2018 Southern Gospel Picnic at Silver Dollar City - Day 6

Yesterday was a full day of gospel music from 10:30 a.m. at the first Mark Trammell Quartet show until the last chorus of "God on the Mountain" from the McKameys. If you love traditional Southern Gospel, this was your day on the park.

Here are a few highlights -

Mark Trammell Quartet

• "He Hideth My Soul" - Love to hear Blake sing this him!
• "Go Show John"
• "The King Is Coming" - Always such a powerful moment when they sing this one. No one does it better!
• "The Statue of Liberty"
• "The Lighthouse" - Love to hear Mark sing this song. 
• "All the Way Home" - Such a fun top-tapper and Nick does a great job. 
• "Echoes From the Burning Bush" - I'm glad they chose to sing this one yesterday. It's one of my favorites! Randy does a great job on those step out bass lines!
• "My Faith Still Holds" - Such a great song, another one I was glad to hear them sing live!
• Trevor was featured on his Redeemed medley and the "Hallelujah Chorus." 

Mylon Hayes Family

I have only gotten to see this family a handful of times and mainly at hymn sings, so it was good to hear a full set from them yesterday. If you have not heard this family, make it a point to see them! And for all my Arkansas friends, they will be in Pine Bluff Thursday night. 

• "One More Opportunity" 
• "Well Done, My Child, Well Done" - They do convention style songs so well!
• "Oh What a Morning"
• "What a Day That Will Be" - Loved hearing them sing this old hymn. 
• I didn't realize that the boys played piano, but they did a piano duet of "Goodbye, World, Goodbye" yesterday. 
• "What An Anchor" - Such a powerful song! I've been hearing this one more and more on the radio, so I'm glad I got to hear it in person!

Greater Vision

• "Paid in Full"
• "Still" - One of my favorite recent songs from Greater Vision. 
• "For All He's Done"
• "Why Me Lord" - Jon does a great job on this song. Apparently his in-laws were in the audience yesterday and when he finished his father-in-law yelled out for him!
• "He'd Still Been God"
• "Hallelujah Square" - I love hearing Chris sing this song. I'm glad it's on their most recent project. No one sings this one better than Chris.
• "Rolled Back Stone"
• "It Pays to Pray" - Gerald said there was a man there from Germany who requested that song, so they closed their last set with it. It was definitely the highlight of their sets for me!

McKameys

I don't get to see the McKameys very often in person. I forgot just how passionate they are about what they do - the ministry and the music. They are just authentic and real. I love seeing that spirit just shine from them. It was good to see Eli doing so well from his kidney transplant last year and good to hear him sing one by himself! They sang most of their most popular songs. 

• "Living for Eternity"
• "Unspoken Request"
• "God on the Mountain" 
• "On and On"
• "What If"
• "Be Brave"
• "There Is Jesus"
• "For the Record"
• "Do You Know How It Feels"
• "I've Won"

After they finished, Duane gave Connie and Sheryl time to get to the top of the stairs to the product table. He asked Peg if she would sing the last chorus of "God on the Mountain" and had everyone sing with her so everyone there could say they sang "God on the Mountain" with Peg and the McKameys!

2018 Southern Gospel Picnic at Silver Dollar City - Day 5

Today was a day I've been looking forward to for a while. With the promise of America's largest hymn sing, it was an event not to be missed! But before the evening's service, I got the chance to see three other groups on park - the Whisnants, 2nd Generation and the New Speer Family. Here are highlights from the day and night.


The Whisnants

• "He's Never Moved"
• "Should Have Been Three" - I don't think I'd ever heard them sing this one live. This featured Austin, Ethan and Jeff. Great song!
• "Faithful" - This was another one I hadn't really heard live. Aaron does a great job on this song. 
• "All Is Well" - One of my all-time favorite Whisnant songs! So glad I got to hear Susan sing it this morning. 
• "I'll Pray for You"
• "I'm Trusting the Blood" - I'm glad they sang this one. Such a powerful song!
• "New Day Dawning"

2nd Generation

• "One More River" 
• "He Will Come Through" - I don't remember hearing Brenda sing this one live before. Such an incredibly powerful song, loved hearing her on this one!
• "Waving on the Other Side" - Always a treat to hear Randy featured on this song! 
• "Faithful As You" - Elaine was featured on this one. I had been a while since I had heard this one live. What a great message!

