News and Comment
Dottie Rambo (Update)
Dolly Parton has paid tribute:
I know Dottie is in heaven in the arms of God right now, but
our earth angel will surely be missed. Dottie was a dear friend, a fellow
singer-songwriter and entertainer, and, as of late, my duet singing partner.
Dottie, stand by the river and wait for me. I will always love you.
Kyle Boreing has personal memories:
I thanked her for taking the time to discuss a few tidbits about gospel
music. What she did next I'll never forget. She wrapped her arms around my neck
and said, "You have a very sweet spirit. You'll do great things for the Lord."
Here was this legend who has written more songs than I'd ever dream to and won
awards upon awards telling me something like that. I was so moved that someone I
have always looked up to and admired would do such a thing.
I'm sure there have been others with similar experiences shared with Miss
Dottie. I know several friends who have worked with her over the years and have
nothing but the utmost respect for her, but for me, personally, that is a moment
that I will always remember and cherish.
Goodbye, Miss Dottie. Thank you for taking the time to share your gift with us.
May 12th, 2008
Dottie Rambo
Dottie Rambo, 74, has died in a traffic accident at Mount Vernon, Missouri. Her
tour bus apparently ran off the road and hit an embankment.
Most news so far comes from
this brief AP report. Check
Google News or
Yahoo News for more reports as they arrive.
Doug Harrison writes:
How beautiful, bittersweet, sad, and for us as her survivors,
how blessedly fortunate, that she leaves as her legacy a king’s ransom worth of
songs that will be a deeply felt consolation to those mourning her loss.
Paul Heil's "The Gospel Greats" newsletter
writes:
Dottie's former husband, Buck Rambo, told Paul Heil, host of The Gospel
Greats program, that Dottie was apparently asleep in her bunk at the time of the
mishap. The force of the impact apparently threw her to the floor, causing
injuries which proved fatal.
May 12th, 2008
Now I Don't Want to Go There
From the Anglican Church's
VirtueOnline website:
"It (heaven) is going to look a little more like this world than a place
filled with cherubs sitting around and singing Bill Gaither songs," [Pastor
Scotty] Smith said.
April 24th, 2008
American Gospel Music Experience
Initial planning is under way for the
American Gospel Music Experience in Bill
Gaither's home town:
Alexandria is the home of Grammy-award winning gospel performer Bill Gaither.
His company, Gaither Management Inc., is located there. According to
[businessman Neal] Johnson, the plan is to use the land behind the current
studio and facilities to create something called the American Gospel Music
Experience. If the proposal is accepted and they are given the necessary funds,
the project would be conducted in three phases. Phase one would be the
construction of a gospel library, museum and theater. Phase two would include a
motel and walking trails on the grounds. Phase three would be building more
various gospel-related facilities. One such idea for these facilities includes a
music school.
March 7th, 2008
The James Roy 'Pop' Lewis Highway
A proposal for a
new name for a portion of Georgia Highway 378.
March 7th, 2008
Bill Gaither - "Undeserving" Grammy Winner
This isn't very nice:
Amy Winehouse was the big winner Sunday night at the Grammys, but not
everyone is happy. On the red carpet, singer Natalie Cole voiced her displeasure
with Winehouse's five nominations, saying the troubled singer didn't deserve the
nods.
It got us to thinking about other undeserving winners of past years.
...1973: This was the award show known the night the music died, because Roy
Rogers & Dale Evans lost out to the Bill Gaither Trio in the best Inspirational
Performance category.
February 14th, 2008
Bringing Folks into the Living Room
On the eve of a concert, Alison Durham Speer pays
a fine tribute to the Gaithers:
It was Gaither, Speer said, who influenced her concert style.
"I'm just so thankful for everything I've learned being around the Gaithers,"
she said. "I've traveled with Bill and Gloria Gaither for about 18 years and
watched them so wonderfully create an atmosphere where folks are welcome. It's
kind of like they bring you into their living room and everybody is friends and
family. Just sit back and enjoy yourselves. It's low key. It's very personal and
very relaxed."
February 11th, 2008
Was It Arson?
Arson is now suspected as the cause of
the fire at the Whisnant's Southern Gospel
radio station, according to the Charlotte Observer.
A cost assessment has not yet been done, but the building itself was valued
at about $119,000, [John] Whisnant says. The family purchased the station in
1993, and broadcast music seven days a week, from dusk to dawn.
The building was also home to The Whisnants, a popular Southern gospel group
that lost 3,000 CDs and DVDs in the fire.
The goal now, Whisnant says, is to get the station back on as quickly as
possible, possibly by the end of the month.
