I never did pay much attention to the Garry Sheppard era of Perfect Heart (probably because I haven’t heard their stuff!), but this clip was shared with me today and it cracked me up!

A friend of mine made the comment that a couple of these guys missed their calling. Who knew that Mike Presnell (bass singer for several groups over the years) could sing lead so well? Jeff Stice’s vocals were a surprise as well; perhaps Triumphant Quartet should consider giving him a couple features once in a while, à la Roger Bennett with the Cathedrals and Legacy Five.

The lineup here is tenor (pianist) Jeff Stice, lead (bass) Mike Presnell, baritone Joseph Smith, bass (tenor) Garry Sheppard, and pianist (lead) Darren Doyle.

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.”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqSB5REVlls

According to this post at the Singing News forums, Mike Presnell is bringing the Perfect Heart name back to Southern Gospel Music. Joining him are tenor Wesley Anders, lead Jimmy Dunn, and baritone Tommy Smith. I’m not familar with any of the three. Of course, Mike is singing the bass part.
The group has a good sound for just starting out, judging by the sound clips on the group’s website. I hope to catch a concert with this quartet soon.