President's Day, a bunch of us at the radio station were discussing a potential talk show topic, namely, who was the greatest U.S. President of the past 30 years.

Now if we go back 30 years, that takes us to 1980, back to when Jimmy Carter was wrapping up his one and only term as President.

Jimmy Carter?? That's only five Presidents ago...so it shouldn't seem to be 30 YEARS ago, but it is.

I think I'll fetch my walker now, go out, and get my prescription drugs, so I can enjoy these golden years in peace and good health.

Truly the end of an era

With the announcement that the present-day Couriers will no longer be traveling after this coming Memorial Day weekend, a glorious era in gospel music will come to an end, after nearly 55 years of use in service to a calling from God.

And since I have written much about the Couriers(old and new)here in this little corner of the web, perhaps now is the time for me to express some of my thoughts about it right here...especially because(as is often the case with gospel singers)there seems to be a lot of needless speculation concerning the events surrounding this issue.

And to shed some light on that situation, allow me to briefly review the history of the Couriers. I have written on this before(twice in separate history articles for SGN!), but let me do so again in a compressed fashion here, for it seems that the future of the name is attracting undue attention, more so than the group members over the years would probably think it should.

Much of the discussion on the group's name centers around who should have it...the present group that will be disbanding soon, or the iteration that made it most famous...longtime Couriers Dave Kyllonen, Duane Nicholson, and Neil Enloe, who are traveling again these days on a part-time basis as Dave, Duane, and Neil...and who are also unofficially referred to as the "original" Couriers.

It might surprise some of you to realize...that the so-called "original" Couriers are not even the original Couriers!

The Couriers name goes back to the early 1950s when the gospel quartet fad was at a high point...and it was used by some quartets at Central Bible Institute in Springfield, Missouri...and the first known Couriers Quartet was formed in 1953 there. Lem Boyles, Dick Malone, Roger Kling, and Cliff King made up that first Couriers Quartet...and even managed to cut a 78 RPM record during their time as the Couriers. Now these quartet names were the property of CBI as long as the groups sang under their auspices. And when the members left school, the names would go to other students who chose to use them.

Such was the case when one student, Don Baldwin, wanted to form a quartet upon entering the school. Since those first Couriers had disbanded due to members graduating and such, he wanted to use the Couriers' name anew. It was a good name for a gospel quartet...inasmuch as Don's intent for the group was to be "couriers", i.e., messengers of an urgent message, delivered with haste. THAT's what a courier is...and that's what Don wanted his quartet to be.

In time, Baldwin added Kyllonen as his quartet's bass singer, Nicholson as his lead(and later, first tenor), and Enloe as his lead(which moved Nicholson to tenor when he arrived), and this quartet enthusiastically sang whenever and wherever it could on weekends as long as they remained CBI students.

But, students have to graduate at some time...and when Baldwin and Kyllonen were facing graduation, they were faced with the question of what was to become of their fledgling quartet once they were done with school.

After much prayer and deliberation among the members(for Nicholson and Enloe were not ready to graduate yet), the youngsters decided to take a leap of faith into the chaotic and challenging world of full-time gospel singing, taking their name with them.

After a few rocky years, in time that group of young men became one of the top quartets on the circuit, earning the respect of fellow singers and fans alike with their musical abilities, and their staunch commitment to their Christian witness.

Baldwin left the group in 1965, but the group carried on as a trio under Kyllonen's leadership, and eventually became more popular than ever, on the strength of said musical abilities, their unshakable commitment to their calling to be true couriers, and Enloe's renowned songwriting and arranging abilities.

But nothing on earth lasts forever, and by 1980 Kyllonen chose to leave the group, and the Couriers "retired" for the first time.

You can't keep good men down for long, and by 1983, Nicholson and Enloe reappeared as the Couriers were augmented with the addition of Enloe's younger brother Phil, who had been with the group for a couple of years after Baldwin departed. They continued to fulfill the Courier calling, being true couriers of song and deed. But as the 1990s came, the realization that they weren't as young as they once were set in. What to do with the Couriers' ministry in the future?

Nicholson and both Enloes decided to bring in some younger men who shared the same musical and ministerial calling that they did. And when the time came for them to retire once and for all, the younger men would inherit their mantle and continue the Couriers group and calling.

