* * *

Most people don’t think of western Oregon when they think of southern gospel.  But the tentacles of the genre have gripped a sizeable crowd in the Pacific Northwest.   Largely to thank for that, at least in western Oregon, are two fine groups in farm country north of the city of Eugene—Cornerstone (from Junction City) and the Knox Brothers (Harrisburg).  Gordon Kuryluk of Cornerstone, and the Knox Brothers, have done much to bring southern gospel to our neck of the woods and keep it alive and growing for the last several decades. They have brought in many national artists that we Oregonians have come to love and look forward to hearing on a regular basis thanks to their efforts.

An outgrowth of the burgeoning interest in Oregon and the neighboring northwestern states has been the Pacific Gospel Music Association (PGMA).   It originally began as a two-day event and was known as the Oregon Gospel Music Association (OGMA). The intent was to provide a local organization of artists in order to preserve and enhance gospel music, especially of the southern and country varieties.  It soon expanded to also include artists from Washington, Idaho, and California, and became the PGMA. When the opportunity arose to include the Florida Boys as featured guests, it grew to a three-day event. Guest artists that the PGMA have incorporated through the years are The Florida Boys, Gary McSpadden,  Randy Miller, Tim and Mary Alice Lovelace, The Beene Family, The Griffiths,  The Weatherfords, Dennis Agajanian,  Mike Franklin, and Liberty Quartet. The PGMA traditionally has an annual festival, the last two years having been held at the new, beautiful, and perfectly accommodating Eugene First Baptist Church on the northern outskirts of Eugene, Oregon.  The PGMA website currently lists 27 member artist/groups.  Not all of them were represented at the recent festival, but there was a sizeable representation. Gordon Kuryluk and Ed Knox  (mentioned in the previous paragraph) are founding members and the current co-chairmen of the PGMA. Thanks go to Ed Knox for providing a bit of the history of PGMA for this review.

The recent festival that was held October 30 – November 1, 2008, was the 17^th annual event (according to the printed program), and it has burst through the walls of successive facilities in its growing pains throughout those 17 years.  I believe that the Eugene First Baptist Church should be adequate for a good many years to come, however, due to its size, location, and excellent accommodations. There is also plenty of room for RV parking.  The church has a stellar sound system, the details of which can be read here if you have any interest in the technical aspects of such things.  The sound was great, which is another reason to continue holding the event there, in my opinion.

I have never been to the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, but I have attended several times the Great Western Quartet Convention (now known as the Great Western Southern Gospel Fan Festival) in both Sacramento and Fresno, California.  The format of the PGMA is patterned somewhat after the successful format of the GWSGFF, but on a smaller scale, of course.

Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse, partnered with the PGMA during the weekend, with some wonderful testimonials presented via recorded media from people whose lives and families were changed by people reaching out to them with Christ’s love through the Samaritan’s Purse organization.

There was a nice variety of musical styles represented throughout the three days.  The PGMA is not strictly southern gospel, but southern gospel is at the heart of many of the events and presentations.

The featured artists throughout the weekend were The Weatherfords, Liberty Quartet, Tim Lovelace, and Mike Franklin.  I was not able to attend the Thursday afternoon concert by Mike Franklin due to employment constraints, but was able to get there right at the beginning of the evening concert at 6:00 (the beginning time for Thursday and Friday nights).

I will not take the time to mention all of the different performers, but will select just a few.

Cornerstone opened the main Thursday evening concert.  This family group is so “real” and makes everyone feel welcome and special. Gordon Kuryluk and his wife Peggy, along with their two college-age daughters, comprise the group.  They kicked us off to a great start!

Carol Archuleta is one of the members who was slated to perform both Thursday night and Saturday afternoon.  However, she is currently fighting a recurrence of cancer and was not able to be there as hoped for.  The PGMA board members all went up on stage and led in prayer for Carol Thursday evening.  We pray that she will experience the touch of God’s hand on her body and in her spirit, and of course we pray for her restored health if that is His will.

Charlie Walker’s a humble country boy from eastern Oregon’s cowboy country! He’s a crowd favorite with his personally-penned, sincere, straight-to-the-heart compositions!  His simple and heart-warming country-styled songs have his cowboy boots and hat as grace notes, and you can feel the audience embrace him and his messages in song.

The Knox Brothers, a group of six biological brothers who in August celebrated their 40^th year of singing together, were near the end of the evening lineup. They provide all of their own instrumentation:  keyboard, drums, lead guitar, and bass guitar.  A few other groups provided live instrumentation, also, and that is always a treat when well done.

