In this edition of Classic Album Review, we reach back to 1965 to remember a classic by Jake Hess & The Imperials. In late ’63, Hess organized the group with the goal of forming a quartet that would be one of the elite groups in Gospel Music immediately. Along with pianist/arranger/songwriter Henry Slaughter, Hess would enlist baritone Gary McSpadden, tenor vocalist Sherill Nielsen and Armond Morales on bass to round out the group. The inaugural lineup would remain together till 1966, when Nielsen departed and was replaced by Jim Murray. In my opinion, Slaughter Writes, Imperials Sing, was their finest album and the ultimate display of Jake & The Imperials at the top of their game. Each and every song on the album was written and arranged by Slaughter.
Things kick off with a great uptempo quartet song, I’m Gonna Move Up To Heaven, with Hess leading the verses and Nielsen featured on the step out lines on the chorus. The group slows things down a bit with What A Precious Friend Is He, featuring the silky smooth bass of Morales on the second verse. The harmony on the chorus of this song is absolutely impeccable, four part harmony at its finest. Morales is also featured on the first verse of the next cut, I’ll Be There, with Hess singing the second verse. Slaughter himself is featured on the next cut, If The Lord Wasn’t Walking By My Side. Hess takes the feature on There’s A Reason For It All, a song that seemed to be tailor made just for him. Jake was one of the finest stylists to ever sing lead in a quartet, he knew exactly the right touch that a song needed vocally. Side one comes to a conclusion with For Such A Time As This.
The second half of the album kicks off with a Hess standard, God Takes Good Care Of Me. Hess once again struts his stuff on “It’s Worth More Than Anything”, another excellent example of fine quartet singing. Gary McSpadden is featured on the next cut, Then The Answer Came, with Hess & Nielsen taking the first verse and McSpadden the step out lines on the chorus and second verse. Gary once again is featured on I’ll Never Forget, with Hess leading the chorus. Next up, the group tackles another classic, “I’ve Never Loved Him Better”. The album closes out with Nielsen singing “A Place of Peace”.
The inaugural lineup would remain together till 1966, when Nielsen departed and was replaced by Jim Murray. Slaughter would leave in 67, with the late Joe Moscheo (Harmoneers, Prophets) taking his place. The group would release one album that year, To Sing Is The Thing. In 1968, health problems would lead Hess to leave the group, with McSpadden following. Hess would surrender the management of the group to Morales, Murray, and Moscheo, who led the group for the next decade into a new era of Christian music. Although they were only together for two years, Jake Hess & The Imperials cemented their place in the history of Gospel Music as one of the genres most talented groups. If you have this album in your collection, I highly recommend giving it a spin on the turntable once again.
I hope you enjoyed this edition of Classic Album Review, be sure to leave a comment below!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted on a consistent basis, but I hope that all of you have enjoyed my recent activity lately. I plan on this being a recurring thing and blogging as much as I can. One of my favorite segments here on the blog is our Classic Album Review. On today’s edition, we’ll discuss an album that I’m sure of many of you have never heard from a group that flew under the radar of many Gospel Music fans. I have been working on this post for quite some time and I am so glad to finally be able to share this. Priority is a group that was formed in the early 80′ s, at Oklahoma Baptist Bible College by four friends, three of whom would continue to be the nucleus of the group (Scott Crawley, Brian Rose, Kurt Young).
Stylistically, Priority was not your typical Southern Gospel group, in fact Southern Gospel hadn’t even been on their radar. They were more along the lines of an inspirational group, heavily influenced by The Imperials. The group even took their name from the Imps 1980 release. They were signed by Impact Records (then a part of Benson) and mentored by the Imp’s then lead singer, Paul Smith. Their self-titled Impact release also featured a young Kirk Sullivan, who would go on to be a founding member of 4Him. But the group found itself drawn to Southern Gospel by way of The Singing Americans classic recordings “Live and Alive” and “Black and White“.
