Derrick Selph Leaving Brian Free and Assurance

Brian Free posted on Facebook this afternoon that Derrick Selph is leaving Brian Free and Assurance. He sings baritone with the group. Here's the post in its entirety:

It is with sadness that I must inform everyone that Derrick Selph is leaving BFA and coming off of the road. He has been such an amazing part of this ministry for almost 10 years, and he will be greatly missed. As many of you know, Derrick and his wife Jennifer are expecting their second child, and he feels that he needs to be at home more. He will be greatly missed because we truly are family but we all want him to do what he feels he needs to do in this situation.

We are currently taking applications for the baritone position. Please send all applications to:
P.O. Box 1909
Douglasville, GA 30133

Or you can email me an audio clip, bio and picture to: brianfreemusic@comcast.net
Derrick will be with us a few more weeks and we truly wish him and his family the best God has to offer. We love you Derrick, Jennifer and Lydia.

This group has held a pretty steady lineup for the last several years. Selph left before but was not gone for long before rejoining the group in 2010. It's certainly understandable when someone comes off the road for family reasons! I wish the best for Derrick and his family and Brian Free and Assurance as they look for a new baritone singer!

Names You Might Not Know Yet - Lindsay Huggins

Here is the third installment in Names You Might Not Know Yet. This week focuses on soloist Lindsay Huggins. Get to know Lindsay a little more!

Question: When did you become interested in singing Southern Gospel music? What are some of your earliest memories of Southern Gospel?

Lindsay Huggins: When I was a little girl, my daddy played guitar with Southern Gospel group Marcia Henry & Latter Rain. (Marcia is a prolific songwriter with many credits to her name.) I thought it was so cool to be "with the band," especially if I got to ride the bus or go backstage. Haha. :) Those are my earliest memories of Southern Gospel.


Q: How did you get started singing and how long have you been singing?

Lindsay: I started singing in church just as soon as soon I was old enough. My first memory of singing is from a church talent competition at age five. I won!! :)


Q: Tell a little bit about your family and where you are from.

Lindsay: I grew up in Sandersville, Ga., a small town in the central part of the state. My mom always sang in church. My father is an awesomely talented musician who is self-taught and can play just about any instrument he picks up. He started traveling with a Southern Gospel group at about the age of twelve playing bass guitar. My grandfather sang in the group. Daddy can sing, too...but you'll probably never hear him. I have a younger sister who sings as well, and has a beautiful soprano voice.


Q: Do you have a favorite song that you sing? And what song from another group has ministered to you?

Lindsay: My favorite song to sing is "God Whispers." It's a great reminder of how God uses everyday situations to speak to us. So many songs from others have ministered to me. I don't know that I can pick just one!!


Q: What artists have been your biggest influence (musically and/or personally)?
Musically, I love Kim Hopper, TaRanda Greene, Lauren Talley, Sonya Isaacs Yeary....how much space do I get? :) Personally, Allison Speer and Ann Downing have both been a big encouragement in my ministry, and I love their music, too!


Q: What has been your favorite memory so far in your ministry? Do you have a certain concert or moment that stands out?

Winning the NQC Talent Contest and singing on the main stage was a huge honor! I just finished my first music video. That was a little surreal! You can watch it here or below.


Q: What new things are coming up for you?

I will be part of a women's cruise called the Girlville Getaway in January! You can learn more at www.girlvillegetawaycruise.com. God is continuing to open doors for ministry and you can keep up with my schedule at www.lindsayhuggins.com.




Thanks again Lindsay for being willing to answer all my questions!

Fun Clip Friday - The Hoppers

I had the chance to see the Hoppers last night in Hot Springs, Ark. It was such a great night! Kim was not with them because she needed to stay home with her and Dean's youngest daughter. TaRanda Greene filled in at soprano. Look for a full recap early next week!

For today's Fun Clip Friday post, here's a fun video of the Hoppers from their official YouTube channel. It's a blooper reel from their interviews for the First Baptist Dallas DVD. Enjoy!

Secular Songs in Southern Gospel

Typically I'm a fan of new projects by southern gospel artists having new songs. I mean, if there were no new songs we'd all be hearing the same songs over and over, right? (There are definitely exceptions to this rule. "I Want to Know" by Mark Trammell Quartet and "I Know a Man Who Can" by Greater Vision are two that immediately come to mind.)