After the Knox Brothers came the legendary Weatherfords!  The Weatherfords helped to propel many young artists into their own places of gospel legendhood.  Gordon Kuryluk narrated a memorable Powerpoint presentation that gave tribute to and provided some interesting history of the Weatherfords.  Earl Weatherford has gone on to be with the Lord, but his wife, Lily Fern, is still a strong third of the trio that also includes their adopted son, Steve.  Both Lily Fern and Steve were struggling with colds or allergies that night, so they improvised in different ways—including having Mike Franklin come up to bolster them vocally.  They sang many of the older songs that the Weatherfords are known for.  Lily Fern is soon celebrating her 80^th birthday, and as she was under the weather and not able to be at the product table to “meet and greet”, someone had the forethought to put blank scrapbook pages on the tables in the eating area on which we concert attendees could write our comments, birthday greetings, and other best wishes for her after the concert.

There was a ladies’ luncheon on Friday that I did not attend.  Tim Lovelace’s wife, Mary Alice, was the guest speaker/singer at that event, and I understand it was very good.  The fact that it was a sell-out speaks well!

However, I did get to hear her a bit that afternoon. Tim Lovelace had the 2:00 hour on the main stage, and he provided us with comedy that brought tears, along with some great music.  We got to meet his five-year-old “baby girl”, Gabrielle!  I believe she might have a future on stage herself!  We also got to hear some of Mary Alice’s fine vocals.

In addition to late-afternoon concerts on Thursday and Friday in the exhibit/dining area, Mike Franklin, who sang with the Melody Boys Quartet for many years, sang a few song selections from the nightly main stage.  During the course of the weekend and the beginning of this week (the Franklins invited me to a dinner at a church in my home town the Monday night following the PGMA festival—and I went) I got to know him and his wife, Tina, a bit better.  Their hearts are sweet and focused on God, and I highly recommend their ministry.

Friday night, along with hearing many other groups, I got to hear a group that I didn’t remember hearing before—The
Joyful Sound Quartet from Meridian, Idaho!  They did a fine job, and I hope to see them return next year!

The Knox Brothers had their second set of the weekend, which produced a PGMA first—at least in my memory!  Their last song was “King Jesus”.  As they were walking offstage, the crowd began to chant, “More, more!” at which time they were invited back and did an encore, to the crowd’s delight. I don’t recall there ever before being an encore by one of the PGMA groups/members.

It was 10:00 or after when the night’s headliner group, Liberty Quartet (from Boise, Idaho), took the stage.  I do have a vested interest when it comes to talking about Liberty, as I am a cousin to the bass singer, Royce Mitchell.  But that aside, I believe that they are among the very best of the nation’s southern gospel groups. A fifth member was introduced, Jordan Cragun, who flew up from Florida to join them for just a one-night trial run!  Jordan is a 20-year-old nephew of Kim Collingsworth, and proved himself to be a fine baritone!  The quartet’s beloved baritone/master songwriter/pianist, Doran Ritchey, will be surrendering most of his baritone duties to Jordan when he joins the group full time in January. Doran will then be able to focus more on his already-incredible keyboard artistry for the group.  Jordan will be a good fit after he masters the repertoire, his role in the group (Doran is hoping that Jordan will get to be the “new idiot”), and figuring out how to get along with the four goofballs on the bus that are his senior!  The crowd welcomed Jordan, and indicated their warm approval and acceptance.  He is a very personable and talented young man.  Liberty gave us an hour or more of the very best in gospel music.

It was well after midnight when I got home, as I live a lot farther away than just down the street!  But you wouldn’t find me missing the Saturday morning jam session!  That is such a downright fun time!  Twelve talented musicians gave us an hour of great music and fun, mostly unrehearsed!  The twelve were Gordon Kuryluk (who leads the jam session), Ed Knox, Wayne Knox, Arnold Knox, Jim Rupp, Doran Ritchey, Tim Lovelace, Guy Souter, Mark Thomas, Larry Cummings, Bill O’Connor, and Jerry Ott.  One highlight that’s in demand at every year’s jam session is Bill O’Connor (now 80 years old) playing “Orange Blossom Special” on the fiddle.  Bill has backed up artists such as Loretta Lynn—he knows his stuff!  There was a wide variety presented in the jam session from “Just a Closer Walk With Thee”, to the foot-stomping “Goodbye, World, Goodbye”.  The latter was led off by Doran Ritchey on piano, and before it was over there were four pianists (Doran, Tim, Arnold, and Gordon) keeping the ivories working overtime on two grand
pianos!  The crowd (well, at least I did) LOVED it!

There was an extensive lineup of PGMA artists for the last big concert time block, which started at noon on Saturday.  Included in that time was prayer for Charlie Walker’s wife, who is struggling with her health, also.  It is wonderful how the family of God can join in spirit and corporately lift its sisters and brothers to the Lord in times of need.

