Great Western Southern Gospel Fan Festival 2008, Day 1

Well, another GWSGFF has kicked off with a bang.

I got there a little later than I'd planned, but once at the Save Mart Center I immediately felt at home. I met several singers and old friends prior to the singing, among them Royce Mitchell of the Liberty Quartet, Jim Weatherford of the Orange County quartet Evidence, Herb Henry, and even Les Beasley! I was surprised that Les would come out since his Florida Boys are longer part of the event, but there he was(no, Cliff, I didn't ask him about the tapes yet...I plan to, though!). It was great to see old and new friends so quickly.

Just before the program started, I helped out at our KMJ booth there, relieving Earline Starnes for a while so she could also circulate about. I was amazed to notice how many of the people that happened by our booth were from Oregon or Washington...but the GWSGFF is the closest major event to them, so I shouldn't be too stunned.

I settled into our suite just as Legacy Five concluded "Boundless Love". Then to my great delight, the Liberty Quartet from Boise was the first official set. I've said for some time that they are the outstanding gospel quartet in the Western United States, and they proceeded to demonstrate that once again. Their set consisted primarily of songs from their latest CD, the most noteworthy of them being a rewrite of the Mills Brothers classic "Cab Driver", retitled "Bus Driver" to make it apply to gospel music. The outstanding musical characteristic of the Liberty Quartet is their almost flawless facility in going from old time quartet singing to semi contemporary and from great hymns of faith to lighter, fun material such as "Bus Driver". Bass singer and manager Royce Mitchell was in typical fine form(IMHO, he is one of the very top bass singers on the road today), as was the rest of the quartet, and they never fail to leave GWSGFF crowds wanting more.

Next was Grass Valley(CA)'s Johnson Family Quartet, a father who plays guitar and his three daughters who sing, and their nice set was dampened only by their announcement that they would be leaving the road by the end of this calendar year.

The Beene Family was next, a group originally from Fresno that has now made it in Nashville on a national level. This friendly and engaging family always enjoys singing before the old home folks, and their set was well received. It is amazing what an "umbrella" genre that "southern" gospel has become in recent years, ranging among different artists from traditional quartet stylings to bluegrass to country to what we radio people like to call A/C(Adult Contemporary)...modern sounding but not nearly Christian rock. The Beenes' material would mostly fall under that "A/C" classification, but they concluded their set with the old Kingsmen standard "Beautiful Home" that got the people in the closest seats to the stage standing and clapping. Tonight's program had that "something for everybody" feel to it among all the participating artists.

Then came one of the major highlights of the night for me...the King's Heralds Quartet was there, and they did an a cappella number from the crowd that so captured their attention that they were hushed as the Heralds(a cappella specialists)elecrtified the crowd with their many chord and key changes in their difficult(to sing along with)arrangement. The Heralds are such fine quartet singers that their style transcends mere southern gospel and is reminiscent of both barbershop harmony and great past quartets like the Hi-Los(IMHO, THE greatest quartet ever...bar none!).

I could have heard more, but they were done for tonight...next came a video credited to the Gaither organization of the Oak Ridge Boys(ca. 1967)singing "Sweeter Gets The Journey". It was nice to look back at Little Willie, Duane, Bill, Herman, and Tommy Fairchild once more.

The next live group was the Palmetto State Quartet. This is the first that I've heard of them since adding Larry Strickland(Mr. Naomi Judd and ex-of the Stamps)on bass and their new pianist. Their style hasn't chsnged much since Aaron McCune was still with them, meaning(for me)that they did a solid, professional set...and the crowd(about half the arena capacity)was responsive to their fine singing.

Then the group that I regard to be the finest currently based in California came on stage...the Herb Henry Family. Dispensing with their usual backing tracks, they came out with Herb at the piano accompanying his children(Chris, Amanda, and Angela). I've admitted in the past to having almost a paternal feeling about them, since I've been hearing them often since Herb first put the group together. When they started, the kids were hard to listen to at tiems vocally. But what a difference a few years made. All three are now seasoned, talented singers with stage presence and depth.

