Anyone who frequents the various Southern Gospel forums around the Internet (Southern Gospel Forums, Singing News forums, etc.) most likely would recognize the screen name Seaton. The guy behind that handle, Steve Eaton, has just recently thrown his hat into the Southern Gospel blogger ring with his new blog, Southern Gospel Views From The Back Row. It appears he is getting started the right way; his first post states exactly what he’s bringing to the table and how he will make it so his blog is something truly new. He’s already been known to make positive contributions to discussions on message boards throughout the SG world for quite a while now, so readers will know that his posts will be of the same caliber.

All of that, and his layout is pretty darn impressive as well!

Make sure to head over and welcome him to the blogosphere. (David Bruce Murray just cringed!)

There were several things that took place in the SG world last week that I was unable to cover because my Internet was down. An old pine tree in my neighbor’s yard split down its trunk and caused some problems when it hit the lines around the house. Here’s some of the items I missed:

1. Doug Oldham Passes Away at age 79 Growing up in Bedford, VA, which is a small town outside of Lynchburg, I was very familiar with Oldham’s work at Thomas Road Baptist Church and in other areas as well. Last week, he was awaiting surgery for a broken spine sustained in a serious fall, and passed away peacefully early on the morning of July 21. The funeral is today; a final dose of the reality that another legend has gone home. Here’s one of my favorite clips of Doug from the Gaither Homecoming series:

2. Matt Felts Joins Perfect Heart In a press release from the group:

One of Southern Gospel’s most beloved groups, Perfect Heart, is delighted to announce that Matt Felts has joined the group as their new tenor. “Matt has proven himself to be a premier talent in Southern Gospel but more importantly his deep desire to see God’s kingdom grow line up perfectly with our group’s main goal. Matt is a wonderful addition to our family and we look forward to all that he brings to us.” stated Mike Presnell, Legendary bass for Perfect Heart.

Matt is well known to the fans of Southern Gospel, singing for groups such as Monument Quartet and the Skyline Boys. As a member of Monument, Matt gained fans both in the Gospel and country music world through their numerous live and television appearances.

“It is an incredible honor to join a legendary group like Perfect Heart. They were the very first live concert I ever attended and I’ve always been a fan of Mike’s. Though they have a rich tradition, I am more excited about all that God has in store for us. There are so many great things coming and I can’t wait to see the fans of this group as I hit the road with them.” said matt Felts. Matt has already began touring with Perfect Heart.

Perfect Heart currently can be heard on the radio with their chart hit “Glory Waves”. Fans can see this incredible new lineup at the Showcase Spectacular on Monday at the National Quartet Convention. To learn more about Perfect Heart, fans can go to their official website at www.perfectheartqt.com

I’m interested to hear how Matt will affect their sound. The new Perfect Heart is a good quartet already, and adding a tenor like Felts will only improve them. For those unfamiliar with him, here is a clip of him with Monument Quartet singing the tenor standard, “Hide Thou Me.”

The following videos popped up on my facebook feed earlier tonight that were shot by Wendy.  They are of Jason Crabb, Adam Crabb, Gerald Crabb, and David Sikes singing w Blaine Johnson playing piano.  These were shot at a camp meeting.  According to the caption most everyone had left and they were just messing around,  The second one was shot before the meeting.  They are not perfect but enjoyable.

Just a Little Talk with Jesus

Going Home (before the service)

Going Home (during the service)

This past Saturday night, I made the hour-long trip to Buena Vista, VA for the last night of the VA Southern Gospel Jubilee, an outdoor three-day event held every July. I had been out of town all week and had just gotten back home that day, but since I’d never seen The Perrys outside of NQC and they don’t come to the area that often, I decided it was too good to pass up.

The concert started at 5:00, with close to an hour of musical groups affiliated with the local church that puts on the event. I took this opportunity to chat with some of the singers, and enjoyed talking with Troy Peach, Joseph Habedank, and Tracy and Libbi Stuffle.

At about 5:30, the first headliner group, Greater Love, took the stage. Subscribers to the Singing News may remember this Orange, VA based group getting a feature article in the May 2010 edition. I couldn’t name any of the songs they did, as this was my first time ever hearing them, but I was told that most of their songs were from their newest release. The group has a good sound and blend. One particular interesting note is that their bass singer, Don Leake, had open-heart surgery months ago, and it had not looked like he would be able to make the event. However, he was in good health, and did very well in the group’s set.

After an offering being taken up, The Perrys launched into their set. They started off with “I Love To Tell Of His Love,” “I Know It Was The Blood,” and “Still Blessed,” one right after the other. Other songs of the night included “Prior To A Prayer,” “This Old Sinner Testifies,” “Did I Mention?” “I Wish I Could Have Been There,” and “If You Knew Him.” Bryan Elliot did a remarkably fast piano solo, and Tracy Stuffle also did his chainsaw impersonation.

This particular lineup has really gelled well. The voices play really well off of each other, and an A Capella encore of “Did I Mention” really highlighted that fact. Tracy Stuffle’s style of MC work connects with the audience really well. He injects a good dose of humor throughout the program, but also builds up to songs very well, as he did with the closer, “If You Knew Him.” That particular song led into an altar call that had many going forward, and was twice encored with just piano.