The Saturday afternoon concerts actually wrapped up ahead of time.  I didn’t go to the evening dinner concert at the church’s Camp Harlow, which was just down the road, so I can’t comment on that from personal experience.  However, I have heard reports from those who went that it was a wonderful time!  Tim Lovelace was one of the features there, the other being Pastor Swope. Pastor Swope does a fine ventriloquism act! I believe that the Camp Harlow dinner concert/show was also a sellout, an indicator of its popularity.

I took several movie clips throughout the weekend, and those are available for viewing here. Included are several of Liberty Quartet and the jam session, along with a few featuring the Weatherfords, Cornerstone, The Knox Brothers, Tim Lovelace, and The Joyful Sound Quartet.

Here’s looking forward to next year’s festival—and perhaps YOU can be making plans to be there to enjoy it, too!

I enjoyed concerts from the Kingdom Heirs and Paid In Full at the Showstreet Palace.  I have seen the Kingdom Heirs several times at their home at Dollywood but this show was different than the others.  Steve French was sick so Andy Stringfield did double duty by singing the baritone part from the piano.   Arthur Rice was great as emcee and the performance went without a noticeable hitch.  

Here’s what they sang:

• Since Jesus Moved in
• Let’s Go to That Land
• Who’s Looking for You
• I Am the Way
• Jesus Made a Believer Out of Me
• The Rock’s Between a Hard Place
• Anchor of Hope
• Band - Medley
• I’ll Meet You By the River
• I Want You to Know

I was especially glad to get to see Paid In Full.  They’re a trio from New Albany, Mississippi, and were the winners of the Horizon Award at NQC in 2007.  Bradley Littlejohn (baritone) and Lance Moore (lead) have been singing together in this trio for over 17 years (they started in high school!) and about 18 months ago, Brock White joined the group as tenor.  I really like their sound, style and song selection.  Of course, in a 30-minute concert they couldn’t sing all of my favorites, but they did sing quite a few of them. 

 Here’s what they sang:

• I Could Sing About Heaven 
• Are You Washed in the Blood
• What the Storm Does Not Know
• Green Pastures
• Heavenly Parade
• New Shoes
• Blessed Assurance 
• More Than Amazing
• Unclouded Day

I also spoke to the group after one of the concerts and they are expecting to release a new album later this year.   You can find out more about this group at their website.

Tim was up first and performed several of his crowd favorite songs and comedy routines and he was just delightful.  He ended on a serious note with I’m A Child of the King and then emceed the rest of the program.  Garry Jones was marvelous on the keyboard and played How Majestic Is Your Name, I’m Getting Ready to Leave This World, Blessed Assurance, and a wonderful patriotic medley.  My friend that used to accompany me to Mercy’s Mark concerts and I always wanted Garry to play more, so it was great to be able to see him as a soloist!

The Dove Brothers performed several crowd favorite songs.  Here’s what they sang:

• Have a Nice Day and You Don’t Know God’s Love
• You Can’t Fix It
• Taking It Back
• One More Miracle
• You Would Think He Would Learn
• I Can Pray 
• Get Away Jordan - How much fun is this song?!?  They’ve been doing this for a long time and it seems like the crowd always wants more!

Triumphant Quartet finished off the first half of the program by singing these songs:

• Don’t Let the Sandals Fool Ya
• For God So Loved
• The Cloud He’s Coming Back On
• Forgave Me, Saved Me, Raised Me
• Goodbye, World, Goodbye (piano and harmonica)
• The Old White Flag
• Hallelujah Chorus (solo by Jeff Stice)
• He Is

Then everyone got together for some songs directed by Garry Jones:

• Glory Road
• I’ll Fly Away (with McCray Dove and then Jerry Martin on the lead)
• Looking for a City — with Jerry Martin and David Sutton, you know it was fun – and very high!!!
• How Beautiful Heaven Must Be (with Eric Bennett on the lead)
• And the grand finale —- Midnight Cry (with Scotty and Clayton Inman sharing the lead)

The singing raised over $8,000 for the Foundation but is just one part of their fundraising effort.  During the 15 or so years that the foundation has existed, I think they said they’ve raised over $300,000.00 for burn care for patients and supporting services for their families.  The Dove Brothers have been a part of this benefit for several years and were even presented with a plaque establishing them as Ambassadors for the Foundation.    David Hester told the crowd about his experience when he was badly burned as a young man, so helping out the foundation means a lot to him.    If you want to know more about the Southeastern Firefighters’ Burn Foundation, go HERE 

Here’s the song list for the first part of the program:

Garry Jones played:

• I’m Getting Ready to Leave This World
• How Majestic Is Your Name
• Blessed Assurance (ala Andre Crouch)
• Patriotic Medley

