From my seat in the middle section on the floor, I saw the first group of the evening take the stage – the Mark Trammell Quartet.  They began the program with Meet Me Over on the Other Side and Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah.  “Thank you so much,” Mark said, greeting the crowd.  Introducing the guys before he went any further, Mark explained to the audience that their tenor was still in the stage of contemplating whether or not he wants to be in their ministry permanently.  A good old bass feature followed introductions – Wonderful Time Up There!  Mark teased Dustin about how he doesn’t like to be in front of large groups of people, before featuring him on Tis So Sweet To Trust in Jesus.  The punch line to the joke was when Mark said, “Apparently, he doesn’t think we’re in that category.”  LOL  Nick’s solo, Testimony, came next.  At this time, Mark went on to talk about their current project titled “Lifetime,” and how his record company asked him to take the songs, writers and groups that most positively influenced his life – of course, all of that had to be condensed to 10 songs!  He said that wasn’t an easy thing to do, but after hearing him tell the story behind why he recorded this next one, you’d understand why it made the cut.  He explained the motivation of why they travel and sing, “It’s not about the singing, or the laughter, it’s that you know who Jesus is and that He is coming soon.”  With that, they closed their set with The King Is Coming.  The crowd was really ready to worship that night because everyone was on their feet and many had their hands in the air before the end of the song.

“This next gentleman coming to the stage,” Greg Cook, the emcee began, “well, how many like songs like I Can Only Imagine, Midnight Cry?  Put your hands together for Ivan Parker!”  Ivan appeared on stage and shouted, “Hello to Myrtle Beach!”  His first song was Sail On – now, if that isn’t a perfect song for the ocean or what?!!!  He followed up with I’m Going Home and then asked, “How many young people do we have in the room?”  A huge cheer rose up from the audience and he said, “I didn’t realize we were having a youth rally tonight!”   So he encored the song.  Ivan’s a family man and he was so excited to have both of his sons with him that night.  At first, he brought Josh up to play with him, and then his oldest son, Ryan, was brought up on stage also.  He went on to talk about the Boston explosions and the fertilizer plant in Waco, Texas, encouraging us to pray for our country and its people.  “I want to honor the guys and gals who are fighting for our freedom right now while this this concert is going on,” said Ivan with conviction.  Asking the veterans to stand, he sang God Bless the USA in their honor.  He didn’t get past the first line before everyone in the building stood to their feet!  While he sang, there was a music video playing on the big screens, these ended with fireworks and you could hear them too!  It was very cool.  “I could not wait for this night to sing this song,” said Ivan, “if you need a message of hope to encourage you, this song is for you.”  It was I Choose.  After that stirring ballad he had Josh play us a solo on his guitar – he played Shout To the Lord and received a standing ovation.  Just as everyone sat down for the next song, Ivan began to sing Midnight Cry and the crowd stood right back up!  LOL

“I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul shall make her boast in the Lord, the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.  O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together.” – Psalm 34:1-2 The emcee used those verses to introduce the next group, “Please put your hands together as we exalt the Lord together with the Talleys!”  Debra and Lauren took center stage as Roger sat at the keyboard – Amazing Grace opened their set.  The next song featured Lauren on the verses, though originally the song featured her husband Brian, it was The Church Will Overcome.  I really enjoyed watching them sing that one live!  “Thank you for coming and spending your Friday at Singing in the Sun,” Lauren said warmly, then introduced the trio quickly.  “Pay real close attention to this lyric, I just love this and I think you will too,” she said of Roger’s feature, Every Scar.  Afterwards, just to prove that we all have “scars,” Debra told a story about an experience she had in a Walmart parking lot.  Their bus was parked there before a concert somewhere and she grabbed her purse to go in and purchase some items.  Before she left the bus, she noticed a young woman on the other side of the lot holding a cardboard sign.  Debra went and spoke to her and in their conversation; Mrs. Talley asked the woman if she knew Jesus.  Her response really touched me, Debra said the woman looked down and said, “Yes, I do.  That’s one of the reasons I’m so ashamed of being out here…because He’s been good to me.”  Debra found out that her name was Angel and she had two children and asked if they could pray together.  To us, Debra said, “We go to church on Sunday, and then we go to work the next day and we don’t tell one person about Jesus, shame on us!  There is a world that’s dying…”  This story led into Broken World, and when Lauren began the first verse she changed the lyrics to accommodate that story, “Angel’s got more month than she’s got money…she’s got two kids, she’s barely getting by.”  It was the perfect follow up!  He’s Alive ended their set – and boy did it get everyone excited!  This was a standing ovation waiting to happen!  LOL

Ray Flynn came up on stage and asked if we enjoyed the Talleys.  “I can tell you on the authority of God’s Word that He is alive,” he said, referring to that last song, then introduced John Hagee.  Pastor Hagee spoke on prophecy, The Four Blood Moons, using Joel 2;30-32 and Acts 2 as his platform.  Though what his sermon was about was clear, the implication of the information was a little confusing.  He went through history and the Bible to build his case that the next set of blood moons (which we’ll be seeing in 2014 and 2015) herald the Lord’s return – but then he went on to say that he was not in any way trying to set a date on the second coming of Christ.  So, here is what he said, you decide what you think about it all!