In the meantime, he's keeping a sense of humor. "I always said those awards I
got for DJ of the year would make great kindling and it looks like I was right."
February 5th, 2008
We're All That's Left
Scott Fowler of Legacy Five tells the Bradenton Herald why Christian pop
and "progressive" church services are
good for his group:
"The traditional hymns in many cases aren't being sung in the churches
anymore," says Scott Fowler...."What's interesting about what that does for our
market is, now there are a handful of churches that refuse to stop singing the
great hymns, and all of a sudden we're all that's left on the outside that they
can bring in to do that sort of thing."
February 5th, 2008
The Message that Tugged at Ivan's Heart the Night He Gave His
Heart to the Lord
I'm a fan of Ivan Parker, and I get goose bumps from
"Midnight Cry". Ivan says the song has a
special meaning for him:
It impressed him the first time he heard it many years ago, and he continues
to sing it.
"I remember the feeling I had the first time I heard that
song," he said. "I just could not get away from the message. It meant a lot to
me because it was the message that tugged at my heart the night I gave my heart
to the Lord."
January 19th, 2008
Southern Gospel - Temptation is Still There
Donnie Sumner talks to "The Southern":
"There's no such thing as a superstar, it's all in the audience's mind. After
awhile you begin to believe it and you turn into not the kind of person you
should be because you think you're better than everybody else.
"That's the chain of events that happened from struggling artist to big artist.
Reality is home, church and friends."
Even when performing in a southern gospel group, temptation is still there.
"I had been involved in the drug culture ever since I entered the industry. It
was more or less a social thing for the first few years and it progressed,"
Donnie said.
December 23rd, 2007
An Easy Job
David Phelps reflects on life with and after the Gaither Vocal
Band, in a
brief interview with
Christianity Today.
The GVB was an easy job. I stepped on the stage, they handed me the mic, and
I sang.
December 7th, 2007
Faith Like a Mustard Seed
Robin
Milby of The Milby
Family singing group has taken pity on me, down here in Australia,
and with no Southern Gospel. So he has sent me a copy of the family's latest
recording, "Faith Like a Mustard Seed". It's lovely music, happy and
bouncy, with great harmonies. I much appreciate it. Thank you.
You can listen to several of the songs
here.
November 26th, 2007
I've Never Seen a Miracle
Mark Lowry
explains:
Lowry's new tour is called "Be The Miracle," titled after one of his earlier
music CDs.
"Since I'm Baptist and have never seen a miracle, I thought I'd go out and be
one for somebody," he reasoned.
October 28th, 2007
Don't Call Me a Comedian
Mark
Lowry talks to the Toledo Blade:
I wish I was a comedian. But I don't tell three jokes, change the subject,
tell three more jokes, change the subject. I'm not Jerry Seinfeld....I consider
myself a storyteller, and in telling the story, there's some humor along the
way.
October 21st, 2007
Barbie Doll
She "has long been one of the most popular members of the
Gaither Homecoming Tour. She was the tour’s blonde-headed Barbie Doll..."
Who? Click
here.
October 15th, 2007
The Coolest Thing in America
What's the coolest thing in America? Harley-Davidson dealer Ricky Kelley is
planning to build a
new amphitheatre in Tennessee. He tells his
local TV station:
I think the coolest thing in America would be to have Skynyrd here on
Saturday, Bill Gaither here on Sunday. How much fun is that?
(Does Bill Gaither do concerts on Sundays?)
October 12th, 2007
I Was Hacked
If this site looked a little strange recently - huge banner ads
at the top of the page - it's because I was hacked. So, it seems, were lots of
others. My web host company has abruptly changed all our log-in passwords.
October 12th, 2007
Bill Me Later (Much Later), Bill
"Try a Complimentary Issue of Homecoming Magazine" says the subject line of an
email from the Gaither Club. And when I click through to
the website, I read:
TRY HOMECOMING MAGAZINE FREE Order your no-risk free trial issue right now!
Just choose the 'Bill me later' option below. There's no risk or obligation.
Of course, as expected, when I scroll down to the bottom of the page I find that
the "Bill me later" option is for US orders only.
It's tough being a Southern Gospel fan outside the US, and for
some reason I find my own interest waning. I used to listen to online SG radio
all say. Now I never do. I have a big collection of Gaither DVDs which I seldom
watch any more. I used to spend a lot of time at the
Gaither.com website.
Now I never go there.
What's a jaded fan to do?
September 17th, 2007
BBC Goes to Gloryland
This might be good:
The British Broadcasting Corp. will be filming a documentary about Southern
gospel music during the 50th annual National Quartet Convention at the Kentucky
Exposition Center next week,
The documentary will include interviews with many of the musical format's
pioneers and promising young artists.