Brian Free and Assurance sang:

• Keep Looking Up
• Deep, Deep Sea
• What a Beautiful Day (For the Lord to Come Again)
• Praying Man

Ivan sang:

• Hit the Ground Running
• Best Hallelujah in the House
• I’ll Do the Miracle
• I Choose

Then came the really fun stuff!  This year the guys organized their fun around the Pillars of Faith video that they were all a part of.   The presentation started with a big screen opening shot of that video with Mike LeFevre introducing Gold City and their siging of an a capella version of ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.  Toward the end of the song, Ivan, Garry and Brian walked onto the stage and gathered around a single microphone and took over singing the rest of the song!  WOW - what a way to start things off!   They continued by singing and sharing funny stories about each other and just being themselves.  I’ll just say that it was a joy to watch.  Here’s what else they sang (or showed on video):

• Shouting Ground
• I Think I’ll Read It Again
• There Rose a Lamb
• I Want to Walk Every Day With My Lord (from their appearance on Hee Haw!)
• Moving Up To Glory Land
• The Lighthouse
• I Will Serve Him
• Beulah Land
• The Only Word for Grace is Amazing
• John Saw
• and the closing — of course it was Midnight Cry!

Here’s just a little taste of the Golden Moments. 

According to promoter Norm Basden, we can look forward to another Golden Moments concert next year in the August/September time frame.  And Norm is hoping to have a few more tricks up his sleeve for that concert that will make it even more special. 

Hosted by Phil Cross, this is a showcase where writers are invited to share the stories behind their songs and then their songs are sung.  This was the first NQC writer’s showcase I have attended and it was the highlight of the NQC for me. 

First up was Jim Brady and he remarked how his song is probably the only Southern Gospel song ever written that includes sweet iced tea!  (I’m sure he’s right!)  The name of the song is “Welcome to the Family.”  The Booth Brothers sang this very fun song.

Phil talked about Southern Gospel music and its impact on the world.  Phil emphasized his belief that the most important part of the song is the message!  He encouraged us to listen closely to the words of the songs presented.

Next up was The First Baptist Church of Atlanta Choir (FBC Choir), directed by Rodney Brooks.  Not only did they look terrific, but their sound was wonderful!  They were backed up by the church’s orchestra and what a treat.  They sang a medley that included “Let the Rocks Keep Silent.”

Mitchell Jon, formerly with Three Bridges, sang “He Is Mine,” backed up by the FBC Choir.  It was absolutely wonderful!  And when you’re really concentrating on the words, this song will knock your socks off!

Dianne Wilkinson talked about her song, “Safe on the Glory Side.”  She said that after she finished writing it, she sang it for Mark Trammell and watched his eyes “light up.”  Mark told her he would “break her legs” if she sang the song for anyone else!  He wanted it for his group.  Even though Mark “pretends” he doesn’t like the song when the Trio sings it, it is obvious that the entire group really “gets” this song!

Rebecca Peck introduced her song, “His Life for Mine.”  It was wonderfully sung by the Talley Trio.   It has very powerful words.

The Johnson Family came to the platform next.  This “Family” group includes a Dad and four daughters.  Their harmony was great as they performed “All Who Honor Me.”

Tommy Moseley, a man who is disabled and is in a wheelchair, sang an appropriate song, “I Will Stand.”  He has an absolutely beautiful baritone voice and his testimony in song was very touching!

Legacy Five sang “I’ve Been Changed.”  Great song and Glenn Dustin does such a wonderful job!

Brian Free & Assurance sang “Praying Man.”

In introducing his song, Ronnie Hinson talked about how he grew up close to the ocean, but he didn’t like the ocean.  One day he saw a young man in uniform coming home from a tour of duty.  He remembered looking at the young man in awe and admiration.  The next day he found out the young man had been killed in a drowning accident.  That’s when he wrote “The Lighthouse.”  Ronnie sang the song and it was a very tender moment!

Tracy Dartt (The Dartts) wrote and the group performed his song, “Let Me Be a Rock”

The FBC Choir sang “Who Can Satisfy My Soul Like You?”  Absolutely beautiful!

Mark Bishop sang his song, “Workin’ for Me,” that talks about how when you do something for others, you’re working for the Lord!  Loved the song!

By this point, there had been many deeply emotional, touching moments in the program and many people were wiping tears from their eyes.  Phil quipped, “If your eyes don’t leak, your head will swell!”  Loved it!

Mallory Ledford, a 12-year old young lady, sang an unbelievably beautiful a cappella rendition of “Amazing Grace.”   She continued to change keys to a higher key on every verse.  It was a flawless performance and the audience was very hushed in awe!