If you have the chance to see either of these groups, this blogger highly recommends them. Although the sets were not as long as a regular event might be, I was still impressed with both.

A few days ago Aaron posted that Brian Alvey was leaving Tribute Quartet and Riley Clark was replacing him.  It is always exciting to see what a new group member is going to offer to a group when he comes in.  This is the first video I have seen of Riley with the Quartet.  I think he is going to be a good one.  Thanks to Diana Brantley for shooting the video.

Rating: 4 stars

Producer: Danny Crawford
Label: Sonlite Records
Website: www.dovebrothersquartet.com

The end of 2009/beginning of 2010 saw several big changes for the Dove Brothers, with piano player Jerry Kelso leaving the group and Adam Harman being brought in, and then adding  drummer Devin Dove and bassist Marc Peele for a three-piece live band. Changes this major will affect a group’s sound for sure, but the question here is this: how did the addition of the band change their sound for this new project?

The group has stayed in the Country Gospel direction they started in with 2006′s Never The Same, and continued with 2008′s Life and 2009′s Hold On. Fans who didn’t like the sound to begin with will really dislike this album; the group has jumped into the Country sound with both feet this time around.

With the band, the group’s song choices for this project feature arrangements that a three-piece band can easily replicate. Interestingly, many of the project’s songs come from the 1970s, an era when live bands were popular in Southern Gospel. The covers run the gamut, with songs such as The Imperials’ “Ole Buddha,” and The Dixie Echoes’ “Good Ole Gospel Song,” both of which feature lead singer McCray Dove and do a great job of maintaining the original feel of the songs while updating them to a more modern sound. Tenor singer Jerry Martin takes a feature on “My Soul Has Been Set Free,” an old Lesters Tennesseans tune (thanks, DM!). As if the group knew that this effort would draw parallels to the Oak Ridge Boys, they also recorded the Oaks classic “King Jesus,” totally updating the arrangement and turning it into a bass feature for David Hester. Hester is also featured on a Blackwood Brothers song that Bill Lyles originally sang, “How About You.”

There are plenty of newer songs to go around as well. “Hey Lazarus” has a callback arrangement on the chorus, with Hester echoing the group on each line. Baritone Eric Dove gets a solo on a verse of the Poet Voices song “Preachin’ In Prison.” “I Recall” is an upbeat quartet song, and “If I Knew Then” is a ponderous McCray Dove feature that has the lonesome sound you would find on any country ballad on the radio today. The last track, “Unstoppable,” is a song originally cut by Rascal Flatts that allows Jerry Martin to cut loose.

Bottom line: While the group has definitely adopted the heavy country sound, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Although there’s a couple tracks that aren’t my cup of tea, the Dove Brothers have released a project that makes a bold statement about who they are and what they believe in, while very clearly defining their sound.

Jason Crabb stated that Mike & Kelly are being released from the hospital to go home tomorrow. Kelly will not have surgery, but will be in a body cast for three months. Mike is improving, but it will be a long road, and everyone else is banged up but OK.

The situation could have been a whole lot worse, so all things considered, this is great news. Please keep them in your prayers.

This news story states that the group was involved in a serious wreck this afternoon near Charlotte, NC. Mike Bowling and one other person have been airlifted to the local hospital, and it’s been reported that Mike is in critical condition. Terah Crabb Penhollow sustained a broken arm. There is no word on the others as of yet.

Please keep the group in your prayers. I will send updates as I receive them.

Update: Reports have come in that Mike Bowling is alert and talking. PTL!

Further update: From SGReporter:

The latest report from family members says Mike Bowling and six year old daughter, Katelanne.. appear to have sustained the most serious injuries as a result of a bus crash earlier today near Charlotte, NC. Reports say they were on the side of the bus that took the brunt of the impact,.. and were thrown forward. Family member Brian Lawing told our reporter: “Mike has a skull fracture, broken wrist, and lacerations. Kelly has a broken or crushed vertebrae and possible broken ankle. Katelanne’s collar bone is broken in two places and she has a deep laceration on her face. The piano player has a broken ankle. The rest of the family/band/crew are all okay. Shaken up and bruised but praise God they are okay.” Mike and Katelanne were airlifted to a nearby medical facility,.. the others were transported by ambulance to the same hospital. All involved are expected to make a complete recovery.

Police officers working the accident scene released a statement tonight saying: “A tractor trailer was stopped in traffic in the northbound lane of I-85 when the tour bus — also traveling north — hit the tractor trailer in the rear. The tractor trailer then hit a box truck in front of it.” The Bowling Family was enroute to a concert appearance in Indian Land, South Carolina.

From the press release at Singing News:

Nashville, TN -- Crossroads recording artist, Tribute Quartet, is pleased to announce the addition of eighteen-year-old Riley Harrison Clark as its new tenor. Riley is originally from Fairland, Okla., and is a graduate of the Steve Hurst School of Music. Riley replaces Brian Alvey, who left the group to accept a position in marketing and promotions.