New Speer Family

This was my first time hearing this group in person, and understandably so considering they have really only been touring a month. This group sounds amazing together! It is pure Southern Gospel. 

• "Heaven's Jubilee"
• "I Feel It in My Soul"
• "I'm Building a Bridge" - Ben Waites was featured on this song and what a voice!!
• "He Is Mine and I Am His" - Loved hearing Allison sing this one! One of the highlights of the day!
• "I Never Shall Forget the Day"

Hymn Sing

This was the event we had all been looking forward to! And what a night it was - one I will not soon forget. We had more than 4,000 voices singing outside hymns for about 1.5 hours. The groups participating were Greater Vision, Mark Trammell Quartet, the Whisnants and the Mylon Hayes Family.

It was such a sweet, sweet time of worship. It's hard not to list every song as a highlight, because every song we sang was a great one - "Victory in Jesus," "Blessed Assurance," "Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul, "Wonderful Grace of Jesus, "Rock of Ages," and on and on. It was hard not to stop singing and listen throughout the night.

Chris Allman and Mark Trammell backed up Sandi Payton as she played and sang "I Must Tell Jesus." We sang "Jesus Paid It All" and Gerald had the balcony level sing for the main level and then the main level sing for the balcony. It was so sweet to hear all those voices just a cappella.

Here's a clip of the night of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" and "It Is Well," my favorite hymn of the night -

2016 National Quartet Convention - Monday Night

The 2016 National Quartet Convention is officially underway. I should be able to watch most of each night except for Friday night. NQC started today with the announcement that NQC will be held in Pigeon Forge through 2021.

I tuned in tonight to the webcast just in time to catch the end of the McKameys set. Here are some of my thoughts and then some of my favorite songs and performances of the night -

Commentary/ Thoughts -

• Karen Peck & New River had the best set of the night in my opinion. From start to finish, it was solid. You can't go wrong with "Four Days Late." 
• Tribute Quartet and the Second-Half Quartet also had some of the best sets of the night. Tribute Quartet had a really nice paced set singing several of their newer songs from Here For You. The Second-Half Quartet is just pure quartet singing at its finest. 
• I did like having two "featured" groups of the night that had a bit longer sets. Tonight it was Ernie Haase and Signature Sound and the Kingdom Heirs. Loren Harris is sounding great with the Kingdom Heirs!
• Claude Hopper had one of the more touching moments of the night when he turned to Connie and said he was singing this part to her. It was the last verse of "Where We'll Never Grow Old." It was such a sweet moment!
• Peg McKamey Bean might throw her shoes off every night, but she is a class act. Her induction to the Southern Gospel Hall of Fame was short, sweet and very heartfelt.
• Every time I see the Mylon Hayes Family, I am more and more impressed!
• Viewing on Roku tonight, I had minimal hiccups with the broadcast, and they were short-lived. No complaints here!

Favorite Songs/ Performances

• "Grace at Its Best" - Tribute Quartet
• "Where We'll Never Grow Old" - The Hoppers
• "Blessed" - Karen Peck & New River
• "Soldier Fighting to Go Home" - Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
• "Chain Gang" - Kingdom Heirs
• "Love Medley" - Mylon Hayes Family
• "Cheer the Weary Traveler" - Second-Half Quartet
• "It's Still the Cross" - Gold City

Fun Clip Friday - Mylon Hayes Family

Happy Friday! Thanks to modern technology fans of gospel music get to catch up on events we aren't able to be present for. Over the last several months, videos have been added to the NQCOnline YouTube channel of NQC 2015. Be sure to check out so many performances from your favorite groups!

I'm highlighting one from the Mylon Hayes Family for today's Fun Clip Friday. Check it out below!

Gospel Music Hymn Sing Recap

It's been a busy past few weeks, and I've missed being able to update as regularly. I have a few concert recaps still pending, but some will have to be saved for my top 10 moments of the year. I can't believe it's already that time!

