Gaither Vocal Band All Songs
Rosita Westhouse
Full disclosure: I'd never heard of the Gaither Vocal Band when I offered to review the group for The Chieftain before the Colorado State Fair began. I assumed they were a country honky tonk group, something I'd enjoy as long as it wasn't Toby-Keith faux patriotism.
But then I found out that Bill Gaither was a praise singer-songwriter, a guy who used Jesus' name often, but never in vain. Now, I like Gospel, and when guys like the Rev. Al Green and Van Morrison espouse their religion in song, I find it riveting. In fact, my favorite Morrison CD is "The Healing Game."
When I looked for samples on You Tube of the Gaither Vocal Band, I found what I thought was a sanctimonious group of posers, probably using Jesus, who I came to know under a strict Catholic upbringing, like the charlatans who sell indulgences on cable TV to the poor folk in single-wides reading the Book of Revelation like it's the word of God.
So I was primed for some uptight, preachy, look-at-how-holy-I-am concert at the Colorado State Fair Events Center on Wednesday night. What I and more than 4,000 other souls were treated to was a talented, warm, funny group of excellent singers and musicians who treated their fans to a night of Jesus-inspired entertainment without the fire-and-brimstone blarney.
But I have to admit that Bill Gaither, Michael English, Wes Hampton, Mark Lowry and David Phelps sang not only to the hearts of the audience but to my cynical but discerning ears. And pianist Gordon Mote and the other members of the band were stellar in their musicianship.
When the lights went down precisely at 8 p.m., the tinkle of piano and the sweeping cymbals were expected. When the stage lights went up, five guys dressed like Ozzie Nelson stood in a straight line and sang one of Gaither's signature songs, "Alpha and Omega." The singers looked rapturous, and although they sounded great, I really thought I was in for a long, tedious night.
By Song 3, with the audience in full glory, the quintet heated up with "Temporary Home." This was when they began to appeal to me, this up-tempo number with the lyrics, "I'm not here for long, I'm not here to stay, this is just my temporary home." The band, led by the world-class talent Mote (this year's Academy of County Music pianist of the year and much sought-after Nashville session player) was tight and explosive.
After the song, the warm, funny, stuttering Gaither began to talk to the audience. "Hello Colorada," the Indiana native said, using the old-fashioned appellation for the state. He and Lowry, who is just returning to the group after a seven-year absence, bantered a bit. Lowry, who could make it as a comedian if his impressive baritone voice was silenced, talked about a recent proctological procedure to a crowd that probably knows that feeling. They roared.
Gaither then recalled when he was growing up, listening to the Jordanaires, a black vocal group he said, "Made old black spirituals accessible . . . to white people," and the band launched into "Journey to the Sky," an up-tempo number that the crowd clapped along to, with all the rhythm of . . . white people. Lowery twirled around the stage, and while not exactly resembling James Brown, the crowd loved it.
The Gaither Vocal Band is an American southern gospel vocal group, named after its founder and leader Bill Gaither. On March 1, 2017, it was announced that the Gaither Vocal Band lineup consisted of Reggie Smith, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd Suttles, and Bill Gaither. Although the group started out recording contemporary Christian music in the 1980s, it became known for southern gospel after the popularity of the Gaither Homecoming videos.[1]
The band has released 29 albums (not including compilations), at least 19 of which have charted. The band has also released 10 DVDs, which feature many other Christian artists as well. The Gaither Vocal Band has been honored with two Grammys and 17 Dove Awards.
The Gaither Vocal Band is named after gospel leader Bill Gaither.[2] It was the successor-group of the Bill Gaither Trio. By the 1980s, Bill Gaither, along with wife Gloria Gaither, were both very successful songwriters.[3] For example, their song, "He Touched Me" was covered by Elvis Presley, after which he named his album He Touched Me. Presley won a Grammy for the album.[4] Bill Gaither felt that his trio had reached its peak in the mid-1980s, but his desire to make another gospel hit kept the trio going.[2]
The original Vocal Band (called the New Gaither Vocal Band) was formed spontaneously, backstage of a Gaither Trio concert. It consisted of Bill Gaither and Gary McSpadden of the trio, along with two of the trio's backup singers, Steve Green and Lee Young. The quartet sang "Your First Day in Heaven" on stage that night.[5] Their debut album, the self-titled The New Gaither Vocal Band, debuted in 1981.