Group manager Gary Casto says, “We are absolutely thrilled to have found a wonderful Christian young man to join Tribute Quartet. He brings to the group a strong and natural tenor voice that we know our fans are going to love. In the short time I’ve known him, Riley has shown maturity and spiritual character, as well as a love for people. We believe his passion fits perfectly with the mission and message of our group, as well as all of southern gospel music. Josh Singletary, Dennis Dugger, and I cannot wait to introduce Riley to our fans across the country.”

Brian Alvey leaves Tribute Quartet with the blessing of Gary as well as the other group members. “For the past two years our tenor vocalist has done an outstanding job not only as a singer, but also as a musician and song writer,” Gary says. “He leaves us with a spotless record of service and our best wishes for much success in his future career. The Bible says to everything there is a season, and during Brian’s season with Tribute, he managed to make many fans and friends who I know join us in our support of Brian and his future endeavors.”

Riley joins Tribute Quartet just as it is gearing up for a busy summer and fall tour. Make your plans to find Tribute in concert soon and welcome Riley to the wonderful world of Southern Gospel Music. For more information on Tribute Quartet, visit its website at www.tributequartet.com. Tribute is booked exclusively by The Harper Agency, www.harperagency.com.

Count me in the camp of those eager to hear the new tenor. It will be interesting to see whether he possesses a vocal quality similar to that of either of Tribute’s previous tenors, Jacob Kitson & Brian Alvey, or if he will bring something entirely different to the table. A hire of such young talent is enough to catch my attention to start with; obviously, he caught Gary Casto’s attention as well.

Looking forward to hearing how the group will sound.

Update: Hat tip goes to Daniel Mount (and NewSoGoFan as well!) for being the first to post this video of the new tenor in a solo appearance.

Even though he’s not singing in tenor range for this song, I’m already looking forward to hearing his upper range with Tribute. What intrigues me most is the amount of maturity and control he has in his voice for such a young singer. Looks like Gary Casto made a great hire.

It seems that when I went on vacation, the Southern Gospel world decided to go on overtime with newsworthy items. Here’s some of the things I missed out on:

1. Check out Daniel Mount’s short interview with Gold City tenor Josh Cobb. In it, Cobb mentions two of his features on the upcoming mainline release from the group. The first is the song that he is probably most recognized for from his Legacy Five days, “I Stand Redeemed,” which he mentions Gordon Mote has arranged this time around. The second is a Michael English song from the early 90s, “Heaven.” With a singer well-known for performing the song producing the project, it will be interesting to see just what he brings out of Cobb for that particular track.

2. The master schedule for NQC 2010 has been posted. A quick perusal shows that up-and-coming groups like Liberty Quartet and The Ball Brothers have finally made it to mainstage, and there is a showcase highlighting young artists called “Legends of Tomorrow” that has a Wednesday afternoon slot. That will be worth going to, especially if it is like the “Torch” video that was released a couple years back.

3. Speaking of legends of tomorrow, check out this clip of a recent Remember The Music concert: A quartet comprised of tenor Danny Funderburk, lead Scott Fowler, baritone Mark Trammell, and bass Pat Barker sing “Movin’ Up To Gloryland,” and this is the first time I’ve seen an instance where Glenn Dustin didn’t take the bass on the song.

At a Mark Trammell Quartet concert I attended a couple of weeks ago, I was talking to Joel Wood and Dustin Sweatman beforehand, and both of them mentioned how, since Barker had joined the group and gotten his own mic, he had adopted a George Younce style of bass singing that showed a lower range he didn’t get to display often with the Dixie Echoes’ two-mic style. I certainly noticed it during that concert, but this clip is by far the greatest evidence of that fact. Whether intentionally or not, young Barker’s tones and placement are very reminiscent of those of Younce’s, especially here. This well-rounded bass will only improve with age.

4. My friend Andrew Graham attended a recent Kingsmen concert, and got several videos. You can view the four that he posted at his Youtube channel, but the one that perhaps best highlights the impact that Randy Crawford is having on their sound is this clip of a song originally led by Phillip Hughes, “Mountain of Grace.”

5. I noticed that Wes Hampton posted the track list and features for the upcoming Gaither Vocal Band project, Greatly Blessed, on his blog. Interestingly enough, ChristianBook.com also has a preview of five songs from the new project here. The first three songs were already featured on the latest GVB videos (although, the studio versions have added instrumentation), but about halfway through the preview comes two new songs. Check out the heavily orchestrated Crabb Family cover, “Please Forgive Me,” featuring Michael English. The vocal lead-in is stunning, and the entire arrangement sounds like it will be stellar.
Update: Looks like a preview for the entire project is up here.

6. As a last-minute addition to this roundup, Greater Vision just posted a sneak preview of their upcoming project at their Facebook page. It’s a re-recorded version of “You Were Faithful Yesterday” from their 2009 project, Not Alone, released with Jacob Kitson. The difference is almost indiscernible until the second verse when Chris Allman takes a solo. This says good things about both Kitson and Allman; Kitson’s vocal style is close to that of the stellar Allman’s, and Allman’s ability to seamlessly blend after so many years is impeccable.