Coming Home - Martins Concert Recap

As I grow older, the times at home in the house I grew up in with my family become less frequent but more precious. It's not that I live very far or travel all the time, but there's something about being back home, where you grew up with the people who watched you grow.

The Martins (Joyce, Jonathan and Judy) made a stop in Arkansas a few weeks ago. They are from Hamburg, Arkansas, so the concert was like one big homecoming and you could tell that they had similar feelings of how sweet it can be to come "home." The church was full of family and friends who had watched and supported the group from their beginnings and had seen them in the best of times and the worst.

Their parents were, of course, in attendance. At one point as they were singing, their dad walked from the back down the center aisle to get a photo. It was such a sweet moment and a reminder that it doesn't matter who you are or how far you've made it, dads will always be proud dads.

It was good to hear so many songs from their Still Standing project. That was one of my favorite releases of the year last year. They talked about how they went skydiving with the Army Golden Knights. And then played a video of them skydiving along with the song "Still Standing." I love how they did "Beautiful." It's so much their testimony song that the siblings sing to one another. They talked about how they had a hand in writing several of the songs on the new project. They also sang their new version of "Wherever You Are," which has been one of my favorites of their songs.

Of course, highlights from a Martins' concert will always include their a cappella numbers. Their sibling harmony is the best. I love hearing their cover of "You'll Never Walk Alone."

If I were listing my all-time favorite gospel songs, "The Promise" would definitely be in the top three. I'm so glad they still stage this song. This song always ministers to me and seems to be just what I need to hear.

If you've read my blog for any time, you know that the Martins are the first professional group I saw and the group that really opened the door to my love for Southern Gospel. It's always so good to see them live, and it's especially special to see them in Arkansas. I'm thankful they made the trip home.

2018 Southern Gospel Picnic - Silver Dollar City - Day 10

The Southern Gospel Picnic is about to wrap up with only two days left! It's hard to believe it's almost over and time to get back to the real world. It's been a great festival so far, and I'm looking forward to the last two days.

Yesterday, I got out to the park to see three different artists. Here are the highlights -


The Taylors
It was good to hear several songs from their new project, Faithful Again.

• "Faithful Again"
• "Anything Less" - One of my favorites from their new album!
• "Love Still Flows"
• "Beulah Land" - Jonathan asked if the audience would rather hear Chris sing "Beulah Land" or "In the Garden" there was no contest about what the people wanted to hear. They did an a cappella reprise of the chorus and it was amazing!
• "I Pray Every Day"
• "I'll Worship You Again" - Love hearing Suzanne sing this one live!

Jonathan Wilburn

I've been to A LOT of shows and sets in the past 10 days, but I have to say, the show I went to of Jonathan's had one of the sweetest spirits in the room I had experienced.

• "Without Him" - Jonathan said this was not on any project, he just felt God leading him to sing this song with just the keys. And I'm so glad he did!
• "Heaven's Jubilee"
• "Peace in the Valley"
• "Had It Not Been"

The Martins

This is the one time of year I get to hear the Martins and I just soak it all in. They sang several from their new project and of course their classic a cappella songs. It was an incredible night!

• "He Leadeth Me" - I love getting to hear them sing this song a cappella!!
• "Wherever You Are"
• "Running"
• "The Promise" - This song speaks to me every time. If I had to list my favorite gospel songs, this would be in the top five easy. It's always a treat to hear this one live!
• "You'll Never Walk Alone"
• "Love's Gonna Drive This Train"
• "Good"
• "Days Like This"
• "Still Standing" - This is the title track, it's a must listen!
• "Except for Grace"
• "Beautiful" - Joyce said they hadn't staged this one before, but they were going to try it out last night. And I'm sure glad they did!
• "Doxology"- They were going to end the night with this one and what an ending, but Duane asked if they would do one more!
• "So High" - This was the finale to a great night!

Wrapping Up Southern Gospel Picnic

Well I'm finally getting a chance to wrap up the rest of Southern Gospel Picnic at Silver Dollar City. On Sunday, we enjoyed a great morning service with Dennis Swanberg. I got to see Voices of Lee, Jeff Stice and the Martins later that day. Then on Monday, I enjoyed the last day of the festival with Spoken 4 Quartet, the Diplomats and the Isaacs before heading back to the real world.

Here are highlights from the last two days -

Voices of Lee

This was my first time seeing this group live, and I was impressed!

