Aaron Swain of Swain’s Musings just posted an extensive interview with Michael English, lead singer of the Gaither Vocal Band.  It is a fairly long interview (~26 minutes), so don’t start it thinking this will be a quick one-on-one.  It was great to hear the interview, but I was most taken aback with the last few minutes where Michael was talking about things he read online that were said on blogs & forums that were very hurtful and discouraging.

Michael English Interview from Aaron Swain on Vimeo.

If you don’t have much time for the interview in it’s entirety, listen closely to the last few minutes and consider your comments and opinions that you might have posted or vented about while online.  Not just about Michael, but in general.  There’s not one thing wrong with offering constructive criticism, but to just blurt out comments off the cuff without thinking of who you might be hurting is just plain wrong and sinful.

We will all certainly be held accountable for ALL actions in this life, and that includes everything we spout off about on the ‘net.  Just because our comments don’t usually have a face to them to the general online public, you can be sure that there is a record of everything we put on the web, both positive and negative.

I can’t imagine being the one that posted something to discourage someone along the way and make them want to or actually give up and quit.  Can you?

There have been ongoing discussions about Southern Gospel having a noticeably higher Country flavor as of late.  This seems to be a trend with a lot of groups.  Monument Quartet comes to mind, as well as Crossway, Austin’s Bridge,  The Freemans & even Karen Peck & New River.  Some have even changed genres completely.  The Carolina Quartet is one of those groups.

Last year in August, I had the privilege of meeting The Carolina Quartet at the Mt. Mitchell Crafts Fair in Burnsville, NC.  This was not the first time I had heard the group sing, but it was the first time that I took the time to meet the guys.  David Bruce Murray (MusicScribe Blog) was on the keyboards, so being fellow bloggers, I was excited to meet him.  He introduced me to the guys and they explained that they had changed their musical styles from Southern Gospel to Country Gospel.  Their new sound was great and I think they sounded better than I’ve ever heard them.

A bit later, I contact The Carolina Quartet’s tenor, Chris Roberts, for a brief interview.  Here’s an overview of our conversation.  I was particularly interested why the group changed genres and getting his thoughts about the change.

SGC – To get a little background info on you and the Carolina Quartet, what got you into singing Gospel music and how long have you been singing?
Chris – I began singing gospel music around age 4 with my mom and dad. We sang as a family trio until I started high school. I then joined the members of the original Kingsmen Quartet, who began doing reunion dates around 1979 (Calvin Runion, bass; Raymond McKinney, baritone; Frank Cutshall, lead; and Jack Henderson, tenor). I played piano until I started college at Gardner-Webb in the fall of 1982. I did not sing in an established group until joining the Melody Masters in the fall of 1996, and I remained with the group through its transition from a part-time regional group to full-time status, emerging on the national scene with appearances at the National Quartet Convention and Canadian Gospel Quartet Conventions in 1999-2000. I left the MMQ in August 2000 to return to full-time music ministry in the local church. I have been serving the 3,000 member MudCreekBaptistChurch inHendersonville, NC since August, 2003 and have recently began my fifth year as Associate Pastor of Music and Worship.

The Carolina Quartet is an off-shoot of the Melody Masters Quartet that traveled from 1996-2002 until Scott Whitener retired the group. We got back together for a reunion segment in 2003 and Scott and I decided to begin the CQ in July of 2006 with Lamar Levi singing bass, replacing Richard Sanders, the long-time MMQ bass singer. Roger Burnette stayed on as baritone, and David Bruce Murray joined us on piano for selected dates. Our first CQ project had a more country gospel flavor but still fit the Southern Gospel genre; our new “Faith, Family, and Freedom” project is our first in the CG genre.

SGC – Who were your musical influences?
Chris – Regarding the piano, I would have to say Ray Talley (of the original Kingsmen) and Eldridge Fox (owner and baritone of the Kingsmen). I learned much as well during the time James Rainey traveled with the Melody Masters. Regarding vocals, my key influences would have to be threefold – Danny Funderburk (as a quartet tenor), Mark Trammell (regarding style and interpretation), and Scott Whitener (regarding stage presence and communication).Regarding the Carolina Quartet, Scott is influenced in a major way by the Oak Ridge Boys, and this has served as the catalyst for our transition to the CG style.

SGC – You made the comment to me that you guys were switching (have switched) your style from Southern Gospel to a Country gospel. To be honest, I really enjoyed the change in the groups sound. If you don’t mind me asking, what prompted this change?
Chris – The southern gospel industry is so saturated with male quartets that we felt we could offer something a bit different with our change of style. We also felt that our newest additions – Lamar Levi singing bass and David Bruce Murray on piano – brought something to the table in the “country gospel” style that made the transition more obvious. You can go just about anywhere and hear “clones” of the Kingsmen,GoldCity, Inspirations, etc, but you rarely find groups that resemble the style and sound of the Oak Ridge Boys, Statler Brothers, etc. We felt this was a welcome change, and it plays well with our variety of venues (fairs, festivals, car shows, and churches).

