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

Singing News Fan Awards 2016

The top 10 Singing News Fan Award nominees were announced yesterday. Of course, there weren't too many surprises or changes from last year. I know people have mixed feelings about the awards and their predictability, but the fans are the ones who choose. I've confessed before I sometimes vote differently in each round, just because I would like to see a few new faces receive nominations.

Some categories have changed from last year. New artists is all together instead of broken out by trio, quartet, mixed and soloist. The overall favorite male and female singer categories are missing this year.

So what else is different this year, and who's nominated? Let's take a look at the categories -

Favorite Artist
Booth Brothers
Brian Free & Assurance
Collingsworth Family
Greater Vision
Hoppers
Jim Brady Trio
Kingdom Heirs
Legacy Five
Tribute Qt.
Triumphant Qt.

The Hoppers and the Jim Brady Trio are the differences in this group from last year.

Nomination I would have liked to see - Karen Peck & New River


Traditional Quartet
Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Gold City
Inspirations
Kingdom Heirs
Kingsmen
LeFevre Qt
Legacy Five
Mark Trammell Qt
Tribute Qt
Triumphant Qt

Inspirations and LeFevre Quartet are the differences from last year. The Old Paths and Brian Free & Assurance are the two groups who dropped and neither were eligible this year.

Nomination I would have liked to see - This one seems pretty spot on to me.

Mixed Group
Browders
Collingsworth Family
Erwins
Hoppers
Isaacs
Karen Peck & New River
McKameys
Mylon Hayes Family
Nelons
Perrys

Interestingly enough, the Nelons and Karen Peck & New River both moved into this category from the trio category with the addition of the younger daughters. The Erwins are also new to this group, great to see them getting this nomination after winning New Mixed Group last year.

Nomination I would have liked to see - Taylors

Trio
11th Hour
Booth Brothers
Brian Free & Assurance
Bowling Family
Greater Vision
Hyssongs
Jeff & Sheri Easter
Jim Brady Trio
Talleys
Whisnants

11th Hour and the Jim Brady Trio are newbies after both being nominated in the new category last year, and Brian Free & Assurance moved categories. Glad to see 11th Hour make the list!

Nomination I would have liked to see - Martins


Soloist
Barker, Pat
Bishop, Mark
Crabb, Jason
Greene, TaRanda
Habedank, Joseph
Ladd, Steve
Mote, Gordon
Parker, Ivan
Parsons, Squire
Penrod, Guy

Pat Barker receives this top 10 nomination after winning new soloist last year. He's the only new one in this category.

Nomination I would have liked to see - Michael English


Young Artist
Bowling, Hope — Bowling Family
Clark, Autumn Nelon — Nelons
Clark, Riley Harrison — Tribute Qt
Easter, Morgan — Jeff & Sheri Easter
Erwin, Katie — Erwins
Gooch, Kari — Karen Peck & New River
Hayes, Kennedy — Mylon Hayes Family
Hopper, Karlye — Hoppers
Johnson, Chandler — Dixie Echoes
Whisnant, Austin — Whisnants

I love that Kennedy Hayes has a nomination here; she's a new face along with Kari Gooch, Katie Erwin and Chandler Johnson.

Nomination I would have liked to see - Andrew Goldman and Amber Eppinette (I think they fit in the age requirements, but could be wrong.)


Tenor
Allman, Chris — Greater Vision
Booth, Michael — Booth Brothers
Clark, Riley Harrison — Tribute Qt
Feemster, Josh — Legacy Five
Free, Brian — Brian Free & Assurance
Haase, Ernie — Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Jenkins, Chris — Anchormen
Martin, Jerry — Kingdom Heirs
Phelps, David — Gaither Vocal Band
Sutton, David — Triumphant Qt

Josh Feemster joined this group, interestingly enough Gus Gaches was the 10th last year.

Nomination I would have liked to see - Not sure I would change any here.


Lead
Booth, Ronnie — Booth Brothers
Bowling, Mike — Bowling Family
Brady, Jim — Jim Brady Trio
Casto, Gary — Tribute Qt
Fowler, Scott — Legacy Five
Hopper, Dean — Hoppers
Inman, Clayton — Triumphant Qt
Rice, Arthur — Kingdom Heirs
Shivers, Bill — Brian Free & Assurance
Wolfe, Gerald — Greater Vision

Mike Bowling and Dean Hopper are both new to this category which I don't understand how they haven't been nominated previously.

Nomination I would have liked to see - Nick Trammell and Chip Pullen

Baritone
Alvey, Brian — Kingdom Heirs
Griffin, Rodney — Greater Vision
Howard, Scott — Legacy Five
Inman, Scott — Triumphant Qt
Lancaster, Paul — Booth Brothers
LeFevre, Mike — LeFevre Qt
Parton, Tim — Jim Brady Trio
Rogers, Mike — Brian Free & Assurance
Singletary, Josh — Tribute Qt
Trammell, Mark — Mark Trammell Qt

Brian Alvey, Paul Lancaster and Tim Parton are the differences from last year.

