The reason you haven't
heard from me lately is that I've been a little sick with those pesky side
effects and trying to get back out on the road. The good news is that I'm doing
better and I have made it back on the road! More good news, my son Jordan is
traveling with Legacy Five for the next year playing bass guitar (and doing a
great job, I might add, all fatherly prejudice aside!).
Check out
Southern Gospel Now, a new, on-demand online music program, which is
promising two new shows a month. You can listen online anytime, or download. The
first show features the Talleys. It’s a little talky for my tastes (I’m usually
listening while I’m working, and like a minimum of talk), but it’s inspirational
and there’s good music. Program #2, available from September 12th,
will feature Kingdom Heirs.
The Gaither Homecoming crowd
hit Toronto on September 24th for a concert that will become two
new video/DVD/CD releases. If you’re a
GaitherNet member you can actually watch the concert live online. I remember
some years ago watching the Red Rocks/Rocky Mountain Homecoming concert online,
and got a real buzz from being able to sit at my computer here in Melbourne and
watch a live Gaither event.
According to
this press release, the concert will include the Homecoming series’ first
Canadian singer,
Kevin Pauls. I remember when the Australian Homecoming concert was
announced, and there was talk that Aussie-born
Rebecca St. James would appear. I didn’t make it to the concert – it was in
Sydney and I live in Melbourne – so I don’t know if she was there, but she’s not
on the DVD. You can’t get much more Southern than Australia, but it seems we’re
still to produce our own Southern Gospel stars. Good luck, Kevin.
The Gospel Music Association
and the Gospel Music Channel plan a
nationally televised benefit concert on September 22nd for
victims of the hurricane. The live event
will be held at the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. The GMA press
release also contains information about some Southern Gospel artists:
The McRaes,
a new sister duo on Daywind Records, is currently on tour with The Crabb Family.
They reside in Waynesboro,
Miss. Their home is OK, but their town is without power and much has been
devastated and the sisters cannot get home. At a concert in Georgia
last night, The Crabb Family took up an offering for The McRaes and raised more
than $3,000.
Further detail
is at the
Project Restore website, including information on more special benefits
being arranged by the SG community.
Southern Gospel artists are
involved in the relief effort. Mark Lowry has announced in
his latest newsletter a concert at
Chilhowee Hills Baptist Church in Knoxville at 7:00pm on September 27th.
Also appearing: the Talley Trio, Triumphant Quartet, the Perrys, Kirk Talley,
LordSong, Blackwood Quartet, Allison Speer “and many more.”
Solid Gospel is sending everyone on its email list a letter from
World Vision appealing for donations for emergency supplies for hurricane
victims. The latest email newsletter from
Greater Vision calls for prayer and donations to
Samaritan’s Purse. Ann Downing in her latest
audio blog calls for prayer.
Springside Marketing’s new “www.1-800-38-music.com”
online Southern Gospel music store is open for business, and it looks great.
Except for folks like me who don’t live in the US, and so pay full postage
rates, thus subsidizing US residents, who pay no postage on orders over $40. But
quibbles aside, the selection is huge. I did a quick price check.
Booth
Brothers – The Blind Man Saw It All (CD)
www.1-800-38-music.com - $13.95
Christianbook.com - $9.99
LifeWay Christian Stores -
$13.98
Amazon - $13.98
Gaither
Gospel Series – A Tribute to George Younce (DVD)
A
major writing project that I do every year is
nearly complete. From now I hope to be able to devote more time to building up
this website. September 2nd,
2005
Many of you have asked
for a medical update and I am more than happy to oblige. I have now completed 7
of 12 treatments, and I still feel good. Until about two weeks ago, I told my
oncologist that if I were in a clinical trial, I'd declare I was on a placebo.
Comparatively speaking, this regimen is as easy as the other was difficult.
That said, I generally
have 2 days of fatigue (days 3-4) following treatment. I take that opportunity
to sleep, read, doze during old movies, and do what amounts to, well, nothing.
John and I have continued to play tennis, and my oncologist says that is
probably why I feel so good - the exercise, sweating, and water overload is just
what I need to flush the bad stuff out once its work is done.
Not up on her website yet,
but presumably soon will be,
here or
here.
“Where was your first
exposure to SG?” asks the poll currently running at
Southern Gospel Music Lovers. As I write, the biggest response, accounting
for half the respondents, is “at
your home (tv, radio, etc).”
That’s also my
answer. Four-and-a-half years ago I had never heard of Southern Gospel. Then we
signed up for
cable TV, and it turned out that one of the channels on our plan (the basic
plan) was the
Australian Christian Channel. And one of their programs was the Gaither
Gospel Hour (actually, it was just half an hour) featuring excerpts from their
videos. The first time I saw it I thought I was watching a church service.
“That’s the church I want to join,” I told my wife. Only a week later did I
realize they were concerts.
An
email from SG singer Chris Hester, asking politely if it’s possible to be added
to the list of artists on the right. When I have more time I’m going to have to
make some rules for whom to include. When I drew up the list a few months ago I
simply put down the names of most of those SG artists I’d heard of (living in
Australia I haven’t heard of so many) and/or some who seemed to be selling a lot
of CDs at Amazon.
So until I work out whom to
include in the list, please check out
Chris’s website. And there’s a great review of his recording “It’s A Good
Life”, at
Southern Gospel News.
“Finally, from the Booth
Brothers,” says the subject line of the following email that has just landed in
my inbox:
Ronnie, Jim and I
have a newsletter for you. Just go to
www.boothbrothers.com and click on the "Latest Newsletter" on the left.
Thanks!
Michael
So I go to the site and
click on the link. And get “Welcome
to Booth Talk, June 24, 2005.” I guess that’s the trouble with trying to
cover US happenings from down under in Australia. Timewise, we’re always ahead.
An
email from SG singer Chris Hester, asking politely if it’s possible to be added
to the list of artists on the right. When I have more time I’m going to have to
make some rules for whom to include. When I drew up the list a few months ago I
simply put down the names of most of those SG artists I’d heard of (living in
Australia I haven’t heard of so many) and/or some who seemed to be selling a lot
of CDs at Amazon.