The majority of their songs tonight were old quartet standards done to simple piano accompaniment. Herb got applause for a piano solo during "His Hand In Mine", not that it was flashy and filled with Anthony Burger-like piano pyrotechincs...it was direct, dignified, and tasteful. The arrangements reminded me of the old Speer Family back when Ann Downing sang with them. Picture Brock playing piano(Herb sings the bass part for them)and you might get an idea of how the Henry Family sounded on stage tonight.

They finished with their version of "Looking For A City" where they outGoodman the Goodmans. It is always a crowd pleaser for GWSGFF fans...and symbolically, during their second refrain they were joined on stage by the Hoppers(who were next). It seemed appropriate to me that two of the very best mixed gospel groups in the country would be singing together on stage...to me, it was reminiscent of all the times the Blackwoods and Statesmen joined each other on stage during the heyday of "the team".But it wasn't just the Hoppers that joined the Henrys on stage...Roy Webb also came out to play piano, and a youth choir from an area church also joined in the festivities.

Webb and the choir remained on stage to back up the Hoppers, who did a strong set of some of their favorites, and got their usual large amount of applause.

The first half closed with Legacy Five, a group that doesn't get all the attention and fanfare of...let's say...EHSSQ. But they've consistently plugged away all these years, and today are a very polished and solid top-tier quartet.

It was intermission, so I did a little more circulating. I collared Jeff Pearles to tell him not only what a fantastic bass singer he is, but that his King's Heralds is one of the best sounding vocal groups I have ever heard. Typically, Pearles shrugged off any superlatives...he is a gospel music treasure. I also hooked up briefly with Liberty Quartet tenor Keith Waggoner...who has become quite a good friend. If you haven't read the interview he did with Daniel Mount at southerngospelblog.com...you owe it to yourself to read it. It is a good portrait of an outstanding young music minister(Waggoner).

The second half threatened to become an all-California show...with Tulare's California Melody Boys followed by Southern California's retiring Watchmen Quartet, and then by Bakersfield's Revised Standard Version(aka RSV), who always come off better in concert than on recording, and tonight was no exception.

The Watchmen set deserves mention if nothing else for having Les Beasley join them on stage for their final song. It is good to see Les on stage singing, and enjoying himself. He deserves to at this point in his life.

The evening wrapped up with perhaps the best pure musical group in today's gospel music...the Booth Brothers. They have phenomenal stage presence and melt your ears almost with their letter-perfect harmony. In fact, they encored on one song a cappella and the crowd didn't utter a single peep...so powerful their stage presence is The Booths could close a concert any night...they're that good.

I didn't leave out Jamey Ragle on purpose...he was there and did stuff from stage. He was in the Dixie Melody Boys back in the 1970s...I put him here in my review because he didn't sing. He mostly did comedy with just a little bit of testifying. We're told we'll see even more of Jamey in the next couple of days.

All in all, it was a good first night...I got to talk to some old friends, some new ones and some singers as well...and heard enough good singing for that to linger in my mind for at least until tomorrow night's program.

My highlights were..the Liberty Quartet's "Bus Driver" song...the Herb Henry Family's set(and them being joined by the Hoppers), the King's Heralds' dazzling a cappella number, the Booth Brothers' closing set,and another old video shown in the second half of the Speer Family from probably the very early 1960s(w/Mom, Dad, Brock and Ben).

Back tomorrow night with more. Any thoughts on my thoughts?:-)

It’s worth it all

Many times when I sit here typing out an entry, I wonder if anyone besides me is getting anything out of what I have to say.

Tonight, I don't feel that so much. I received quite a reward from God(I don't look at such things any other way, and perhaps you'll understand what I mean when I explain a little more).

Last Friday at the radio station, when I was in the midst of producing our afternoon talk show, I got a call from a man that I did not expect in the least to hear from.

Unlike most of my friends, he doesn't know me from the radio. One reason for that is that he hails from a small town in the Midwest, Bethalto, Illinois.

How then, does Bill Flack know of me, and consider me a friend, even though he can't hear my work...and he'd never spoken directly to me in my life?

