The Montgomery Family will be performing four concerts in Kentucky from Sept. 19-22. From left are Lisa Montgomery Simpson, Jeff Simpson and Robin Montgomery Stegall. (Photo furnished)

By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com

The Montgomery Family, of Monroe, North Carolina, will be making their first concert tour of Kentucky soon and they are excited for the opportunity.

“We have been to Kentucky to attend the National Quartet Convention, but only as spectators as a family,” says Robin Montgomery Stegall, the oldest daughter of Harold and Rhonda Montgomery who started the family group in 1971. “Since we are bi-vocational, we take one week a year to expand our territory. This is the first time doors have opened in Kentucky, but hopefully not the last time!”

The Montgomerys will taking a short tour the state, singing at Mayslick Lighthouse Church (Flemingsburg-Maysville area) on Sept. 19, then going well across the state for a concert at Lick Branch Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Glasgow on Sept. 21 and singing at Chestnut Grove Baptist Church of Lewisport (Owensboro-Hawesville area) for morning worship Sept. 22 and closing the tour at Sand Spring Baptist Church, near Lawrenceburg, that night.

While The Montgomery Family has never performed as a group in Kentucky before, the group is well known along the East Coast and has worked in mission trips to Canada. The members of the group hold down other jobs outside the ministry. Robin works in HVAC sales while her sister, Lisa Montgomery Simpson, is a homemaker. Lisa’s husband, Jeff Simpson, is a CPA.

Harold and Rhonda Montgomery started the music ministry in their home of Monroe, N.C. and the group has been serving ever since. Harold passed away in 2009, but Rhonda still appears with the group, playing piano, when they are close to their home. The Montgomery Family now utilizes accompaniment tracks for covers of many of the great gospel classics. The group’s website, www.themontgomerytrio.com, carries links to performances of “He Looked Beyond My Fault” and “Sheltered in the Arms of God.”

“We go way back with some of the covers, so some believe it’s new,” Robin Stegall said in an email.

The group’s website says, “The Montgomery Family works to set the mood for worship, whether it is leading up to a message by a speaker, and certainly try to lead all their programs to a time of invitation even in a concert setting. Their concerts utilize a mix of soundtracks, as well as some music with the piano or a cappella. The program will include some of today’s favorite current gospel songs, as well as some of the classics in hopes that something will appeal to every generation in your congregation.”

While the group has never appeared in Kentucky before, it has connections with some of the most well-known groups in Southern Gospel. Robin says she has appeared with The Hoppers, The Speers, and Mike Speck choral parts of National Quartet Convention.

The groups appearances will be free admission but a love offering will be taken with each performance.

Montgomery Family Kentucky Tour

Sept. 19    Mayslick Lighthouse Church, 6682 U.S. 68, Mayslick, Ky., 7 p.m., EDT.

Sept. 21    Lick Branch Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 7318 Lecta-Kino Road, Glasgow, Ky, 6:30 p.m., CDT

Sept. 22    Chestnut Grove Baptist Church, 967 South Chestnut Grove Road, Lewisport, Ky., 10 a.m., CDT.

Sept. 22    Sand Spring Baptist Church, 1616 Harrodsburg Road, Lawrenceburg, Ky., 7 p.m. EDT.