By the time the group began recording My Redeemer Lives in 1988, the group included Greg Gillette on baritone, with Crawley at lead, Young at tenor, and Rose at bass. My Redeemer Lives was the groups first project with Homeland Records, produced by then label President/Founder Bill Traylor and arranged by Lari Goss. If you have followed this blog for any length of time or have paid attention to my writing, you know my deep admiration for Goss’s work. He is one of the most brilliant minds in our genre. His touch is all over this album, musically speaking.
The project kicks off with a great Phil Cross tune, “Another Heaven Song that features lead singer Crawley on the verses. This is a fantastic toe tapper that gets up and goes. The next cut, Be Gone is a little bit of a different tune. The song features Gillette, Crawley and Young on the verses as well as step out lines for every member of the group.
The third cut is the project’s first ballad, The Lord Alone Is Worthy. A wonderful song of worship that is masterfully arranged by Goss and beautifully sang by Kurt Young.
For Young to be judged as a singer from a 4 month stint with The Cathedrals that did not properly showcase his ability as a vocalist is absolutely unfair, and when one listens to this project they can see why. Young was a brilliant tenor with more of a soulful voice, in the vein of a Steve Perry. When he was put in a position to sing songs that were suited for his voice, he was able to shine as he does so brilliantly on this recording. My Redeemer Lives rightly showcases the talent and ability of Kurt Young that Gospel Music fans should remember. The fourth cut on the project, It’s Still Written Today picks up the pace a bit and is the listeners introduction to bass vocalist, Brian Rose. Rose had a tone and a look reminiscent of Richard Sterban of The Oak Ridge Boys, and was an excellent soloist in his own right.
Holy of Holies is the fifth cut on the project and was released as a single to radio, written by Geron Davis (the writer of Holy Ground). In a recent interview, the project’s producer, Bill Traylor, told of when he first heard the demo of this song. “I was driving over to North Carolina, up in the mountains, on a Friday night at about nine o’ clock. I popped in a cassette of songs that I was listening to for Priority. When I came up to “Holy Of Holies”, I remember just flipping out. This was in the early days of cell phones, but I had one. I called the my fpublisher at home and told him to put that song on hold for Priority. It’s such an incredible, rich song, I still love it to this day.” Lead singer Scott Crawley shared an interesting account of the recording of the song. “We lived in Oklahoma at the time and had to drive to Nashville. I couldn’t talk, and I had to sing “Holy of Holies”. I slept that night underneath a vaporizer. I went into the studio that morning; I couldn’t talk but whenever it came to sing, I was able to sing. And as soon as I got done singing, I couldn’t speak. It was almost as though God performed that song.” When one listens to the song with this in mind, there is no doubt that Crawley’s performance is inspired and empowered. It also brought the group some industry attention, as it was nominated for a Dove Award in the Best Recorded Inspirational Song in 1990.
Another ballad kicks off the second half of the project, My Redeemer Lives, which was the title track. Another song written by Phil and Carolyn Cross, Young is once again showcased and shines brilliantly. The orchestration is superb and each modulation is done to perfection. The tempo picks back up with Jesus Is A Friend Of Mine which features Rose. The next cut, The Test of Time, was a song that was recorded by quite a few groups back in the 80’s, written by Savanna Foust. The Priority cut features Gillette, who turns in quite a soulful interpretation. The group tackles a cover of “Operator” that is fantastic. The arrangement starts out acapella and the band and Young kick the song up a notch into the first verse. This song showcases a side that Cathedrals fans have never heard of Kurt Young. Young is flat out ripping on this song, holding nothing back and doing whatever vocal moves he wanted. The recording closes with an absolutely fantastic arrangement of “Holy, Holy, Holy”.
This project truly had it all, fantastic song selection,solid arrangements, moving orchestrations and great vocal performances. So with a project this great, it makes the listener to wonder why many have never heard it? When I posed that question to Crawley, he stated, “We were definitely in a contemporary vein when it wasn’t really accepted within Southern Gospel. The only reason that album didn’t catch on and move was it was caught in a niche between Inspirational and Southern Gospel, and there really wasn’t a market for it yet.” This recording was truly ahead of its time. There’s no doubt in mind that if this project was to be released today, it would be one of the most popular recordings in 2014. The greatest testimony to a work by any artist is that it stands the test of time. My Redeemer Lives does just that, after 25 years it still is just as fantastic and moving as it was the day it was recorded on tape.