That time came in 2000...when Nicholson and the Enloes chose to step down from the Couriers. They then gave the name to their successors, and the Couriers continued to be excellent musicians and witnesses for Christ...just as they were in their CBI days.

Now, Nicholson and Enloe had no intentions of ever returning to touring. But when they had a reunion with Kyllonen at a PA church around 2004, the three of them felt led to return to a part-time singing ministry, on a limited basis of course.

To avoid confusion, and the appearance of competing with the existing Couriers, they chose to call themselves Dave, Duane, and Neil as they retraced the steps they had trod some 25 years before. They heartily endorsed(and were heartily endorsed in return by)the newer Couriers, and both groups continued to be true couriers(small c)in both word and deed.

But the gospel music road is a tough one to travel, especially in these current difficult economic times. And the new Couriers, for reasons that only they know(and we DON'T)feel led to go into other callings, and cease the musical aspect of their ministry. They will remain "couriers" in the truest sense of the word, they'll just not be doing an itinerant singing ministry any longer.

To me, having been blessed with the friendship of ALL these men in recent years, some of the current dialogue is distressing. I see internet posts suggesting that the current Couriers give their name back to the older Couriers(where it "belongs"), on the presumed basis that they are the ones who made it most famous, therefore they "deserve" it.

It's always hard to follow established "legends" in any field of endeavor. Just ask Franklin Graham, Gary Cunningham, Phil Bengston, Ralph Houk, Bobby Bonds, and Aaron Rodgers, to name a few.

Music is a matter of taste anyway. And if people prefer the singing of the older Couriers to that of the newer ones, does that make the newer ones less worthy of their name? NO!

For the newer Couriers are just as much "couriers" in the true sense of the word as the older ones, or even the REAL original ones! Who are we to decide who is more worthy of such a name?

And the relationship between the older and newer Couriers is very close...such are the bonds of Christ's love.

Dave, Duane, and Neil have been among the most ardent supporters of the young men who LEGITIMATELY inherited their name, and conversely, the younger men are equally enthusiastic endorsers of their illustrious predecessors.

And not that I asked them(I didn't), but I am fairly certain that regaining the Couriers' name is the LAST concern that Dave, Duane, and Neil have at this point in their lives.

For DD&N have always cared more about being true "couriers"(with that small c again)than being the Couriers, and their successors do as well.

And even though the older Couriers were always aware that there would NOT always be a Couriers group to buy and go see in gospel music, the Couriers will never be gone.

For thanks to recordings, and memories, their legacy(then and today)will always ring loudly for us, should we choose it to.

I know it will for me...for I care more that all these men are "couriers" than THE Couriers.

Liberty Quartet, Northwest Church, Fresno, CA 1/22/10

For the first time since this past April's GWSGFF, I was able to see one of my favorite gospel groups, Boise, Idaho's Liberty Quartet in a concert appearance at Fresno's Northwest Church this evening.

I confess, my expectations were quite high for tonight. Ever since I happened upon them some years ago as a result of doing our radio program, I have admired these men. Not merely because of their undeniable musical abilities, which they've had since the outset(they are arguably the finest gospel quartet based west of the Mississippi River), but also because that as much as any gospel aggregate in the past few decades, they have coupled great musical ability with an evangelistic approach to their craft comparable to the Couriers, one of gospel's most influential and legendary groups.

Yes, the Liberty Quartet is not the flashiest or the most flamboyant quartet to hit the scene, but they are most accomplished singers(their bass, Royce Mitchell, is as good as any bass currently traveling), they sing outstanding songs, and like the aforementioned Couriers, are more concerned about communicating the gospel message through either song or interaction with their fans than about getting big crowd pops or standing ovations or any other kind of personal acclaim given them.

I know some of you might say, "That stuff doesn't matter as much as whether they're great performers or not." Uh...well...it kinda does. If you want your message to be taken seriously, and your message is the gospel of Christ, it would stand to reason that you'd do whatever necessary to put that above anything else you do.

Well, the Liberty Quartet does...and they did it again tonight in unusually rainy Fresno.

Opening for them tonight was a local quartet with a strong fan following, the Chordsmen. Now I've heard them sing better on other nights, but they always enjoy their singing, and their sets were enjoyable and seemed to satisfy their many fans in attendance.