NASA has predicted “Four Blood Moons:” appearing on these dates, 4/15/14 and 10/8/14 –a solar eclipse is thrown in the middle at 3/20/15 – then another set of blood moons on these dates; 4/4/15 and 9/28/15.

For the first time in history, a series of blood moons will line up with the Passover.  The Passover will appear at the same time as the first blood moon in 2014 and Sukkot lines up with the second blood moon that Fall.  In March of 2015 a solar eclipse will take place at the same time as Nisan 1 and the Passover and Sukkot in that year match the dates for the third and fourth blood moons.

Hagee did some research and found out that each series of blood moons in the past appeared in the same year something big happened with the nation of Israel.  In 1492 the Jews were kicked out of Spain – in 1948 the state of Israel was reborn – in 1967 the city of Jerusalem was united after 2000 years…and all of those events revolved around a set of blood moons.

Also, Pastor Hagee explained that every seventh year is called a “shemittah” year.  These years are important, for example, September 11^th when the World Trade Towers crashed was a shemittah year, 2008 when the stock market crashed was one…the next one is 2015.  Also, this is the exact same date as the four blood moons.  Therefore, John Hagee is very convinced that it is very possible that the Lord will return during this time.

The Pfeifers were up next and began their time on stage with an instrumental of How Great Thou Art.  A faster song followed, God is Good and God is Love.  Another instrumental of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (with a little bit of singing) came next with a ballad called I Know Who You’re With.  John told the story of It Is Well With My Soul, of how Horatio Spafford lost his daughters to the Atlantic waters and yet, “Out of that tragedy came something that you and I can get encouragement from today.”  It Is Well closed their set…they played through the first part and Mary sang the last verse – standing ovation!!!

“Amen!” said the emcee, “that’s a lot of hot air…but its anointed.”  LOL  Before bringing the last group up, they announced that the boom of thunder at the end of Hagee’s sermon knocked the internet out and their live feed!!!

“Without further ado, the most awarded male trio!” announced the emcee, “The Booth Brothers!”  (Well, I guess Greater Vision and the Booth Brothers are tied for that position!  LOL)  The BB’s kicked off their set with Because He Lives, Welcome to the Family and He Saw It All.  Michael quickly introduced the guys and then asked Roger Talley to come up on stage.  He explained that he asked Roger to play a song with them…this wasn’t the one, but he claimed it was easy!  Patting Roger’s shoulder, Michael said, “Just trust me.”  Roger replied, “You’re not the easiest person to trust.”  LOL  Jim introduced the song, Every Cry Is Heard By the Father and when they finished singing it, the words appeared on the screens for us to sing along too!  We sang the chorus two or three times and then Mark Trammell walked up on stage and strapped on his bass guitar.  “When we came into this field we had no excuse not to do it right, because we had men like this for examples,” Michael said indicating Roger and Mark.  Those two examples provided accompaniment for the ballad that followed, Look For Me At Jesus Feet.  Their last song was Feeling Mighty Fine, not only did Mark and Roger play along on this one too, the Booth’s invited Lauren Talley to come up and sing on the encore.  It was a very unique moment to have all those different people on stage together, Michael, Ronnie, Jim, Roger, Lauren and Mark.  No wonder they encored it…again.

When intermission came to a close, Ivan Parker led the second half beginning with Canaan Land Is Just In Sight.  Afterwards, Ivan turned to Mark and told him he was going to sing – I’m Standing on the Solid Rock was the tune selected.  “Folks,” Ivan said with a smile, “this is just a fun time!  We don’t have a clue to what we’re doing – we’re just a bunch of friends singing together!”  The song What A Lovely Name must have been on a lot of people’s minds, because that’s the exact song that Ivan had Mary, Lauren, Jim and Mark sing next!  On the second verse, Mark stepped back and let Jim, Mary and Lauren sing it as a trio.  I’ll Fly Away closed the evening – the crowd was on their feet and Lauren sang it about three times!  It just kept going and going and going!

Conclusion:  Each night kept getting better and better!  The combination of artists that appeared on stage Friday night was superb!  More than that, each group had something to say that encouraged your Christian life.  Debra Talley’s story about Angel at Walmart put tears in my eyes, Ivan’s song God Bless the USA reminded me how blessed we are to live in this nation and Mark Trammell drew our focus on the soon return of our Lord.