Gary Casto and Barbara Huffman introduced “Grace Will Always Be Greater Than Sin.”  Then Kim and The Hoppers sang it.

Next up was Greater Vision singing “My Name Is Lazarus.”  That song always gets the audience involved.

The FBC Choir sang “I’ll Fly Away,” The Schaffers sang “Amazing Love,” and the Webbs sang “Bells of Heaven.”

One of the youngest writers was Scott Inman.  He talked about how Dianne Wilkinson had helped him in his song-writing endeavors and he encouraged new writers not to be shy about letting others hear their work.  Scott said, “If God gives you a song, let people hear it!”  Then Triumphant Quartet sang his first song, “Hey, Jonah,” (co-written by Dianne Wilkinson).

Rodney Griffin took the stage to talk about his new song, “It Pays to Pray.”  About 14 years ago he met his wife.  His wife’s father was unsaved and would not go to a church for anything….Not a funeral…. Not even their wedding.  Many times through the years, Rodney tried to witness to him, but he was not receptive.  Rodney stated that he has prayed for his father-in-law every day for these 14+ years (that’s over 5,000 prayers).  His F-I-L became ill in the Spring of this year.  It was at his lowest point that he realized his need for salvation and turned his life over to the Lord and was saved!  The awesome thing is that Rodney WROTE THIS CELEBRATION SONG TWO MONTHS BEFORE his F-I-L’s conversion!  Then, Greater Vision sang the song.

The FBC Choir sang “Get On Your Feet” and had everyone on their feet!  Great song!

The Kingdom Heirs sang “What We Needed” which was written by Dianne Wilkinson.

At this point, Phil gave a heart-felt tribute to Dottie Rambo and the Pffeifers played and sang “He Looked Beyond My Faults.”  Wonderful tribute!

The Hemphills sang Joel Hemphill’s “I Forgive.”

Daniel Crews sang Gerald Crabb’s song, “Through the Fire,” backed up by the FBC Choir.  Beautiful!

Twenty years ago, doctors recommended that Jennifer Barton (a member of the audience) terminate her pregnancy.  She left her doctor’s office and went to her car.  She sat in her car and listened to Southern Gospel music, specifically the song “There’s a Miracle In Me.”  After listening to the song, Jennifer went back into the doctor’s office and told him NO!  A picture of her 20-year old son who is training to be Navy Seal was shown to great applause!  Then The Greenes sang the song.  We’re also praying for a miracle to be in Tony as he battles kidney failure!

Joseph Habedank was saved at 4 years of age, and says that he always wanted to sing, but that he has also been given the opportunity to write music.  He quoted the scripture to “delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”  Then the Inspirations sang his song, “The Rose Arose.”  Beautiful!

Paula Stefanovich, writer of such great songs as Yahweh and Jerusalem, sang her song, “Behold the Lamb.”  Clearly, Paula felt every word of the song as she sang it. 

Phil introduced Elmer Cole as his mentor and hero.  Elmer has not been to NQC for 30 years, but came to this one!  Jim Brady and FBC Choir sang his song, “Ten Thousand Years.”  It was wonderful!

Mosie Lister was driving his car from Atlanta to Macon, GA when he penned the song, “Where No One Stands Alone.”  It was beautifully sung by The Crist Family, a group with seven members (4 ladies, 3 men).  It was absolutely incredible.

Kyla Rowland introduced her song with a story about her “whiny, doubting-Thomas Aunt Lillian, who says her husband “appeared” to her 6 months after his death and told her that “crossing” is exactly as the Bible says it will be.  The Perry’s then sang, “Holy Shore.”  What a wonderful finale to this showcase!

Final thoughts – It is amazing how when you are NOT concentrating on the group that is singing, but on the words, how life-changing the words to these songs are.  I was especially grateful that Phil Cross had encouraged us to listen to the words as the most important part of the song!  Because of this, I believe we really “HAD CHURCH” during this showcase.  I encourage everyone reading this review to pre-order the DVD and watch it for yourself!  I guarantee you will be blessed.

I do have one suggestion of how to make this type of session even better.  That would be to introduce each writer by name, with the song name and with the group or artist that sang the song.  This would definitely help newer SG fans. 

Here’s a video for you of some of the groups that performed in the showcase.  This is really just a teaser but an official DVD will be available from Phil Cross and can be pre-ordered here.

 —- Co-written by Donna Hefner and Diana Brantley

After encouraging everyone to relax and just enjoy themselves, Dino started his showcase with a wonderful medley of songs including Goodbye World Goodbye, When the Saints Go Marching In, When We All Get to Heaven, and the Hallelujah Chorus. 