Nomination I would have liked to see - Daniel Riley


Bass
Bennett, Eric — Triumphant Qt
Byrd, Randy — Mark Trammell Qt
Chapman, Jeff — Kingdom Heirs
Duncan, Tim — Canton Junction
Davis, Anthony — Tribute Qt
Epley, Jon — LeFevre Qt
Fouch, Matt — Legacy Five
Harkey, Paul — Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
Reese, Ray Dean — Kingsmen
West, Chris — Gold City

Jon Epley, Chris West and Tim Duncan are the new faces. Glad to see Chris recognized this year, since Tim Riley was still the nomination for Gold City last year.

Nomination I would have liked to see - Ian Owens

Soprano
Blair, Brooklyn Collingsworth — Collingsworth Family
Bowling, Kelly — Bowling Family
Brady, Melissa — Jim Brady Trio
Erwin, Katie — Erwins
Fortner, Connie — McKameys
Gooch, Karen Peck — Karen Peck & New River
Hopper, Kim — Hoppers
Talley, Lauren — Talleys
Thompson, Amber Nelon — Nelons
Yeary, Sonya Isaacs — Isaacs

Melissa Brady and Katie Erwin both earned nominations this year. Even though Kim Hopper has dominated this category in the past, to me the talent pool of this category is one of the strongest.

Nomination I would have liked to see - Morgan Easter

Alto
Bean, Peg McKamey — McKameys
Bowling, Hope — Bowling Family
Clark, Kelly Nelon — Nelons
Easter, Sheri — Jeff & Sheri Easter
Hopper, Connie — Hoppers
Jackson, Susan Peck — Karen Peck & New River
Metz, Courtney Collingsworth — Collingsworth Family
Stuffle, Libbi — Perrys
Talley, Debra — Talleys
Whisnant, Susan — Whisnants

No changes from last year.

Nomination I would have liked to see - Suzanne Taylor Hise


Musician
Collingsworth, Kim — Collingsworth Family
Hopper, Mike — Hoppers
Ivey, Trey — Legacy Five
Mote, Gordon — Soloist
Parton, Tim — Jim Brady Trio
Singletary, Josh — Tribute Qt
Southard, GW — Triumphant Qt
Stice, Jeff — Soloist
Williams, Kevin — Gaither Vocal Band
Wolfe, Gerald — Greater Vision

Tim Parton is the only change from last year's nominations. It's good to see this category not dominated by pianists with a guitar player and even a drummer!

Nomination I would have liked to see - Matthew Holt and Bryan Elliot


Band
Bowling Family Band
Browders Band
Dixie Echoes Band
Gaither Vocal Band Band
Isaacs Band
Jason Crabb Band
Jeff & Sheri Easter Band
Kingdom Heirs Band
Primitive Qt Band
Southern Raised Band

Dixie Echoes Band and the Jeff & Sheri Easter Band are different from last year. I am really surprised that Jeff & Sheri Easter's band was not on the list last year, definitely worthy of this nomination.

Nomination I would have liked to see - Wouldn't change any

Songwriter
Allman, Chris
Bishop, Mark
Brady, Jim
Crabb, Gerald
Free, Ricky
Griffin, Rodney
Habedank, Joseph
Inman, Scott
Rowland, Kyla
Wilkinson, Dianne

Ricky Free and Kyla Rowland are the new faces here. It's good to see some of the younger generation of songwriters receive nominations.

Nomination I would have liked to see - Kenna Turner West

Album
A New Look — Kingdom Heirs
As We Speak — Greater Vision
Live At Daywind Studios — Jim Brady Trio
Live At Daywind Studios — Tribute Qt
Living in Harmony — Triumphant Qt
Moments Like These — Bowling Family
Pray Now — Karen Peck & New River
Rewind — Mark Trammell Qt
That Day Is Coming — Collingsworth Family
Walk of Faith — Whisnants

Nomination I would have liked to see - Jeff & Sheri Easter's Small Town and the Talleys' After All This Time

Song 
"Amazing God" — Triumphant Qt
"Chain Gang" — Kingdom Heirs
"Jesus, The One" — Hoppers
"Pray Now" — Karen Peck & New River
"Put Out the Fire" — Greater Vision
"That's A Hallelujah" — Legacy Five
"That’s Just What Grace Does" — Brian Free & Assurance
"Those Who Know Me Know" — Tribute Qt
"Worry Ends Where Faith Begins" — Whisnants
"You Asked Him To Leave" — Wilburn & Wilburn

It's interesting that really radio play has little to do with this category. The Browders had the #1 song for two months in a row, but it didn't make the list with fans. "Put Out the Fire" and "Pray Now" were both #1s on the Singing News Top 80 chart. "That's Just What Grace Does" and "You Asked Him to Leave" are definitely new and just starting to make their rounds.

