Fathers and Sons - Silver Dollar City's Southern Gospel Picnic - 2016

It's hard to believe the 2016 Southern Gospel Picnic is halfway over. I was later getting out to the park today, but still was able to see three different groups.

Tribute Quartet

I was able to walk in late to catch the very end of their second show, but got to see the entire third one. During the second show, Riley said that his family was there since his hometown in Oklahoma is not that far from Branson. He said it was actually his dad's birthday, so we all sang "Happy Birthday" to his dad.

During the third show, they started with "It Always Gets Darkest" and then went into "It Makes Me Wanna Go."

They sang a couple I hadn't heard them sing in a while, "More Than Able" and "Homesick Angel," which the crowd always seems to really get into.

Anthony and Riley sang "In the Valley I Can Hear His Voice." Love hearing this song live!

Tribute has a new project coming out in September. They previewed one song during the third show, "Nothing Stops the Savior's Love." The song was outstanding, can't wait to hear the full project! They ended with "Good News From Jerusalem," always a fan favorite!!

Wilburn and Wilburn

This duo opened the night with "Nobody Like Jesus" and then sang "Let's All Go Down to the River."

I've only seen the duo a handful of times and each time I'm more impressed. I love that they sang "Love Without End Amen," a country song that easily fits into the gospel world.

They sang a few from their recent project, "Living Proof" and "You Asked Him to Leave," which was a #1 for them. And by the audience's response you can see why!

Jonathan and Jordan also sang a few older ones like "Had It Not Been" and "The Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference," which they closed with. The last song was the highlight of their set for me!

Triumphant Quartet

These guys knocked it out of the park last night!! They opened the night with "We Will Remember" and then sang "Love Came Calling," love this song!

Eric slowed it down a bit to sing the George Younce classic, "Who Can Do Anything," he sounds awesome on this song!

Last year when Triumphant was in Echo Hollow, the bottom fell out of the sky. I mean, it poured. So this year the guys decided it would be fun to sing "I Wish It Would Rain," thankfully this year, the sky was clear. However, some people started getting out their umbrellas, because after Monday night, we all came prepared!

Aaron is only a few weeks into traveling with Triumphant, but doing a great job. They featured him on "Hello Mama," that he sang with the Dixie Melody Boys. He and David also did an instrumental version of "Beulah Land" that was amazing!

Clayton and Scotty were featured on "He Is" right before intermission. This was one of my favorite moments of the night!

They sang several favorite Triumphant songs like "Somebody Tell Somebody," "Saved By Grace," "Amazing God" and "When the Trumpet Sounds." David then sang "This Blood." This song is so powerful!! The best song of the night!

Then, we went to something even more spiritual. :) It's not Triumphant at Silver Dollar City without Clayton singing "The Old White Flag." The amphitheater is full of hankies, napkins and even a few white towels being waved. I love how even the Silver Dollar City staff gets involved! Thankfully this year they weren't being rained on while singing!

Ready for another day of gospel music as we get into the last half of the festival!

Rainy Days and Mondays - Silver Dollar City - Southern Gospel Picnic

Every year during the Southern Gospel Picnic, it's going to rain. I feel like that's as sure as the sun rising and setting. It's going to happen. Of course, this year it happens the day that I failed to bring an umbrella or rain jacket. In case you were wondering, you can fit four people under one poncho.

But before the rain started, I got the chance to see two groups on park today. Here's how my day went -

Mark Trammell Quartet

I spent most of my morning at Red Gold Hall watching the Mark Trammell Quartet. During the first show, they sang a good mix of newer songs and classics. They started with "Leave Your Sorrows." I love hearing all the different parts working together on this song.

Next they sang two new songs. One featuring Nick, "To Know He Knows Me" and then the other was "I'll Take It to the Grave." The audience was loving this one so they repeated the chorus with the audience standing and clapping along!

Of course, they had a request for "Wedding Music," a Cathedral classic, so Mark obliged.

They ended the first set with "Statue of Liberty," which I hadn't heard them sing live in a while! Glad they included that one!

2nd Generation


In the afternoon, I made my way over the Opera House my fellow Arkansans and friends 2nd Generation.

I'm glad I got to hear several songs from their newly released project The Church! To me it always shows the strength of a project when the artists stage many of the songs so soon after a release. A lot of times it will just be the single or a few as a teaser.

They did sing their latest single featuring Randy Barnes, "Mama's Rocking Chair," glad I finally got to hear this one live.