Then Dino welcomed Kim Collingsworth to the stage.  She played a great arrangement of “Jericho” that brought the house down.  Then she talked about what a great country we live in when a “country girl like me has the opportunity to play the piano on this great stage—in FREEDOM HALL—on Sept. 11^th.”  She then played God Bless America and had the entire audience on their feet.  She followed with A Mighty Fortress Is Our God and the Hallelujah Chorus.

Much to the enjoyment of all, Dino then joined Kim on stage and they played duets with a lot of shenanigans (pushing one another off the end of the bench, reaching over one another, etc.).  They played Onward Christian Soldiers, At Calvary, and Standing on the Promises.  Lots of fun!  Clearly Kim and Dino have a chemistry and both have a great love of playing!

Dino then led the audience in the Greek song, I Love You Very Much (ompaa)!  If you haven’t seen this before, the song continues to repeat over and over while it gets faster and faster.  Just a fun song.

Cheryl, Dino’s wife, came onto the stage and sang “I’m a New Christian in Jesus Christ.”  I had never heard Cheryl sing before and I was very pleasantly surprised.  She does have a beautiful voice, with crystal-clear diction.  She talked with the audience about having grandkids and how much fun that is, talked about being a PK (Preacher’s Kid) and told stories of how her brother, Gary McFadden, always used to misbehave in church!  Then she introduced her next song, “What a Wonderful World” by saying that this is GOD’s wonderful world.

Dino played a beautiful arrangement of Edelweiss that I enjoyed very much.  He ended the program with a very dramatic arrangement of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.

This was a very enjoyable showcase with plenty of opportunities to laugh and to enjoy excellently performed music.  I hope Dino has a showcase next year, too!

- - - - Contributed by Donna Hefner

But here’s my take on the pianists that performed:

• Andy Stringfield of the Kingdom Heirs led off the program.  He brought along his buddies from the KH band who played with him on Over in Gloryland and What a Friend We Have in Jesus.  Andy played very well but did admit to Gerald that he was a bit nervous.  He sure didn’t look it to me.   
• Josh Singletary from Tribute Quartet was up next and brought his own unique style with him to perform a jazzy and sometimes discordent version of Mansion Over the Hilltop.  Josh is always fun to watch!  
• After some amusing chit-chat with Gerald, Darrell Stewart played The Old Rugged Cross.  At the end, he directed the audience to sing the familiar hymn. 
• Josh Simpson from Gold City was next.  He played a traditional How Majestic Is Your Name and a jazzy Good Ole Gospel Ship.  I always enjoy hearing Josh play.
• Jeff Stice (Triumphant Quartet) played his medley of When We All Get to Heaven that is coupled with a few variations of the Do-Re-Mi song from the Sound of Music - a great, light-hearted selection from his repertoire.
• Stewart Varnedo (Dixie Echoes) played his jazzed-up version of Just a Little While to Stay Here.  You can tell that Stewart has a lot of fun playing that song.  Then he invited Jeff Stice back to the stage and they played a very spirited duet of Sing Your Blues Away that they had come up with after the sound check that morning. 
• Roy Webb played Just a Little Talk with Jesus and You Raise Me Up.   Of course, he also managed to talk with Gerald and get in a couple of jokes.   He probably connects with the audience more effectively than some of the other pianists.   You Raise Me Up was such a change of pace that I’m posting this video of it.
• Stan Whitmire just always makes it look like his performances are easy, which they aren’t!  Stan played a fast, jazzy version of Goodbye, World, Goodbye and then shifted gears and played Blessed Assurance in a very traditional style.  It was just beautiful.  Stan and Gerald then shared the bench for a fun duet of Just Over in Glory Land.
• Janet and Sharon from the Hayes Family performed two lovely songs for us from two pianos.  They played Old Time Religion and He’s My King.  What gracious ladies they are - the roses among the thorns!
• Tim Partin (Legacy Five) played Wonderful Grace of Jesus and I’m Bound for the Promised Land.   Tim always makes it look easy, too!
• Lari Goss was the very special, final artist.  He played a dramatic version of When i Survey the Wondrous Cross.  At the end of the song, Greater Vision came out and sang the last verse and chorus and the audience was on its feet.

I heard several people comparing previous showcases.  Some liked this version (like me!) and others preferred prior years.  I’m content to let each of them stand on their own merit.   And I enjoyed this one very much!

The sound setup in the church was excellent - even from the third row where I sat.  The program contained quite a variety of songs and included three solos from Josh Singletary on the piano.  He played “How Great Thou Art” on the church’s 9 foot concert grand piano and “Every Day with Jesus” and “Goodbye, World, Goodbye” from his keyboard.  The newest member of the group, Brian Alvey, has been singing tenor for Tribute for 2 or 3 months now and I think he’s great with the group.  I detected a few changes he’s made to  his part in several of the songs and I liked them! 