The Jubilee 3 DVD was released in April of this year (2013) and I for one couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy!  As one who attended the original concert, I’ve been more than curious to see what the final cut would be; what scenes would be edited out and what shots would make the video.  Before we get started, I need to make a confession!  This is a really hard review for me to write – I’m torn between the knowledge that the edits had to make the video look professional and the shots had to seamlessly flow from one to the other….and the memories of how much fun the guys made it when they messed up and had to go back and re-record something! *smile*  Therefore, though there were many times during the taping where they stopped and re-cut some of the material, you would never guess that from the video.  From watching the DVD, it looked as if everything went smoothly from the beginning!  It felt like I was watching a completely different concert!  (For the truth of what really happened, watch “out-takes” and laugh along with the moments that sadly, needed to be edited out.)  Anything less would be un-professional from the singers standpoint, its just a shame that some of the things that made the most memories for me couldn’t be on there, because…well, they weren’t meant to happen!  LOL Secondly, though all 12 songs from the CD were performed that December night, not all made it on the video.  Two songs were omitted: Wedding Music and How Much More.  Though How Much More was interjected in between two fast tunes, the ballad is a bit long and I don’t believe the edit was unwarranted.  Wedding Music, on the other hand, will be sorely missed IMO!  This was the song where we not only had a group of singers from the Jubilee Gang singing, but a “Jubilee Band” as well!  They sang it with live music (which may be the reason for its omission) and it was very neat to see Gerald play the keyboard, Rodney the bass guitar and Michael the drums while Chris, Scott, Jim and Matt sang.  The only other time the “Jubilee Band” played again was on the encore of Beautiful Home, which was edited out as well.  Last but not least, I’m going to mention the quality of the video.  If you have the two previous DVDs from the Jubilee series, you may notice a considerable difference in the film quality.  Honestly, Jubilee 3 looks like it was recorded in the 1990’s on VHS and was converted to DVD later on – the color is terrible and you can hear where they switched back and forth from the “live” sound and the “dubbed” over sound.  I haven’t seen or heard such poor quality on a SGM video in quite some time.

Location: Mansion Theater – Branson, Missouri

Track List:
1.  I Just Feel Like Something Good Is About To Happen
2.  The Happy Jubilee
3.  There’s A Better Day
4.  Had It Not Been
5.  Leave Your Sorrows And Come Along
6.  Still Trusting In The Blood
7.  Treasures In Heaven
8.  Getting Ready Today
9.  Every Cry Is Heard
10.  The Galilean
11.  Beautiful Home

Highlights:  Trey Ivey (of Legacy Five) singing his solo on the second verse of Getting Ready Today is definitely one of the highlights of this video.  The Jubilee 3 CD was the debut project that featured him as a vocalist and this DVD captures that same song on film – the crowd loved him!  Another special moment was Jim’s ballad “Every Cry Is Heard.”  At the end of the song he asked the audience to sing along with him and you can hear them loud and clear!  It was truly a special moment.  On a funny note, because everyone came for the Christmas taping that afternoon, the outfits in the crowd were very festive.  When they panned a shot of the audience on Still Trusting In The Blood, I couldn’t help but giggle when they focused on a lady wearing Christmas stocking earrings!  LOL  Many in the crowd were still decked out in their Christmas attire…

Behind the Scenes:  As for bonus footage, there are three additional clips for viewing; Out-takes, the Jubilee Trailer and the Celebration Cruise Promo.  If you allow the DVD to keep playing after the credits are rolled at the end of the concert, it will automatically continue into those clips.  Out-takes were my personal favorite!  This group of footage consists of the material that was edited out of the video, more commonly known as “fixes” in the artist’s words.  You’ll get to see what the guys did as they waited for the “truck to get ready” along with some of the jokes they made while trying to correct a mistake.  In other words, this is the part of the DVD that will make you laugh the most!

Conclusion:  Legacy Five, Greater Vision and the Booth Brothers were great.  They conducted themselves just as any SGM fan would expect – top notch singing, good natured fun and ministry through and through.  Yet, watching this DVD reminded me that just because they do their jobs with class…doesn’t mean that everyone else does.  The fans wanted this video so badly and it didn’t turn out well.  I hope that doesn’t effect the sale of future Jubilee videos, especially since every other video in SGM is filmed in HD (high definition), the concert itself was a GREAT, but I feel the lack of quality hurts the value of the product – the noise and grain in the footage are a distraction.  I do hope the Jubilee Christmas DVD that is coming out in September has better quality, because I’m anticipating its release as much as I did this one!