Wendy Hayes, Melissa Brady and TaRanda Greene

On November 21, I got the chance to go to Memphis, Tennessee for Gerald Wolfe's Gospel Music Hymn Sing. I had been looking forward to this for quite some time! My church sings a great mix of hymns and praise songs each Sunday. However, after growing up on strictly hymns I definitely miss not singing more of them. It was a great night to get to see some of my favorite artists and sing along with them!Even though the night was about hymn singing and the audience being as much a part of the concert as the artists, I got to hear a lot of artists/ groups for the first time! It was my first chance to see the Mylon Hayes Family live. I was glad to see this family part of this tour event, and they are such a wonderful family and great singers. It was also a chance to hear the new trio of TaRanda Greene, Doug Anderson and Jody McBrayer live. They did not disappoint either!! Even though I had heard Jim and Melissa Brady together before, this was also my first time to hear the Jim Brady Trio.

Gerald Wolfe, Randy Byrd, Pat Barker and Conner Hayes

Here were the highlights of the night!

Mark Trammell - Blake Buffin, Nick Trammell,
Mark Trammell and Randy Byrd

• "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" - This is my favorite hymn, so no big surprise that it made my list. Wendy Hayes, Jim Brady and Blake Buffin were featured on the verses. 
• "Just a Little Talk with Jesus" - This one featured all the bass singers - Randy Byrd, Pat Barker and Conner Hayes, who definitely held his own with the two more experienced singers!
• "Holy, Holy, Holy" - This was a sweet moment of worship as the congregation sang.
• "Love of God" - Loved this song! Gerald had each of the writers in the group take a verse - Jim Brady, Rodney Griffin and Chris Allman (video featured below)
• "Wonderful Grace of Jesus" - The 2nd Half Quartet sang this song in the style of the Cathedrals
• "Rock of Ages" - The Mylon Hayes Family sang this one and did the shape notes!
• "Near the Cross" - This song was toward the end featuring Melissa Brady and Gerald Wolfe.

If you get a chance to go to one of the Hymn Sings I highly recommend it! I know they'll be doing more touring in the spring. It's a chance to not only hear some of the top voices in the industry, but you get to sing along with them! Hymns are becoming less the norm in worship services, so it was special to have an entire night dedicated to celebrating that heritage and worshipping our Savior!

Here's a Facebook exclusive Fun Clip Friday from the Gospel Music Hymn Sing in Memphis!
Posted by Lauren's Southern Gospel Blog on Friday, December 4, 2015

National Quartet Convention 2015 - Thursday Night Recap

Tonight was by far the best night yet of NQC. There so many memorable moments from tonight, I'm going to try to narrow it the best I can. I was glad that tonight was one of the nights I got to watch all the way through.

The moment of the night definitely belonged to the Perrys. I loved hearing "Sing" from their project that releases tomorrow. Tracy was featured on an old Nelons song "Time Has Made a Change" with special guests Kelly Nelon Clark and Karen Peck Gooch. But they were not the only guests the Perrys had on stage! They started singing "I Wish I Could Have Been There" and Troy announced Loren Harris to come to the stage. He sang part of the first verse, and then passed it off to Joseph Habedank. They were all joined on stage by so many other Perrys alums including Mike Bowling, Nick Trammell, Bryan Walker, Debra Perry and Bryan Elliot had been playing piano for them the entire set. Loved the Perrys reunion that we got to see!!

Several top-notch groups went early in the night and had incredible sets like Tribute Quartet, Karen Peck and New River, the Old Paths and Greater Vision. Tribute started its set with an a cappella medley that was amazing! (Sorry I don't have a more specific name, but this was the first I'd ever heard them do this. If you know it, help me out!) Love hearing Karen sing "Pray Now!" It was a little bittersweet with this being The Old Paths last performance at NQC, but the guys really brought it tonight!

I couldn't believe that this was Gordon Mote's first time on main stage at NQC during an evening concert. He really amazes me to watch him play. Loved hearing him sing "Mercy Walked In." Also he got some help from the Voices of Lee on "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." Actually Voices of Lee made several appearances tonight. They sang with Canton Junction on "Every Hallelujah" and Lillie Knauls on "Oh Happy Day."