I'm almost embarrassed to say why...he knows me from the articles I write for Southen Gospel News, and from this blog!

Mr. Flack lives in a rural area, and has no access to a computer. But he told me today that he has friends who read what I write, and make copies for him. For you see, Mr. Flack is quite a gospel music fan.

In just the past six months, he has sent me a number of cassette tapes of vintage gospel music, and even a videotape of Don Smith(ex-Blackwood Brothers bass and whose radio show I co-host now)on a Chicago TV program with James Blackwood, Alden Toney, and Hilton Griswold(all members of the BBQ when Don was with them). These are quite generous gifts, and priceless to me because I love classic gospel quartet music, as does Mr. Flack.

Unbeknownst to me, after reading my writing and becoming a fan, he tracked me down at my "day job", and promptly "adopted" me as a good friend, something I'm now most grateful for.

All these things he decided to send me at KMJ, and he also revealed one other bit of information about himself that I found quite interesting.

Mr. Flack grew up in the same town as did my good friend(and ex-Courier)Neil Enloe. He remembers Neil from his youth and the barbershop that Neil's father had for many years in Wood River, Illinois...not far from St. Louis.

Not only that, but Mr. Flack remembers attending high school with Neil's younger brother, Phil...and them being good friends. Mr. Flack told me that his father and Clifton Enloe sang in a gospel quartet back then as well...and that the Enloes' oldest son, Dave(Neil and Phil's oldest brother)attends his church now. As you might expect, I found Mr. Flack to be a delight, and we had a great phone chat today while I was working at the station!

Mr. Flack wanted me to state for the record that however many good things I could say about the Enloe family, they wouldn't be enough! I couldn't help but agree with him on that score.

But even more than that, I was genuinely touched that a man like Mr. Flack, who has no computer, decided that he wanted to be my friend for no other reason that he liked what I wrote.

I'm well aware that what I write here, even though it represents me at a given point in time, is of varying quality. Some of my stuff is good, others of it bad, and maybe even more somewhere in between, with no meaning to anyone except to those who are interested in what I have to say. And knowing who reads what I write here and for SGN, I wonder if it really does my readers any good at all, as I said at the outset of this post.

And to know that there is a man in rural Illinois, who has to depend on friends to be able to even have the remotest familiarity with me and/or what I write, who genuinely appreciates me and what I do...is truly humbling and renders me practically speechless(quite a feat, I know, say folks who know me best).

It makes me feel truly blessed...to know that SOMEBODY is out there listening(or reading), and gets a blessing from what I do.

So in a real sense, my writing is as much for the Bill Flacks of this world as it is for me.

As the old poem reads, I am, among all men, most richly blessed.

They deserve your best

As the GWSGFF draws nearer, my thoughts go to how the country's best gospel singers will be received by their many fans in this part of the country.

I get to thinking at times that it's got to be tough on singers on these occasions, since they'll be essentially in a three day fishbowl, with people watching their every move and paying ultra close attention.

My own situation is not nearly so challenging, but I can relate in some ways to what those people will be going through.

After all, in this area, I am relatively well-known by my voice and what I've done on the radio for so many years. Believe it or not, when I go into stores around here, people recognize me...and know who I am and what I do. I've learned to take this flattering recognition in stride, for I am by no means a "famous" person. In fact, it makes me smile a bit when I realize that these (mostly)kind and good people have no idea that I am not nearly as revered or wealthy as they imagine I am(I can only wish!).

One thing I always try to do when I encounter those kinds of people is give them as much time and attention as I can, not only because these are nice people who appear sincerely interested in getting to know me better, but because I am called as a tenet of my faith to be as good a witness to the hope that lies within me as I can.

There are times when I don't have time to be as solicitous as I want to be, but under no circumstances do I avoid trying to make my "fans"(and future friends)as special and important as possible. I owe God that much, and I owe these people as much as well.

I imagine that most gospel singers share my feelings about this. Certainly the majority of the ones I've met have acted this way. And I know it can't always be easy for them to always "give the world a smile".

