National Quartet Convention 2018 - Tuesday Night

The second night of the 2018 National Quartet Convention is in the books. I watched most of tonight's evening concert missing only a little bit at the beginning. I hate that I missed seeing the Kingsmen not getting a chance to see the new lineup of this group.

Here are my thoughts and highlights of the night:


Highlights and Commentary - 

• One of my favorite things is to see the "scrap iron" groups come together. Jim Brady organized the Confused Quartet with himself on lead, Chris Allman on bass, Susan Whisnant on baritone and Nick Trammell on tenor. They sang "Winging My Way Back Home." I was very impressed with Chris' bass! 
• There were sweet tributes tonight from Kelly Nelon Clark and Sheri Easter to their parents. Kelly talked about how she had lost both of her parents early before singing "Going Home." Of course, Sheri just lost her mother Polly about a month ago and they played a clip of her singing with the Lewis Family from a Gaither Homecoming video. 
• It was good to see a few of the daughters of gospel music get the spotlight tonight. Karlye Hopper sang her song "My Ransom" on main stage tonight and Jason Crabb's daughter, Ashleigh, came up to sing with him on "Short Are the Years."
• Again, it was good to hear some of the new songs from albums releasing this week. Joseph sang "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" with the Erwins from his new duet album. Riley Harrison Clark sang one from his new solo project, "You Will Be Found."
• Gerald Wolfe joined Legacy Five on "Champion of Love" tonight toward the end of the evening. It was good to hear he and Scott Fowler collaborate on this Cathedrals classic.

Favorite Performances - 

• "Going Home" - Nelons
• "Cheer the Weary Traveler" - Second Half Quartet
• "Wayfaring Stranger" - Jeff & Sheri Easter
• "I Love You This Much" - The Whisnants
• "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" - Joseph Habedank and the Erwins
• "Grace At Its Best" - Tribute Quartet
• "There Is Jesus" - The McKameys
• "Song of Moses" - The Hoppers
• "I Know He Heard My Prayer" - Greater Vision
• "Through the Fire" - Jason Crabb
• "Champion of Love" - Legacy Five

2018 Southern Gospel Picnic - Silver Dollar City - Day 8

It was a rainy, dreary day, but that didn't stop a pretty good crowd of gospel music fans from going out to Silver Dollar City. I managed to make it out to the park mid-afternoon to see both the Nelons and Legacy Five. Kudos to the team at Silver Dollar City who managed to move the night concert inside on short notice!

Here are highlights from the day - 

The Nelons

• "Coat of Many Colors"
• "Farther Along" - Jason paid a sweet tribute to his grandfather before the song and dedicated the song to his memory.
• "Then Came the Morning" 
• "Bridge over Troubled Water" - So glad I got to hear this one live!
• "Daddy and Son"
• "I'm Going Home With Jesus"

Legacy Five

• "He Made a Change"
• "Well Done, My Child" - They did this one with the piano and pulled out a hymnal they found on stage. Scott Fowler said they hadn't done this one before live, but they did a great job!
• Patriotic Set - Of course, it wouldn't be a Legacy Five concert without a few patriotic songs. Josh did a piano medley of all the branches of the armed forces. Matt sang "Arlington," and Scott Howard sang "God Bless the USA."
• "Great Medley"
• "I Stand Redeemed"
• "God's Been Good" - Josh Townsend gave his powerful testimony before singing this song. What a testimony for all God has done in his life! I don't think there were many dry eyes in the house. 

In Case You Missed It - News and Tidbits - June 9

Here are some news items from this week in Southern Gospel music -

• Congratulations to Amber Nelon Thompson and Nathan Kitsler who announced their engagement.
• See the latest video from Matt Fouch's On the Couch With Fouch, which is an interview with Clayton Inman of Triumphant Quartet. Watch it here.

Anything I've missed?