Stepping onto the stage, Tribute Quartet opened the night with a new, up-beat song called Thank the Lord.  I grimaced as a microphone squelched loud and long…being the first group to sing does have its disadvantages, doesn’t it?  They handled the issue well and by the time they came to their second song, It Always Gets the Darkest (Just Before Daylight,) the problem was pretty much taken care of.  The first ballad of their set featured Josh Singletary with a song called Through Me the Cross Lives On.  Though Josh is usually the comedian of the quartet, when he gets his hands on a song like this, you see a different side of him that thrives on the meaty message he’s singing about.  Through Me the Cross Lives On was filled with meaning as he conveyed the message to the audience.  “Are you glad to see Anthony Davis tonight?” Gary Casto asked, rushing along the introductions, “How about Josh Singletary, Riley Clark?”  Anthony stepped forward and added Gary’s name as the intro for Homesick Angel began.  I don’t know about you, but I certainly enjoy that tune!  The next two songs brought the crowd to their feet both times…the first was Riley’s feature Homecoming Day and the second was Good News From Jerusalem.  That last encore had the crowd excited!

“I don’t know of a more awarded male trio than these guys right here,” said our emcee, “please put your hands together and welcome Greater Vision!”  A song from their new CD (which wasn’t released yet at the time) opened their set, He Was Seeking For Me.  This slower song featured Gerald and Chris on the verses.  After they sang He’d Still Been God, Gerald began one of his many stories, “Well, it was three years ago tonight I was sitting over hear listening to the Whisnants sing and Tony Greene sad down next to me and said, ‘Hallelujah Square.’”  We all know the story, Gerald told Tony it was Chris’ first night back and they only practiced eight songs, they were not singing Hallelujah Square!  Patting his suit jacket, Tony looked at Gerald and said, “I have your check in my pocket…”  The rest is history!  Overnight, Hallelujah Square became GV’s most requested song and they couldn’t come back to Myrtle Beach without singing it!  So Chris sang Hallelujah Square and Gerald accompanied him on the keyboard.  The result?  A standing ovation!  My Name Is Lazarus followed.  All this time, Gerald was standing in the spot where Chris usually stands and vice versa, so Gerald said, “I’ve gotta’ come over here, I normally don’t stand over there, it doesn’t feel right…I don’t like being on the far left side of anything.”  Boy, the crowd sure hooted and hollered when he said that!  Grinning, Gerald said, “Don’t get me started!”  Then he introduced their next song, “Rodney wrote a new song that I want you to hear,” he said, “it’s about a very familiar story…but you may not have thought of it like this before…”  That story in song was a ballad named This Is Mercy, which featured Rodney on the verses.  GV’s closing song came back to back, it’s their new radio single – I’m Looking for the Grace – this one was well received!  The guys encored it and everyone stood in ovation.  Gerald hollered, “God bless ya’ll!” as they left the stage.

The emcee used a portion of Scripture (Philippians 4) to introduce the Primitive Quartet.  Outside of NQC, this was my first time to see these guys in person.  They perform all of their music live and are great musicians!  Their opening numbers were My Home’s A Sight To See and I’m Going There.  That last one they encored acapella and then their bass player sang a tune called I’m No Longer An Orphan.  Another acapella song came next – He’s the Same God.  After a stirring tune called Thank You For The Roses, they told the crowd that they have been singing for over 40 years and appreciate all the times they get to perform.  That’s the Way I Was When He Found Me and Didn’t He Shine ended their program.

Romans 8:35-39 introduced Gold City and they kicked off their set with Cast Your Bread Upon the Water and When He Blessed My Soul.  “Thank you so much,” Danny said greeting the crowd, “isn’t this a great event?”  Then he went right into introducing Bryan, Jerry, Tim and their tenor Robert.  Danny mentioned that they recently found out that this year, Tim will be inducted into the SGM hall of fame!  Anyway, Danny wanted to sing their new radio song, but it featured Tim and Tim didn’t know the words!  So Danny walked over to Bryan, who pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his pocket and said, “I figured since he’s old and can get away with it, here’s the words to the song…good luck.”  The audience chuckled as GC began singing When I Get Down.  Sure enough, Tim was reading and singing along!  That one was back to back with That Little Baby – which they encored.  Jerry introduced his solo by sharing his testimony, “I’m glad that at the age of eight I knelt down at the altar and accepted Jesus…I haven’t been the same since.”  A soft “amen” rippled through the crowd as he began to sing Lord of Life.  Their final song couldn’t be anything but I’m Not Giving Up!  The crowd soaked this classic up…they also soaked up the encore with a standing ovation.

