Change For The Blackwood Gospel Quartet

The BGQ announced today that tenor singer Daniel Childs will be coming off the road due to health reasons. From the SoGospelNews article by the group:

We regret to announce that Daniel, our tenor singer, has decided to leave life on the road due to health reasons. With the uncle/nephew relationship between Mark and Daniel, parting wasn't easy. There was always the possibility of him carrying the Blackwood heritage into the next generation, and that possibility was just beginning to flourish. It's true that Daniel's heart has always been in music, but his passion is in church worship, rather than quartet music.

I enjoyed the sound Daniel gave the group in his stint with them, and I wish him well in his future endeavors.

While the group looks for a tenor, Paul Lancaster will be filling in. For those interested in auditioning:

If you are interested, please send a demo, a picture of yourself and a bio to the address below, or simply e-mail it to davidmannmusic@gmail.com .

Blackwood Gospel Quartet
PO Box 22128
Knoxville, Tennessee 37933

JOY FM To Broadcast Live Concerts This Weekend

For those of you that, like me, wanted to attend the Freedom Celebration in DC this weekend but were unable to, you'll be glad to know you can still listen to the concerts. Daniel Britt and Wanda Taylor of JOY FM will be hosting live radio broadcasts of the concerts this weekend. You can tune in on the radio or online at their website for concerts featuring Legacy Five, Greater Vision, and The Pfeifers, and guest speakers Col. Oliver North and Dennis Swanberg.

Times for the broadcasts are as follows:
Friday, July 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 4 at 10 a.m.
Saturday, July 4 at 6:00 p.m.

Mark Trammell Trio Names New Tenor

I had heard rumblings of a new MTT tenor (but no name), and now it's been confirmed. Via Daniel Mount (h/t), they've hired Joel Wood of the Daybreak Quartet.

I haven't heard Joel yet, so I can't meaningfully comment on how he will sound. However, I was just recently asked to review Daybreak's new Hymns project, which features Joel on tenor. Expect that review, and my further thoughts on this news, sometime next week.

Update: Here is the official press release from MTT:

We are excited to announce that our new tenor is twenty nine year old Joel Wood from Phenix City, AL. Joel formerly sang with the Daybreak Quartet from the Atlanta, Ga area. We welcome Joel, his wife Melissa and their four boys....yes FOUR boys. Tyler, 10. Brayden, 7. Jaxon, 3, and Cameron, 9 months. What a joy to have this wonderful addition to the Mark Trammell Trio . Please join us as we welcome Joel and his beautiful family! Joel's first official date will be July 10 in Sikes, La. We believe that this is God's man for the next chapter in the ministry of the Mark Trammell Trio.

Joel, we are glad you're here!

Blessings,
Mark Trammell

News Roundup

Hey, everybody! Great to be back in the blogosphere after a nice break. Let's look at a rundown of things I missed:

1. Brian Free & Assurance Hires New Baritone - The second in a string of personnel changes to be completed, BF&A hired Randy Crawford (h/t, Singing News) to fill the position left by Derrick Selph.

You may remember Randy from his days with The Kingsmen/Carolina Boys, and most recently, The Toney Brothers. He also had an earlier stint with BF&A in the 90s as lead singer, singing hits such as "Who Is This King" and "What A Difference A Day Makes." It has been observed that such a hiring is similar to what The Kingsmen did with Bryan Hutson. It will be very interesting to hear how the group's harmony rounds out now, with a lead singer as baritone, a tenor as lead, and a sky-high singer singing tenor!

2. Frank Seamans Rumors Settled - There have been rumors flying for some time now that Frank Seamans was leaving Legacy Five. Thanks to L5girl-N-TX over at SN Forums, the truth to the situation is finally out:

"...Ok, I got to talk to Frank Friday night. I just told him that I'd heard some rumors going around about him leaving the group and I wanted to hear from him if he was.

He said that in several weeks Frank Jr is going to have to be in the hospital for a month. He said that him staying depends on how Frank Jr is after that. He said if he is gets good results and he's doing alright he'll stay, but if something happens his son needs to be his #1 priority. As much as I don't want him to leave, I completely understand. He told me that he just felt like he had to be honest with Scott about it, because if something happened with his son and he was still with the group he didn't want to have be in the position where L5 needed him and he also needed to be with Frank Jr. He said that they had checked in to some possibilities of either a temporary or replacement tenor.

So as of right now he's not leaving. They just have to keep in mind the possibility of needing another tenor. He said they're just praying and waiting on what God leads them to do. But he did tell me that unless something happens where he has to leave or unless God leads him to do something else, he would NEVER leave! He said he loves what he does and really believes this is what God has lead him to do.

