After some time of transition, Chris Bryant’s journey has been better than he could ask for

By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. – To say Chris Bryant has experienced some changes over the last two years is kind of like saying Pigeon Forge is a Tennessee tourist attraction.

It’s a bit of an understatement. Just a little bit.

He’s left a job he loved. He started a career he loved.

Then, with inkling on how things would play out, Bryant wound up in what he calls “The best job in gospel music.”

And in between some of those changes, Bryant also married the girl he loves.

Before taking the stage at Sand Spring Baptist Church on February 8, Bryant could only smile broadly about the head-turning changes in his life and where he believes God led over a span of about 15 months.

“I was with The Kingsmen for four years,” recalls Bryant of his time with that legendary Southern Gospel quartet. “I was there from June 2018 to June 2022. It was actually four years to the day from my first concert to my last concert.”

And it was during that time of singing lead for one of the industry’s most popular groups that Bryant became a household name among gospel music fans, delivering new music along with Kingsmen classics.

But change was in the air and while laying the groundwork for a promising solo career, Bryant married Rachel Sellars, another gospel singer. “She had sung in a women’s group, Sacred Calling,” Bryant said. “We met at the NQC several years ago. Then a couple of years later, we just resurfaced. We will be coming up on two years of marriage this year.”

The couple lives about 45 minutes from Dollywood, where Bryant sings with The Kingdom Heirs five days a week. A year ago, such an opportunity wasn’t even on Bryant’s radar.

“I was doing some solo work and had booked 60 to 70 dates in 2023,” Bryant recalls. “But then in May I filled in with The Kingdom Heirs for a couple of days and loved it.”

Bryant subbed for Loren Harris, whose daughter was graduating from high school and needed a few days off. “Little did I know what was going to happen,” Bryant says.

Bryant wasn’t looking to leave his solo career as he had a busy fall and winter planned. But in August, Harris experienced some health issues that would eventually cause him to leave the group after seven years. 

“I filled in for about a month and it just worked out,” Bryant says. “Loren needed some time off and I was there. They called me to see if I could show up, but it opened a door and in September, it was announced that I was coming on board.”

Bryant said he had to reschedule some of his solo dates, pushing some back to when The Kingdom Heirs took a scheduled break at Dollywood, but most were filled.  “I only had to cancel about 10 dates,” he says.

Going to The Kingdom Heirs was a perfect fit for Bryant’s season of change. After all, when the group sang at Sand Spring, three of the four singers along with a band member were different from the lineup that had appeared a year earlier.

“I have always loved these guys,” Bryant says. “I have always loved The Kingdom Heirs.”

And he says that while he loved his solo work, “I am a quartet guy.”

With The Kingdom Heirs, Bryant has some perks that few in gospel music can enjoy. He sings the music he loves with a full band behind him and, on most days, is able to keep some normal working hours. 

While the group usually has four shows a day at Dollywood, Bryant says he is heading home around 5 p.m. every afternoon.

And at Dollywood, The Kingdom Heirs will sing to audiences that are often much different from those who would show up at a church for a concert.

“You get a lot of people that really don’t know what to expect when they sit down to listen to us,” he says. “We do have some who will come and sit for all four of our shows, but we will have a lot who don’t have any idea what to expect. We will sing some gospel standards like ‘Glory Road.’ And we will sing songs like ‘I’m Forgiven.’ I was more familiar with The Gaither Vocal Band version but it was recorded by The Imperials.”

While The Kingdom Heirs sang for about 75 minutes total at Sand Spring, their days at Dollywood consist of 30-minute, high-octane performances. “We have to be entertaining,” Bryant smiles. “If we look bored to death, people won’t want to listen.”

And, according to Bryant, the unique opportunity to present the gospel in song in a secular theme park is not lost on The Kingdom Heirs. Bryant has already seen God’s work in his time with the group.

“One day we had two women that came in and sat down for a show. We didn’t know where they were from. The women were from Sweden, I believe. They came in and just sat down,” Bryant says. “During the show, you could tell they were somewhat in awe of what was being said. They came up afterwards and were visibly emotional. They said they had never heard anything like that.

“The woman told me, ‘It was the way you told stories.’ The songs we sang definitely resonated. As long as you are presenting the gospel, you can put it out there and God can use it however He sees fit. They don’t understand everything like the terminology, but they know something is there. It’s unique.”

And it was an opportunity that just opened for Chris Bryant. He’d already been through a myriad of changes, but he believes God had one more in store.

“This is the best job in gospel music,” he says. “I wouldn’t have taken another quartet job. I didn’t want to travel 200-plus dates a year. We are able to do what we want to do. We have a full band. We sing great songs and I get to sing at the same place every day with a great group of guys.

“It’s better than I could have asked for.”