The first half of the program had a number of upbeat songs like “Brother, Don’t Lose the Shout,” “Is It Good News,” “Over On the Other Side,” “Beulah,” “When the Gates Open Wide,” “I’m In That Crowd,” and slower songs “Safe In The Shelter of His Hands” and “Who Am I.”  The second half featured a couple of fun songs “Waiting On The Water to Part” and “You Better Have a Boat” before turning more meditative with songs like “Give the Gift,” “Mercy Walks A Road That Never Ends,” “Be Still and Know,” “The Other Side of Calvary,” congregational hymns “The Old Rugged Cross” and “Because He Lives,” and a song I don’t think I’ve heard but really liked called “When We Sing Together Again.”  The last song was a reprise of “I’m In That Crowd” and it had the audience on their feet until the end of the concert!   I was very impressed that almost all of the people that came to the concert stayed for the dinner and the second half of the concert.  I think that is a wonderful indication of how well this group was received.

Here are some videos I got from the concert:

A Medley of songs

Be Still and Know

Goodbye, World, Goodbye

A local quartet named Unbroken performed four songs to open the concert including Gotta Go Back (Poet Voices), Dead Man Walking (Won By One), Anchored in the Rock (Kingdom Heirs), and Trying to Get a Glimpse (The Cathedrals).  

Perry Jones (tenor) was making his debut with The Imps and he a gave an impressive first performance.  He fits into the blend very nicely and unless you were told that it was his first performance, you probably wouldn’t have known it.   The rest of the group consists of baritone Jason Morales (Armond’s son), bass Ian Owens, and lead Scott Allen.  This is a very versatile group stylistically.  They sang mostly songs from their Back to the Roots CD which is mostly Southern Gospel but they did sprinkle in some of their contemporary songs.  They were very well received by the crowd. They even sang two songs after they had closed out their set because of crowd requests.  Here’s a partial list of what they sang. 

• No Shortage
• First Day in Heaven
• He Touched Me
• I Believe
• He’s Everything to Me
• Water Grave
• Because He Lives (this one got a standing ovation)
• Wrap My Arms Around the World
• Praise the Lord
• Arise, My Love
• We Have a Great Big, Wonderful God
• Closer Still

This was our first year hosting the Crabb Family as different groups, as they are now not traveling and performing together anymore. I was a little sad about this because I’ve always enjoyed the entire Crabb Family singing together, but I knew it would be a wonderful night of music nonetheless. This year we were fortunate to have almost all of the original Crabb Family with us, which was very nice. We saw performances by Crabb Revival, Aaron and Amanda Crabb, and Jason Crabb. Mike & Kelly Bowling were performing in Florida that day, so we missed them.

The Crabb Family portion of the evening began with Aaron and Amanda Crabb performing two songs off of their debut CD, After the Rain. They first sang the title cut of the CD, After The Rain, followed by a very passionate rendition of Miracle. Aaron then shared a story about God’s provision in his family’s life and how God can perform a miracle in all of our lives if we just ask Him. He shared about how it has been his experience that God always shows up in the places we least expect Him to be and how beautiful that is. He they prayed a prayer that God would touch each person there and perform a miracle in their lives. After his prayer, Aaron began to sing There’s Power in the Name of Jesus which really put the audience into a worshipful mode. Following that he led us in singing the Bill & Gloria Gaither classic, There’s Something About That Name. That was my one of my favorite moments of the night. Hundreds of people singing that stunning, powerful song a capella. Nothing compares to voices uniting in song praising their Father. What a sweet incense rising up to the Lord. It was a sweet moment. You could really feel the Holy Spirit moving in that place.

I was somewhat disappointed to not see Amanda Crabb more involved in the Aaron and Amanda set of songs. She sung harmony a bit with Aaron, but that was basically all. Aaron took the reigns for most of it and did all of the lead vocals and all of the talking/praying.

The concert continued with performances by Crabb Revival (featuring Adam Crabb and Terah Crabb-Penhollow). They began with the following four songs off of their debut CD, Runaway Train:

• Runaway Train - a rousing, upbeat song that got the audience a little bit energized.
• Carry On
• The Journey - Before singing this, Adam Crabb shared a bit of how God has strengthened him and matured him during the process of forming Crabb Revival and how He has opened so many doors for their ministry.
• Smiling Down On Me - This song was performed differently than recorded on their project. Amanda Smith took the lead vocal spot for the first verse and chorus of the song, followed by Terah Penhollow singing lead on the second verse and harmonizing with Amanda on the final chorus. Amanda Smith, formerly of the McRaes, is wife of Crabb Revival lead guitarist Zach Smith.