I thought Canton Junction had one of the strongest sets of the night. Since they don't really tour full time, it's good to hear them live (or live via webcast) when you get a chance. Also, the Mylon Hayes Family continues to impress me more and more. I like that they sang "Jesus Spoke to Me" and did the shape note singing tonight.

I'm glad the Whisnants sang a little bit of their newest single, "Worry Ends Where Faith Begins." Love that song! Then they ended with "New Day Dawning" turning it around several times and getting Mark and Nick Trammell to join in.

The night ended with a sample of the Brotherhood tour which is Ernie Haase and Signature Sound and the Booth Brothers. They had live music for most if not all of the set featuring Michael of course on drums. Loved hearing the two groups on songs like "Life Is Like a Mountain Railway" and "Home." They closed the night with the Gaither classic "He Touched Me." What a way to end the evening!!

Mark and Nick Trammell were great hosts tonight! I really like the theme that they've had this week (minus last night) of the father and sons. They all have played off each other well!

Highlights -

• A cappella medley - Tribute Quartet 
• "Pray Now" - Karen Peck and New River
• "Long Live the King" - The Old Paths
• "Wish I Coulda Been There" - The Perrys
• "Jesus Spoke to Me" - Mylon Hayes Family
• "Jesus Loves You"- Jeff and Sheri Easter
• "It's Almost Over" - Mark Trammell Quartet
• "The Cross Is Calling" - The Taylors
• "Oh Happy Day" - Lillie Knauls
• "Arise My Love" - Soul'd Out Quartet
• "New Day Dawning" - The Whisnants
• "He Touched Me" - Brotherhood (Ernie Haase and Signature Sound and the Booth Brothers)

National Quartet Convention 2015 - Monday Night Recap

I got to watch the webcast in its entirety tonight from the Mylon Hayes Family to the last shout. I have to say overall, I had no issues as in years past. There were a few pauses and hiccups with the webcast during the night, but nothing major at all!

The Mylon Hayes Family got the night started. I was so glad this family got a full set this year! They had a strong set to start the night with two great hymns, "Stepping in the Light" and "What a Day That Will Be."

From the looks of the live streaming, The Old Paths got the first standing ovation of the night with "I Bowed on my Knees." They had a great set! Quartets overall were on fire tonight! It was great hearing the new lineup of Kingdom Heirs with Brian Alvey. Gold City pulled out a couple of older songs including "How Deep Is the Water!" Tribute also had a great set! I'll be honest "Oh What a Savior" is a great song, but seriously overdone in my opinion. That being said, Tribute featured Riley Harrison Clark on the song, and wow! Loved his version! Triumphant was the last quartet to take the stage and had a solid set. Loved hearing Clayton on "Welcome To Heaven."

I think the moment of the night though belonged to Karen Peck and New River. Their set was incredible featuring their new singer Ricky Braddy on an a cappella version of "Were You There." Even though he's sung on large platforms before, major kudos for it being his first time at NQC and singing a song a capella solo. They played an emotional video about Rickey Gooch's battle with cancer and harsh treatment he went through this year. The end of the video talked about Rickey drawing strength from lines of his favorite song. The song was "My God Will Always Be Enough." After the video, Karen sang the song. Beautiful, touching moment!!

The Hoppers had one of the strongest sets of the night, but had a different start with Karlye singing "I Am a Promise." I'm not typically a fan of the novelty kids songs, but I have to say I liked her jazzed up version of the song. It was good hearing the Hopper Brothers again on "Can't Give Up on God." Kim mentioned that this was the fifth anniversary of her brother Tony's passing before she sang "Grace Will Always Be Greater Than Sin." They paid tribute to the Hoppers at the end of the night and ended with "Shoutin' Time." Triumphant and Wilburn and Wilburn joined the Hoppers on stage for the finale. 