Nominations I would have liked to see -  There are so many I would sub in this category, "Jesus Loves You" (Jeff and Sheri Easter), "As We Speak" (Greater Vision), "Steppin' Out in Faith" (Jim Brady Trio), "Sometimes It Takes a Mountain" (Gaither Vocal Band)

New Artist
Cana’s Voice
Goodman Revival
Guardians
Jay Stone Singers
Kramers
Littles
Lore Family
Sherry Anne
Southern Raised
Williamsons

The Williamsons have received a lot of recognition this year even a #1 song. Cana's Voice has had so much buzz around its start. Some of these groups I wouldn't classify as "new" anymore.

So what about you, what your thoughts on the nominations?

Testimony of God's Faithfulness - Perrys Concert Recap

Sometimes it's good to be reminded of God's faithfulness and goodness. I have only seen the Perrys a couple of times since Tracy Stuffle has returned to the road. Each time, it's been such a testimony to the healing power of God and the perseverance and desire that Tracy has. He has such an inspiring story, and it's incredible seeing how God has worked and how he's falling right back into his role on stage.

The night started with the video testimony "This Is My Story" from NQC. It was a great way to set up the group and the service. Here's a line up of how the night went  -

The Perrys - Andrew Goldman, Troy Peach, Libbi Stuffle,
Tracy Stuffle and Jared Stuffle

• "I Got a Hold of God This Morning" - Great way to start the night. Always been a fan of this song!
• "Still Blessed" 
• "I Rest My Case at the Cross" - This was the song that first drew me in to the Perrys music, so I always love when they stage this one. The thing that really stuck out to me as I was watching was the conviction they sang this song with. It was so apparent with each group member just how much they believed every word of what they were singing. Standing ovation from the congregation.
• "I Know It Was the Blood" - And everyone just stayed on their feet clapping through this song!
• Troy turned over the intros over to Tracy to let him introduce the group members and share wit the group members. Tracy thanked each person who had prayed for him after his stroke before he introduced the group. It was good hearing his humor and quick wit throughout the night especially picking on each member. 
• "When He Comes Walking on the Water" 
• "I Claim the Blood" - Libbi spoke before the song and shared a little bit more of their story. She talked about how Tracy went from being perfectly healthy to their world being turned upside down. She said how easy it is to praise God when everything is going well. When the storms of life blow in that's when you realize how much you take home with you on Sundays. Things don't always turn out how we want, but God always has a plan, we just need to trust. They were able to make it through the trials and storms of life, just like we are, through the blood. 
• "Keep On" - I'm a fan of this song from their latest project. Troy asked the audience to stand and sing along during the chorus. 
• "This Old Sinner Testifies"
• "Both Sides of the River" - Great hearing Troy featured on this song!
• "Did I Mention" - This is probably my favorite song to hear Libbi sing. 
• "If You Knew Him" - It's not a true Perrys concert if they don't sing this song!
• "Whosoever Will" - Loved hearing Andrew sing this song. He's really one of the great lead singers in the industry. 
• "Almost Morning"
• "Holding On To Me"
• "The Unexpected Storm"

The last four songs were all during the time of invitation. The service had a long altar call, but the Perrys kept singing. One thing that impressed me was when Libbi saw that a young girl needed some extra prayer, she came down and prayed with her.

The entire night was a testimony to the faithfulness of God. It was a night full of worship and bringing all honor and glory to God for what He has done. If the Perrys are close to your area, don't miss them!

Changes for the Jim Brady Trio

The Jim Brady Trio announced today that Tim Parton has resigned from the group.

Jim Brady stated, "While it was a surprise to us, it’s no surprise to our Heavenly Father. We know God is in the details, and we’re excited to see His plan unfold for us. We wish Tim the best and ask for your prayers for him, as well as continued prayers and support for us as we seek a replacement."

Former Legacy Five member and Director of Operations at Song Garden Music, Gus Gaches will fill in until a replacement is found. "A big thank you to Song Garden for sharing Gus with us during this time of transition," Jim said.

In Case You Missed It - News and Tidbits - March 12

Here are some news and tidbit items from this week in Southern Gospel -

• Congratulations to Aaron and Suzanne (Taylor) Hise on the birth of their baby girl Adaline Gayle. She was born March 10 and weight 7 lbs. and 5 oz. Mother and baby are doing well!
• Miles Cooper passed away after suffering injuries from a car accident. He sang lead for the Pine Ridge Boys. 
• Martin Cook of the Inspirations had surgery for physicians to put in a pacemaker. He is at home recovering and doing well.
• Chris White of Crossroads Music and Sonlite Records founder will be having open heart surgery on March 18. He will be having a heart valve replacement. Keep him in your prayers.
• The Bowling Family celebrated their #1 song this week, "One Glorious Moment of Faith." The song feature Hope Bowling making her the youngest person to have a #1 in gospel music. 
• Brian Free & Assurance announced that the “VIP Event Packages” for their upcoming fall Unashamed Fan Retreat at Lifeway’s Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina are sold out. Due to demand, a very limited amount of event passes are being released for fans who want to attend this exclusive weekend October 14 – 16, 2016. The pass will allow fans to stay off campus yet still be a part of this monumental event, celebrating a first in the group’s 22 year history.

Anything I've missed?