Crabb Revival finished their portion of the evening by performing two of the Crabb Family’s most beloved songs, Greater Is He and The Reason That I’m Standing. These are the songs that got the most response from the audience, which was not very surprising to me. Although Crabb Revival is a great band with a quality sound, they have strayed away from the Crabb Family sound we’re all used to. Their sound has gotten a little more progressive with more contemporary and rock influences. In a traditional southern gospel loving community such as Central City, the newer sound of Crabb Revival took some people aback.

We were then delighted to see Jason and Aaron Crabb join Adam and Terah, who remained onstage after Crabb Revival finished. Jason began the final portion of the concert by talking about how much he enjoys getting to be back onstage with his siblings as the Crabb Family whenever he can, since those times do not occur very often nowadays. He shared that he feels honored that God has shown favor to their family by allowing them to branch out into their own seperate areas of music ministry and be successful at reaching lost people. He shared that he is often amazed at the fact that God took one family, one ministry, and branched them out to have five separate ministries (Gerald Crabb, Jason Crabb, Mike & Kelly Bowling, Crabb Revival, Aaron & Amanda Crabb) answering the call to spread the gospel of Christ. He said that he often realizes that there are times that all five ministries are onstage at exactly the same time in five different states, performing to five different groups of people. But the incredible thing is, Jason shared, is that they are all communicating a single message of hope and sharing the Gospel that unites us all. The group went on to perform some more of the Crabb Family’s most beloved songs.

The first three songs were all upbeat and got the audience excited and on their feet.

• Sacrifice of Praise
• Something Going On in the Graveyard
• The Lamb, The Lion, and The King

They then performed my personal favorite Crabb Family song, Through The Fire. After singing the song, Jason shared the story of how their father, Gerald Crabb, came to write that amazing and powerful piece of music. The first lyrics of Through The Fire that came to Gerald were the first two lines of the chorus: He never promised that the cross would not get heavy, or the hill would not be hard to climb. Jason shared that his father struggled with finishing that song for a good year. One night at a Crabb Family concert, Gerald met a young woman’s who shared a part of her testimony with him. She was in the midst of a terrible time in her life and was struggling. But she told Gerald that through everything and her family were going through, she was still trusting in her Jesus to carry them through. That was the inspiration it took for Gerald to finally create this powerful, inspiring song which has touched countless numbers of people. The Crabb Family continued their set by performing Please Come Down To Me.

After the song, Jason asked everyone to close their eyes and search their hearts to see what was standing in the way of enjoying a rich life in Christ. He encouraged everyone to ask God to come to them and forgive us for all that we have done to fail Him. Jason prayed and then asked people to raise their hands if they needed God to make a change in their life. He invited those that raised their hands to come down in front of the stage so they could pray for them. So many of those people got incredibly emotional and you could almost see the Spirit working on their hearts. Adam and Jason Crabb, along with guitarist Zach Smith and drummer Micah Schweinsberg, all went down offstage to pray with those people at the ‘altar.’ After a few moments, Jason and Terah began to sing the hymn, I Surrender All accompanied by keyboardist Jedidiah Richardson. It was a very special time. It was incredibly moving to see what was happening there.

Jason continued by saying how much they enjoy performing in Central City because it’s only a few miles from the Crabb Family’s hometown of Beaver Dam, KY. He shared that many of their family member and friends were in attendance including all of their spouses, children, and the Crabb Family’s grandmother and mother, Kathy Crabb. Jason’s wife’s parents were also there. And at the request of her Dad, the Crabb Family performed Please Forgive Me.

They ended the concert by performing Andrae Crouch’s rousing song Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus. They even brought their mother onstage to sing the verses. I enjoyed hearing her sing, as I never had done so before. She has a very deep, very powerful voice. It’s no wonder that her children are so talented!

All in all, it was a very enjoyable concert. I have seen the Crabb Family perform many times over the years, but this was my first since they have begun traveling and performing separately. I honestly thought it was better than I had seen from them before. I’ve always enjoyed them and the songwriting of their father, Gerald Crabb. But there was something different. I have always thought that part of their appeal was that they seemed to genuinely love what they did and love doing it together. Perhaps that is what I can attribute the change and improvement to. Since they do not get to perform together very often anymore, I’m sure they treasure the times when they are able to. It was a sweet experience to witness.

Whether they’re Aaron & Amanda, Jason, The Crabb Family, Crabb Family, or whatever, they’re still fantastic. So if any of them are ever in your area, make it a point to attend. You’re sure to have an enjoyable experience full of worship and wonderful music!

To view my photos from the concert, follow this link to Daniel J. Mount’s Southern Gospel Blog photo gallery:

Crabb Family Concert Photos