The Americana Sessions - The Nelons - CD Review

The Nelons released The Americana Sessions last month. The album might not be what you think when you first hear the title. It's not a collection of patriotic songs but a collection of American standards and ballads. Some are newer than others, but most of them you will recognize.

The project starts with the Glen Campbell song "Gentle on My Mind." This isn't the only country star the group takes on. Autumn Nelon Clark shines on "Coat of Many Colors." This songs shows off her voice so well. I got to see her sing this one live a couple of times before the release of the project. "Country Roads Take Me Home" is another country classic that is a duet with Kelly and Amber.

Kelly takes on the Anne Murray song "You Needed Me," which I'll confess I was not as familiar with. I thought this was a really great song for her. I love all the older country songs. Jason puts his stamp on the classic Merle Haggard song "Mama Tried."

Many fans probably know that Amber is a huge Disney fan, so I thought adding "Colors of the Wind" to the project was a great touch. Her version is incredible. My favorite cut of hers on this project though is "Oh, Shenandoah." The arrangement has mainly just piano background to really showcase her voice and her upper range.

The two more "gospel-y" songs are "Daddy and Son," which features Jason's vocals and songwriting abilities. This is a new song but definitely fits the theme of the project. The Nelons also recorded an a cappella version of "Battlefield."

The sisters take on the classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water," which is a definite highlight of the project. They switch back and forth on the verses and come together at the end for a powerful ending.

I really loved that they chose to include the "American Triology," which is a medley of songs "Dixie," "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "All My Trials." Overall, I loved the theme of this project and the song choice. It really showcases the family harmonies and blends well. It has a variety of songs that really has something for everyone!

Songs to Put on Repeat - "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
Songs to Turn Up - "Take Me Home Country Roads" and "Mama Tried"
Song That Will Take You Back - "Coat of Many Colors"


Song List -
1. "Gentle on My Mind"
2. "Colors of the Wind"
3. "Coat of Many Colors"
4. "You Needed Me"
5. "Daddy and Son"
6. "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
7. "Oh, Shenandoah"
8. "Take Me Home, Country Roads"
9. "An American Trilogy"
10. "Mama Tried"
11. "Battlefield"

In Case You Missed It - News and Tidbits - October 21

Here are some news items from this week in Southern Gospel music -

• The Dove Awards were held on Tuesday in Nashville. They will air on Sunday night on TBN. Here are a few winners - 
• Southern Gospel Artist of the Year - Gaither Vocal Band
• Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year - "Better Together" by Gaither Vocal Band
• Bluegrass/Country/Roots Recorded Song of the Year - "When Grandpa Sang Amazing Grace" by the Nelons (writers Wayne Haun and Barbara Huffman)
• Southern Gospel Album of the Year - Resurrection by Joseph Habedank
• Bluegrass/Country/ Roots Album of the Year - Sing It Now by Reba McEntire
• Congratulations to Jeremy and Jennifer Peace (of the LeFevre Quartet) on the addition of their baby girl Leah Rebekah. Mother and baby are doing well. Leah was born on Oct. 17 and weighed 7 lbs. and 1 oz. and was 20 inches long. She joins big sisters Abigail, Elizabeth and Rachel.
• Prayers go out to Arthur Rice (of the Kingdom Heirs) and his family in the death of his sister, Juanita. Services will be held on Sunday afternoon in Ashville, North Carolina.
• Daywind Records announced the launch of Daywind Radio Station and the Daywind Radio App. Daywind Radio will play Southern Gospel music 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Gaither Music Group and UP TV have announced a joint partnership this fall with special programming of content from the award-winning Gaither HOMECOMING brand scheduled to air on the network and UP Faith & Family, a streaming service.

Anything I've missed?

Saturday Night - National Quartet Convention

Well, NQC 2017 has now come to an end. Since I first discovered gospel music as a teenager, I heard about the National Quartet Convention and how it was a "must" event for gospel music fans. It's been a "bucket list" item for a while for me, and this week I got to check it off. It's truly been an incredible week. I've gotten to attend more than 42 hours of concerts during this week (and I didn't even go to everything!).