The documentary, titled "Gloryland," is expected to be broadcast later this
year.
"A form of music that is often ignored by the mainstream media, Southern gospel
has a long history as rich as other more celebrated genres," Sebastian Barfield,
producer of the documentary, said in a news release.
The documentary will explore the impact Southern gospel has had on other musical
forms, Barfield said.
September 6th, 2007
Gorgeous, Mesmerizing - You Need to Hear Sonya Isaacs
"Some women you need to hear," writes Chet Flippo at the
Country Music Television website:
I also want to recommend Sonya Isaacs, the lead singer of the country-gospel
group, the Isaacs. She is a truly gorgeous vocalist. I just watched her this
afternoon singing with the bluegrass group Cadillac Sky on a heart-rending
version of "Homesick Angel" for an upcoming segment of CMT's Unplugged at Studio
330. Totally mesmerizing.
August 12th, 2007
Signature Sound Groupies
Bobby and Hilda Jo Woods have attended
over 50 Signature Sound concerts since 2003:
“We love how they dance around the stage and perform an energy-packed
concert,” said Hilda Jo. “One of my favorite things they do onstage is kick the
microphone stands up with their feet.”
...The Woods get involved with the group during the concerts. They have even
become a prop for the group to play off of.
“I always yell ‘Get it right’ to one of the members onstage and they play off of
that,” said Bobby. “They always expect it and play along as if they never heard
me say it before.”
The Signature Sound Quartet always makes a point to speak to the Woods every
chance they can.
July 20th, 2007
I'm Not Black?
Gordon Mote, prankster:
Such as the closing night of the recent Gaither Family Fest in Gatlinburg,
Tenn., where he walked in LEADING Gaither (who had donned sunglasses) from the
dressing room to the stage. Or the comic routine where soundman Rory Rigdon
hands him a book upside down and he promptly turns it right side up. Or feigning
confusion on the keyboard, removing his sunglasses to peer at the keys before
finding the right note. Or the transition from piano to organ with instructions
from Gaither to tune it for a “black” sound. When guitarist Kevin Williams made
a remark about a white musician trying to play “black” music, Mote feigned
shock. “I’m not black? Nobody ever told me,” he gasped.
July 5th, 2007
Drawing a Fine Line
Jeff Easter talks about touring with his
18-year-old son:
"It's fun to have him out with us," Easter said. "But it's not a perfect
situation. He's not just playing with us; he's our son. It's a fine line that's
drawn. When we're right in the middle of something, he'll say, "Dad, I'm going
to make a sandwich.' I don't mind slowing down for him. He's keeping us up to
date. He loves Pro Tools. He's into the John Mayer type of guitar playing. The
bottom line is that he comes up with great melodies and great lyrics. It's hard
to believe that he just graduated high school."
July 5th, 2007
Their Blood on Our Hands
I've received an email from Parrish Nichols, telling me about his new CD, "Their
Blood on Our Hands", which he has recorded with Marty Raybon. You can read more
about it here.
July 5th, 2007
René Diekman - Dutch Southern Gospel Singer
René
Diekman is a Southern Gospel singer in the Netherlands. He has
a website,
and though I don't read Dutch, it seems that he's pretty active.
He has released a CD. Two weeks ago he participated in a special church service
based on the gospel songs of Elvis Presley. And he spends this weekend
performing at a gospel music festival that includes the participation of
The Isaacs.
I asked the
Babel Fish translation tool to translate into English the
introduction on René's website. Here is what it gave me:
Welcome on the Internet site of René Diekman - Southern gospel zanger Since a
number of years I have been aktief as a zanger. The gospels of Elvis Presley
have always fascinated me. Also songs of other gospelartiesten from the Southern
gospel (for example the Bill Gaithers of 50 and the 60er years) addresses me a
lot. On this Internet site you can listen to also a number of samples of my
debuut CD. You have interest for a CD, use then of e-mail/establishment form.
I hope this doesn't sound like I'm making fun of René. I'm not. I wish we had
guys like him here in Australia promoting Southern Gospel. (And by the way, when
are The Isaacs coming to Australia?)
June 22nd, 2007
Michael English - My Greatest Fear
Michael English is interviewed by the Grand
Rapids Press:
Singer Michael English says his greatest fear is not that he'll yield to
temptation and once again get hooked on painkilling prescription drugs.
"I believe God has done a number on me and taken away the
desire for those things," English, 45, said in a phone interview from his home
near Nashville, Tenn.
