Popular northern Kentucky group began on cutting edge of gospel; hosting farewell concert after 57 years

By Dave Taylor
Special to KentuckySings.com

(Editor’s note: Dave Taylor is one of the founding members of The Infinite Realm. A retired newspaper editor, Taylor has written books about The Statesmen and The Imperials.)

Their travels have carried them throughout middle America, appearing in the humble confines of multiple rural churches, large sanctuaries in numerous major city houses of worship, county fairs and other outdoor venues, funeral settings and major auditoriums. Now, following 57 years of Christian music ministry, The Infinite Realm is preparing to pull the plug on their sound system and instrument amplifiers for one final time on Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 7 p.m., at the Bedford Baptist Church, 1425 U.S. 42E, Bedford, Kentucky. Billed as their Grand Finale, The Infinite Realm, present and select past members, will return to their roots, singing favorites from their entire career for the spiritual enrichment and entertainment of their many faithful followers.

The Infinite Realm began their singing career as four students at Trimble County High School in Bedford, Ky. – Nancy Pettit, Steve Brown, Tony Gossom and Dave Taylor – who shared a mutual interest in gospel music. That was in August, 1969. The contemporary Christian music of their high school years were the sounds of the popular gospel quartets of the era, most notably Hovie Lister & the Statesmen, the Blackwood Brothers, J.D. Sumner & the Stamps Quartet, The Imperials and the Oak Ridge Boys. In the late 1960s the Imperials and the Oaks were redefining the genre with contemporary harmonies and pop-sounding beats that were extremely popular with the younger set. Although the Oak Ridge Boys would eventually leave the gospel field for phenomenal success in the country and pop fields, their influence on the gospel field in the early 1970s was unmatched.

Initially, the group carried the temporary name of “Chordettes” and sang as a trio with Nancy as the accompanist. Very few of the “hot” professional groups in those days were trios. In March 1971, Neal Wright joined the group as bass singer, and with Neal on board the group attempted to replicate some of the Oaks’ and Imperials’ arrangements. It was at that point that they became The Infinite Realm. The group worked about 65-70 engagements a year in the 1970s, presenting concerts in churches, county fairs, county hymn sings, the Kentucky State Fair, school assemblies, colleges, Farm Bureau meetings, school alumni banquets and major gospel concert auditoriums.

Soon the members of the group realized there is more to singing gospel music than fun and entertainment. They started getting cards and letters, and people would meet them on the street to say how their lives had been impacted by young people who were willing to share the Christian message in song. That was a sobering reality, making the group members realize that singing gospel music was as much ministry as it was entertainment, in fact more so.
Over the years the Realm was blessed to open for a number of full-time gospel groups, including the Hinsons, Kingsmen, Pine Ridge Quartet, Danny Gaither, Rhythm Masters and others. They had the opportunity to record albums in Cincinnati with producer Rusty York, who had toured with Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” entourage in the 1950s and early ’60s; and with producer Chuck Seitz, longtime producer/engineer for RCA Victor who produced a ton of hit records in the country music industry in the 1960s.

In time, the responsibilities of marriage, raising children and gainful careers took its toll on the members of the Infinite Realm. Following several personnel changes over the years longtime members Tony Gossom, Neal Wright, Rick Mahoney and Dave Taylor soldiered on into the late 1980s until the group suspended operations in March 1991.
The four who began in 1969 – Nancy, Tony, Steve and Dave; along with Rick Mahoney who first joined the group in 1978, regrouped late in 2004 to resume a limited concert schedule. The Realm released a compact disc album in 2005, titled “Classics Yesterday and Today,” including nine new recordings along with 11 digitally remastered recordings from their early long-playing vinyl albums. That album was engineered by Wallace Nelms, the final tenor singer with the renowned Statesmen Quartet.

The ministry of The Infinite Realm has continued in recent years with Rick, Tony, Neal Wright, Dave, and Neal’s brother Paul Wright who first joined the group in 1972. Sound engineer Ken Boyer joined their ministry in 2008. Four members of the group – Rick Mahoney, Tony Gossom, Neal Wright and Dave Taylor – are songwriters.
In recent years, The Infinite Realm recorded two CD albums with engineer Ron Fairchild in Tennessee. Ron was the keyboard player for the Oak Ridge Boys for 45 years. His father, Tommy, was the keyboard artist and arranger for the Oak Ridge Boys from the late 1950s into the early 1970s, and later filled that capacity with the Blackwood Brothers. Ron has served as a recording engineer since the analog days and operates a state-of-the-art digital studio. His clients have included the Oak Ridge Boys, Blackwood Brothers, Jason Crabb, Gordon Mote, Michael Sykes and Ben Isaacs as well as country artists Restless Heart, Elizabeth Golden, Chris Golden and others.

Those sessions offered the opportunity for collaborations with not only Fairchild, but also Chris Golden and Fred Satterfield, formerly of the Mighty Oaks Band; and guitarist nonpareil Greg Jennings of the renowned country/pop band Restless Heart. The result of those sessions were the “Healing” and “Message of Love” CDs. When assembling the songs for the “Healing” collection the Realm chose songs that speak to the issues of today in a troubled world where people are struggling financially with an unstable economy, with marital crises, illnesses, depression and other circumstances that the enemy of our souls uses to try to make people miserable. The message is simple: God is always there and He is greater than all our problems. The latter CD album shared the depth of love the Father has for a lost world in this day and age.

Bedford Baptist Church Pastor Mark Payton and the congregation extend a heartfelt invitation to one and all to come experience worshipful Christian music at its best in this final opportunity to hear The Infinite Realm. There is no admission charge to attend. There is ample seating in the sanctuary and plenty of parking spaces available. The Infinite Realm hopes to see all of their friends and hope to meet new friends as they close the curtain on their work for the Lord.

(KentuckySings.com had previously featured The Infinite Realm in 2019 as the group celebrated 50 years in music ministry.)