The last group to take the stage that night was the Whisnants – they began their program with I’m in the Gloryland Way.  Susan introduced their next one like this, “I love this song right here, if you’re broken, the potter knows the clay and He’ll mold us and make us what He wants us to be.”  I’m sure you can guess that Susan’s feature, The Potter Knows the Clay, came next.  Be Not Afraid and the Ready Medley followed and then Jeff spoke of how thrilled they are to be a part of Singing in the Sun.  “We never do a concert without requesting the Holy Spirit to be present,” he said.  After the introductions, Austin came and sang I’ve Been Sheltered By His Grace with Susan and Jeff.  New Day Dawning followed – if there was any chance the crowd was sleeping before, they definitely were NOT when this track started playing – the audience tore it up!  (Standing ovation!)  “We normally end with that song, but I want to end with this one,” Susan explained.  She went on to describe how she’s a “fixer,” yet, there are some things we cannot fix, only God can – and He still answers prayer, it’s not hopeless!”  Their closing song was All Is Well…and it brought the crowd to their feet.

At Singing in the Sun, you couldn’t have a complete night without preaching!  Dr. Larry Brown from North Augusta, GA was the man for Wednesday night.  He began his sermon by explaining that, “There are some things we are supposed to keep.”  There were three of them in his message and they all began with “H’s!”

1. Hallelujah that strengthens me  – We have a joy that came with our salvation and sometimes there are things in life that want to take it away.  Our joy should not be “for sale!”  Nehemiah 8:10, “For the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
2. Hope that sustains me – the “ministry” won’t provide hope for you…you’ll give to others and they don’t give back.  But there is a place you can pray and get hope from.  What do you do when you need hope? – Run with the right people, say the right words, and go to the right places.  1 Samuel 30:6, “But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.”
3. Humor that satisfies me – Everyone needs to find something, every day that makes them laugh.  It takes just as much energy to be happy as it does to be sad.  Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.”

Pastor Brown called for an invitation before intermission – anyone could come down to the altar and pray about anything, but he specifically encouraged those who had lost their joy, to come pray.  Now, I don’t know about you, but most of the concerts I attend, the altar remains empty at this point in the program.  But not at Singing in the Sun!  Slowly but surely, folks walked down the aisles to pray at the edge of the stage.  Everyone remained standing for a few moments while prayers were lifted up and when everyone finished, we were dismissed for intermission.

After intermission, Josh and Ashley Franks sang a song while everyone returned to their seats.  Gerald Wolfe was our host for the second half and when he popped up on stage, he was dragging someone with him – Josh Franks!  “Have you ever heard this guy introduce someone?” Gerald asked the audience, then turning to Josh said, “Introduce me!” – and ran back off stage leaving Josh Franks up there all alone with a mic.  So, Josh began this elaborate introduction beginning with, “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s an honor and thrill to be in Myrtle Beach for Singing in the Sun…”  Unfortunately, I wasn’t quick enough with my notes to get the whole thing, (which I’m terribly disappointed in,) but I caught the important part, the end!  “And now make welcome to the stage…the great little, Gerald Wolfe!”  LOL

Anyway, while all the singers climbed on stage Gerald had the crowd busy singing Victory in Jesus…a string of hymns followed in a grand medley.  After the medley, Gerald looked back at Chris and accused, “Are you talking?”  A look of alarm passed Chris’ face at being caught by the emcee and called out.  Of course, Gerald reprimanded him, but just as Gerald was ready to say something to the audience, he looked back and asked, “What were you talking about?”  Chris pointed to Gold City’s tenor and said, “I was leading him to the Lord.”  On cue, Robert knelt down on stage and Chris laid his hand on the top of Robert’s head and pretended they were praying.  Two seconds later, Chris looked up at Gerald and said, “Go on, we’re good.”  LOL

Primitive Quartet was the first group to sing.  They did another acapella song, at Gerald’s request, called My Home Is Anchored in His Blood.  (Forgive me if that title is wrong, I’m not very familiar with their music.)  Well, with all of the bass singers on stage, Gerald was determined to use one of them!  After he gathered Tim Riley, Josh Singletary, Jerry and Chris, he moved over to where Bryan was at the keyboard.  Looking as if there was something terribly wrong with Bryan, Gerald asked him, “How old are you?”  Bryan answered, “27.”  Confused, Gerald exclaimed, “And you’re wearing a hearing aid?!”  (It was actually his ear monitor…but we all know that Mr. Wolfe can’t pass up a joke!)  Without letting on to the songs name, Gerald announced, “You’re going to do page 93 in the Church of God Hymnal!”  It ended up being Just A Little Talk With Jesus.

Now, from here on out, things just became funny and funnier.  Gerald mentioned that he really enjoyed hearing Ashley Franks singing and wanted her in the next “group” he was forming on stage.  It ended up being Ashley Franks, Aaron Hise, Gerald and Tim Riley – the song was What A Lovely Name.  Well, Gerald decided that he liked it so much that he wanted an encore AND he wanted Ashley to sing it!  So Bryan began playing for another round, but no one knew where they were supposed to start singing!  Quickly, Gerald went over and gently pushed Bryan off the piano bench and shouted two words, “Lovely name!” and began playing his heart out.  Ashley, on the other hand, looked at him like he was a madman speaking Chinese – poor girl had no idea what he wanted her to do.  Finally, he shouted, “The chorus!” and they sang it through.  (That song gave them so much trouble.)