• "The Lord's Prayer"
• "No Longer a Slave" - This song featured Tripp Hess (son of Judy Martin Hess). Since the Martins sang that night, his mom and other family members were there to support him. He did a great job on this feature!
• "Higher"
• "Gloryland Medley"

Jeff Stice

• Andre Crouch Medley
• "Hallelujah Chorus"
• He brought Maddy on stage to sing "Sing." At 12 years old, she has quite a good voice!

The Martins

• "He Leadeth Me"
• "Love's Gonna Drive This Train"
• "The Promise" - One of my favorite gospel songs ever. Love hearing this long live!
• "Out of His Great Love"
• "On Days Like This" - This is a new song that will be on their upcoming album. I think I have the title right. It was great hearing new material from them!
• "You'll Never Walk Alone" - No one does a cappella like they do!
• "Love Enough"
• "I'm Still Standing" - Another new one that featured Judy!
• "So High" - They were about to close the night when Duane Garren came out and said they had to sing this song! I'm glad he did!

Spoken 4 Quartet

• "I Know My God Can Do It"
• "Blessed Assurance" 
• "Because He Lives" - Love hearing them on the classic hymns.
• "Light at the End of the Darkness" - Great hearing Cecil featured on this song!

The Diplomats

• "Sheltered in the Arms of God"
• "Walking With Jesus"
• "Scars on the Hands of Jesus" - Harold Reed was featured on this song. Love this one!
• Their live band is incredible!
• "I Wouldn't Take Nothing for my Journey Now"

The Isaacs

• "Rocks"
• "I Love You More" - Love hearing Sonya's testimony with this song. Definitely the moment of the night!
• "If That Isn't Love"
• "I Find It All in You"
• "Yours Amen"
• "Lord's Prayer" - You can't beat family a cappella harmonies.
• "Walk On"
• "If That's What It Takes" - Ben gave a bit of testimony before singing this song talking about how much it meant to him. 

It was a great festival again this year! Thank you Silver Dollar City, Brad Thomas, DA Callaway and Duane Garren for all you do to make this event happen each year!

Fun Clip Friday - Isaacs at Spring Break NQC

The National Quartet Convention Spring Break events started last weekend in Louisville and is going on again this weekend in Sevierville. Here's a clip from the Isaacs last weekend. With Sonya Isaacs Yeary's due date so soon, Judy Martin Hess was filling in for Sonya. Check out the clip below for today's Fun Clip Friday.

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!

Fun Clip Friday - Mark Lowry and the Martins

Last weekend Mark Lowry and the Martins were in Northwest Arkansas. Unfortunately I couldn't make it up there. I hated to miss it, and I hated it even more when Mark Lowry shared this video on his Facebook page. He took the video during sound check of Joyce singing, and it made me wish I could be there even more!

Check out this video where the Spirit fell down during sound check while Joyce was singing "Except for Grace."

Holy Ghost showed up at soundcheck in Alma, AR, when Joyce was singing 'Except For Grace'. She didn't know I was taping her.
Posted by Mark Lowry on Saturday, March 12, 2016

Top Moment #7 of 2014 - Music and Madness - Mark Lowry and the Martins

One of my favorite concerts from this year was when Mark Lowry and the Martins joined forces for the Music and Madness Tour. The whole concert deserves top moment honors. It was an incredible night of laughter, tears and great music. You can read the full recap of the night here.

I’ll be honest some of my favorite moments of the night was hearing them tell stories – stories of traveling and singing with other artists like Bill Gaither and the Happy Goodman Family.

One of the most memorable moments of the night is when they told the story of how the Martins were discovered. The Martins were at a Gaither taping and Bill asked them to come up and sing before the artists broke for lunch. They sang “He Leadeth Me” a cappella. They played that very first performance on the screens and then the Martins finished the song live. Incredible moment!! Here’s a clip of that (excuse the bad camera work by yours truly, but it will give you a glimpse of the concert).

When Lyrics Speak - The Promise by the Martins

It's been a while since I've done one of these posts. I referenced this a few weeks ago, but life has just been a bit busier lately, some big changes, but good changes!

If you've been a reader for a while, you know that the Martins had a tremendous influence on me. If it hadn't been for a concert with the Martins more than 10 years ago, this blog wouldn't exist, and I wouldn't know the genre of Southern Gospel or at least wouldn't know as much about it! One of my favorite songs of theirs is "The Promise." As I was driving the other day, this song came on. It seemed to be such a reminder of just how amazing God has been during this season.

