http://john.sogospelnews.com/ en johnscheideman@sogospelnews.com Copyright 2008 2008-07-21T06:49:00-06:00 http://john.sogospelnews.com/index/john/comments/9431/ A lot of us who are motivated to love and serve God really get upset with ourselves when we revert to behaviors and attitudes that make other people wonder if we're really what we represent ourselves to be. I certainly feel that way tonight. It's not that I behaved publicly in a way that would call negative attention on myself. Incredible as this may sound about me, it's not even because I said something to somebody that hurt or demoralized someone. In this case, it's because I've done things in a difficult part of my life to effectively master that I vowed never to do again. I can almost hear a lot of you saying as you read this...big deal, I do stuff like that all the time! Stop kicking yourself and move on already. Well, it's not that easy...if I purport to be someone who obeys God for direction in my life, how can I NOT be upset with myself for doing things that I know better than to do? And if you're like me in that regard, you do the… Misc 2008-07-21T06:49:00-06:00 http://john.sogospelnews.com/index/john/comments/9401/ As a sports fan, I've been inundated with the story about Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre. This despite the fact that we're in the middle of baseball season....a day away from their annual All-Star game. But the NFL-crazed sports media insist that pro football is the #1 sport in America, and they need to keep it on the front page of the papers and the lead story on the various TV and radio sports shows, so we're saddled with Favre, whether we care or not. Do I care? What does it sound like? But to be fair, it's not so much the NFL that is keeping the flames of this story burning...unfortunately, it's Brett Favre himself, in an attempt to spin this story to keep his carefully cultivated image as the quintessential Packer, competitor, team man, and great quarterback intact. What's the matter, John? Don't you respect the accomplishments and abilities of one of the best NFL quarterbacks of this generation? Let me make myself clear on that point. I absolutely respect Favre for his fine career, his physical prowess, and… Misc 2008-07-15T05:31:00-06:00 http://john.sogospelnews.com/index/john/comments/9361/ I heard on the radio this morning that Mitch Miller turned 97 years of age today. 97! At a time when we seem to be losing more and more of our pop culture icons to one thing or another, it is somehow comforting to know that one of them remains with us. At this point, maybe I ought to introduce Mitch Miller to those of my readers who are completely unfamiliar with him, for it has been over 40 years ago since he has been a significant name in our pop culture. Mitch Miller's main popularity with most comes from his four-year stint as the host of the weekly TV program "Sing Along With Mitch", a corny but popular program that featured Miller conducting a male vocal chorus(also at times featuring male and female soloists)singing arrangements of popular melodies that was interactive for the time...in that the words to the songs appeared on the screen as they were being sung, with a bouncing ball landing on each word so all of us could "sing along" at home with the singers. Miller's always genial, friendly personality and the familiarity… Misc 2008-07-05T04:18:00-06:00 http://john.sogospelnews.com/index/john/comments/9326/ I don't see anyone else in my immediate blogging circle talking about this, but I feel obliged(note: NOT obligated!)to...long time gospel fans need to take note of this passing. Two days ago, Ira Tucker, lead singer for probably the top black gospel quartet of all time, the Dixie Hummingbirds, passed away from heart complications. He was 83 years of age, and to that day was still a performing member of the quartet, which he first joined as a youngster in 1938. Tucker was probably the first man to be a stylist in black gospel music. With the 'Birds, he specialized in what became known in the 1950s as the "hard" quartet sound. On record and in person, that style was exemplified by lots of note bending and syncopated rhythms, and out-and-out screaming at times...but never for its' own sake...he screamed on-key. The 'Birds started as a jubilee-styled quartet(the predominant style of the day among black quartets...modeled on the famous Golden Gate Quartet)before evolving into the more syncopated, rhythmic styled quartet they became known for being in the 1940s and 1950s, when they quickly became known as black gospel's preeminent quartet.… Southern Gospel Music 2008-06-27T03:57:01-06:00 http://john.sogospelnews.com/index/john/comments/9324/ Just what the doctor ordered. To the surprise of most fans of college baseball(including this one), most sports observers, and even many in their own community, the Fresno State baseball team defied the prevailing odds, did their jobs as they were taught, and made sports history by winning the 2008 College World Series in most convincing fashion, thrashing a good Georgia team 6-1 tonight to make it official. But that's not all they did. The sports experts will remind us forever about the fact that this Fresno State team was the lowest ranked team to ever make the CWS, let alone win it. Along the way, they'll also remind us that their 62 runs scored tied the all time record for most runs scored in a series. They'll also remind us that the team was 5-0 in elimination games, meaning that every time they needed to win a game to