Although Priority would continue for several years, changes were rampant in the group and they were never quite able to keep the momentum of My Redeemer Lives going. The group recorded another project with Young, “Does Jesus Ever Cross Your Heart” (which was produced by Mark Trammell & Roger Talley). However, Young departed the group shortly after its release to join The Cathedrals. Rose & Crawley would continue on with lead singer Dale Forbes (Anchormen, Singing Americans) and tenor Terry Edwards to record another project, “Wake Up Church“. After his short stint with The Cats, Young would return to the group but they never truly recaptured the magic found on this recording. But even to this day, My Redeemer Lives is still a showcase of a versatile, young quartet that could sing any style and get the job done. I highly recommend tracking down a copy of this project, if you’re able. You won’t regret it! My special thanks to Scott Crawley and Bill Traylor for their invaluable insight and help in putting together this article. I hope you’ve enjoyed this Classic Album Review!
The subject of today’s classic album review is from a lineup that I was to my shame, unaware of until a few months ago.Whenever I thought of The Sound from Houston, Texas, the name that first came to mind for me & many others is
The Sound L-R, Jess Farmer, Rick Strickland, Sean Riley, Pat Hoffmaster, David Foster
Scott Fowler (Cathedrals & Legacy Five). Mike Presnell (best known for his days with Perfect Heart) was the groups bass singer at that time, and later members also included included former L5 tenor, Frank Seamans. But what many, including me, did not know is that long before the days of Fowler & Presnell, there were 2 other well known & accomplished singers that helped establish the group.
Those two men were Pat Hoffmaster, former tenor for the legendary Blackwood Brothers Quartet on lead, and Rick Strickland on tenor, who was fresh from his tenure with the Singing Americans, and would later sing with the Kingdom Heirs & J.D. Sumner & The Stamps. The rest of the group was rounded out by Sean Riley on baritone, Jess Farmer on bass, and David Foster on piano, who also was their arranger. “The World Needs To Hear” was their first project, and was produced by the master maestro himself, the one & only Lari Goss.
A little history on the group reveals some interesting changes. When recording started on “The World Needs To Hear”, the lineup was Hoffmaster singing tenor, Kent Morrison on lead, with Foster supplying some baritone, and Farmer on bass. This lineup recorded 2 songs, before Riley would take over the baritone, and Strickland joined as the groups tenor, allowing Hoffmaster to sing lead.
The album starts with a great, uptempo quartet number “Blessed Shall You Be”. Hoffmaster carries the lead through the verses and first chorus, then Strickland takes over on the second chorus to the songs end. The group establishes a great, high harmony & tight vocals right off the bat, a preview of things to come throughout the album. The next cut “I Gave Up”, features Hoffmaster on the lead. Even though this is a totally 80’s song, it has a great jazzy feel, and Hoffmaster just kills it. The most recognizable song that this group recorded is the third song, “Here Comes The Bride”. Hoffmaster sings the first verse, Strickland the second, then each member sings a line of the third verse. The song ends with a powerful high ending, that is nothing short of breath taking. Both Hoffmaster & Strickland had such incredible ranges, producing the sky high lead & tree top tenor vocals, reminiscent of the Prophets (similar to that of Jay Berry or Roy McNeil & “Big Lew” Garrison”)
Next up is “I Got An Old Time Religion”. My first exposure to this song was through Perfect Heart, who recorded it on their 1992 release, “Looking For The Wounded” The Sound’s arrangement differs mainly, because of a great ragtime intro. This was one of the first songs recorded and features Kent Morrison on lead vocals, whp does a great job. Closing out Side 1 is “Bought By The King”. This song is nothing short of Awesome, with Farmer singing the first section of both verses, with Riley taking the second half of the 1st verse & Hoffmaster doing the same on the 2nd verse, and he knocks it out of the park. The ending of the song is absolutely powerful, with Strickland taking up the key change and intensity. The Kingdom Heirs would record this (with Strickland on tenor) on their “Live At Dollywood” project, but their arrangement doesn’t come close to the brilliance of this recording.