For about a year, I've been, let's just say, less than satisfied with my job. It's not that it was a horrible experience coming to work each day. And I still enjoyed what I did, but there were circumstances that caused me to be in the market for something different. A couple of opportunities have come along during that time, but I stayed in my job for one reason or another. But that's about to change next week.

Life can often be one big waiting game. I've found that often it's not the end result where God teaches you, but it's been in that period of waiting and the uncertainty. It's trusting in His promise and that all is made perfect in His timing. During those waiting times, one thing is certain -

"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9

He doesn't promise us an easy road. We'll face fear and loneliness, but God promises to always be with us. Whether it's a job situation, family or an internal struggle, we can rely on His promise. He'll never leave us or forsake us if we are His children. His love can be an anchor for us when we need something to grasp. When things don't make sense, remember that His "ways confound the wise." He sees every tear and hears every cry.

The promises in His Word are true, and we can rest in that fact. I also love the line from the song that talks about not making this world our home. When the "big" things of life come, we can let that consume us. I'm thankful that the "big" stuff of this life, don't compare to what awaits us. This is all temporary. This world is not our home, we are destined for something so much better.

This song is an incredible reminder that when life is uncertain and when you're facing betrayal or circumstances that don't make sense, He is there. His grace is always sufficient. Rest in His promise today no matter what you are facing.

Enjoying a New Day - Silver Dollar City Recap Day 6

Since I had to miss Tuesday, I wanted to make up for it. It was a new day, and I wanted to see all I could. I got to the park early yesterday to see the first shows of the morning. In fact, I had the chance to see several groups twice!

My morning started with Spoken 4 Quartet. I walked into the front of the park just a few songs into their first show. They had a special guest performing with them Tuesday and Wednesday, their producer Jeff Stice! I was able to catch part of their first show and all of their second show. They did sing a few that I heard them sing Monday, but I didn’t mind! Jon Charles sang the song about the prodigal song, “Back to Me,” love this song from their latest project. Steven was featured on “Who Am I” and “Beulah Land,” love hearing him sing those classics. Cecil showed off his bass skills on “Life’s Evening Sun.” Jeff Stice made him repeat the chorus and go even lower!! Of course, when you have Jeff playing keys for you, you’re going to let him show what he can do. Jeff played a couple of songs solo. It was great to hear him play again, because he is definitely one of the best!! The highlight of both sets had to be the song “That’s My Boy.” They closed the second show with this song!

I also two shows of the Taylors. They started each show with “New Day Dawning,” but from there did completely different sets. I love that they sang several from their latest project like “I’m Committed to You, Lord,” “He Goes Before Me” and “Measure of Grace.” However, my favorite had to be “I Tremble.” I’ve always loved this song. They featured Suzanne on the song. They brought out Leslie’s husband Aaron Perkins and son Isaiah in each set I saw. Jonathan told that he was a miracle baby. Not only had doctors told Leslie that she would probably never be able to have children of her own, but he was born with one functioning kidney and doctors thought that it wouldn’t be functioning at the level it needed to be. However at the last checkups, it was functioning at 100%. Aaron is a bass singer, so he joined them for two songs, one in each set, “Roll Away” and “Up Above My Head.” Leslie held the baby as the five of them sing together. Little baby Isaiah seemed perfectly content on stage in his mom’s arms. They had two great sets!!

The Kingsmen were at Red Gold Hall yesterday afternoon. I had the chance to also see them twice. They sang a mix of favorites and new songs. It was good hearing “Meet Me at Table,” “Travelin’ Home” and “Glory Road.” They sang probably my favorite Kingsmen song, which is “That’s All I Need.” They sang a couple of newer songs including their single, “Oh Yes I Am,” which they closed both sets with. They also sang “Beautiful City,” a newer one and Randy joked they might have to sing watermelon a bit with this one. Ray Dean threw watermelon in there a few times at the end for some laughs. Chris, their tenor, sang “Look for Me at Jesus’ Feet” in both sets, which was a definite highlight. However, one of the sweetest moments occurred in the second set. They told that a brother and sister came to the table and requested a song for their dad who is serving in Afghanistan. They didn’t know the song that the siblings requested but still wanted to sing something for them and their dad, so they sang “Land of the Free.” The siblings and family were on the front row and the group acknowledged them. I’m not sure there were many dry eyes in the house!