The next little segment involved piano solos – Bryan Elliot was up first.  Gerald asked him if he played a solo earlier and Bryan answered no.  Then he asked him if he had any CD’s with him and he still said no, so Gerald told him to play something.  Bryan took off on Goodbye, World, Goodbye with lightning speed.  Gerald hovered over his shoulder the whole time and when it ended he said, “I’m telling you…I’ve been doing this for 33 years and I have never seen a piano player use all the keys in one solo.”  (Then turning to where Tim Riley was standing, he said.)  “Tim, this boy is entirely too young to be drinking coffee.”  LOL  Josh Singletary was Gerald’s next victim…Josh looked very hesitant about it too!  Gerald said that his only request was that it would be slower.  Slow it was, Mansion Over the Hilltop was what Josh picked.  Yet, even though it was slow, Gerald still looked confused as he gazed over Josh’s shoulder while playing.  When Josh finished and insisted that it was Gerald’s turn to play something, Gerald said, “But I can’t play two songs at the same time like you did…I knew the first one, but that other one you were doing with your left hand I didn’t know.”  The crowd really chuckled over that because Josh didn’t really play two songs, he just used some Jazz improvising in a few places!  Then, Gerald played a duet with Josh – Keep On the Firing Line.  It was so hilarious!  You know, Josh is kind of tall…and Gerald is kind of short…and the piano bench can only be situated to accommodate one of the two!  After adjusting and re-adjusting, Josh went to sit on a speaker case and missed – landing on the stage with a sound, plump!  Everyone on stage and off was dying with laughter; yet, Gerald managed a lopsided grin and said, “Now we’re the same height.”  Sometime after that, they finally got around to playing the song.

By this time, they were getting ready to close.  As Gerald sat at the keyboard playing chords, he spoke about George Beverly Shea.  (This was the day after Shea had passed.)  He spoke on how many people George Bev sang too, but more importantly, how he never changed who he was.  “The only thing that changed about him was his age,” said Gerald.  Before we were dismissed, Gerald led us in singing I’d Rather Have Jesus and closed with this prayer…

 “Lord, help us to run the race faithfully like George Beverly Shea.  Help us to never compromise the Gospel, to stay faithful to You and the calling You have on our lives.” 

Conclusion:  If first impressions are important as folks say they are, this one couldn’t have been better.  Singing in the Sun was a blast!  I didn’t realize that this event was the one that brought Hallelujah Square into GV’s program permanently – but knowing that now, paints a whole new picture in my mind when I hear Gerald tell that story.  The second half of the evening had to be my favorite part!  Everyone was having so much fun!  Yet, even with all of the good times we had during the evening (like Josh falling off the speaker case) what really impressed me was how open everyone was to the Spirit of the Lord.  When Dr. Brown gave the invitation a lot of folks went down to the front to talk to the Lord and I thought that was wonderful because I don’t see that happening at a lot of the concerts and events I’ve attended.  It was so refreshing to see both artists and fans that weren’t afraid to be transparent in their walk with the Lord!

The Mark Trammell Quartet celebrated a couple milestones in 2012 – it marked their 10th year in Southern Gospel Music, they enjoyed their first #1 song, I Want To Know, which went on to be the most played song of 2012. Legendary baritone singer Mark Trammell became a grandpa. His son, Nick Trammell also became a member of the quartet taking over the lead position and they recorded this brand new video at the largest event in SGM – the National Quartet Convention.  Yep, these guys have been busy!
Location:  Freedom Hall – Louisville, Kentucky

Track List:
1. I Sing The Mighty Power Of God
2. Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus
3. Wonderful Time Up There
4. Statue Of Liberty
5. Gentle Shepherd
6. Guide Me Oh Thou Great Jehovah
7. I Want To Know
8. The King Is Coming Medley
9. Meet Me Over On The Other Side
10. Too Much To Gain To Lose
11. Standing On The Rock
12. Golden City Tour

Highlights:  The most memorable appearance in the video has to be little Tessa’s “introduction.”  As many MTQ’s fans know, in 2012 Mark Trammell became a grandpa and on Tuesday night at Convention he brought Tessa up on stage for all to see.  (She was sound asleep too!)  “Her Papa picked out the dress,” added Mark, drawing attention to her outfit, “Papa’s me!”  LOL  To get a video like this, they sang three times on main stage; Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evening.  Coincidentally, Tuesday evening was the anniversary of September 11th – they sang Statue of Liberty to honor all of the folks who were either active or had been in the service, policemen, firemen, etc.  It truly was a special moment.  Out of all the songs on this video, this is the one that stands out the most, it is “the highlight” if you ask me!  And that’s saying something, because there were many stellar moments on this video!  I Want To Know, The King Is Coming Medley, Too Much To Gain To Lose and the Golden City Tour are a few.