Side 2 begins with “I’m Gonna Be Ready”, a great uptempo features bass vocalist Farmer on the verses. Farmer does a nice job on the verses, and the group kills it on the chorus. Next up is, “Mender Of Broken Wings”. This was the other song recorded with Kent Morrison on lead, and a highlight of the recording featuring Hoffmaster. This song has been a favorite of mine for years (a regional group here in Michigan that I loved called Crimson sang this song and did a fantastic job). At the time of its recording, Hoffmaster’s cancer was in remission, so this song was very special to him. He sings this song with such feeling, and turns in an absolutely outstanding performance. If you’re a fan of Pat Hoffmaster or fantastic quartet singing, you must hear this song!
Following such a huge song is the toe tapping, quartet song, “We Shall Reign”. The group sings the first verse and chorus, with nice step out parts for Strickland & Hoffmaster. Next up is another great moving song, “Hill Of Hope”, featuring Riley on the verses, that talks about how Calvary offers hope for the lost & undone soul without Christ. There’s a key change and some great harmony on the tag. The recording closes with the lone Rick Strickland feature, “Let’s Cross Over To Jesus’ Side”. Strickland sings the verses with great feeling, and the group provides some great harmony on the chorus. Its a great song to close out the recording and extremely well done by the group.
I had read that some fans considered this album to be on the same level as The Singing Americans iconic “Black And White”. While that is a big statement to make, “The World Needs To Hear” was a fantastic album with great song selection, outstanding vocals and fabulous production. As for this lineup of The Sound, they didn’t last much longer. Hoffmaster, Strickland, and Foster would move to Nashville and continue as a trio called Exodus, with Steve Hurst (the vocal coach) on baritone. They released a Christmas EP, Cherish that is quite fantastic itself. Sadly, Hoffmaster would pass away in 1988. Although they were together briefly, “The World Needs To Hear” is an album that should be in the library of any true fan of Gospel Music.
My special thanks to David Foster for providing his invaluable insight & help for this article. I hope you’ve enjoyed this Classic Album Review!
There had never been a group like Perfect Heart. They exploded onto the Gospel Music scene back in 1991. Their very first single, “Somebody Touched The Lord”, skyrocketed to Number 1 on the charts, a feat which no group had accomplished before or has since. The initial lineup (Danny Funderburk at tenor, Dale Shipley at lead, Mark Lanier at baritone, Mike Presnell at bass, and Jeff Stice at piano) rode a wave of popularity and were at the pinnacle of their popularity.
But 1994 would bring a drastic change to the group. Funderburk, the groups most popular member, would depart the group, and bring the first real personnel change in the groups history. The group replaced the beloved tenor with another well-known tenor, Garry Sheppard, formerly of the Kingsmen. It was a shock to many in the industry that the beloved and respected Funderburk would be replaced by “Squeaky”, as he was named by Jim Hamill.
On Time God, released in 1995, was an important album for Perfect Heart, and it is one of their best. The material recorded on this album is some of the best in the groups history. Theres A King On The Way featuring Mark Lanier, one of the best and most underrated baritones in the history of Gospel Music. The song was the projects first single, and one of the albums most well-known tracks. Mercy Sent Grace is an excellent song, featuring Shipley, who has been noted as one of the most sorely missed voices in Gospel Music, and I could not agree more.
God’s Been There Before features Presnell, and Sheppard respectively on the verses, and showcases a great, jazzy, group blend on the chorus, also highlighted by the piano artistry of Stice. Up There Somewhere, which has also been recorded by the Booth Brothers in recent years, features Sheppard, and it shocked many who heard it at first. A tender vocal, delivered brilliantly by Sheppard, was something people would have expected from Funderburk, not Sheppard. On Time God features some of Sheppard’s finest vocal performances.
