Rating: 4 stars
Producer: David Staton
Label: Song Garden Music Group
Website: www.dixiemelodyboys.com
Song titles: Jesus In My Boat; Bottom Of The Basket; Too Much Thunder; His Blood Alone; There’s Joy In Serving Jesus; God Will Hear Your Prayer; Good Ole Boys; That’s Why I Sing Gospel Music; Go To The Well; The Call Is Still The Same; Gotta Get The Good News Out; I’ve Got Family There
Several stories hit the Southern Gospel news this week. Here they are as they happened:
Dixie Melody Boys Finish Historic Album
The Dixie Melody Boys were recently in Nashville finishing work on their 50th Anniversary album, “The Call Is Still The Same”. The monumental project is a long time in the making. “It’s been nearly ten years since we have done a project of this scale. It will be a milestone for the Dixie Melody Boys. “said Ed O’Neal, Hall Of Fame bass singer and owner. To honor the history of this legendary group, they have included two previous DMB songs on the album. The rest of the project includes new material written by Gospel musics top writers including Daryl Williams, Marty Funderburk, Greg Day and Rodney Griffen. The album also boasts two songs written by lead singer Donald Morris. The new album highlights the current groups new direction and sound. “We are excited to blend our traditional Southern Gospel roots with a fresh approach reminisant of the DMB Band era.” stated Donald Morris.
The Dixie Melody Boys will be joined on this historic album by many former DMB Alumni as well as a few friends. “When we started working on this, so many of our friends wanted to be involved. It evolved from there into having them lend their talents on several of the songs. It will truly be a special event for us.” said tenor Matt Felts. Jason Crabb, Ernie Haase, Ben Speer, McCray Dove, Rodney Griffen and Harold Reed are just a few of the guests appearing. This will be the debut album for the group since signing with Song Garden Music Group earlier this year. A release date of July 1st has been set. A “CD Release Event” will be announced soon. For more information on the new album or where you can purchase a copy of this years must have album, go to www.dixiemelodyboys.com or to www.songgardenmusicgroup.com.
If you’re going to celebrate such a monumental event in a group’s career, that’s the way to do it; bring in a lot of the more well-known alumni to sing on the project. It is interesting to note that this will not only mark the group’s 50th year of ministry, but it will also be tenor Matt Felts’ first recording with them. All in all, it is shaping up to be a project well worth the purchase
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.”