remain in the series, they did....and how! And the local sociologists will tell us that this particular win by this particular team was a shot in the morale department for a community that for far too long has… Misc 2008-06-26T06:16:00-06:00 http://john.sogospelnews.com/index/john/comments/9306/ What a week. I'm sure that all of you have had weeks like this...with days so packed with things to do that it seems they run together at such a rate that it seems the WEEK is only 24 hours long, and not each individual day. As I sit here typing this, the remarkable run of the Fresno State baseball team rolls on...the Bulldogs are but one win away from the College World Series championship series, having only to beat North Carolina once more this weekend. I don't know if they will, but it's been an inspiring story of a team that could...despite all kinds of obstacles. I pick up on stuff like that, because if they can, so can I. And I've had more than my share of obstacles this week...which is part of the reason I've not been here more. But even(or especially)during weeks like this, I've got my music to keep me company...and be my friend. I've read elsewhere about why gospel music fans are fans of this genre of music, and if you asked enough of them at different times, I'm… Southern Gospel Music 2008-06-21T07:21:00-06:00 http://john.sogospelnews.com/index/john/comments/9282/ Just stopping in to wave "hi" from my little corner of the web...and reassure you all that I'm still alive and functioning! Again, real life gets busy sometimes, and when I'm immersed in it, I don't always take the time to post things here. And I've said many times here that I don't believe in posting for its' own sake...I try to wait until I actually have something important(at least to me)to say before I share it here. Besides, later today, I'll be getting a new ISP along with cable TV installed(for the first time in 10 years), and so I'm inclined to wait until my new setup is complete before I start posting like mad here again. Understand? Are you with me? Very well...I promise I will return soon...in the meantime, keep the fires burning! Misc 2008-06-17T15:29:00-06:00 http://john.sogospelnews.com/index/john/comments/9255/ I know it's been a few days since I last weighed in...well, that little ol' thing called real life has been getting a lot of my attention. One thing that apart from just that that also has is something that I'm taking quite a bit of pride in, even though I never thought it would happen, and in so thinking, I was wrong. But I don't mind admitting I'm wrong when I am...especially when I'm glad I was! I'm very proud of the Fresno State baseball team, which will be playing in this year's College World Series, starting this weekend in Omaha. Although they were a preseason top-25 pick and the favorite to win in the WAC once again, they struggled for a good part of the season, and didn't catch fire until the very end of the year, clinching the WAC title and surprisingly looking forward to the postseason. We at KMJ weren't sharing in their confidence, and as far as we could tell, local enthusiasm for the team was at an alltime low, causing ratings for their broadcasts on our station to suffer, and we could… Misc 2008-06-13T06:36:01-06:00 http://john.sogospelnews.com/index/john/comments/9219/ OK. One last thought on "watershed" albums, and then I'll finally move on to another topic(or two). It has occurred to me, upon reflection, that I easily could have added at least two more albums to my existing list(see previous posts)of albums that had a substantial impact on the southern gospel genre, much like the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" had on rock music. And I'm sure if I kept reflecting, I might even discover more...but if I list too many, the albums already there may find their significance a bit diluted...and I WON'T do that. Just because an album is really good doesn't qualify it for this list, as I attempted to explain earlier on. But to save time and space, here are two albums I SHOULD have listed initially, but inexplicably didn't. THE STATESMEN QUARTET WITH HOVIE LISTER(1957, RCA 1411)-Inasmuch as the Statesmen will always be among the most influential groups to ever sing gospel music, an album of theirs ought to be on this list. And like before, I'll justify my selection by weighing it with my… Southern Gospel Music 2008-06-06T07:06:00-06:00 http://john.sogospelnews.com/index/john/comments/9214/ It's been a while since I did an album review here...especially of a current release! The main reason for that is that I'm not by design an album reviewer...I tend to like what I like...and leave it up to everyone else to do likewise. Tonight, however, a certain album has come to my attention...and I feel that people who visit this corner of the web ought to know it's out there. It is by the Cerces...very good friends of mine, and dedicated singers devoted to minister to their audiences through their music. Back in June of last year, they recorded a concert they did at Bethel Fellowship in Florissant, Missouri(a suburb of St. Louis)for release on CD and DVD. What you think of this album will depend a lot on what you expect when you listen to or attend a gospel concert. If, for example, you're looking for state-of-the-art video and audio production, for ostentatious, acrobatic singng, full of highs and lows, and melisma, and other devices so used(or abused)by singers of today, you're not likely to be overly satisfied here. The… Southern Gospel Music 2008-06-06T03:51:00-06:00