The Kingsmen, Representatives Quartet and Johnny Parrack

I started March with a night full of gospel music. The Kingsmen were in Beebe, Ark. on Friday, March 1 with the Representatives Quartet and Johnny Parrack opening for them.

Johnny Parrack started the night off. He's still got that amazing high tenor voice as he did in his days with the Kingsmen. Here's what he sang:

• "Little Is Much" - He nailed the high part at the end!
• "Guess Where I'm Going for Supper"
• "There's Never Been"
• "Movin' Up to Gloryland" - He introduced this song by saying it's not the most sacred song, but he had a lot of requests for it. When he got down to the lower notes, he told Ray Dean Reese to "eat your heart out." When he was done, Ray Dean spoke up in the back of the auditorium and said he had the duct tape ready in case he broke anything with the high notes at the end. Haha! 
• "He Hideth My Soul" - a personal favorite

The Representatives Quartet

I was not familiar at all with the Representatives Quartet. I was impressed by the full band they had (guitars, mandolin, piano and drums). Live music, no tracks! Tracks don't really bother me because they are so common, but it does make you stop and take notice of a group that uses all live music. Also, the group had an 11-year-old drummer! The young talent in the group was really amazing. Great group and makes me proud they are from Arkansas! Here are the songs they sang (I hope I have all those titles right.):

• "When They Ring the Bells of Heaven"
• "One More Time"
• "Little Mountain Church House"
• "City of Gold"
• "King of Eternity"
• "He Didn't Bring"
• "He Left It All"
• "A Happy Song"

The Kingsmen were up next. It had been a long time since I had seen the Kingsmen live, so I'm pretty sure Ray Dean Reese is the only one who is still the same since I saw them live. Here's a breakdown of their portion of the concert:

Kingsmen - Chris Jenkins, Bob Sellers, Randy Crawford
and Ray Dean Reese

• "Called Out"
• "He's Everything I Need" - Personal favorite song of the Kingsmen. Not only is it a great uptempo song, but it's got an incredible message. Bob showed off his leading singing skills on this one!
• "I've Got a Reservation"
• "After the Sunrise"
• "If Not for the Love of Christ" - Randy was featured on this one, beautiful song. And it's quickly becoming a favorite Kingsmen song of mine.
• Ray Dean talked about his battle with cancer. He said that he had gone to the doctor earlier in the week, and the doctor told him that he was now in remission. He said that God is still good and He's still in the healing business. He then mentioned that the Kingsmen had the chance to visit Tracy Stuffle in the hospital on their way down to Arkansas. He encouraged the audience to keep praying for him. I love seeing the groups show their support for each other like that.
• "Go and Tell Somebody"
• "Loving Shepherd Gracious God" - This song had not really stood out to me until I heard it live. Beautiful song and amazing vocals! Ray Dean really shines on this one.
• "I Can Hardly Wait"
• "Meet Me at the Table" - Love this fun song that gets the crowd going! In fact after the song, Randy said, "Well that's just fun!"
• Randy told about his heart surgery. He told a funny story about his wife asking him to sing to the nurses right before his surgery. He sang that song next.
• "How Beautiful Heaven Must Be" - Great vocal performance by Randy!
• "O What a Savior" - This song is known as a chance for tenors to shine, and shine Chris did. He has an incredibly high tenor voice. There were so many songs that really showcased this on Friday night. It's a shame Singing News got rid of the Horizon Individual Award, because he would be a strong contender!!
• "Saints Will Rise" - Another one that's just fun! They turned it around several times and even came in the audience toward the end.

Kingsmen with Johnny Parrack

The Representatives started the second half with one song before the Kingsmen took the stage again. They called Johnny Parrack up to sing tenor with them for a couple of songs. They sang "Road to Gloryland" and "Look for Me at Jesus' Feet." I have a video I'll add later! Great to see a mini Kingsmen reunion on this two songs!

The Kingsmen sang a few more during the second half:

• "Joy's Gonna Come in the Morning" - They prefaced it by saying they had not sung it in years. Randy was a little nervous about it looking around to see if anyone was recording it. But they pulled it off well!
• "Old Ship of Zion" - I love that they went back and did a few "classic" numbers. Ray Dean rattled the stage with the low notes he hit! Love the blend that this group has, and this song really showed that!
• "I Will Rise to Meet Him"
• "He's All I Need" - Invitation song.

It was an incredible night of gospel music! The groups sang for several hours which was a great way to kick off March 2013 for me.