According to the liner notes of the CD compilation The Best of the GVB, the term "vocal band" was used instead of "quartet" because it did not limit Gaither in terms of sound or number of group members. According to Green on the Gaither Vocal Band Reunion video, he came up with the name and convinced Gaither to use it because he, at the time, did not want to be associated with "quartet music".[citation needed]
Young left the group in 1982, and Jon Mohr was hired as the new bass singer. They then recorded the album Passin' the Faith Along. Later, tenor Green left and Larnelle Harris was hired. This group cut the New Point Of View album before Mohr left.
Michael English was hired as the new lead singer, so McSpadden was moved down to baritone, and Gaither dropped to bass. At this point the group dropped the "new" part of their name. Although the previous album (New Point of View) had been more contemporary than its predecessors, the album with this version of the group (One X 1) took it even further. After this album, Harris left and was replaced by Lemuel Miller. The group did not record an album with Miller before he too left. He was replaced by Imperials alumnus Jim Murray. This line up cut one album (Wings) before McSpadden left to start his solo career. Mark Lowry was convinced to replace him. Their Gospel roots project Homecoming was released in 1991. Murray left and was replaced by Terry Franklin. The album Southern Classics was released in 1993 with the hit "I Bowed on My Knees" (This song was co-written by Jeremy Ward).
Later English left. He was replaced by Buddy Mullins. Mullins was only a temporary fill-in, but he was included on the album Testify. Franklin soon left and was replaced by yet another Imperials alumnus, Jonathan Pierce (formerly known as Jonathan Hildreth, his first and last name, then changed to his first and middle name). Strengthened by the popularity of the Homecoming video series, the Vocal Band added Guy Penrod at lead. After Pierce's departure, Gaither hired David Phelps at tenor. After Lowry's departure, Imperials alumnus Russ Taff sang baritone for a couple of years. Marshall Hall was his replacement. Wes Hampton succeeded Phelps in 2005.
The group has had three number one songs on the Singing News chart. "Yes, I Know" held the top position from July to October 1997, as did "I Will Go On" in November 2006. "Greatly Blessed" was their third number one single. The group has routinely performed classic Southern Gospel songs including many written by Bill and Gloria Gaither like "He Touched Me", "I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary", and "Sinner Saved By Grace".
In January 2009, Hall and Penrod left. Gaither brought back some former members: English as lead vocal, Lowry as baritone and Phelps as tenor. The first album by this five-member version was Reunited, released in September 2009. It was also the first album of the vocal band ever to feature only songs written by Bill and Gloria Gaither. A live album called Better Day was released in January 2010. In August 2010, they released the long-awaited album called Greatly Blessed, followed by I Am A Promise, a children's album, released in August 2011. Their most recent album was Pure & Simple, released in September 2012.
In October 2013, it was announced that Lowry and English would be leaving the group to devote more time to their solo careers.[7] English's departure was immediate whereas Lowry stayed on until they could find another baritone to replace him. Their last album as members, Hymns, was released in March 2014[8][9] and was nominated for a Grammy Award the following December.[10] After their departure, several guests filled-in until two new members could be found. In January 2014, it was announced that Adam Crabb (of The Crabb Family) would join the group as the fourth member and lead singer.[11] Todd Suttles joined the group as the baritone singer one month later.[12]
In October 2018, there was another Gaither Vocal Band Reunion. It was a two-day concert, recorded live. Except for Green, Franklin, Miller & Pierce, all of the past and present members who were at the first reunion performed.[16]
The Sound, a Dove Award-winning band, is known for their unique country-pop music. Comprising Levi, Jacob and Rob Mills, they've had four chart-topping songs since 2019 and five Dove nominations. Their latest album, God Is Real, won the Dove Award for Country Album of the Year. They aim to bring people to Jesus Christ through their creative and impactful music. Each member contributes uniquely to the band, with their roots in Detroit and the Great Smoky Mountains.
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