Elaine was featured on the title track, "The Church," great song!

Brenda said that "I Came on Business for the King" is the group's testimony song. She sang this one written by Joel Hemphill. We had a great time of worship with this group.

Liberty Quartet and Karen Peck & New River

As I made my way from the Opera House to Echo Hollow for the night show, I started feeling drop of water coming from the sky and hearing thunder. I quickly ducked under the porch of a building to wait it out. Rain quickly came and went and I thought it was all clear. Within a few minutes of finding my seat in Echo Hollow, the rain hit. And of course, it was the day I left my rain jacket and umbrella. How many people can you fit under one poncho you ask? Four, the answer is four. It's not successful, but you can fit four.

We listened to the Liberty Quartet under a poncho in the rain. I'll confess, I wasn't able to take photos or notes on my phone with the rain. However, I think the whole crowd of us drowned rats laughed at the first line of the first song - Walking down a dry and dusty road... LOL, we wish!

They sounded great! This was my first time hearing them, so I was sad I didn't get to hear and pay attention more with all the rain. They ended with "Cornerstone" mixed with a little "Rock of Ages," great arrangement!

Then, Karen Peck and New River took the stage and it began to lighten, well at least for a bit. They started with "I Stand Amazed." Karen took the first verse, Susan and Kari the second and then Ricky the last one. It was good to hear more from Kari!

They sang "Calling" next, and the group quickly realized they couldn't get the crowd to clap along not because we weren't into the song, but because we were holding umbrellas or ponchos trying to stay dry.

Karen then said Danny Jones (editor of Singing News) might kill her for this, but she started the congregation in "Showers of Blessing." We, of course, sang along.

Karen shared a bit of her husband Rickey's battle with cancer and how "Pray Now" had become their testimony song. She sang that one before ending the first half with "Four Days Late." This might be my favorite Southern Gospel song, but I'm going to share this - I've never heard it better live than last night. NEVER. The Spirit was moving, and there was just something about it. Karen even said that she didn't know what to do after that. They talked about the incredible worship of the moment and repeated the chorus.

They took a break for intermission and we looked at the radar and saw that more rain was coming, so we had to leave out early. I hate we only heard the first half, but it was an incredible first half!

Praying for no more rain for the rest of the time!

Sunday at Silver Dollar City - Southern Gospel Picnic 2016

While I was out of my normal Sunday routine of being at church, we definitely experienced church today at Silver Dollar City. We had worship mixed in with a little bit of honking and Elvis impersonating. Here's a run down on my day - 

Sunday Drive

The first show of the day was Sunday Drive. I got the chance to see them last year and then just reviewed their latest project, Special Edition, so I was anxious to see them again in person. They sang a few songs from that project including "A Good Song," "Don't Forget My Senior Discount" and "If There's a Rocking Chair in Heaven." I didn't realize when I was reviewing the project that the song actually features Jeff's mom singing the second verse. This song went to #21 in the country in 1986 for Jeff's family's groups, so they brought it back and still featured his mom's voice on it.

They sang probably their most well-known song, "Happy, Happy, Happy." Great song!

In addition to the Senior Citizen discount song, which had the audience erupt in laughter, Jeff also sang his comedy song "Honk if You Love Jesus," which was another one that had the audience in stitches. 

The Talleys

From Sunday Drive, I made my way to see the Talleys this afternoon who were singing in the Red Gold Heritage Hall. They opened their first set with "After All This Time" from their most recent project by the same name. Love this song, and it's a great opener! The other new but old song they sang from that project was "Namaan." 

Debra talked about the recent death of her father and how they saw the faithfulness of God. She asked Lauren to come forward to sing "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." I love their arrangement of this song!

Lauren also sang "Hidden Heroes" and then they ended the first set with "He's Alive." This is always such a powerful moment that has the audience on its feet!

Jeff Stice

Pianst Jeff Stice started the night in Echo Hollow. One of my favorites that he played was "Through It All." He paid tribute to all the military branches with a medley of all their songs. He had veterans of each branch stand as their song was played. 

He talked a little bit about how he got started and some of those who influenced him which included some impressions of Elvis, Ray Charles and Floyd Kramer. He ended his part with the "Hallelujah Chorus.

Brian Free & Assurance

Brian Free & Assurance closed the day down in Echo Hollow. They opened with "I Keep Looking Up." They kept the crowd going with a lot of their uptempo songs like "You Can Be the Difference," "Anything Is Possible" and "Tell It Like It Was."