For these men and women have cares, concerns, families, and life situations of their very own. Yet, when they enter an auditorium or a church to sing for people, they are expected to leave all of that behind for two or three hours, and put all their thought and energy into giving us fans their very best effort, and be a light for them.

And then, they are expected to smile continuously, sign autographs, pose for pictures, and make conversation with total strangers who imagine them close friends they know really well, even though the only contact that any of these people have had with these artists is through recordings, and concerts previously attended.

Do you ever wonder sometimes if they sometimes don't feel like always smiling, or talking to you?

I do...I'm sure that has been the case on occasion when I have tried to make conversation with them. Yet, invariably, they nearly always summon up a smile and a word for me.

I imagine they do for the same reason the rest of us do with people we have to encounter, and reach out to. It's our duty, and it's what we ought to do as people.

I was always taught as a young broadcaster to never let the audience know when I didn't feel good, or was preoccupied with some personal issue. They didn't turn the radio on to my program to hear about my problems, they more than likely have enough of their own. They tune in to hear me give them what they want, whether it be the news, stimulating discussion about an important issue, or just some good music and light dialogue to make them smile, and get through their days that much better.

And when those singers come to Fresno's Save Mart Center next week to sing God's praises to you, don't expect any of those people to complain, or be rude, or not give you the time of day. (Don't expect, on the other hand, for them to delay going back on stage to let you finish crying on their shoulders!:-)) They know why they're there...and why you're there, too. Expect them to try to sing their best for you, and to bless your hearts and comfort your minds with the most enduring message on earth.

So I challenge you all who attend the GWSGFF or any other gospel concert to take the time to personally thank at least one of the singers who's come out here to sing for you, and make him/her feel as special as they make you feel by their gift of music and their singing(and their calling).

How much is enough?

It seems that I do a lot of responding to Daniel Mount.

Well, I will again here. I posted recently that I was open to any suggestions any of you had for topics I could post on.

Well, since Daniel is a frequent reader here(I'm proud to say), I might as well act on a suggestion of his(before I move on to other topics).

This got started when Daniel posted a link to a newspaper article about Jerry Trammell(erstwhile tenor for the Florida Boys, the Blackwood Brothers, and JD Sumner and the Stamps, among others). As a comment to it, he posted that in his opinion Jerry was the greatest tenor the Florida Boys ever had.

Well, you all know me...I'm not inclined to let something like that go unchallenged. But since I have a rule about not getting into public disagreements about anyone's favorites(what's the point? People are entitled to like anyone they choose...no justification is necessary for that), I decided to respond to Daniel's comment in private e-mail to him.

In the course of our exchange, I opined that anyone who opted to make such a visible contention ought to have heard enough of a sample of a given group before making any sweeping judgments such as the above.

Unbeknownst to me, Daniel has done a lot of listening to the Florida Boys and their recordings over a long period of time. I am proud that Daniel has learned so much about gospel music so soon...too many of his generation tend to make statements like that without such background. Common examples of this are all the 20-somethings who post on blogs or message boards that the Haase/Payne/Fowler/Younce/Bennett lineup of Cathedrals was their best ever, or others in the same age group proclaiming that Tim Riley is the best bass ever.

I know the YouTube phenomenon has helped make the work of a lot of these artists more visible(and audible)to people who have computers. And this is a good thing...I've said right here that the postings there of Dean Adkins of classic quartet performances from the 1960s and 1970s has been a public service to gospel music fans of ALL ages, and introduce surfers to gospel singers they otherwise would never have gotten the chance to hear.

And yes, CDs of all these artists are becoming more readily available...and for the particularly intrepid(like Daniel), even LPs are available of almost any gospel artist one cares to name.

But my initial response stung Daniel a bit...and given what background he's developed, I can understand why. So he felt led to ask me here how much of a percentage of an artist's work must one be familiar with before one can make educated judgments on who their best iterations and/or singers are.

Well, not to cop out by any means...but even a lot of allegedly objective evaluations of such things are based on personal tastes(how can they NOT be?). We all have our standards of what good and bad are, or what kind of music each of us prefers.