I do love the older songs and hymns and enjoy hearing them in a live setting. It's interesting not only the artists lately who have gone back and covered older songs, but also artists who have covered songs previously sung by secular artists. The songs definitely have a positive message and apply to Christians, but it's different to see them covered as a southern gospel song. Some of them even fit better as a gospel song than in the original genre. And honestly, some secular songs that are covered I don't always realize it was sung by a secular artist first.

A full list of these might be more comprehensive that I bargain for, but I think it would interesting to see how many we can name.

To get you started, here are a few secular artists from various genres who have had songs covered by southern gospel artists, see if you can name the song and the southern gospel artist who sang it! And feel free to comment with any more that come to mind!

• Jason Mraz - "Living in the Moment" - Beyond the Ashes
• Jonas Brothers - "Time for Me to Fly" - Jeff and Sheri Easter
• John Mayer - "Love Is a Verb" - Devin McGlamery
• Diana Ross - "Reach Out" - Karen Peck & New River
• Lady Antebellum - "I Run to You" - Crawford Crossing
• Reba McEntire
• Johnny Nash
• Leeann Womack
• Dolly Parton

The Greatest Story - Triumphant Quartet - CD Review

Triumphant Quartet's latest album, The Greatest Story, was released on April 9, 2013. This 15-song
project shows why this group has been named the favorite quartet for the last several years in the Singing News Fan Awards.

First, I love projects that contain more than the usual 10-12 songs. Yes, normally that means that there are a few filler songs, but as a fan I can't help but have the mindset that more music is always better. Many of the songs have been covered by other groups previously, a few even by Triumphant themselves. I keep getting reminded that I'm still a relatively new fan and not as familiar with older projects, so some of these sounded new to me! Most songs are traditional quartet style.

I liked how within the first few songs all seemed to take turns featuring each of the four singers. This lineup of Triumphant is so solid and has been for the entirety of the group which is a rarity in gospel music, so it's really nice to see that come through not only in concerts but also on the projects.

The first single from the project is "Take It From Me Meshach," and this is one of my favorites from the project. This uptempo songs makes a great radio single, and judging by how much I'm hearing it, radio stations are loving it too! It's definitely a Triumphant Quartet-style song. I predict this one will also be a fun one to see them sing live, along with "No Such Thing."

I liked hearing Clayton Inman on "Thomas Never Doubted Again," but I thought his strength of a lead singer really came out in "He Would Do It All Over Again." I love the message of that song, and the orchestration of the song is great!

Eric Bennett also does a great cover of "Because He Loved Me." I love this rendition of the "The Greatest Love Story," the title track. There are some tweaks from the original version, and Eric's bass vocals are just incredible on this song.

David Sutton has such a great tender tone to his voice. He has some great moments during several of the songs, but my favorite feature of his was "He Was There All the Time."

Scotty Inman is growing not only as a singer but also as a songwriter. His feature "I Go to Calvary" is one of my favorites on this album. He also co-wrote two songs with Dianne Wilkinson, "Heaven Will Be Mine Someday" and "I Can't Help But Smile."

"There's a Fountain" is one of the more traditional quartet sounding songs on the project. The blend and tightness of the four vocalists on this song really comes out!

"I Saw the Light" is an instrumental song. I love the piano and harmonica songs live in concert, but it wasn't my favorite to listen to on CD.

Album rating - 4.5 stars - This album has so many great standout songs that it was really hard for me to narrow it down to a few favorites, but the lack of original songs moved it down a bit for me. At the same time, it's hard to beat an album that has 15 solid songs, not all are standouts or my favorites, but all are very solid!


1. "Because He Loved Me"
2. "I Go to Calvary" **
3. "Thomas Never Doubted Again"
4. "Take It From Me Meshach" **
5. "He Was There All the Time"
6. "No Such Thing" **
7. "He Would Do It All Over Again" **
8. "There's a Fountain"
9. "Heaven Will Be Mine Someday"
10. "I Saw the Light"
11. "I Can't Help But Smile"
12. "Jesus Is the Anchor" **
13. "I've Got Confidence" **
14. "If You Had the Only Key"
15. "The Greatest Love Story" **

** Personal favorites