"But the problem for me is, if I ever get into an accident
or need surgery, I won't be able to take the stuff," he said.
June 16th, 2007
When I Get Old
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette profiles
Bill Gaither:
At 71, Bill Gaither isn’t even thinking about retiring.
“I’ll think about that when I get old,” Gaither cracked when recently reached at
his office in Indiana.
May 28th, 2007
Fiery, Joyful, Glorious, Hopped-Up, Roof-Tearing Jessy Dixon
Not much doubt about one of the highlights of this week's Paul Simon tribute
concert in Washington DC. Here's the
Washington Post:
But for every hiccup or yawn, there were as many glorious highlights -- such
as Jessy Dixon's hopped-up duet with the sensational Yolanda Adams, in which
each gospel star sang lead on "Gone at Last" before they kicked into a fiery
call-and-response exchange. Such joyful noise.
And the
Washington Times:
Yolanda Adams and Jessy Dixon nearly upstaged everyone with the roof-tearing
gospel of "Gone at Last."
May 25th, 2007
As Much a Blow to Our Culture
I don't know what a biological anthropology concentrator is, but Steven T. Cupps
’09 is one, and this is what he says in the
Harvard Crimson:
Removing the churches from the Boston skyline would be equivalent to creating
a New York without skyscrapers. Forgetting Southern gospel songs would be as
much a blow to our culture as if we turned our back on jazz and rock ’n’ roll.
May 24th, 2007
Fast Food Jingles
Marshall Hall once sang fast food jingles to pay the bills. The time spent
belting out little ditties for Long John Silver's and McDonald's was steady work
and it led, in less of a roundabout way than you might think, to his current gig
as baritone for the venerable Bill Gaither's vocal band.
I know a lot more than ever before about
Marshall Hall after reading the profile in the
Charleston Daily Mail.
May 12, 2007
How Far Would You Walk for an Ivan Parker Concert?
Kenny Hill has cerebral palsy:
Because his disability prevents him from driving a car — he's subject to
seizures — most of the time he must walk to get where he wants. He said he's
walked as far as 35 miles to Hillwood Baptist Church in South Huntsville to hear
his favorite gospel singer, Ivan Parker, perform.
May 5th, 2007
Making a Roomful of Baptist Deacons Laugh
Chonda Pierce
issues a challenge:
"We don't have the aid of a couple rounds of alcohol to get our audience
loosened up! As a matter of fact, I share with my comedian friends who primarily
work comedy clubs that if they want a real challenge, come try to make a roomful
of Baptist deacons laugh without a two-drink minimum! Then we'll see how funny
you really are!"
May 5th, 2007
Gaither Homecoming
Music - Expensive & Cheap
Word
is one of Australia's two large Christian bookstore chains. Their latest
catalogue has just arrived in the mail, and with it came a 12-page "Gaither
Homecoming Catalogue 2007". (If you're interested, you can see a pdf file
here. Remember that all prices are in
Australian dollars.)
You might like to know what we pay down-under for our Gaither music. Here are
some examples. I've changed all prices into US dollars (at the current rate of
A$1 = US$0.82) and for comparison purposes I've shown the price at Amazon.com
(where, for obvious reasons, I generally buy my Gaither DVDs).
* Give It Away (DVD)
Word - $24.56
Amazon.com - $15.99
* Get Away Jordan (DVD)
Word - $32.76
Amazon.com - $17.99
South African Homecoming (DVD)
Word - $32.76
Amazon.com - $13.99
Israel Homecoming (DVD)
Word - $28.66
Amazon.com - $17.99
Canadian Homecoming (DVD)
Word - $24.56
Amazon.com - $17.99
But this is interesting - on page 12 of the catalogue Word is offering a
"Special 10 Pack" (check it out
here) at what seems to be an absolute bargain
price of A$125 (US$102.50). It features 10 DVDs, including Live from Toronto,
Mark Lowry Goes to Hollywood, Red Rocks Homecoming and Best of
the Cathedrals, along with half-a-dozen others.
I don't normally check Word's online "bargain
bin", but when I took a look just now I also found the
Live from Toronto and the
Gaither Homecoming Classics Vol 1 CDs both
selling at an incredible A$7.95 (US$6.52).
Word say they
ship worldwide (add 30% to the purchase price
for international shipping, with a A$10 minimum). It could be worth checking
out.
May 4th, 2007
We Don't Give It Away
The London Free Press previews
Saturday's Gaither Homecoming concert:
But where does he get off charging ticket prices -- reasonable as they may be
for a four-hour show -- on a tour that's subtitled Give It Away?
May 4th, 2007