And even if we could get past that into truly objective evaluations of singing technique, crowd appeal, and the like...what would the point of all that be anyway?

There are those that pretend we can do that...but what point are they(and we)trying to make in those kinds of discussions?

As I wrote here not too long ago, the issue of who the best is at this or that means less and less to me as I grow older...particularly when it comes to gospel singers. For if the singers in question communicate their message effectively through their music, what use is it to be picky about all that other stuff?

All any of us can do is the best we can with what we are given....whether it comes to sports, singing, blogging, or life itself.

And for those of us who are believers in Jesus, whatever we lack, He will compensate with enough for us to do the calling we're chosen to fulfill.

So to answer Daniel's question as precisely as I can, I would say: As much as you're able to get as complete a picture as possible of whatever artist you happen to be discussing.

But to all of you, I add...what does it all matter? Just thank God for whoever you're hearing, and treat their work the way you would want yours to be treated.

All set for the GWSGFF

In a previous post, I solicited suggestions for future postings here.

One was by my good friend Daniel Mount, one of the leading southern gospel bloggers...he asked me to provide a full report on the upcoming Great Western Southern Gospel Fan Festival on May 1-3 here in Fresno.

Well, I have always tried to do so for the past few years...and I'm glad to tell Daniel and the rest of you that I have my tickets and passes for the entire three-day event, so expect a daily, comprehensive(at least as much as one person can do)report on all the goings-on at the GWSGFF for the third consecutive year right here in this little corner of the web.

And I'll really be looking forward to the music, the fellowship, and the atmosphere.

So keep it right here for this inquiring observer's observations of the West's leading gospel music event.

Back home again

It's been too long since I've posted here, and during this latest "lull", I've been getting beaten up in the cold, cruel world of commercial radio.

Four years ago, I would have had no "safety net" to cushion me from such blows from an industry I've always loved, but know it doesn't always care about things that I do. But since then, I've been able to share my love of gospel music with all of you, and doing that has given me pleasure that even I find hard to describe precisely.

And what got me through today and kept me from going stir crazy is that same gospel music...today we recorded our Sunday morning gospel music show on KMJ...the longest running gospel radio show in the nation(a fact I'm proud to brag about a bit). The music we played helped soothe my soul, and brightened my spirits.

One feature in particular I'm proud of is something we just started doing in recent weeks...our "Flashback" feature. The last song we play each week on our show is some classic gospel performance from yesteryear. In recent weeks we've played classic songs by the Harmoneers, the Rebels, the Sunshine Boys, and the Blackwood Brothers...all from the private collections of Earline Starnes(the principal host and the younger daughter of former Blackwood Brothers bass Don Smith)and yours truly.

We never made a big to-do that we were going to start doing that(unlike SOME radio shows who grind out ceaseless self-promotion). To coin a phrase of my good friend Neil Enloe(formerly of the Couriers), we just sort of "fell into it". At first it began with old recordings of Don's quartet, the Gospelaires...and when I realized Earline was going to make it a regular feature, I jumped in with all the energy I had...and decided that I would lend my own experience and recordings into the mix to make it a memorable part of the show for our audience.

And that it has become...people have responded quite well to it...I knew they would. A good gospel song performed by a dedicated and talented artist will always be well received...despite the favorite genre of any given listener.

I've already planned to unveil further classics in the weeks ahead.

The real blessing about this feature is that it allows me the privilege of combining two of the things I love most...gospel music and radio...and gives me a chance to share some gifts I've been given with the world...just as this blog does.

It's good to be home.

Don’t be shy…

In my most recent entry here, I asked if any of you had ideas or topics that I could write about here.

The response has been a little slow so far, and I hope it's not because none of you care, or you're a little put off that I would make such a request.

I know there are a number of you out there, and part of the reason I started this blog was to share myself with you, and maybe say something that might brighten your spirits or your days. I want to interact here. A very dear friend of mine expressed concern privately that I might be down, or in low spirits.

Nothing could be farther from the truth...I am in a good mood of late...God has shown me in many and various ways just how much He really does love and care for me.