Highlights of the Night - 

• "The Love of God" - Jim Brady Trio
• "I Bowed on my Knees and Cried Holy" - The Old Paths
• "Can't Give Up on God" - Hopper Brothers 2.0
• "Grace Will Always Be Greater Than Sin" - The Hoppers
• "My God Will Always Be Enough" - Karen Peck and New River
• "Jesus Loves You" - Jeff and Sheri Easter
• "The Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference" - Wilburn and Wilburn
• "Welcome to Heaven" - Triumphant Quartet
• "Oh What a Savior" - Tribute Quartet
• "Shoutin' Time" - Hoppers (with friends Triumphant and Wilburn and Wilburn)

#8 Top Moment of 2014 - Mylon Hayes Family - NQC

The countdown continues with #8 which also was comes via webcast. This year at National Quartet Convention, some groups had one song to sing on Main Stage, one chance to make an impression. One group that stood out above the rest with just one song was the Mylon Hayes Family. The family took the stage and sang "Little Is Much" and made it a highlight of the evening. The group later in the week took home the award for Favorite New Group. With one song that has been sung by numerous groups before, this family's performance stood out above the rest!

Here's a clip of the group singing the song they sang that night. There was not a clip online from NQC, but you can see how well this group sings the song and how it made the list of top moments of the year!

NQC Day 3 Highlights - National Quartet Convention Recap

Tonight was one of those off again and on again watching the webcast. I caught some performances after I got home from work and then a good bit of the later sets after I got home from church.

The past few years there has been an all-quartet night on Wednesday. While this was not the case tonight, quartets had a strong showing tonight! I feel like that was the majority of what I saw. The first group I saw tonight was the Kingsmen. They sang several from their newest release. Tribute Quartet closed the night out. While they are still considered a relatively young group, they carried the responsibility of ending the night well. They are also the last group another night this week. Another relatively young quartet that sang tonight was Old Paths. This group gets better each time I see them, and they had one of the standout performances of the night with "Love Live the King."

There were a few family groups in the mix. The Mylon Hayes Family got to sing one song on main stage, "Little Is Much." In this case, little was not much, this family definitely needed more time on stage! They are fantastic!!

Guy Penrod sang a set primarily of worship songs and hymns. He had the audience join in with the words on the screen or at least they were on the webcast. I applaud the efforts to make it more interactive and like a worship service, but it seemed a little out of place to me with the mix of a contemporary worship service feel.

From pictures on Facebook, it looks like I missed Connie Hopper joining her family on stage for the first time since her surgery. That's a moment I'll definitely have to watch on demand!

Again, I'm not sure there was one moment of the night , but here are standout performances/ highlights for me (in no particular order) -

• "Yes, I Am" - Kingsmen
• "Little Is Much" - Mylon Hayes Family
• "King Is Coming" - Mark Trammell Quartet
• "It's Still the Cross" - Gold City
• "He Made a Change" - Legacy Five (joined on stage by Ernie Haase)
• "Long Live the King" - Old Paths Quartet
• "New Day Dawning" - The Whisnants
• "In the Valley I Can Hear His Voice" - Tribute Quartet

Wendy and Kennedy Hayes - Spotlight on Mothers and Daughters

Continuing the Spotlight on mothers and daughters today with

Wendy and Kennedy Hayes

From Kennedy - 

Question: When have you been most proud of your mother?
Kennedy: I am always proud of her when I hear her pretty voice!

Q: What TV mom does your mother most resemble?
Kennedy: Caroline Ingalls, from Little House On the Prairie. Caroline always has the right things to say at the right time. She is always there for her children and is loving and compassionate.

Q: What's one phrase that your mother always said to you as a child?
Kennedy: Obedience always brings blessings.

Q: What five words best describe your mother?
Kennedy: Funny, loving, kind, humble, compassionate.

Q: What’s the most important lesson your mother has taught you on stage or off?
Kennedy: She and I talk a lot about just staying humble, and not thinking too highly of ourselves.

From Wendy - 

Q: When have you been most proud of Kennedy?
Wendy: There are many moments, but one that sticks out is the time she witnessed to some neighbor girls. She was very young but was so worried about them not knowing Christ. It blesses me to know she has a heart for reaching the lost.

Q: If she doesn't choose singing, what career would you encourage her to choose?
Wendy: I would have to say that being a Godly wife and mother is one of the most important jobs that I would hope she would desire. She is really good at fixing hair so a hair stylist would be a good choice...on the side!

Q: Does she help you pick out stage clothes or do you help her?
Wendy: Well, she is quite the fashion girl! I usually ask HER what she thinks about my outfits. She seems to have a good eye for what looks good together.

