Dec 29

Test Your Southern Gospel Knowledge

Here’s something fun for all southern gospel fans as we head into the new year.  I used the excellent quiz site Sporcle.com to create a few quizzes to test fans’ knowledge of our wonderful genre of music.  There are four to see how well you keep up with the ubiquitous personnel turnover down through the years.  And one quiz tests how well you know southern gospel’s greatest songs.  Have fun, and if you have a recommendation for something else that would be fun in this quiz format, let me know!

A hat tip and thanks to Daniel Mount (Cathedrals), Brandon Coomer (Gold City), and David Bruce Murray (SGHistory), whose tribute/history sites served as sources for the information.

Name the Cathedral Quartet members

Name the Gold City Quartet members

Name the Kingsmen Quartet members

Name the Gaither Vocal Band Members

Name the Southern Gospel Songs of the Year

Dec 28

2011 in Review: Top Albums

As promised, here are my personal favorite albums released in 2011.  A total of fifty CDs were added to my music collection from this year, and these fifteen found the most time in my car’s CD player.  The top three are the only ones that received five-star reviews from me.  Which albums stood out to you this year?

  1. We Will Stand Our Ground, Kingdom Heirs (joint review)
  2. God Makes No Mistakes, Inspirations (review)
  3. Part of the Family, Collingsworth Family (review)
  4. Treasures, Mark Trammell Quartet (review)
  5. The Only Way, Greater Vision (joint review)
  6. Let It Be Known, Booth Brothers (review)
  7. Journey, Libbi Perry Stuffle (quick review)
  8. Blue Skies, Perrys (Adam’s review)
  9. Family Ties, Wilburn & Wilburn (quick review)
  10. Grace Says, Kingsmen (review)
  11. Somebody’s Coming, Gold City (quick review)
  12. The Waiting Is Over, Tribute Quartet
  13. Keeps on Rolling Along, New Gospel Singing Caravan (review)
  14. A Wonderful Life, Legacy Five (quick review)
  15. Live, Dove Brothers (quick review)

Dec 27

2011 in Review: Top Songs

It’s that time of the year when every site is making “Best of 2011” lists on every possible subject.  Why should this site be an exception?  Here are my personal favorite songs released on recordings in 2011.  What are some of your favorites?

 

  1. “Heaven Is My Goal” – Kingdom Heirs, We Will Stand Our Ground (Marcia Henry)
  2. “God Makes No Mistakes” – Inspirations, God Makes No Mistakes (Stacy Pearcy)
  3. “We Will Stand Our Ground” – Kingdom Heirs, We Will Stand Our Ground (Dianne Wilkinson)
  4. “That’s All I Need”  – Kingsmen, Grace Says (Joseph Habedank)
  5. “The Resurrection Morn” – Collingsworth Family, Part of the Family (Bill & Gloria Gaither)
  6. “I Know a Man Who Can” – Greater Vision, The Only Way (Jack Campbell/Jimmie Davis)
  7. “What About Now” – Booth Brothers, Let It Be Known (Jim Brady/Tony Wood/Barry Weeks)
  8. “God’s Family” – Collingsworth Family, Part of the Family (Lanny Wolfe)
  9. “Why We Came Here” – Inspirations, God Makes No Mistakes (Joseph Habedank/Nick Trammell)
  10. “That’s the Place I’m Longing to Go” – Collingsworth Family, Part of the Family (Robert Batton)
  11. “I’m Gonna Hit the Ground Running” – Kingdom Heirs, We Will Stand Our Ground (Dianne Wilkinson)
  12. “Living in the Land of Canaan” – Inspirations, God Makes No Mistakes (Van Mitchell)
  13. “No Longer Chained” – Greater Vision, The Only Way (Rodney Griffin)
  14. “Where’s John” – Kingdom Heirs, We Will Stand Our Ground (Dianne Wilkinson)
  15. “I Found It All” – Collingsworth Family, Part of the Family (Wayne Haun/Helga Kaefer)
  16. “First John” – Booth Brothers, Let It Be Known (Lari Goss)
  17. “Loving Shepherd, Gracious God” – Kingsmen, Grace Says (Dianne Wilkinson)
  18. “Rejoice, My Children, Rejoice” – Perrys, Blue Skies (Kyla Rowland)
  19. “He’s the Only Way” – Greater Vision, The Only Way (Rodney Griffin/Chris Allman)
  20. “Tell the Mountain” – Collingsworth Family, Part of the Family (Kenna Turner West/Lee Black/Sue C. Smith)
  21. “Talk About Dying” – Inspirations, God Makes No Mistakes (Tim Wilson)
  22. “Eternity’s About to Begin” – Greater Vision, The Only Way (Chris Allman)
  23. “He Loves to Save” – Perrys, Blue Skies (Joel Lindsey/Wayne Haun/Steve Carey)
  24. “Destination Known” – Legacy Five,  A Wonderful Life (Rebecca Peck)
  25. “A Cross Became My Saving Grace” – Wilburn & Wilburn, Family Ties (Dianne Wilkinson/Joseph Habedank)
  26. “When Heaven’s Gates Swing Open Wide” – Kingdom Heirs, We Will Stand Our Ground (Dianne Wilkinson)
  27. “We Still Have to Pray” – Greater Vision,  The Only Way (Rodney Griffin)
  28. “Masterpiece of Mercy” – Booth Brothers, Let It Be Known (Rodney Griffin/Jim Brady)
  29. “Showers of Blessings” – Gold City, Somebody’s Coming (Kenna Turner West/Twila LaBar)
  30. “Jesus Will” – Wilburn & Wilburn, Family Ties (Dianne Wilkinson/Jerry Salley)
  31. “Living in the Palace” – Legacy Five, A Wonderful Life (Darryl Johnson/John Eric Swain)
  32. “I Know What I’m Singing About” – Perrys, Blue Skies (Kyla Rowland)
  33. “I Thirst” – Mark Trammell Quartet, Treasures (Bev Lowry)
  34. “I’m Not a Failure” – Libbi Perry Stuffle, Journey (Joseph Habedank/Matthew Holt)
  35. “Homecoming Day” – Tribute Quartet, The Waiting Is Over (Melissa Brady)
  36. “The Master’s Table” – Booth Brothers, Let It Be Known (Rebecca Peck)
  37. “Bloodwashed Band” – Mark Trammell Quartet, Treasures (Savana Foust)
  38. “Makes Me Want to Go” – Tribute Quartet, The Waiting Is Over (??? Anyone know?)
  39. “Daddy Sang Bass/Reunited” – Libbi Perry Stuffle, Journey (Joseph Habedank/Matthew Holt/Wayne Haun)
  40. “Celebrate Me Home” – Perrys, Blue Skies (Joel Lindsey/Wayne Haun)