This morning's chapel was a hymn sing hosted by Gerald Wolfe and Dr. Tim Hill speaking. It was one of the most precious times of worship I've ever been a part of. The message was one of the best I've ever heard. This afternoon, we got to see a Dixie Melody Boys reunion and a tribute to the television show The Gospel Singing Jubilee.

Here's a look at highlights and commentary from tonight -

• The reunions and tributes were my favorite sets of the night. The Gold City reunion featured Jay Parrack, Mark Trammell, Jonathan Wilburn and the one and only Tim Riley. The Perrys reunion went through the decades starting with the original Perry siblings - Libbi, Debra and Randy. They sang clips of all their hits through the decades. Then, the Nelons did a sweet tribute to Rex Nelon. They had Jason's dad, Dan Clark, singing bass for them. They all lived up to the hype!
• Tribute and the Isaacs had the longer sets tonight. Tribute got to sing a lot from Here For You. Sonya (who hosted along with Scotty Inman tonight) got to give part of her testimony before singing "I Love You More."
• The finale of the night featured #1 songs from eight different groups. Well, except for the Kingdom Heirs who were supposed to sing "Joys of Heaven" but there was a track issue. They ended up having Gerald Wolfe come up and play piano for them on "I Know He Heard My Prayer." This ended up being such a great moment!

Key Performances -

• "I'd Rather Have Jesus" - The Blackwood Brothers featuring Michael Helwig
• "Scars in the Hands of Jesus" - Diplomats
• "When He Calls I'll Fly Away" - Gold City Reunion
• "Every Cry Is Heard" - Jim Brady Trio
• "Jesus Saves" - Tribute Quartet
• "I Wish I Could Have Been There" - The Perrys Reunion
• "Just When You Thought" - Joseph Habedank
• "Damascus Road" - Kingdom Heirs
• "He Is Mine and I Am His" - The Hoppers
• "I Love You More" - The Isaacs
• "It's Almost Over" - The Mark Trammell Quartet
• "Oh, For a Thousand Tongues" - The Nelons
• "Then Came The Morning" - Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
• "Til the Storm Passes By" - Greater Vision

National Quartet Convention - Thursday Night

Day four of the National Quartet Convention is in the books. I attended the afternoon showcase of Aaron Wilburn and the Gaither Homecoming sing-along. I have to say that the two-hour Homecoming sing has been my favorite part thus far of convention. I've never had an experience quite like that one. When I've been to Homecoming concerts in the past, there have never been that many artists on stage at one time.


So for the evening concert, here are highlights -

• Tonight was a sell out. Of course, the Gaither Vocal Band was the closer tonight. They had an extended set as well as the Hoppers.
• The reminder of Heaven was a major theme tonight. Jim Brady shared of his dad's passing and the song that came out of that. Mike LeFevre said goodbye to his mom only a few weeks ago and shared about her passing and then they sang a tribute to her.
• Patriotism was another theme of the night as it has been all week. The Nelons sang several from their recent Americana project. Selah actually joined the Nelons during their set. Of course, Legacy Five sang and played a couple as well. 
• Bill Gaither came up during the Hoppers' set talking about the new album he just worked on with them. Mark Trammell paid a touching tribute to Gaither before singing his song "The King Is Coming."
• The Gaither Vocal Band set was great tonight and gave us something different from what we had been hearing this week. Mark Trammell Quartet, the Hoppers and Tribute Quartet also had some of my favorite sets of the night.

