In my blogs page I’ve
already poked fun at the Dunaways for their
Dunnyville Blog, suggesting that they probably don’t know what “dunny”
means down here in Australia (it’s slang for an outdoor toilet). Now I learn
there’s a Southern Gospel group called
The Dills. Check the
Australian Slang Dictionary for one of the meanings of “dill” down under.
Usage guidance is
here,
here and
here.
The biggest
shock of the afternoon came from the newly reorganized Mercy's Well, which
features two new vocalists - Greg and Jeremy. They have a great sound - one that
was missing from the earlier incarnation.
Amy Marie Unthank also
has a report. David Bruce Murray continues his
detailed blogging of the concerts. Avery Fineline, not yet in Louisville,
compiles a series of random observations on convention happenings.
Jerry Kirksey
posts photos of the opening night, including a $500,000 souvenir gift item.
David Bruce Murray
makes you wish you were at the opening concert. And Avery Fineline
asks: “Is
this the year when Gaither's absence becomes such an accepted fact of life that
more people shrug it off than not?”
Which singing group is -
according to a pastor of America’s fastest-growing denomination - “Southern
Gospel on steroids?” Scroll down about halfway through
this article for the answer.
David Bruce Murray continues
blogging his five-day road trip to the National Quartet Convention. Day Two
finds him in West Virginia, where he
blogs a concert by the Mark Trammell Trio at a church that’s been around for
207 years.
Southern Gospel
personalities, including Dottie Rambo, Candy Christmas, Russ Taff, Aaron Wilburn
and Sonya Isaacs, are among a large group of artists who have
recorded a CD titled “The Lord Will Provide,” intended to benefit multiple
sclerosis research and to provide medicines and equipment for sufferers. My aunt
in London died of complications caused by many years of MS, as did – earlier
this year – one of my best friends. Please support this project, which is
organized by Roger Neal’s Neal Family Ministries.
David Bruce Murray is
blogging his five-day road trip to the National Quartet Convention. His
first posting is from Roanoke, Virginia, where he attended the Gaither Vocal
Band/Signature Sound concert.
Randy Renigar
of Great Southern Gospel Radio
picks two songs that “could go to #1 on your favorite major SG chart” –
I Don’t
Wanna Go Back
by Kingdom Heirs – “It’s
Southern Gospel, Quartet Style, Gospel Singing without leaning one way or
another. Pure and simple Gospel Music Southern Style. You’ll Love It!”
He Saw It All
by the Booth Brothers – “A word craftsman worded this song. Listen very
carefully to this song and you will see what I mean. A blind man saw it all, a
deaf person heard it all, and a cripple was being chased. It is a hallelujah
type of song.”
Randy also picks his “Best
Song You’ve Probably Not Heard On Your Local Station” –
Ain’t No Doubt About It
by Dewayne Holt – “The Family Music Group has got a good’n here. Dewayne Holt
has a tinge of a Country Sound but delivers a song with an above average message
in an above average style. The song could be the testimony of Christians
everywhere.”
An article I came across in
the Daily Mississippian recalled a
recent posting from Avery Fineline about the dilemma faced by singers when
asked to do pro bono benefit concerts:
"It's for a good cause."
The five words every owner or group manager dreads hearing. But it's a dilemma
groups face countless times every day: people wanting artists to do fundraisers
for reduced or no fees.
Angel Ranch,
Inc. is sponsoring a benefit concert Friday at the Oxford Conference Center in
conjunction with Do-Glo Ministries. The concert, which organizers hope will
become an annual event, will feature gospel singer Ivan Parker. It is hoped that
the concert will raise enough money to help Angel Ranch with its startup costs,
said executive director Sue Turner. The Angel Ranch will be a temporary shelter
for abandoned and/or abused children in the Lafayette County area….Parker has a
long history of performing at benefit concerts, including for churches and a
multitude of charities.
I’ve always thought that
Ivan Parker looked like a good guy (albeit, virtually my entire exposure to
Southern Gospel is via Gaither Homecoming DVDs, where everyone looks like a good
guy), so it’s pleasing to hear about his work. A Google search of
“Ivan Parker” “benefit concert” brings up plenty of links.
2003 Nov 22: Over 250
attended this 3rd annual KLLN benefit concert. Church pastor Ed Frantz and
others raised $2,500 from area businesses people to pay Ivan Parker to sing for
the benefit. 2003 Benefit raised $1,800
What does it mean? I don’t
know. As Avery Fineline observed, entertainers – even Christian entertainers –
who can’t pay their costs won’t be entertainers for long. I’ll bet Ivan Parker
does lots of good works. And I reckon he’s a real good guy.
I share an obsession with
Avery Fineline regular reader RF – to collect all the Gaither videos on DVD. I
seem to be having greater success. RF
writes:
I've made it
my life's work (well, this month) to collect all the Gaither videos on DVD. Of
course, it makes it more difficult since the dots at GN seem to not be able to
read to interpret an on-line order. I've ordered Hawaiian Homecoming and they
sent me Texas
Homecoming (I already have that) … I've ordered Good News and they sent me
Texas
Homecoming. Earlier I ordered the Texas
Homecoming DVD and got the Texas
Homecoming video in VHS. I write and write them in the so-called "customer
service" and get no response, so I'm going to box up the things and send them
back with a note that says, "since you-all can't read, I'm sending back these
seven copies of Texas Homecoming and I want (fill in the blank)." I'll probably
never hear from them again.
I’ve placed a number of DVD
orders with the “dots
at GN” – the latest just nine days ago to celebrate my near-completion of a
major writing assignment – and have consistently been delighted by the quality
of the service. As a GaitherNet member I get free postage, even though I live in
Australia, and each order has arrived safely and correctly within four or five
days. That’s service. I’ve emailed customer service on a few occasions with
various queries and each time received a quick, friendly and informative reply.
And the prices! Those
Gaither DVDs that are available in Australia invariably cost $30.85 each (US
dollars). The Gaither store sells a heap of them for $19.95 each, often throws
in a free CD, and, when my order reaches $100 (which it does), they give me
another DVD free. Did I mention the free postage?
Comedienne
(not a word I’m used to) Chonda Pierce returns to the stage after a year’s
break, according to a lengthy press release, published at
saWorship.com:
Within the
next year, Pierce will be releasing a brand-new DVD, a book, as well as a
23-city nationwide tour. Even though she has appeared at numerous Women of Faith
conferences, Pierce has spent the majority of 2005 taking time off to spend with
her family and to travel while preparing for the coming year’s releases.
My exposure to Chonda and
other American Christian comedians comes via Gaither Homecoming DVDs, and I’m
less than overwhelmed. I happily listen to Mark Lowry sing “Mary, Did You Know”
again and again, but after chuckling once through one of his – or Chonda’s or
Aaron Wilburn’s or Taylor Mason’s – comedy routines, I seldom want to listen
again.
Perhaps it’s cultural,
though it’s been the same on the occasions I’ve heard Melbourne’s Anglican
priest/stand-up comic
Howard Langmead. He’s fun, and very clever, but somehow Christian comedy
just doesn’t click with me. I like more bite, more edge.
But I do know that, in a
hurting world, Christian comedians – and comediennes too – click with many. Good
luck, Chonda. You go, girl.
Comedienne
(not a word I’m used to) Chonda Pierce returns to the stage after a year’s
break, according to a lengthy press release, published at