Behind the Scenes:  Because this video was recorded at such a large event, there really aren’t any “backstage shots.”  But if you were at NQC last year and saw the “Week that Was” video that was put together and played Saturday evening, you’ll recognize that same video on the menu under “NQC Highlights.”

Though I wouldn’t hesitate to give this video a 5 star rating, there was one little flaw that I feel needs to be addressed…After Statue Of Liberty AND after the King Is Coming Medley, I encountered what I can only describe as a “commercial.”  MTQ faded from the screen and was replaced by an advertisement for “NQC’s Final Year in Louisville.”  Now, considering that the footage was recorded at NQC, an advertisement for the event isn’t such an evil thing…  On the other hand, to a fan who bought the video to watch singing, (NOT advertisements,) it can be quite the annoyance.  In addition, the fact that both advertisements were the exact same footage with the exact same announcer saying the exact same thing, well, I found that quite amusing.  (Did they think we didn’t get it the first time?)  Anyway, one more little thing here about the commercial and we’ll be on our way.  This DVD was released in March of 2013, NQC is in September, merely six months away from the release date…what’s the benefit of having the final year in Louisville slung throughout the video when the information is going to be outdated in a mere six months?  I love NQC, it’s my favorite event to go to every year, but when you consider that DVD’s are what groups have the most trouble selling, this video isn’t going to help NQC ticket sales or boost attendance.  Furthermore, if you buy this video after September, you’re not going to want to watch an advertisement for something that’s over.  With that said, I feel that those little clips were a little tasteless – I think we can all agree that everyone who seriously listens to Southern Gospel is aware that NQC is moving and when – ONE clip at the end of the video would have been appropriate, or if it were added as a feature on the menu that would have been fine too – but in the middle of the singing was not the place for it.  This product was suppose to be about the Mark Trammell Quartet – featuring their new project Lifetime and their #1 song I Want To Know – not about the place they were singing at.   Okay!  I’ll be stepping off my soap box now…

Conclusion:  With all of that said, I will still give this video a 5 star rating.  The Mark Trammell Quartet did an excellent job on all of their songs, walking us through the people who inspired Lifetime and paying special tribute to the events of September 11th.  I think the crowd last year at NQC thought so too – they gave MTQ standing ovation after standing ovation – even though they had no idea it would be made into a video!  This quartet is quickly becoming a favorite in the industry and for MTQ, this video was history in the making.  Not only their history, but Southern Gospel’s as well.  I hope you’ll make one yours by clicking HERE!

What will be new on Lynn’s Chronicles in May?
We had a great time in Myrtle Beach at Singing in the Sun last month and concert reviews are on their way. Also, if all goes as planned, we’ll be attending some individual concerts this month too! As for CD reviews, Greater Vision’s new project wasn’t out when we saw them in Myrtle Beach, but I ordered it through their website, so I’m currently waiting “not-so-patiently” for it to come in the mail! LOL

Anyway, since our theme is “grow,” the Tuesday video series will feature some videos on YouTube that will have a word of encouragement for us! I hope you’ll stop by and take a listen to them. While we’re talking about videos, I’ll give everyone the results from last months polls!
Week 1: Tribute took the lead with 58% – Greater Vision coming in with 42%
Week 2: Brian Free and Assurance, well, they squashed Gold City taking 100% of the votes! Leaving GC with a humiliating 0%.
Week 3: Mark Trammell Quartet won with 70% – the Hoppers lagging with 30%
Week 4: Gerald and Tim claimed the winning percentage with an astounding 91% – leaving Roger and Scott with only 9%. I thought these polls were a lot fun and look forward to doing some more in the future! Thanks to ALL who participated!

Also! Don’t forget that this month’s give-a-way is up and running through Friday! This month we have two prizes; a Historical Christian Fiction novel called “The Lightkeeper’s Ball” and a CD from the Mark Trammell Quartet titled “Treasures.” Might you be this month’s winner?

Now, for the grand finale! Because May has five “Thursdays” in it, I want to use that day to expand the DVD review section on this site. The first review we did was Lari Goss: The Man Behind the Music…I also look forward to reviewing the Jubilee 3 DVD, MTQ’s Live in Louisville, and a few others! Stay tuned!

The Audio Page…
One of my friends and I have taken on a special project to “help us grow” this year – we’ve been memorizing Scripture together! Right now, we are in the middle of Psalm 34, so you may not be surprised to find out that our sermon for this month is based on Psalm 34! I hope you take a listen HERE, I think it’ll help you grow too!

