Zack Shelton says group’s farewell concert to be a time of praise and thanksgiving

By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com

MADISON, Ind. – Zack Shelton & 64 to Grayson has never been a conventional gospel singing group. 

Not when the group formed at Kentucky Christian University. 

Not when it was traveling across more than 20 states, playing anything from local festivals – think the Swamp Cabbage Festival in Florida or the Delta Chicken Festival in Ohio – to summer camps and churches big and small.

Not when you try to pinpoint the group’s genre, either. There’s a heavy dose of country, some bluegrass, some rock, some contemporary Christian and even an old hymn or two in the repertoire.

So it should come as no surprise that Zack Shelton & 64 to Grayson’s farewell concert isn’t exactly like other goodbye concerts either. For starters, tickets aren’t exorbitantly priced – they’re free. In addition, every person who attends the farewell will receive one of the group’s CDs.

“This feels like a celebration of the life of 64 to Grayson,” Shelton said from his office at North Madison Christian Church, where he now serves as worship pastor. “We want to take a moment to thank those who were with us from the beginning.”

The farewell concert, cleverly dubbed “This Is Our Exit,” will take place on Saturday, Sept. 16 at North Madison. The concert begins at 6:00 p.m., EDT, with doors opening 30 minutes earlier.

Shelton formed the group while he was a student at KCU, from which he graduated in 2013. Shelton teamed up with his buddy, guitarist Craig Cunningham, David Watson and Laura Jones Henry, who would later be named Miss Kentucky.

Besides Shelton, Cunningham will be the only one to remain with 64 to Grayson until the final note is played or sung.

There were personnel changes over the years, but by 2019, it was becoming obvious to Shelton, Cunningham and Tiffany Baker, a fiddle player who had become part of the group a few years before, that the days of 200 dates a year had to end.

“We just knew,” Shelton said. “By early 2019, my wife (Lindsay) and I were getting ready to have our second baby. Craig and his wife (Courtney) were expecting. We just knew.”

Soon after that, Zack was relocating from Florence, Ky, where the band called home, to Madison for his current ministry. His family has since welcomed a third child.

Craig was on his way to Sardinia (Ohio) Church of Christ, where he still serves, while Tiffany stayed in Florida to help with her family’s business.

The group got together when it could but the logistical realities meant those times were limited to a handful each year. Finally, 64 to Grayson decided to have one last evening together as a group.  Shelton says that Cunningham and Baker along with former members David McGuire, Zeb Faulkner and Rebecca Moll are all expected to be on stage on the North Madison stage on Sept. 16.

Shelton says it will be a night of praise, worship and reflection of how God has used 64 to Grayson.

“Craig and I were next door roomies my first year at KCU,” Shelton said. “While we were there, we were always pulling pranks.”

And upon graduation in2013, 64 to Grayson quickly learned lessons about life and the Lord’s provision. 

“We kind of got to hit the ground running,” Shelton smiled as he reflected on the opportunity dreamt by many but realized by few. “We were able to sing and write music.”

The crowds could be large or small and the audiences could be anything from an inner-city gathering in Florida to a small church in rural Indiana. But through it all, the band lived on faith, playing the 200 dates a year they needed to continue. 

“My dad (Tom Shelton) has been in ministry over 40 years. He did a lot of our booking,” Zack explained. 

There were also numerous church camps and many congregations would have 64 to Grayson return on a yearly basis. “The Lord always provided,” Shelton said. “We always had food on our plates and a roof over our heads.”

The band developed quite a following in Florida, spending much of the winter circuit in The Sunshine State. Shelton laughs as he tells the story of being in need of another band member while there. He was introduced to Baker, an accomplished violinist, while on tour and she was soon invited to be a part of 64 to Grayson. “We were down there for three months and ended up with a fiddle player,” he said with a laugh.

God continued to provide, even when the group made the decision to stop touring. Less than a year later, COVID-19 became part of Americans’ vocabulary and touring artists were largely shut down. But by that time, Shelton and Cunningham had settled into their ministries and Baker was able to work with her family. 

Shelton says his time on the road has helped him become a better worship pastor. “I definitely learned to listen to different opinions,” he smiled. “And I learned that people communicate differently. There were some churches we would go to where people were sharing and hugging before the service. Some places, they are out as soon as it is over. 

“When we were on the road, we played the same songs for different people.  Now it’s the same people and different songs.”

But one thing never changed: Zack Shelton & 64 to Grayson’s only mission was to lift the name of Jesus. In fact, Shelton wrote a powerful song, “Audience of One” for the band’s last CD, Between the Pews, released in 2018. The second verse of the song says …

“When I don’t feel that my faith has moved a mountain

That my song has changed a heart

That my story is worth telling, or that it even had a start

I think back, to how Jesus’ life began

He was here to die for me

Now I’m here to live for Him.”

— “Audience of One” by Zack Shelton

Shelton says that will always be the case regardless of where he is. “We are still doing music but in a different context now,” he says.

And could a reunion happen in the future?

“This (concert) isn’t to say we will never play again. I can’t see any farther than my headlights,” Shelton smiled. 

Shelton is expecting a packed house of about 750 in the North Madison auditorium for the last exit but he says the size of the crowd isn’t what matters. It never has. 

It’s about the Audience of One.

“It doesn’t matter where we are. Our desire is to praise God and present the truth in music.”

IF YOU PLAN TO GO

Zack Shelton & 64 to Grayson’s Farewell Concert is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. at North Madison Christian Church, 1400 East State Road 62, Madison, Ind. Tickets are free, but as of Sept. 5, less than 200 remain.  To reserve tickets, call the church office at 812-273-1601.

Opening the concert will be Chasing Judah, of which 64 to Grayson’s Craig Cunningham is a member.

All attendees will receive a free CD.  Shelton says a special shirt featuring the name of every town the band played during its seven years on the road is also available but should be pre-ordered through the 64 to Grayson Facebook page. 

IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND

The 64 to Grayson Farewell Concert will be live streamed on the band’s Facebook page.