Key Performances -

• "I'll Worship You Again" - The Taylors
• "To Say Goodbye" - LeFevre Quartet
• "When Grandpa Sang Amazing Grace" - The Nelons
• "Hallelujah, Praise the Lamb" - The Talleys
• "It Is Well" (a cappella) - The Isaacs
• "The King Is Coming" - Mark Trammell Quartet
• "Farewell, But Not Forever" - Jim Brady Trio
• "What a Meeting in the Air" - Tribute Quartet
• "Be An Overcoming" - The Hoppers
• "Facts Are Facts" - The Booth Brothers
• "'Til the Storm Passes By" - Gaither Vocal Band
• "It Is Finished" - Gaither Vocal Band

Fun Clip Friday - Sam Cam

The Nelons' canine star returned to Facebook this week. Check out the most recent Sam Cam video for today's Fun Clip Friday!

Fun Clip Friday - On the Couch with Fouch and Amber Nelon Thompson

Happy Friday! Matt Fouch has a new interview up for his On the Couch With Fouch series. This month's interview is with Amber Nelon Thompson. Watch as she talks a little bit about the Nelons' history, her grandfather's influence and gives some vocal tips!

Fun Clip Friday - The Nelons "God Bless America"

The Nelons were one of the Southern Gospel groups invited to participate in inauguration festivities. They sang "God Bless America" at Arlington Cemetery yesterday. Although, the moment wasn't captured on cameras, they shared this video of their version of the song with their Facebook audience.

Enjoy for today's Fun Clip Friday!

In Case You Missed It - News and Tidbits - November 26

Here are some news items from this week in Southern Gospel -

• Bryan Hutson announced this week his plans to leave Soul'd Out Quartet. Please be in prayer for him and the quartet as they go through this transition.
• The Jordan Family Band has signed with Skyland Records, an imprint of the Crossroads Label Group. The group is based in Calhoun, Georgia.
• Daywind Instrumental announced the addition of Josh Singletary (Tribute Quartet) to its roster. Josh released his first project Hymns From Home on November 25.
• Please keep Paul Heill and his family in your prayers. His mother passed away on Wednesday. The service will be held next Wednesday in Pennsylvania.
• Please be in prayer for the Clark Family. The Nelons' Jason Clark's mom had a heart attack on Thursday and is in critical condition. She will have to undergo open heart surgery soon. 

Anything I've missed?

Family Harmony & Stronger Together - The Nelons - Double CD Review

The Nelons released two projects late this summer, Family Harmony and Stronger Together. The group previously released an EP of some of the songs on Stronger Together, but decided to release 18 songs on these two projects at the same time.

So let's look at each project -

Family Harmony

• "I Just Can't Make It By Myself" is a great remake of the Cathedrals classic. I like the family group spin on this quartet song. They also pull out another Cathedrals song with "Suppertime" that features Jason.
• "Imagine Alleluia" is one that I kept hitting repeat on. Jason wrote this song that features Amber. It's a beautiful song that describes the picture of Heaven and the worship that will occur there.
• Kelly is featured on "Greater Things," a great ballad that I can see doing well on Southern Gospel radio. It's a great reminder that the best is yet to come for us.
• Autumn has really come into her own. I love her feature "When Grandpa Sang Amazing Grace" to show her more country, bluegrass voice.
• Jason wrote three of the nine songs on this project, some of the strongest ones on the CD.
• "Days of Jericho" is stylistically different from most of the other songs but it was another highlight for me. It reminds me of an uptempo song the Martins might record. 
• "We Shall Behold Him" - WOW! I remember first hearing Amber sing this one on the 2015 Harmony Honors. The recording is just as impressive.

Stronger Together

• "My Fathers's House" is a great opener to this project. I love all the harmonies; there are some really nice moments with the sisters.
• I love Kelly's take on "You Can't Make Old Friends" with Karen Peck Gooch making a special appearance. 
• Autumn has such a pure, bluegrass voice that really brings a great fresh sound to the Nelons as she has taken her spot with her family. I love her feature "Family Chain."
• "The Awakening" is an incredible song, an incredible performance. This broadway type song is one that I kept repeating, but it's very different from the rest of the album. I like that they included though, it shows off the musicality of the group.
• "I Think I'll Read It Again" is a great uptempo song that features Autumn. It's a remake of an old Gold City song.
• Amber is featured on "Then Came the Morning," another great song that shows off her power vocals.
• "Angels Hover Near You" is a slow and melodic song that feature the great blend of the entire family.