SGC – Do you find that more fans are drawn in greater numbers to the Country flavor of gospel instead of the Southern gospel variety?
Chris – It is so early in our “transition period” that I can’t determine at this time. I can say, however, that the initial response has been quite favorable. There are a few hard-core SG supporters who have stayed away, but we have also had new folks attend our concerts. Early product sales of the newest CQ project reflect a very positive response to the sound and substance of material. Much of that credit goes to pianist David Bruce Murray, who did quite a bit of research into the music for our transition.

SGC – Is this style more enjoyable? You guys seemed to have a good time from the stage in Burnsville.
Chris – I seem to enjoy it more, but I guess in part because it is new for me. It is definitely not “four guys dressed alike in suits and ties with a piano player.” We are having a good time with this new material, and time will tell if it is a lasting venture for us.

I think the change for The Carolina Quartet was a good move on their part.  The style just seems to be a better fit for them which in turn, made the concert more enjoyable to watch.  I know there hard-core SG fans that will never think about listening to a group with a different style, but these guys are certainly worth a listen. 

The shift in styles certainly doesn’t bother or concern me.  It keeps the genre from getting stale.  I can’t imagine how boring SG would be without groups mixing their styles up a bit.  Granted, I hope that the groups stay in the SG music genre, but if they can find a better fit in the Country Gospel genre, then more power to them.  I’d much rather see a group succeed in a different genre than have to leave the road because they can’t make it in Southern Gospel.

What are your thoughts?

For my first interview, I was fortunate to get in touch with Rodney Baucom, General Manager and Morning DJ of Gospel Radio Station, JoyFM. I’ve enjoyed Rodney’s broadcast for years, especially while traveling through the Piedmont area of North Carolina.  When I’m not traveling, I often listen to JoyFM’s online stream of their broadcast. 

Rodney has recently began a new venture with a Top 20 broadcast of Southern Gospel music.  Rodney gives us some more insight on himself and his new Top 20 countdown program below:

AE - Before we start on your career, tell us a little bit about you and your family?
RB - By today’s standards we’re a large family. It’s me and my wife Kelly with four children: Chandler (15), Kylee (12), Reagan (8) and Casie (4). We live in Mooresville, NC and stay busy with school, church and soccer games.

AE – How did you get your start as a DJ and how long have you been doing it?
RB -I started in Christian radio when I was in college at Appalachian State University. I worked part time at an AM Christian Talk station in Charlotte, then did mornings for an AC Christian Station in Charlotte, WRCM. We started a Southern Gospel station 10 years ago in Winston Salem, NC called JoyFM. I’ve been there happily since.

AE -Funniest moments?
RB -Most of our funniest moments come from impromptu moments during sharathon. However, recently, I was announcing a song by Jessica King, and called her Jessica Simpson. We had some laughs with that.

AE -Do you enjoy what you do?
RB -Like a lot of other announcers, I enjoy the music, and love to sing it. I sing in the choir and in a quartet at my church. Southern Gospel has been in my blood since I was a child, and I still love it today.

AE -What, if any, Southern Gospel artists have influenced your life? Do you have favorites or as a DJ, are you allowed to say?
RB -Roger Bennett and Glen Payne were great encouragers to me. Brian Free has shown by example the importance of living what you preach. Ernie Haase has encouraged me to have fun.

AE -Do you sing or play any instruments?
RB -Sing a little bass . . . play a little bass guitar, but I can’t play and sing at the same time. And I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time either.

AE -Was the Top 20 countdown something you came up with?
RB -Yes. I thought that the industry needed a chart that was more in-step with what was currently being played at stations.

AE -What is the criteria for making the top 20 each week (Singing News Charts, Requests, JOY-FM playtime, etc.)?
RB -We have a list of participating stations that report their chart. I cannot divulge them, because I don’t want them to receive pressure from promoters or whomever.

AE -What are your goals for this new venture?
RB -I’d love to see the list of affiliates grow. I want to have fun on the countdown, so that listeners can have fun, and realize that it’s great to be a child of God.

AE -What time each week is the Top 20 Countdown aired and is the program broadcast over the internet as well as radio?
RB -Each individual affiliate station can determine the broadcast time. We’ll be delivering the program on CD format to each of the station’s. I might suggest that a countdown program sounds good on Saturday between 10-12.

AE -Have you considered creating an archive of the weekly program that could be listened to online?
RB -I don’t plan on having any audio on the website. Perhaps in the future.

Rodney’s Top 20 countdown may be heard on JoyFM at the following times:

Thurdays: 7-9 PM
Saturdays: 12-2 PM (repeat broadcast)

Tune into JoyFM if you’re in the listening area of the radio broadcast or listen online at www.joyfm.org.  If you have a radio station that plays Southern Gospel music in your area, call them up and tell them you want to hear the Southern Gospel Top 20 Countdown. 

(For more information on becoming an affiliate and broadcasting the show in your area, contact Rodney at the Southern Gospel Top 20 Countdown’s website: www.southerngospeltop20.com)