As have many of you...and for that, I'm humbly thankful and grateful.

I am expecting my unexpected tax refund any day now, I have heard wonderful things from many wonderful friends, and I am immersing myself in His music as much as possible these days.

I am very fortunate to have at my disposal a number of the finest gospel singers who have ever lived, and hearing them sing their songs of praise and testimony is a constant blessing and source of pleasure to me. And I have ideas on new topics for my history articles...I can hardly wait to write them for you.

But I've just been grinding my gears when it comes to my private little corner of the web...so knowing that this isn't so much about me as it is all of you, I'm looking forward to finding out what you might want here.

The coming month will be a big one for me, and I want you all to enjoy it along with me.

So how about it...what would you like?:-)

Taking suggestions once more

Well, it's that time of year...the Great Western Southern Gospel Fan Festival is almost here, I'm awaiting my tax refund(at last), the weather is warming up, I am troubled by certain personal situations, and I'm having a tough time settling down and finding something to write about that all of you would like to read.

So, as I did some months back, I give the floor to you...you're all invited to post your own suggestions on what I can write on that you would be interested in seeing me comment on. Or you can just vent on something yourselves...if it'll help. I'm here to serve you in whatever way I can.

Some of your earlier suggestions I followed through on...some I've procrastinated on. Whatever you'd like to see me do(keep it clean...lol), just post it here...and I'll do my best to oblige. Maybe the shot in the arm might invigorate my imagination.

Or if you just have something to say, feel free. I'll listen.

THE car, period!

Maybe now ALL the drivers and fans of NASCAR will finally get it.

This is the first year that the so-called Car of Tomorrow(CoT for short)was introduced into the sport as the standard vehicle for the Sprint Cup series, the top series in NASCAR.

This after a year of criticism from drivers used to the old car's performance and looks, two things(especially the latter)that they said the newer car, heavier and boxier in shape, failed to measure up to by comparison.

The newer body style was developed in the wake of the death of the sport's biggest star, Dale Earnhardt, in 2001 after the legendary driver was killed in a crash against the wall in the Daytona 500.

Since then, the walls have been reinforced at NASCAR tracks as never before, and the cars have been built with various extra safety and restraint devices in order to prevent what happened to Earnhardt from happening again.

But it was felt that more than the extra safety devices, the cars themselves had to be built differently than before in order to better protect their occupants in the event of the inevitable high-speed mishaps endemic to stock cars in the sport.

Along with that, the feeling was that the older cars technological development had peaked, and that races tended to boil down more and more to how the cars were set up and the skill of the teams and manufacturers involved, and less on the skills of the individual drivers.

So the new cars have been built to more uniform and stricter standards, not just in terms of safety but in terms of their performance. The idea is to level the playing field, and make it easier for more teams and drivers to compete on an equal basis.

How well they've achieved the latter goal is still open to question, but after this weekend at the Texas Motor Speedway, there no longer can be any doubt that the newer car is better built for the driver's safety.

During qualifying for the Samsung 500 there this past Friday, rookie driver Michael McDowell inadvertently tested the car's safety features in a way he never intended.

He was going into a turn when it appeared that his car's tires slipped on the substance poured on the track after an oil spill, and his car careened almost headfirst into the wall at approximately 185 MPH.

The built-in barriers absorbed the impact, but the car nonetheless flipped over after the contact about eight times before it bounced down the track's banking and eventually settled in the infield below.

The car was totalled, but the driver compartment remained relatively intact. The crowd was hushed at what they saw, and they were quiet as much out of concern for McDowell's welfare as for the terrifying scene they had just witnessed. Was McDowell OK?

The crowd got its' answer relatively quickly, as McDowell was pulled from the car. To the astonishment of everyone near the track, in the stands, and no doubt the television audience watching the qualifying on the SPEED network, McDowell walked away from the mess to a waiting ambulance, waving to the fans as he did so.