The group featured also several songs from Live Like We're Redeemed. They sang "You Could Be the Difference" and "He Will Carry You," love this song! They also sang "Forever Home." This is a beautiful song about the promise of Heaven. Brian talked about losing his parents, and Bill his brother and Mike his grandfather. After intermission, they sang "That's Just What Grace Does," which is one of my favorites from that CD!

Bill requested that Brian show off his tenor skills, so Brian sang "Glory Road." I don't know how he gets as high as he does, but I'm so impressed every time!

Another highlight of the night was "Say Amen." It's always so moving to hear them sing this live with the audience echoing "Amen" during the song. 

Of course, it wouldn't be the same without "Long As I Got King Jesus." They sang this before the break and to end the night!

Day four is complete, ready for day five!

Everything Is Beautiful on Day 3 - Silver Dollar City's Southern Gospel Picnic 2016

Brothers, Blood, Browns and Beauty can sum up today at Silver Dollar City's Southern Gospel Picnic. It was another day with six different artists, one soloist, two brother groups and three family groups. Here's a recap of who I saw -


Hopper Brothers 2.0

My day started at Red Gold Hall seeing the Hopper Brothers 2.0 for the first time. And I was impressed! The group consists of Mike and Dean Hopper, Matt Griffith and Reggie Smith.

They sang several familiar songs like "I Know," "Something Within" and "You Can't Give Up on God."

They started singing "The Baptism of Jesse Taylor" and were just getting into the chorus when the track messed up. They said "Thanks," and just started walking off the stage. Then somebody shouted to put another quarter in the machine. They were getting ready to just sing it again without the track when they got it start again. Loved hearing them sing this one!

Reggie went to the piano and started the hymn, "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus." It was the moment of the concert. This is my favorite hymn, and I loved hearing these guys sing it. They ended with "I Believe in a Hill Called Mt. Calvary."


Joseph Habedank

Joseph opened the concert last night in Echo Hollow, and it was good to see him again today. He sang a couple that he did with the Perrys, "He Is Good to Me," "If You  Knew Him" and "I Wish I Could've Been There," which had the audience on its feet at the end.

He told a little about his testimony and sang "The Beauty of the Blood." Love this song! He also sang another more personal song that he said challenged him to really live out what he was singing on stage, "When the Lights Go Down."

He also sang "Almost Morning" (Thanks, Joseph!), which is my favorite song he's written! I love the message of this song!


Ball Brothers

This was my first time seeing this group with new bass singer Matt Davis. He's only 21, but the guy can sing bass! He was featured on "Happy Rhythm."

They sang a few classics like "Victory in Jesus" with a Ball Brothers twist and "Gentle Shepherd." Their harmonies on the later were great!

Daniel started telling about their CDs and product and was showing the audience an a cappella project. He asked if anyone liked a cappella music. Of course, the audience clapped for it. He changed the plan and decided to sing "I Shall Know Him" a cappella. It was incredible! Daniel joked that it was probably the only time they had gotten a standing ovation in the middle of a product pitch.

They ended with "Mercy Tree," which is a more modern hymn. Love the message of the song and their rendition.


The Browns

The last show of the afternoon was the Browns. They started their set with "Soul on Fire" from their latest project. I really like their take on that song.

They had several songs where they played their fiddles including a medley of "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" and "Majesty" and then also "Let There Be Peace on Earth." It was beautiful!

They let Andrew loose on "What a Beautiful Day," which was a song he actually wrote. Then, they ended the set with "Everywhere I Go."


Hosea Bilyeu Family

This family opened the night. Hosea normally preaches one of the Sundays of the festival and sings with his family to start the service. They have a large family group, so they had many different combinations of people on stage singing.

Their group sang several gospel songs you would recognize including, "I Go to the Rock," "When Jesus Passes By" and "I Believe He's Coming Back."


The Hoppers

The Hoppers, Dean, Kim, Karlye and Mike, started the night with their most recent single and #1 song, "Jesus the One." I was glad I got to hear this one live!

They sang the Ray Stevens' song, "Everything is Beautiful." And Karlye and Mike pulled out the flashlights on their cell phones and started waving them. The audience then followed suite.

Kim was featured on "Grace Will Always Be Greater Than Sin." I love getting to hear her sing that one live!

Then Dean brought out Claude and Connie, and the audience was on its feet welcoming them with applause to the stage. Connie sang her signature "I've Come Too Far to Look Back." She is the classiest lady in gospel music. Later on Claude sang his "If I Can Help Somebody."