The Martins were the headline group tonight! I love seeing them back in Echo Hollow. The night started with “New Day” featuring Judy. They sang several of their a cappella songs, which I love to hear them do! They sang some classics like “Holy Holy Holy” and “Softly and Tenderly” and a couple from their new project like “Shut De Door” and “Never Walk Alone.” The last one was a highlight of the night!! They even sang a little bit of “Count Your Blessings” a cappella, but it wasn’t exactly intentional. Apparently the sound guy couldn’t find the track, so Joyce just started singing a bit of the chorus and Jonathan and Judy just jumped in!

Being from Arkansas, their parents were there sitting proudly on the front row and Jonathan had several family members there as well. Jonathan recognized his mom and talked about what an incredible influence she was on their lives. She’s the one who taught them to sing. She and his daughter Amelia were celebrating birthdays this week, so he had the audience sing to both of them.

Each sibling gave a bit of testimony. Judy talked about her struggle with depression and how God had allowed this struggle to remain in her life, but it was a reminder to her that we all have a desperate need for Jesus. Then they sang "Wherever You Are." Jonathan talked about the struggles in life and no matter what we face there is nothing that hasn't passed through the Father's hands. This set up "The Promise." I love this song, and for me this was the highlight of the night!!

Joyce talked about how they started out at Silver Dollar City at the gazebo. Then, they gradually moved up and now had sung at Echo Hollow for several years. She talked about their challenges and struggles that they have overcome over the years as a family. Then, they sang "Unredeemed."

They ended the night with "Love's Gonna Drive This Train" with everyone on their feet! It was a great night!!

Music and Madness - Mark Lowry and the Martins - Concert Recap

The music and madness came to Arkansas Friday night in the form of Mark Lowry and the Martins. The Music and Madness tour made a stop in Searcy, Ark. at Trinity Baptist Church. When I got to the church, it was already pretty full, and the parking lot was overflowing. I wasn't too surprised though especially considering the Martins were returning to their home state!

Stan Whitmire opened the night on the piano. The Martins then took the stage with "Count Your Blessings." When they came out, there was an issue with the track where it was playing two songs at once. Joyce joked that it was just part of the madness, so they had to restart the song. Then they sang one of their new songs from their a cappella project, "Shut De Do." It's amazing that they are staging these songs! Incredible to see and hear them sing it live!

Then, Mark came out singing "Jesus Laughing." He talked about enjoying getting to be the Bill (Gaither) of the program. He asked what different churches were represented. He picked on several denominations of people, including this lone Catholic lady in the front. He said to tell Mary he said hi, since he was Baptist he couldn't talk to her but thank her for that song. Haha!

Mark Lowry, Joyce Martin Sanders, Judy Martin Hess
and Jonathan Martin

Mark told a few more stories about getting older and then his mama. He talked about the precious memories he had of dancing with his mother before she passed away. Then he sang "Our Love Is Here to Stay" with help from Joyce. He also sang the classic "Fly Me to the Moon."

Mark said that he met the Martins in 1992 at the National Quartet Convention when their mother came up and shoved a cassette tape in his face. The Martins' parents were there on the front row and he pointed to their mom. He took it to the bus and listened to it with Michael English. They called the group and said that they would like to introduce the siblings to Bill Gaither. The video series had just started, and they would be taping a video in Indiana soon. They asked the Martins to come up to the taping, and they would introduce them to Bill and have them sing.

Once they got there, they waited in the lobby. Mark grabbed Gloria and asked her to hear them sing. She agreed, and they went in the ladies' restroom for her to hear them!! The Martins proceeded to sing "He Leadeth Me." Gloria told Bill what she had heard, and the next day before they broke for lunch during taping Bill called the Martins to come sing. They sang not only for Bill but for all the other artists who were in there for the taping like the Goodmans, George Younce, JD Sumner and other legends in gospel music. They then showed the video of them singing "He Leadeth Me." The Martins then finished the song live.

They told more stories of traveling with the Gaithers. To be honest, that was some of my favorite moments of the concert, hearing the back stage things that you don't always know about. They talked about the Goodmans and then sang "What a Lovely Name." It started as out with the men's trio with Stan, Mark and Jonathan with Joyce and Judy joining in later. As Joyce sang Vestal's part, Mark handed her a white "hankie" to wave.