Next up is another great cut. The Well, with Lanier and Sheppard featured on the verses. This one has a great western opening, borrowed from the Sons of the Pioneers. The next two cuts show off the singing machine that is Dale Shipley, the title track which is a straight ahead gospel song, and The Rose Arose, a power ballad written by Phil Cross, Lanier & Sheppard, which Shipley knocks out of the park. If anyone wants to know the definition of a powerhouse lead singer, you must look up Dale Shipley. Whether it’s a slow song, big ballad or straight ahead quartet singing, Shipley could flat out sing any style and sing with power.
Glorybound is a great quartet number, featuring Presnell on the second verse. Then Sheppard steps up to the mic, on What A Wonderful Day, and it is smooth, crooning tenor, that is a highlight of the recording. People who heard this song often would ask, “Is this the same Garry Sheppard that sang with The Kingsmen?” This group has an awesome blend on this song, and it is a fine recording. Home is a great group number, featuring Presnell on the 2nd verse. The album then closes with an a capella rendition of God Be With You Till We Meet Again.
This lineup was one of the best of the 90’s and IMO this recording is a must have. If you’re new to Southern Gospel or your knowledge of the genre only dates back to 2000, do yourself a favor and find a copy of On Time God. You’ll be glad you did.
One of my new hobbies lately has been transferring some of my father’s old lps to cd. About a year ago, I heard The Goss Brothers sing “After All” on a video on YouTube, and I fell in love with this group. The Goss boys (James, Roni, and Lari) started singing in the early 1960’s through 1980, due to James tragic death in airplane accident. Their harmonies and arrangements were so far ahead of their time, (imagine the Booth Brothers in the 60’s) and still sound fresh today. I was born in 1984, so unfortunately I was not alive when The Goss Brothers were singing.
I combed through my Dad’s records and sadly found no Goss Brothers albums in his collection. I searched online, and found a few albums, but could not seem to get them. Then a couple months ago, someone at church gave Dad a box full of lp’s (his love of Gospel Music and the stereo in his office at church are known by all), that contained a Goss Brothers album! So I’m so delighted to have this album, now on cd, and to review it here. Revival Favorites seems to be a collection of songs the Brothers sang in many of the churches they appeared at, and is an excellent album.
The recording starts off with the Joel Hemphill penned, Pity The Man, featuring Roni. Roni is featured on the next two songs of the recording, carrying the lead on Will The Cricle Be Unbroken, and a splendid version of the Dottie Rambo classic, He Looked Beyond My Fault. Lari is featured on the next selection, No One Ever Cared Like Jesus. The song features just Lari’s vocal and piano work. Its so cool to hear the familiar Lari Goss piano artistry that is so uniquely his, on record 40 years prior! His vocal performance is also brilliant, providing just the right touch. The next cut, Empty Hands, is a song that was new to me, yet has become one of my favorites on the record, and what a blend these brothers had! James is featured on the last selection of Side 1, He Touched Me.
Side 2 begins with another one of my favorite cuts, I Shall Be At Home With Jesus. I love the arrangement, and the blend of the brothers on this song. James is featured on the next song, Till The Storm Passes By, and does a superb job. Roni is featured on Fill My Cup, Lord, and turns in a wonderully moving, and powerful vocal. This song is also vocal and piano only, and Lari’s piano work on this track is absolute dynamite. Sometimes It Seems, the next track is another favorite of mine, with Lari & Roni taking the 1st & 2nd verses respectively, and James taking the chorus and ending. This song is a beautiful illustration of their harmony and great arranging. The album ends with a great song & recitation piece, featuring Lari, entitled The King & The Beggar.
All in all, this is an awesome album! I was wondering if I would enjoy this album as much as I thought I would, and it certainly did not disappoint. If you have any of the Goss Brothers music, dust off those old lp’s and give them a listen. I hope this is not the last Goss Brothers recording I get to hear!