He just asked that we please pray for his son. And we all REALLY need to keep Frank and Frank Jr in our prayers regularly. I know I'm definitely gonna be spending alot more time on my knees on their behalf. The whole family needs to be in our prayers. I know it's got to be trying on Frank's faith and not always easy to put up a strong front.

I just want him to know that we love him and are praying for him. I'm really believing God will work a miracle for him..."

Speaking of Legacy Five, they have several new projects coming out in the next couple of months, one being their next Daywind release. It is entitled Just Stand, and is being produced by Lari Goss. That said, it should be one of the best projects they've ever done.

They are also coming out with a new DVD called Legacy Five: Live At Oak Tree which will be studio footage capturing songs from their Decades project. Another project, entitled Jubilee, is a joint effort between L5, Greater Vision, and The Booth Brothers, and it will feature the three groups singing SG classics.

Vacation

I'll be on vacation all of next week, so I probably won't be updating the blog in that time. Hopefully nothing big will happen while I'm gone! See y'all when I get back!

Gold City Announces New Tenor

There's been much speculation and guesswork lately in the SG world as to who would succeed Steve Ladd's position in Gold City, and today, that question was answered in a press release at SGN:

Gadsden, AL - Gold City announced today that their new tenor will be Chris Cooper. Chris, a native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., has been involved in Gospel Music for the past 12 years, singing with numerous groups.

“I’ve been praying for a change in my life,” stated Chris. “I had given no thought of going back on the road — little did I know that my dream job was on the way! I am extremely excited about this opportunity.”

Chris and his wife, Kristin, have been married for four years. They have two children, Kylie, 3, and Kaden, 2.

“We had a lot of great singers apply for this job," said group manager Daniel Riley. "It was a really tough decision but in the end I felt like Chris was best equipped vocally, and after much prayer, it was clear that he was the man for this position. He has a very unique voice and I believe people will like the sound.”

Chris’ first date with Gold City will be July 1st at Tusculum Hills Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee.

I have to admit, when the Dan Keeton Quartet recently disbanded, I thought Dan was headed to GC. (Now, I think he'd fit in with the Mark Trammell Trio. Just a thought.)

Chris will sound just as good with Gold City, though. You may remember him from N'Harmony, Safe Harbor or from when he filled in on tenor for Legacy Five when they were searching for a replacement for Tony Jarman. For those unfamiliar, here's a clip of him with the group he just left, The Melodyaires.



And here's another of that group singing a Gold City song, "That Little Baby".



(Both Youtube clips are much better sounding in HQ.)

Update: Nate over at Burke's Brainwork has another good clip of Chris.

The Mike LeFevre Quartet Retires Name

From the press release on SGN:

Atlanta, GA, June 16, 2009 — In a bold move, the LeFevre Quartet announced their decision to retire the family name with the recent passing of matriarch Eva Mae LeFevre. The group will be known as "Priority".

A partnership, forged barely four years ago, established a sound and set in motion a number of unprecedented milestones. Within months of forming, fans voted them Horizon Group of the Year at the 2006 Singing News Fan Awards because of what they heard and saw in them. The following year came Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award. Next came television appearances on Dr. Charles Stanley's popular In Touch program, a 2009 Dove Award nomination and recordings along the way that simply raised the bar for an entire genre.

This move comes in response to a request by some LeFevre family members to discontinue the name when Eva Mae was no longer able to travel. In a statement, Priority (Stacy Bragg, Gus Gaches, Mike LeFevre, and David Staton) said:

"We were able to honor a name that had such an influence on gospel music in America. On nearly every recording we’ve done, we re-recorded a classic LeFevre tune as a sort of tribute."

Recognizing that now is the time for them to impact this generation of gospel music fans and the twenty-first century church, the group hopes to solidly establish their identity as "Priority". The name is a reflection of who they are, what they're about, why they do what they do, where they're headed, and how they've gotten this far.

"Life is about relationships and priorities. God has blessed so much, and certainly not because we've done anything to deserve or earn His favor. So we want our relationships to take priority—with Him, our families, our churches, and each other."

There are no personnel changes and no changes in musical style, just a new name. The group will still travel with a live band consisting of Jordan LeFevre and Trey Ivey. Audiences will continue to hear the trademark harmony and talented musicians.

In light of the recent passing of Eva Mae LeFevre, this is a very classy move. It honors the memory of one of Southern Gospel Music's finest ladies, while still allowing the group to establish their own identity.

The group has already shown us they are capable of awesome things, producing one of 2008's best projects with Nothin' But Good. I am certainly looking forward to hearing more from Priority.