The Hopper Brothers 2.0 made another appearance and sang three songs for the crowd that night.

Of course it's not a Hoppers concert without "Jerusalem," "Yes I Am" or "Shoutin' Time," which is what they ended the night on. They did several turnarounds at the end and had everyone on stage including a few members of the Hosea Bilyeu family. The audience was on its feet clapping and singing along during the entire song!

Three days down, nine more to go!

Six Artists on Day Two of Silver Dollar City's Southern Gospel Picnic

Today I was reminded of why I love this festival so much. The worship experienced during this time is just a sweet preview of Heaven. It was a day full of hymns and sing alongs where the groups led in worship.

We saw six different artists today, so here are the highlights - 

Melody Boys Quartet

I was able to attend the Melody Boys farewell concert in 2012 when they came off the road. The quartet does select dates each year, and Silver Dollar City was one of their stops this year!

Gerald Williams has still got it! His voice is as great and strong as ever. They sang several songs that showcased him like "Pray" and "This Ole House." 

They sang some great older classics like "Peace in the Valley," "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning" and ended the set with "Just a Little Talk with Jesus."

Spoken 4 Quartet

It was great to see these guys again! They had Tommy Fairchild playing the keys for them while at the City.

If you haven't hear bass Cecil Stringer, you're missing out. He's one of the lowest on the road today. He was featured on "Life's Evening Sun." The thing I love about seeing this group is not only hearing them sing, but it doesn't matter where the concert is, they aren't ashamed of speaking truth into the lives of the people in the audience. 

Their set also featured a couple of hymn including "Because He Lives" and "Blessed Assurance." They are in the middle of recording a new project (a volume 2) of hymns and favorites. They ended the set with "Jesus Is Coming Soon."

Hyssongs

This was my first chance to see the Hyssongs live. Hymns really were the theme of the day because they did a medley at the end of the set that was incredible. It included "There's Something About that Name," "My Tribute" and "How Great Thou Art."

I loved hearing them play the trumpet and trombone live. They did a fantastic arrangement of "Majesty" and a fun arrangement of "When the Saints Go Marching In."

They also got the crowd singing along with "It Is Well" and "I'll Fly Away." Glad I finally got the chance to see this group live!

LeFevre Quartet 

The LeFevre Quartet was actually a trio, but to put your mind at ease, they don't plan to stay that way. They started the set with their popular "Something," which has become favorite of mine that they sing. 

Josh Townsend is playing piano for the group. He's such a great young talent! 

During the middle of the set, Mike asked for requests from the audiences. People kept calling out titles. He joked that they wouldn't sing any of the songs, but it was good to hear the audience's favorite songs. One of those requests was "Come and See." Jordan was feeling sick  but did a great job on it! They sang a hymn medley with "Amazing Grace" and "How Great Thou Art." Of course, people wanted to hear Mike sing "When I Get Carried" and Jeremy sing "Oh What a Savior."

Joseph Habedank

Joseph opened the night in Echo Hollow. He started the night with "Welcome Home." He sang a few hymns from his Take Time to Be Holy project, "What a Day That Will Be" and "It Is Well." Loved getting to hear him sing "Beauty of the Blood," which he calls his testimony song.

He sang the Goodman classic "I Wouldn't Take Nothing for my Journey Now." He sang a few that he did with the Perrys, "He's So Good to Me" and ended his time with "If You Knew Him," which had the audience on its feet!

The Whisnants

The Whisnants ended the night down in the Hollow. Always love seeing this group! They got the crowd going with "I'm Gonna Go Out Singing" from their most recent project. They also sang "A Grave Mistake" from that same CD.

Austin and Ethan were both featured during the night. They sang "I Lean on You Lord" with Jeff and "1+2+3" with Susan. Both boys sound great! Austin then sang Susan's part on "Not Afraid to Trust Him."

They sang several Whisnants classics, "Be Not Afraid," featuring Aaron and "New Day Dawning," which they ended the first half with and Joseph joined them on!

Susan sang "All Is Well" and "Worry Ends Where Faith Begins," one of my favorites! Thanks, Susan! She also sang "I Love You This Much." I think this was my first time to hear this song live, and it was probably the moment of the night!

They ended the night with "I Believe He's Coming Back," the Goodman classic. Joseph again came out and joined them. It was another great night in Echo Hollow!