When it came time for Liberty to sing, they opened with a trio of energetic songs, and the third, an arrangement of Daryl Williams' "Glory To God In The Highest", had the audience clapping hands and rocking in the pews. They segued into a pair of current songs from their current album, "The Journey", and lead singer Dan Gilbert and baritone Jordan Cragun(their newest member)really shone.

Cragun has been with the quartet for nearly a year now, and has demonstrated appreciable growth as a singer and stage personality. He is both a much improved singer and a more confident personality onstage. While not the musician his predecessor, Doran Ritchey(who I really missed tonight), was, nor not as great a part of the onstage interplay as Doran was(yet), he has clearly grown in his role and by all appearances tonight, is destined to continue to do so.

Gilbert, an old hand by now, is a confident and expressive lead singer whose technical acumen is a boon to the Liberty Quartet concert style. and he has great relatability to an audience, always keeping things "going" in a positive direction.

Tenor Keith Waggoner is a developing vocal talent whose onstage enthusiasm is infectious.He shone tonight on the uptempo numbers and also on the next-to-last song of the evening, "He Is". And in the tradition of such in-person gospel greats as the late London Parris and Harold Giley, seems to never meet a stranger, an important attribute for a messenger of the gospel of Christ.

But as always, the most recognizabe and defining presence in the Liberty Quartet belongs to manager and bass singer Royce Mitchell. Besides being one of the better bass singers going(capable of melodic leads as well as the occasional subwoofer shake), Mitchell is a relaxed emcee whose disingenuous sense of humor puts audiences at ease and shows that love of Christ which he has in abundance. His musical arranging is also quite distinctive and certainly underrated.

The second half of Liberty's program was led by Cathedral Quartet-inspired a cappella singing followed by a fine version of the Couriers' classic "Statue Of Liberty", a song they've added once again to their concert performances. Then Waggoner had a nice mini-aermon capped with the quartet singing "He Is", then wrapping up with a reprise of "Glory To God In The Highest", which again proved to be a "hit" with the audience.

The size of the audience was adequate...the large sanctuary seemed about two-thirds full(not bad in light of the unpredictable weather all week long...a factor in California)...and they were assuredly happy with what they saw.

The Liberty Quartet's program has changed a great deal from the last time I saw them in a concert setting...some of the more over-the-top humor has been replaced with more good songs. But the general approach of Royce as the main MC augmented by guest MC segments from the other group members remains intact.

But through it all, the Liberty Quartet proved tonight that good in-person gospel concert appearances are not just about singing. Liberty has always sung well, but they seem to pay particular attention to what songs they sing, and fashion their programs accordingly. They certainly don't "sit on their laurels", but constantly refine their presentation to better present their main message, which is the gospel of Christ. They've never been tied up in a stylistic rut musically(they've always featured a mix of classic quartet singing and a more modern approach), nor are they stuck in a performance rut, either.

The Liberty Quartet just keeps getting better at what they do every time I see and hear them. I have never heard them better than they were tonight. This constant improvement, both on record and on stage, is no doubt a big reason why they have finally been invited this year to be on the main stage at the National Quartet Convention(certainly an overdue invitation). And why not? After all, the NQC is allegedly there to present the very best in the southern-style gospel genre that there is...and now, the Liberty Quartet is certainly that.

And they're getting out now to more of the American continent than ever these days. I would suggest strongly that if you want to see good Christian music sung by a dedicated gospel quartet, then you NEED to check out the Liberty Quartet if you get the chance. They are better than they've ever been, and are among the genre's very best. If that's what you like, you would have enjoyed tonight's concert as much as I did!

By all means, DON'T miss them at this year's NQC!

Preview of coming attractions

The next entry I'll be posting here will be either Friday night or Saturday morning...the Liberty Quartet(one of my favorite bunch of singers and people)will be singing in Fresno at Northwest Church, and I will be there to see them(in spite of rain, sleet, hail, or gloom of night)....I'll share my observations of that special evening right here.

Also, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound will appear in Fresno next Thursday night at the Cornerstone Church, and I plan to zip over there right after work that evening to take that in, too...and if you'd like, you can read about that as well right here.

I may post at various times in between and around as well, just to be different. Catch you all then!:-)

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