Mike Bowling's new CD, "Influenced and Inspired: Remembering
Kenny Hinson," has just been released.
Daywind is offering a preview. January 26th, 2006
Inspirational Russ Taff The Aiken Standard in South Carolinacarries an excellent review, titled "Writing Truly Inspirational Music," of
a Russ
Taff church performance (though it thinks he's still in the Gaither
Vocal Band).
One of Contemporary Christian Music’s most inspirational voices, six-time
Grammy and nine-time Dove Award winning vocalist Russ Taff brought a powerful
message to the Christian Heritage Church Sunday evening through his ministry of
music and faith....
“There’s so much more to life than just making records and writing songs,” said
Taff. “I found out as a child there’s an eternal purpose. We’re only on this
world for a short time, and we’re here for a higher calling. We go through so
much hurt and pain in this world, but I’ve found a place where life can be
restored, and the broken places healed, and that’s what I talk about, the life I
found in Jesus Christ.”
Taff’s emotionally stirring vocals and far-reaching sincerity have touched fans
worldwide and locally. January 24th, 2006
Steinway Honors Anthony Burger I've no idea if this is a big deal or not.
Anthony Burger has announced that he has been named "the newest
Steinway Artist by world-renowned piano maker, Steinway and Sons." On his
website Anthony says: “This is an incredible honor for me. I’ve been playing a
Steinway piano on the Gaither tour for years and wouldn’t want to play anything
else.”
January 23rd, 2006
Bouquets for Benjy Benjy Gaither is getting some good reviews for his work as the voice of goat
in the new movie "Hoodwinked." Here's
Christianity Today:
A host of new characters play memorable supporting roles, including the
funniest mountain goat you've ever seen (Benjy Gaither, son of the gospel music
legends Bill and Gloria Gaither).
Even the requisite songs are funny, particularly those of a goat named Japeth
(Benjy Gaither) who is forced to sing his every line of dialogue.
The
Seattle Times reviewer is not a Southern Gospel fan:
I don't know who Benjy Gaither is, but I'd like to thank him: As the voice of
a relentlessly cheerful, ukulele-playing goat who sings all his lines, he
singlehandedly kept "Hoodwinked" almost watchable.
...The lead detective is a debonair frog named Nicky Flippers (David Ogden
Stiers), the sheep (Chazz Palminteri) is named Woolworth, and that wisecracking
goat, who sounds like he could well have a future in bluegrass, keeps turning
up, as if auditioning for a different, funnier movie.
The digital animation ranges from competent to clunky, the jokes too often feel
tossed-off and random, and the movie too often descends into dullness, only to
be yanked back from the abyss by the goat.
Perhaps I'm harping on the goat (possibly just for the pleasure of writing the
phrase "harping on the goat"), but really, there's nothing else here.
It’s slow going, save for one snappy flashback involving a singing,
banjo-playing goat (Benjy Gaither) capable of turning his detachable horns into
any contraption he desires. January 21st, 2006
God Has Not Forgotten Them My wife and I are are really struggling
with our three sons. Two are teenagers, and the attractions of the world are so
powerful that they have abandoned church. I am grateful for the message from
Chonda Pierce in her latest Roadkill Report:
Oh, how my heart goes out to parents struggling with their kids. I’m not at
all oblivious to what goes on in many homes across the country. Christian homes
– where there is great grief for parents longing to see their kids make some
movement toward Christ. I don’t know what all the answers are… but I do know God
has not forgotten them. I pray HE will hear your prayers and the cries of your
heart and your child will begin to sense the love of God in such a tender way
that “they cannot depart from it.”
January 20th, 2006
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Aussie country gospel singer
Julie McAllan has released her new CD “Bring Me Home,” and you can listen to
excerpts
here. I don’t usually listen much to country gospel, but I was impressed
with what I heard.
Julie lives in
Alice Springs, right in the heart of Australia, and has
performed to audiences locally and in Missouri and Arkansas in the US. “Bring Me
Home” was a finalist at the Australian Gospel Music Awards, and one of the
tracks, “Living in the Alice,” took out the Best Australiana Gospel Song
award.
Warren Parker I'm on the email lists of various SG groups, and I've received several
emails mourning the death on Saturday of Warren Parker. You may be interested in
a lengthy and moving tribute, in Warren's
local newspaper. An excerpt:
"Warren's ambition was to go into law enforcement," said his
dad. Mr. Parker graduated from Seneca College, but then took a mission trip to
Belize for six months that changed the course of his future.
"When he came back from the trip he was completely changed," said his dad,
adding his desire was now to go into mission work.
He joined a southern gospel band after some initial reservations.
"I wouldn't be caught dead playing that kind of music," is what his father
remembers him saying when he was invited to join the group. Christian rock was
Mr. Parker's kind of music, but that quickly changed.
"He loved it," his dad said. "He never looked back since."
Housekeeping I went through all the blogs in my
Blogs and Boards page, assuming that I'd have
to delete quite a few that no longer existed. In fact, I only found one, John
Lanier's
Face the Music blog, which no longer seems to
exist. A few others had changed their URLs, and these have been adjusted. Some
bloggers haven't posted for many months - like the
Crabb Family
- but if the blog still exists on the internet I've left it in my blogroll. In
fact, I was surprised at how many bloggers - probably around half of those on my
list - have already posted during 2006.
January 9th, 2006
I always enjoy
Mark Lowry’s reMarks newsletter. The latest has just arrived in my email box,
and will presumably soon be available
here. Mark talks about his latest CD, “Be the Miracle.” You can listen to
sample clips
here. He also introduces his new reMarkable polls, and if you want to vote
on whether toilet paper should come off the top or the bottom of the roll you
should go
here.
Wow – is this
hyperbole or what? Check out the lengthy press release for the induction of
Dottie Rambo to the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, which promises to be “one
of the greatest nights that Kentuckians have ever experienced.” According to the
release, “Rambo's gifts have carved her into the annals of music history amid
the greatest composers of all time including the likes of Mozart and Beethoven.”
There’s lots more.
Congratulations I've received the following email:
Jaydon Audrey Rulapaugh was born Thursday December 29th 2005 at 9:31 PM EST
in the Dolly Parton Birthing Unit of Ft. Sanders, Sevier Hospital in
Sevierville, TN. She was 6lbs 6 oz, and 19 inches long at birth. John Rulapaugh
sings tenor with Palmetto State Quartet. The group performed three concerts over
the weekend with Randy Lewis (formerly of the Toney Brothers) filling the tenor
spot in John's absence. The Saturday evening (New Years Eve) performance aired
live on WHT Television network which is carried by DirecTV. While the guys were
hard at work singing, John and Jennifer watched from the comfort of their living
room!
Jennifer and Jaydon came home from the hospital Saturday afternoon, December
31st and both are healthy. Jaydon is the first child born to John and Jennifer.
You can view Jaydon's pictures and sign a guestbook
here. January 4th, 2006
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Aussie country gospel singer