If I had to pick the stronger of the two of the two albums, I would lean toward Family Harmony. Both projects have some incredible songs and really nice moments. Overall though, I had more favorites on Family Harmony. 

After hearing all the songs they had to pick from, I can certainly see how they ended up with 18 songs and a two project release. I think both projects are among my favorite releases this year!

Family Harmony Song List

1. "I Just Can't Make It By Myself"
2. "Greater Things"
3. "Days of Jericho"
4. "Imagine Alleluia"
5. "Suppertime"
6. "When Grandpa Sang Amazing Grace"
7. "Don't Give Up on Me"
8. "Songs That Answer Questions"
9. "We Shall Behold Him"


Stronger Together Song List
1. "My Father's House"
2. "One Little Word"
3. "Family Chain"
4. "Then Came the Morning"
5. "Gate of Heaven"
6. "You Can't Make Old Friends"
7. "The Awakening"
8. "I Think I'll Read It Again"
9. "Angels Hover Near You"

Fun Clip Friday - A Cappella Style

Happy Friday to everyone. It's a two clip post for this week. Two groups shared videos of a cappella songs during their travels. The Nelons were in New York City this past week, and Tribute Quartet made the long flight to Ireland. Enjoy both a cappella songs for today's Fun Clip Friday post!

2016 National Quartet Convention - Thursday Night Recap

It's hard to believe that Thursday night is already over. I tuned in tonight in time to catch the end of the McKameys set. I was in and out some but was able to watch most of the webcast after that.

Commentary/ Highlights -

• The set of the night has to go to the Mark Trammell Quartet. Each song they sang, I kept thinking this was the highlight of the set, but they kept getting better and better. They sang several songs from their latest project, Full Sail. Apparently Sunday night they sang one and had a little mishap on the words. They made some jokes about it tonight, and tonight every word was sung! Blake Buffin is really doing a great job on tenor with them. Love their arrangement of "He Hideth My Soul," but the last song of the set was probably my favorite, "My Faith Still Holds."
• Last night it was Trey Ivey, tonight it was Bryan Elliot. It's good to see some of these vocally talented piano players getting a chance to step up to the mic. Gold City featured Bryan on "When I Get Carried Away." It was good to hear him sing!
• Greater Vision pulled up young Eli Shaw, who some might remember from Singing in the Sun at Myrtle Beach. The clip of him singing "I Know a Man Who Can" with them quickly went viral. He was there tonight, so Mark Trammell actually suggested him coming up to join Greater Vision on the stage again.
• The Nelons teased on Facebook that they would have a special guest on stage with them tonight. Karen Peck Gooch joined the Nelons for a highlight of the night, "Old Friends." It was sweet to see Kelly and Karen both get teary-eyed as they sang. Kelly joked at the end that they made it through it. 
• Remember Jeff Chapman in your prayers as the Kingdom Heirs were a trio tonight. He just went to the hospital with elevated blood pressure for precaution since he's just had a stent put in recently. The Kingdom Heirs pulled up Quartet Gilead to finish up the night with them on "He Locked the Gates."
• Matt Rankin of Soul'd Out Quartet paid tribute to Ian Owens who will be coming off the road in November. Ian was featured on a song that he's become known for, "I Believe."

Favorite Performances/ Songs -

• "Praise His Name" - Jeff & Sheri Easter
• "There Rose a Lamb" - Gold City
• "Keep On" - Perrys
• "Faces" - Greater Vision
• "My Faith Still Holds" - Mark Trammell Quartet
• "Old Friends" - The Nelons with Karen Peck Gooch
• "Moment of Grace" - Booth Brothers
• "I'd Rather Have Jesus" - Kingdom Heirs
• "Worship You Again" - The Taylors
• "Arise My Love" - Soul'd Out Quartet

I won't be able to watch any Friday night but will tune in again on Saturday for the last night!