 

Up next tomorrow, my favorite albums of 2011!

Dec 24

Merry Christmas!

Dec 22

Top 100: #26 True to the Call (Kingdom Heirs)

Release Year: 2007

Album Rank for Group: #2 of 10

Here’s a blurb: True to the Call contains my all-time favorite Kingdom Heirs song, “What We Needed,” which is furthermore one of my top southern gospel songs of the last decade.  That song goes a long way in pushing this album up my list of favorites, but it doesn’t carry the recording alone.  This is the Kingdom Heirs in their prime, with power quartet harmonies on a variety of modern-sounding but still traditional-leaning songs.  Let’s not forget to mention Dianne Wilkinson, who wrote or co-wrote eight of the eleven tracks, ranging in style from jazzy (“Since Jesus Moved In”, “Praying Your Troubles Away”) to country (“True to the Call”) to even a little rock lean (“Jesus Made a Believer Out of Me”).

Knock my socks off: What We Needed, I Sing Because

Don’t skip that one: I Want You to Know, I Am the Way, Lord Your Word Is Still True, Since Jesus Moved In, The Rock’s Between the Hard Place and You, Praying Your Troubles Away

I could honestly do without: True to the Call

Dec 21

Top 100: #27 I’ve Just Started Living! (Cathedrals)

Release Year: 1989

Album Rank for Group: #4 of 13

Here’s a blurb: Some say Danny Funderburk had lost some steam by the time his last major album with the Cathedrals was recorded.  Well, you could’ve fooled me, because it contains a couple of my favorite of his performances, including the exciting title track.  The Funderburk lineup of the Cathedrals is my all-time favorite southern gospel quartet, and they close out that era with a bang.  Funderburk (“I’ve Just Started Living”), Trammell (“He Saw What I Could Be”), Payne (“In the Depths of the Sea”) and Younce (“I Know Who Holds Tomorrow”) all have high quality features.

Knock my socks off: I’ve Just Started Living, He Saw What I Could Be, Standing on Holy Ground

Don’t skip that one: Look for Me (Around the Throne), In the Depths of the Sea, I Know Who Holds Tomorrow, Poet’s Song

I could honestly do without: Crimson River

Dec 20

Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

This is one of my family’s all-time favorite Christmas songs.  It was especially cool to sing it with one of our favorite groups too! Hope you enjoy it…