Q: What’s one quality that Kennedy has that you wish you exhibited more?
Wendy: Always full of JOY.

Q: What’s one thing you learned from your mother that you wanted to be sure and pass on to your daughter?
Wendy: To work hard and be faithful.

Thanks Wendy and Kennedy for your time to participate!!

Transformation Tuesday - Mylon Hayes Family

With family groups, there are definite shifts that occur. New generations of the family are born and take their place on stage. Gospel music is blessed with many different family groups and names that are carrying on the legacy of previous generations.

Mylon Hayes started with his family at a young age. As a teenager he was singing full-time with his parents, Lucy and Howard Hayes, and his siblings. He not only sang but also played bass guitar. Here's a look at him with his family.





Now Mylon Hayes has a family of his own. He along with his wife Wendy and children Connor, Bailey and Kennedy are carrying on the Hayes Family tradition. They put out their first project as the Mylon Hayes Family in 2011. And with their kids already taking their places on stage, I'm sure the family legacy will carry on!

Here's a look at Mylon Hayes now singing with his family at last year's NQC (video on YouTube by Diana Brantley)  -

Mylon Hayes Family - Names You Might Not Know

The Mylon Hayes family is from Hudson, N.C. The Family consists of Mylon and Wendy and their children Conner, Bailey and Kennedy. Get to know more about this family!

Question: Did you grow up with a strong southern gospel influence? When did you first become interested in southern gospel?

Mylon Hayes (Hayes Family): Yes. I grew up singing southern gospel music with my family, The Hayes Family. I was influenced early on by the Speer Family, the Rex Nelon Singers, the Inspirations as well as others. I really don't remember a point in my life where southern gospel music was not a part of it. Although Wendy did not sing in a group or with family growing up, she loved and listened to some of the same groups as I and went to a lot of concerts with her aunt and uncle as a child.


Q: How did you get started singing and traveling as a family?

Mylon: The kids have been singing since they were able to talk. They almost always traveled with us on the Hayes Family bus and would sing some just about every time we would sing. But Wendy and I started feeling the Lord leading us to sing some with our kids around 2009. We just didn't know exactly when or how that might happen. After much prayer, God's prompting and various circumstances, we felt the time was right at the end of 2011 to make our first CD as the Mylon Hayes Family. The Lord has given us many opportunities since then to sing and we are so thankful for each!


Q: What's the one thing that you want people who walk away from your concerts to know about the Mylon Hayes Family?

Mylon: That we love them and most of all that Jesus loves them!!


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

Mylon: "He Is God" - Love the message and style of that song. It talks about a familiar Bible story and gives us the opportunity to remind people that our God never changes...He's the same yesterday, today and forever. I think that's a great reminder for us because our world is changing so rapidly it seems. Jesus is our Rock!!! We can rest easy in the midst of all the changes because of Him!

"Faces" by Greater Vision has been a great encouragement to us to keep serving the Lord even though we may not see a lot of results in this life.


Q: What artists have been your biggest influence (musically and/or personally)?

Mylon: In addition to the ones I mentioned earlier, The Cathedrals have to be at the top of that list. They were the biggest influence on me in my teenage years. In my opinion, they were the best all male quartet ever!


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

Mylon: You know...we're just getting started singing with our family so really nothing just stands out... but just the opportunity to do this together is a thrill every time. That God would allow us to do this is the fulfillment of a deep desire in our hearts and we couldn't be more grateful. In the "concert that stands out" category...for the kids it would probably be the chance to sing on stage at the NQC at such an early age. We've also had some great services in churches. For Wendy and me, it's just been awesome to see the Lord already using the kids to bring encouragement and influence to others.


Q: What new things are coming up for the Mylon Hayes Family?

Mylon: Our second CD is due out in mid August 2013, and we're excited about that. We are also scheduled to be in some new areas in the near future and that's always great to meet new people. We have a desire to do a tour to the west coast. We're hoping that will work out very soon as well. Of course, we plan to be at NQC again this year and we look forward to that.


For more on the Mylon Hayes family, check out their website. Thanks so much to the Hayes family for taking time to answer my questions!