Chris Bryant is happy singing with the Kingdom Heirs.
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.”
The Joyaires, Ernie and Debbie Peters, sing at Sand Spring Baptist Church on Oct. 26, 2023.
Joyaires persevered through challenging times, continue to share the mesage of Christ however they can
By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com
LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. – Not too long before the Joyaires took the stage at Sand Spring Baptist Church on Oct. 26, we received a suggestion to interview the group’s owner, Ernie Peters, for a full-length feature on KentuckySings.com.
“He’s an interesting fellow,” we were told.
It was an understatement.
Interesting. Faithful. Incredibly faithful. Challenging. Inspiring. Or, more accurately, all of the above.
The Oak Ridge Boys at the Kentucky State Fair, Aug. 20, 2023. From left are Joe Bonsall, Duane Allen, William Lee Golden and Richard Sterban. (Photo by John Herndon.)
Oak Ridge Boys’ farewell tour a time to reflect on their impact and personal blessings
By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com
I simply wasn’t ready for the news that hit my e-mail inbox last Tuesday.
The Oak Ridge Boys are finally saying goodbye. Almost 50 years after the current lineup first stepped on stage together, they announced their American Farewell Tour.
“We are doing a farewell tour because we owe it to our fans to say goodbye,” William Lee Golden said in a release posted at http://www.oakridgeboys.com. “They have always been there for us through the good times and the bad. I will always be thankful to every person who came out to a show, bought a t-shirt, played our music, and overall, loved us enough to spend their hard-earned money whenever they could. This tour is for you!”
Sean Barber thinks of God’s blessings during Triumphant Quartet’s rendition of ‘The Goodness of God’ during their concert at The Ark Encounter on Sept. 8, 2023. It was Barber’s first appearance as a member of one of Southern Gospel’s most popular groups.
Triumphant Quartet’s ‘new guy’ fits right in, only desires to glorify God
By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com
WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. – The telling moment for Sean Barber might have come about halfway through Triumphant Quartet’s set at The Ark Encounter last Friday.
The new baritone had been flawless in his solos during his first performance with the beloved group. He’d displayed a low-key but unmistakable enthusiasm while performing before a packed house at The Ark’s Answers Center. The chemistry was new but visibly meshing.
If there had been any bugs, only Barber or the rest of Triumphant knew. To say things were just right might have been an understatement.
Zack Shelton in his office at North Madison Christian Church in Madison, Indiana.
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.
Anthony Davis is mighty happy singing bass during the Firm Foundation Reunion Tour on July 7, 2023.
Anthony Davis still loves to hit the low notes, but is happy in his calling in law enforcement
By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – The smile on his face left no doubt that Anthony Davis knew he was where he should be for the weekend.
A Southern Gospel fan favorite, Davis can still go low with the best of them despite leaving rigors of traveling music ministry behind more than two years ago. That was more than apparent over the weekend as he manned the bass spot during the third annual Firm Foundation reunion tour.
Davis spent nearly a decade with the Owensboro-based group prior to becoming a household name hitting the low notes for Tribute Quartet for another 10 years.
Soul’d Out sings during revival services at Capital City Christian Church in Frankfort, April 28. From left are Chris Chavez, Matt Rankin and Jason McAtee.
Spirit-led music, theology-driven lyrics continue to characterize veteran group
By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com
FRANKFORT, Ky. – We’d never seen Soul’d Out in person before last Friday’s appearance at Capital City Christian Church. Suffice it to say we hope it won’t be very long until the next time our paths cross!
Simply put, Soul’d Out was fantastic!
Soul’d Out was in Frankfort for a weekend revival along with Bob Russell, the former minister of Louisville’s Southeast Christian Church, and his son, Rusty, of Port Charlotte, Florida. It could be described as a 2023 nod to an old-fashioned “meeting” loaded with powerful preaching and music that stirs the soul.
Jeff Tolbert, center, leads in the finale of Primitive Quartet’s concert with Gold City and The Inspirations at Ashland’s Paramount Arts Center on April 1.
Primitive Quartet’s Jeff Tolbert thankful for the past 27 years, excited about the future
By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com
ASHLAND, Ky. – Jeff Tolbert will be the first to admit he’s not looking forward to May 20.
That’s the night Primitive Quartet will be performing its final concert, a sold-out affair at Lakeway Performing Arts Center in White Pine, Tenn. The beloved group has said it will continue to sing some, as the Lord leads, but is retiring from the traveling ministry that night.
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)
Bill Sowder, third from left, sings with His Heart in the quartet’s first concert of 2023 on March 19 at Shiloh Christian Church, Columbia, Ky. Members of the group are, from left, Kyle Harris, Jeremy Dickerson, Sowder and Bob Abbott. (Photo provided.)
Sidelined by horse riding accident, Sowder counts his blessings in return to His Heart Quartet
By John Herndon, KentuckySings.com
LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. – When he stepped on the stage with His Heart Quartet at Sand Spring Baptist Church, Bill Sowder hopped around with an energy that would belie the fact that he’s now 69 years old. He moved. He thrust his forefinger toward Heaven. He pumped his fist.
It was vintage Sowder, one of Kentucky’s best-known gospel music personalities.
And it’s certainly not what one would expect from someone who was supposed to just be learning to walk again.
“I tell you, I feel like a million bucks. I might look like a Dollar General store but I feel like a million bucks,” Sowder said shortly before His Heart opened for Triumphant Quartet.
Kentucky Sings! 