In Case You Missed It - News and Tidbits - September 24

Here are some news items and tidbits from this week in Southern Gospel music -

• Loren Harris is the new baritone singer for the Kingdom Heirs.
• The National Quartet Convention is next week. Tickets are still available, and you can also purchase the webcast. Go to their website to purchase or for more information.
• The Nelons are venturing into the movies. Kelly Nelon Clark had her movie premiere this week for Old Rugged Cross and Amber has been filming this week for her new movie A Question of Faith. Check the Nelons' Facebook page for more details!
• The Crabb Family announced their Back to our Roots tour that is coming in early 2017. See more details here. 

Anything I've missed?

Family Day - Silver Dollar City's Southern Gospel Picnic - Day 8 2016

It seemed to be family day at Silver Dollar City yesterday. I got to see four different family groups and one soloist. Here's a recap of the day -


The Nelons

I made it out to Silver Dollar City in time to catch the Nelons' last show of the day. They started the set with "I Think I'll Read It Again" from one of their new projects.

It was good to hear them sing a lot of classics like "Because He Lives" and "Down to the River to Pray." They sang a little snippet of "Going Home With Jesus."

It's great hearing more from Autumn. She has such a pure, bluegrassy voice. She was featured on the hymn "Blessed Assurance."

Kelly sang "Take My Hand, Precious Lord," love this classic song! Amber ended their set with "Then Came the Morning," which is such a powerful song that she knocks out of the park!


Reggie Saddler Family

The Reggie Saddler Family took the stage at Red Gold Hall that afternoon. They did several of their more popular songs like "I've Got Me a Home" and "The Real Thing."

Ingra, Reggie's daugther who is newly engaged, was featured on several songs including "Home" and "We've Got to Tell the Truth." She has a beautiful voice!

Reggie did a special salute to all the veterans and military personnel in the audience. He had the medley of all the branches of service playing and gave tribute to each branch as the song played.


The Freemans

It had been a while since I'd seen the Freemans live in concert. They started with "Voice in the Desert."

Darrell was featured on a couple of songs, "The Next Step" and "Lead Me Home," which they closed with. Love that great song! They paid tribute to his mom with the song.

It was good to hear Misty and Caylon sing "Water Grave." Also, I loved that they staged "He'd Still Been God." It had been a while since I'd heard them sing this one live!

Chris also paid tribute to the Hinsons with "The Lighthouse." Love hearing her sing this one!


Pat Barker

Pat opened the night in Echo Hollow. This was my first chance to see him as a soloist. He started the night with "Ain't God Good." He sang several others from his new solo CD release, "It's a Miracle" and "Heaven Is Real," which has a cool 40s sound. He also sang "I Can See (Emmaus Road)," awesome song!! 

He also wrote a song for the occasion to help calm his nerves, check it out on the Singing News Facebook page.

He also sang one where the Guardians joined him on the track. As he was singing several policemen started walking down the aisle to a reserved section. And the audience responded by standing and clapping. Pat joked after it was over that he wanted to use a photo of the audience standing and clapping during his set. But Pat got a standing ovation of his own before the night was over.

Pat told the story of how he started singing "How Big Is God," which is probably his most requested song. He started singing it at Silver Dollar City when he was with the Dixie Echoes, so he said it was only fitting that he close his set with it. The audience loved it and so did I! Love hearing him sing this live!

Before the Martins took the stage, Silver Dollar City paid tribute to Aaron Pearson, a police officer who was injured in the line of duty. It was a touching tribute to him and all public service personnel. I'll post a video soon! Allen Asbury then sang "Somebody's Praying Me Through."


The Martins

Every time I get to see the Martins at Silver Dollar City, it brings back so many memories. This is the group that helped me discover Southern Gospel. I was sitting on the front row, right side at Echo Hollow as a high school teen watching them sing, and I fell in love with this music.