Just moments later, McDowell was interviewed by a SPEED reporter, smiling and reassuring him that he was OK, but for a few bumps and bruises. He said he never lost consciousness during the incident, and that he "felt every roll" his car took. His tone of voice was like someone who'd endured nothing more serious than a fender bender, not like someone who went through the scary ordeal he actually went through.

Many of the drivers there feared for McDowell's welfare, if not his life. Two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart described the crash as the "hardest one I've ever seen", and pole sitter Dale Earnhardt, Jr. said it was a scary thing to witness.

Even McDowell conceded as such when he was shown the replay of the mishap. Yet, he was still smiling. The bottom line was, he was still there to see what had happened.

The commentators on SPEED were unanimous in their opinion that the design of the CoT was paramount in McDowell's being able not only to endure the crash, but to smile and discuss it just moments later with their reporters.

So, really, who cares if the newer cars ARE less attractive or less aerodynamic than their predecessors?

The fact is, they do what they're designed to do. If you still don't believe me, check out how competitive the races with the new cars have been.

And most important, ask Michael McDowell. Because the car is built the way it is, you can.

Here we go again

Some time ago, I attracted attention here in my little corner of the web when I challenged a notion held by many gospel music fans whose main exposure to the genre was in the 1980s and 1990s that the late George Younce was the greatest bass singer of all time. While not denying Younce's unquestioned greatness as a bass singer, I wondered aloud how people who were largely unfamiliar with bass singers from earlier eras could fairly make such a sweeping statement.

This week I encountered a similar pronouncement in a popular gospel music discussion forum. A poster was challenging an assertion that Mark Trammell was a prime example of a singer who made a habit of changing groups quickly and often. While he was right in arguing that Trammell is NOT an example of such a singer, he went a bit far, IMHO, to make his point. He stated that Trammell was "without a doubt" one of the two greatest baritones in the history of gospel music, along with Doy Ott.

Now the person who made this comment is one of the better bloggers out there today on the gospel music blogroll. But he is a relatively young man, and not likely that familiar with many of the quartet singers prior to the 1980s. I responded with the comment that his statement about Trammell was "incredible", and if any of my readers are privy to that discussion, perhaps an explanation for my own comment is in order.

The history of gospel music on record goes back over 80 years, and a quarter of a century more if the earliest days of the genre are figured into it. Nobody I know is familiar with every singer who ever sang in the genre during that time, but thanks to the recordings I'm familiar with(which date back some 60 years), I'm familiar with a lot of fine baritones in a lot of great quartets.

And again, the question I ask is this: How does someone familiar with only the past 25 years know that Trammell(who, IMHO, is an excellent baritone, BTW)is better than the likes of Erman Slater, James McCoy, Billy Carrier, Don Baldwin, Don Norman, Glen Allred, Earl Weatherford, R.W.Blackwood, Cecil Blackwood, John Mathews, Danny Koker, and many more that unfortunately escape my memory roll at the moment?

The answer is, unless he has access to that many recordings, he/she doesn't...I don't care how many so-called experts he/she may discuss the matter with.

Now, in fairness to the person I'm "picking on" to make my point here, I'm not arguing that Trammell isn't greater than at least some of the names cited above. This sort of thing is a matter of opinion anyway, now matter how many recordings one has or how many times one has seen a given singer in concert. I hasten to add that line because I don't want to be confused with another prominent blogger who sometimes holds his own opinions as almost a matter of law.

My only point is that there is certainly room for plenty of doubt as to the notion that Trammell and Ott are head and shoulders above every other baritone in gospel music history. Frankly, I'm not even sure myself who is the best of all.

But I know that the consensus of most gospel music historians is that Ott and R.W. Blackwood are usually cited by longtime fans as the preeminent baritone singers of all. In fact, my own top five, in addition to those two, would include Danny Koker, Glen Allred, and Don Baldwin.

But that is only my humble opinion...not worth any more than the paper one might print this post out on.

The bottom line is that there have been many great gospel singers over the past century...and no doubt many more will join their ranks in the coming century. And we're all entitled to our favorites...for WHATEVER reason they may be so.

Let's just try to keep our encomia under control, and not presume our tastes to be fact when they're only our tastes.

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