Stan then played another song, "I've Got That Old Time Religion." The Martins sang two more songs which were "The Promise" and "You'll Never Walk Alone." They did an a cappella ending of "The Promise," which is definitely one of my favorite and this song was one of the highlights of the night for me!!

Mark told more stories of his grandparents and his mother. He showed a video of he and his mom together not long before she died. He talked about her home going and how peaceful it was. He then sang "Going Home."

Before they took an intermission, they talked about how they had partnered with Feed the Children for the tour. They wanted to do something within the hours of the concert that would help people past the four walls of the church and have eternal significance.

After intermission, Mark sang "Glow Worm" with some back up help from the Martins. Then the Martins got everyone on their feet clapping with "Love's Gonna Drive This Train." Great song to get audience going! Then Mark sang one of the first songs he wrote "Too Big to Miss." I don't ever remember hearing this one before. It was a fun song, and the Martins started tossing beach balls in the air for the audience to hit around!

Mark then had the audience members shout out the names of four hymns. Stan put them all together and played as the audience sang along. The hymns chosen were "Victory in Jesus," "Amazing Grace," "It Is Well" and "Blessed Assurance." Then he ended with "How Great Thou Art" as a bonus.

The Martins then sang "The Doxology" a cappella. Love hearing them sing a cappella live! Nothing better! Mark then sang "How We Love."

Mark recounted a conversation with Gloria Gaither about God being more in the interruptions of life than in our own plans. He said this is where we learn to walk by faith and not by sight. Everyone has interruptions. We do not get to choose what God allows to come in, but we should hold our heads high, enjoy life and thank Him for everything.

The night closed with Mark singing "Mary Did You Know?" No one seemed to mind that it is traditionally a Christmas song and it's mid-July! Mark did an incredible job and what a way to end the night!

If you have read previous posts, you know what a huge Martins fan I am. They are the first professional group I saw. Seeing them was a great reminder of why I fell in love with this music. I loved getting to see them with Mark and hearing all the stories and Mark's comedy. Incredible night of music and madness! If the tour comes to your area, don't miss it!!

Martins - A cappella - CD Review

Few groups can pull off top-notch a cappella. The Martins are one of those groups. Their latest
project is all a cappella, and it shows off what incredible music this group is capable of. Siblings Joyce, Jonathan and Judy are better than ever on this release simply entitled A cappella.

The project has a great song selection, not one that I would have expected. You have the typical, more familiar hymns which I would expect to fill most of the album. It's not the case though. They did a great job of picking songs that you may not be as familiar with, a variety of styles and songs that you would not think about doing a cappella.

The crowning moment of the project has to be "Fairest Lord Jesus." The arrangement that the Martins pull off on this song is incredible! It is a must listen!! It will give you chills as the song builds, and the siblings show how much they are capable of with just their voices.

"The Prayer" is the second must listen. I love that they included this song, it's already one of my favorites. I don't think I had ever heard an a cappella version. I love the tender harmonies at the end. Absolutely beautiful!

"When I Go Away" is a great old spiritual song. The Martins add some finger-snapping to give it an extra pep. "Shut De Do/Three Little Birds" is another fun song. I had never heard this before, and I would say it's an unexpected song choice but a brilliant one. It's got a fun style to it. "If We Ever Needed the Lord Before, We Sure Do Need Him Now" is another fun one. This one will have you tapping your foot along.

"Let All Mortal Flesh" has a haunting sound to it, but it makes a good segue into the medley of hymns. I love the smoothness of this arrangement mixing "Come Thou Fount," "Fill My Cup, Lord" and "Spirit of the Living God." The medley is definitely another highlight for me.

The project closes with "You'll Never Walk Alone." Being raised on musicals, this was a fun inclusion for me being mostly familiar with the song from Carousel. The Martins take this song to church though making it their own.

The Martins haven't released an a cappella project in more than a decade, and this one was well worth the wait!

Song List -
1. "He's Everything to Me"
2. "When I Go Away"
3. "Fairest Lord Jesus"
4. "Praise to the Lord"
5. "Shut De Do/ Three Little Birds"
6. "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence"
7. "Come Thou Found of Every Blessing/ Fill My Cup, Lord/ Spirit of the Living God"
8. "The Prayer"
9. "If We Ever Needed the Lord Before We Sure Do Need Him Now"
10. "You'll Never Walk Alone"

Fun Clip Friday - Mark Lowry and the Martins

Mark Lowry and the Martins started the Music & Madness Tour this month. I definitely hope they plan to come close to Central Arkansas. Tour dates are available here, but some are still being added.

