Primitive Quartet sings at Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, Ky., April 1, 2023. From left are Reagan Riddle, Randy Fox, Jeff Tolbert, Mike Riddle and Larry Riddle. (Photo by John Herndon)
Nearing the end of its traveling ministry, beloved group still has a song
By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com
ASHLAND, Ky. – I will admit, I was choked up more than once as I watched and listened to Primitive Quartet in concert on April 1.
My friend, Paul Belcher, who was promoting the concert at the Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, had invited my wife, Stephanie, and me to watch these legendary gospel singers from backstage. It was an experience I will never forget as those three hours allowed me to observe Primitive Quartet up close and personal in a way I never had before. And in my final Primitive Quartet concert, I was reminded in a different way why these men are so beloved.
Larry and Reagan Riddle have been singing together since they and a couple of friends went on that now-famous fishing trip in 1973. A few years later, The Inspirations’ Martin Cook booked Primitive Quartet to travel with his group, which was at the top of gospel music at the time.
Primitive Quartet sings at the Paramount Arts Center, Ashland, April 1, 2023. The Inspirations look on from backstage. (Photo by John Herndon)
Gospel music fans near Ashland, Ky., can experience a night of powerful worship when The Kingsmen, The Perrys and Karen Peck & New River come to town on Thursday, Oct. 6.
The stellar lineup of southern gospel greats will be at the Paramount Arts Center that night. The singing begins at 7 p.m.
“Ashland is a very special town,” promoter Paul Belcher says. “Folks come to worship. It’s totally different than any other market we come to promote. People rejoice and praise the Lord. It’s a church service.”
Belcher has put together a lineup full of southern gospel history but all three groups continue to receive accolades after decades in the business.
The Kingsmen in concert earlier this year at Crab Orchard, Kentucky. (File photo by John Herndon)
The Kingsmen, formed in 1956, features Southern Gospel Music Association Hall of Famer Ray Dean Reese singing his distinctive bass. The group’s sound blends the best of traditional southern gospel with more contemporary sounds.
The Perrys first performed on Dec. 25, 1970 as a family trio that Libbi Perry Stuffle continues to lead today. She remains one of gospel music’s favorite altos and her late husband, Tracy Stuffle, who sang bass with the group for more than 30 years, was inducted into the SGMA Hall of Fame in 2018.
Karen Peck & New River. (Photo submitted)
Karen Peck and New River has been one of gospel music’s top groups since forming in 1991. Karen Peck Gooch is also one of gospel music’s beloved performers, being named to the SGMA Hall of Fame last year.
All of the groups have multiple No. 1 hits and have been awarded many times by the industry.
The Paramount Arts Center routinely brings high-quality acts to the Ashland-Huntington, W.Va.-Ironton, Ohio area and Belcher says it is a great venue for southern gospel. “The history of the Paramount is so rich,” he said. “We go to the Paramount because it’s a neutral location. We seldom go to a church for a ticketed event. Every denomination feels comfortable coming to a service there….Sonny and Barbara Sites promoted there for years. I love Ashland, Ky.”
The Perrys have been singing gospel music for more than 50 years. (Photo submitted)
Belcher said he has been promoting at The Paramount since 2019 when he booked the McKameys there for part of their farewell tour. Common Bond, based in Ashland, was also on the card that night. “It was special. Being there last year, folks responded very well,” Belcher said.
Belcher said tickets, which are priced at 20 and 25 dollars, are “going rather well.” He advised that even with tickets available less than two weeks before the concert, fans should not wait.
“The last week is always the busiest with ticket sales,” he said. “I believe we will have a great crowd.”
Common Bond Quartet sings at Sand Spring Baptist Church on Dec. 31, 2021. From left are Rick Towe, Bob Melford, Lee McCarren and Rick Melton.
By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com
There was nothing extraordinary about Common Bond’s beginnings but over 12 years, the popular quartet has enjoyed a right that has been quite uncommon.
There were few big dreams 12 years ago when members of a worship team serving a church in Mt. Sterling, Ky., decided they were going to have a little fun with the music they love.
“The praise band decided it would sing some southern gospel. That was 12 years ago,” remembers Rick Melton, who put the quartet together.
Kentucky Sings! 