One of my favorite hobbies is digging through the lps my dad has collected through the years and finding some gems. My fathers love for Southern Gospel dates back to the 1960’s, when groups like the Blackwood Brothers, Statesmen, and J.D. Sumner and The Stamps were on top of their game. I not only heard that music as a kid, but also the great groups of the current time, which as early as I could remember, was the late 80’s.
My favorite group of all time, and I make no apologies for it, is the 1980’s lineup of the Cathedrals, that featured George Younce, Glen Payne, with Mark Trammell at baritone and Danny Funderburk at tenor, with Roger Bennett at the piano. Distinctively, was released around 1984, andwas the first album to feature Danny with the group. This was a table project that was released as a lp and cassette, and to my knowledge left alone after that.
I basically grew up on this record and it is one of my ultimate favorite albums, so I had it converted to cd recently, and I cannot stop listening to it! The tracks featured on this album are , I’m Happy In The Lord Anyway, Who Am I, John The Revelator, Thanks To Calvary, Even So Lord Jesus Come, He’s A Personal Savior, Cheer The Weary Traveler, Whiter Than Snow, When Jesus Comes, It It Keeps Getting Better and Better.
If you ever have the opportunity to pick up a copy, or this is in your library already, pick it up and give it a listen!
If you have followed Gospel Music for any length of time, than you are most certainly familiar with the name, Squire Parsons. Squire is, undoubtedly, a legend in our genre. As a vocalist, he is known for his time with the legendary Kingsmen Quartet, and his longevity as a soloist. As a songwriter, he has written many powerful & iconic songs, such as “Sweet Beulah Land”, “Look For Me At Jesus Feet” (the Booth Brothers version of this song was voted of the year several years ago), “Hello Mama”, “I’m Not Giving Up”, “I Sing Because”, and so much more.
Traveling with Squire the last several years has been his youngest son, Sam. Although Squire has always had a trio on the road with him through the years, recent health issues, including being diagnosed with lukemia, have caused Squire to lean more upon Sam, featuring him more on a nightly basis. This cd features Sam singing some of his father’s more popular songs along with a few that may be new to most listeners. There are also a nice trio of songs that feature both father & son. And Squire included a new song of his, that I believe everyone needs to hear.
The record starts off with Sam singing, “Jesus Can Turn It Around”, an up tempo number that is a great selection. One thing a listener will notice is that Sam has a very soulful quality to his voice, a lot of feeling and empathy that comes across in his performances. The second song on the disc, “Through All These Years”, is a prime example. This is a song that was actually written by David Huntsinger & Gary McSpadden, and Sam does a fabulous job on it. Sam goes on to sing several more popular songs, (including I’m Not Giving Up, The Greatest of All Miracles, He Brought Me Through). Father & Son are featured on “His Great Love”, “The Little Carpenter”, and the classic “Look For Me At Jesus Feet”.
Squire is featured on about 3 older songs, “I Have to Sing”, “I Want To Walk With My Lord”, and “I Shall Dwell In The House of The Lord”. The song that is the must hear of this project is “I’m Still Here”. This is Squire’s testimony of his hospital room experience, when he was diagnosed wtih lukemia. This is a powerful song, even though the recording is great, you need to hear Squire live and tell the story behind this song.
I can highly recommend this great cd, you will not regret adding this to your musical library. You can purchase it at www.squireparsons.com. It is also available for download on iTunes.
Things kick off with a great uptempo quartet song, I’m Gonna Move Up To Heaven, with Hess leading the verses and Nielsen featured on the step out lines on the chorus. The group slows things down a bit with What A Precious Friend Is He, featuring the silky smooth bass of Morales on the second verse. The harmony on the chorus of this song is absolutely impeccable, four part harmony at its finest. Morales is also featured on the first verse of the next cut, I’ll Be There, with Hess singing the second verse. Slaughter himself is featured on the next cut, If The Lord Wasn’t Walking By My Side. Hess takes the feature on There’s A Reason For It All, a song that seemed to be tailor made just for him. Jake was one of the finest stylists to ever sing lead in a quartet, he knew exactly the right touch that a song needed vocally. Side one comes to a conclusion with For Such A Time As This. 
Fuson's Findings 