For today's Fun Clip Friday, check out a song with Mark and the Martins singing "Glow Worm."

Top Moment #8 of 2013 - The Martins at Echo Hollow

Ok, the top #8 moment is a little sentimental for me. As a teenager I saw a group at Silver Dollar City's Echo Hollow that would start me on this journey of Southern Gospel music. This group inspired me to learn more about this industry, the music and the artists. The group that started it all for me was the Martins.

I saw the Martins for the first time more than 10 years ago at Silver Dollar City, and I had not seen them since then until this year back at Silver Dollar City and back in Echo Hollow. And they were just as fantastic as I remembered them being.

I don't have one really moment to highlight per se. There were many different songs that still stand out to me including a cappella songs like the doxology and a medley of hymns. However, one that I fondly remembered from that first night that they ended this night in 2013 on was "So High." It was a great end to a fantastic night that reminded me why I fell in love with this group and Southern Gospel music.

Here's one clip from that night's concert -

Back to Where It All Started - Day 7 Recap of Silver Dollar City's Southern Gospel Picnic

A little more than 10 years ago, a teenage girl's life was changed in Echo Hollow at Silver Dollar City when she attended a gospel concert. This concert was part of Gary McSpadden's Southern Gospel Nights with the Martins headlining the concert. And last night for the first time since then that girl got to see the group that started it all for her!

The concert that night with the Martins is what really got me hooked on gospel music. I can still remember what it felt like that night not wanting it to end and wanting to find out all I could more about this group and Southern Gospel in general. I knew all about Silver Dollar City's in-house groups that sang Southern Gospel and loved them, but this was different. And tonight I was reminded why! But first things first....

The day started with Wilburn and Wilburn. I was looking forward to seeing this group for the first time, and they did not disappoint! They sang some familiar favorites along with some of their songs. 

I loved hearing "A Man Like Me" and "Jesus Will" live. However, one of the highlights was "John Saw a Mighty Number," Jonathan really got to cut loose and have fun with this one!

I would love to see this group again in a full concert setting! 

Then, we saw Soul'd Out Quartet. As I mentioned I grew up listening to Silver Dollar City's in-house gospel groups, like Cumberland Quartet. Ian Owens was a part of the group at one time and today was my first time seeing him since then, and it was back at the City. It was great seeing him on stage again. He sang a version of "The Old Rugged Cross" that was amazing!

They did a number of classic songs and hymns. Loved hearing these guys sing so many beloved songs. However, one of the standout songs was "He Is All I Need," that featured Dusty Barrett. Another highlight was "Since I've Been Saved," featuring Bryan Hutson and had a crooner type feel. 

Then, the Martins were down in Echo Hollow tonight! I had a poll a while back on who does a cappella best, and after this week I'm still not sure but I do know that Martins do it amazingly!!! They sang several a cappella numbers including the doxology, medley of hymns and "Softly and Tenderly." 

They also sang "The Promise," which is a personal favorite. And they ended the first half with "Love's Gonna Drive This Train" with the entire audience on its feet clapping!

Each group member took a moment to tell of God's faithfulness in their lives. They all had touching testimonies of how God had worked during trials in their lives. Joyce said they had all sang since childhood and knew what it was like to be in ministry and sing about being saved. However, now they were grown up and had experienced life and various trials, and they knew what it was like to be lost and for God to redeem them. Judy sang "Unredeeemed" which was another highlight!

They closed the show with "So High," which I can remember them singing that very first night. 

It was a fantastic day and night that reminded me of how my love for southern gospel got started! Thanks to the Martins for a great night now and then, and for really introducing that teenage girl to Southern Gospel music!

A cappella - Who Does It Best?

If you're like me, a few names immediately come to mind as having amazing, standout a cappella performances. They have the tight harmonies and the long notes that can send shivers down your spine. These groups not only have one signature a cappella song, but have several they can pull from their repertoire.

Here are the four names that come to mind as being the at the top of a cappella singing -

• The Isaacs
• The Martins
• The Nelons
• Sisters

I don't think it's any coincidence that all of these are family groups. Here's examples of why these groups stand out to me above the rest:

The Isaacs


The Martins


The Nelons

Sisters

What do you think? Is there another group that comes to mind when you think of amazing a cappella singing? And who do you think is best when it comes to a cappella singing?