It was so good to hear them sing so many of their classic songs last night like "No Not One," "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever" and "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho."

They opened the night with "Out of His Great Love" a cappella. No one sings a cappella like they do! They sang several others a cappella including the "Riverside Medley," "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Shut De Door."

They also sang "The Promise," which I was so glad to hear! This is my favorite song that they sing!! They also brought out an older one, "Except for Grace," such a beautiful song.

Of course, they also had the audience on its feet standing and clapping along with songs like "Love's Gonna Drive This Train" and "So High," which they closed with. Pat came out and joined them on this one! It was such a great night!

Only four more days left!

In Case You Missed It - News and Tidbits - June 11

There was a lot going on this week in gospel music. A lot of people in the industry could use your prayers right now. Here are some news items from this week -

• The Nelons were robbed this week at their home. Theives took four MacBook Pros, jewelry (including family heirlooms), cash, instruments, music equipment and more. Pray for them as they seek to recover what was lost.
• Pray for Jeff Whisnant. He had to have emergency eye surgery yesterday in Kentucky. He was diagnosed with acute angle-closure glaucoma. He is doing fine this morning, but keep praying as he recovers and as doctors make decisions about the future.
• Keep praying for Christy Hinson who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Doctors will be making some decisions next week about surgery and course of treatment. 
• Ricky Braddy of Karen Peck & New River was hospitalized earlier this week because of an infection in his bloodstream. He is improving, but please keep him in your prayers. Devin McGlamery is filling in with the group this weekend. 
• The Harmony Honors took place this week in Nashville honoring Les Beasley and the Gospel Singing Jubilee television show. It is set to air on TBN on July 15.
• Song Garden has announced the addition of Allegiance Trio to its music group.
• Chuck Pettyjohn announced a solo ministry this week. He was most recently with The Old Paths until the group came off the road in December. 

Fun Clip Friday - Facebook Live

Facebook Live is the latest social media trend to sweep Southern Gospel artists. Facebook started allowing live streaming late last year and now it's been opened up to all people and pages. Gospel artists are definitely taking advantage of this new tool as another way to connect with fans.

I have to say Gold City is probably the group that does Facebook Live the best. They will live stream a lot of nights after the concert just talking to fans, taking questions and allowing them to see what it's like to travel down the road with the quartet. They enjoy picking on each other and telling stories.




The Nelons shared a video last night of the view of Gatlinburg from the Skylift and the view of the city at night.



TaRanda Greene Beene, Doug Anderson and Jody McBrayer, also known as Cana's Voice, shared a preview of their new album yesterday from Chicago and told fans about a contest for the album.

In Case You Missed It - News and Tidbits - May 14

Here are some news items from this week in gospel music -

• Congratulations to both the Nelons and Russ Taff who were inducted into the GMA Hall of Fame this week!
• The 2016 Singing News Fan Awards Top Five Nominations have now been announced. Check out the full list here. 
• Daniel Mount, who ran Southern Gospel Blog that was later renamed Southern Gospel Journal, has announced a new book. The book is called Southern Gospel Journal: An Anthology and is available in paperback and Kindle formats at Amazon. Daniel has chosen 50 of his best posts to highlight in this book. 
• The Knight Family of Fall Branch, Tennessee, has announced a 30th Anniversary Album. The group consists of Adam, Angel and Linda Knight. It will include songs such as “I Claim The Blood," “Transfer Plans,” “There's a Refuge In Jesus” and “How Great Thou Art.”  
• Congratulations to Karen Peck Gooch who was awarded with an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Divinity from Toccoa Falls College on Saturday. 

Anything I've missed?

Fun Clip Friday - Nelons and the GMA Hall of Fame

Sorry I've had a blog sabbatical this week. I promise to do better next week!

Here's a clip of the Nelons' induction into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame earlier this week. Selah, Michael English and Travis Cottrell honored the group at the ceremony. Check out this video for today's Fun Clip Friday.