Real News…
The art of “growing” can be seen when one ventures into something new, well, three of Southern Gospel Music’s favorite people have been doing that recently with social media. As of April 16, legendary baritone singer Mark Trammell joined Twitter! If you have a Twitter account, I highly recommend you follow this fellow @MarkTrammell. On the other hand, Jeff Stice (of Triumphant) and Chris Allman (of Greater Vision) have teamed together on Twitter for a brand new Southern Gospel Saga of “Adventures of Chris n’ Jeff.” The only thing I can think to say is…these two are hilarious together! Give ’em a follow @adventuresofcnj …(Between these three, your feed will never be the same! LOL)

To close this post, I have some very happy news and some sad news. I’ll give you the sad news first – Derrick Selph has announced that he’s coming off the road. Derrick has been with Brian Free and Assurance for 10 years and will be sorely missed. You can read the press release from Singing News HERE – if you’ve read that article you’ll congratulate and appreciate this godly man for putting his family first!

Now for some happy news! Tracy Stuffle has been moved into a rehab/hospital facility! The name of the facility is Kindred Hospital – this is a big step forward and we’re rejoicing with Libbi for Tracy’s continued progress! To keep up with the daily updates, go to their Journal on Caring Bridge…

“Thou are my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me with songs of deliverance. Selah.” – Psalm 32:7

twitter

Forgive me for starting off on a rabbit trail!  Anyway, this month we’re giving away two great prizes here on Lynn’s Chronicles.  One, is a fantastic CD from the Mark Trammell Quartet called Treasures – that has been hailed as one of the best Cathedrals tribute Cd’s out there!  The other is a novel by Colleen Coble titled The Lightkeeper’s Ball.

Treasures is the unofficial tribute to the Cathedrals by one of Southern Gospel Music’s best quartets.  Mark Trammell sang with the “Cats” for a number of years and recorded these 12 songs in memory of “two old men,” Glen Payne and George Younce.

The Lightkeeper’s Ball is the first novel in Coble’s Mercy Falls series.  A portion of the back cover reads… “It is the dawn of a new century and Olivia Stewart is heiress to an empire.  Her family numbers among the Four Hundred – those considered the wealthiest and most distinguished in America.  Unfortunately their wealth has nearly disappeared, and now their security rests upon the Stewart daughters’ marrying well.”  This is a Christian Historical Fiction novel that is set in Mercy Falls, California.  Though I haven’t read the book myself, I did buy an extra copy!

Here’s how you can enter:  It’s simple!  Just leave a comment on this post and your name will be added to the drawing!  You can comment about anything!  (Snow, books, music…just have fun!)

The winner will be announced after May 10th.

RULES:
1)  The winner will be contacted by email and posted on the blog. Make sure you email is current!
2)  All comments go through moderation and will be posted in the order received.
3)  The winner has 24 hours to respond with their name and address once they have been contacted by email.  If there is no response in 24 hours, the second runner up will be notified.  Help me help you – be timely!
4)  I will announce the winner and second runner up on the post.
5)  Have fun and be a good sport!

For over four decades, producer and arranger Lari Goss has worked with over 100 of Gospel Music’s finest artists, played on countless recordings and arranged some of the most heavenly sounds you’ll hear on this earth.  If anyone understands the concept of matching truth with the black dots on a musical staff called notes – this man more than qualifies.  With just a piano, a pen and some paper, his life work has composed some of the most beautiful arrangements any instrument can boast of.  The orchestration behind songs like Jerusalem, Champion of Love, Statement of Faith, the #1 song of 2012, I Want To Know and many more, are just a few examples of the gift Mr. Goss possesses.  Indeed, it is rare to find one man who can display such repeated success decade after decade, but Lari Goss has proven to be a well that is far from running dry, and with a humble heart, he gives all the glory and honor to Jesus Christ.  Without question, Lari Goss is the man behind the music.  As Clark Beasley articulated well, “…and Gospel Music will never be the same.”

As I sat down on my couch to watch this DVD for the first time, I was reminded of July 9th, the day my friend from the Steve Hurst School of Music parked her car in the grass and we walked into TBN studios in Nashville, Tennessee for the night that would be recorded and broadcasted live on television as The Man Behind The Music.  Artists like Greater Vision, the Hoppers, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, Babbie Mason, the Booth Brothers, Legacy Five, the Mark Trammell Quartet and many more gathered to pay tribute to their friend and producer, Lari Goss.  Though rain threatened to spill from the grey clouds hanging above Nashville, it was an exciting night.  We sat in the balcony as a part of a group who came with the director of the Veranda at College Heights Baptist, Mary Anne Oglesby.  All night the sensations of a live orchestral, the ever moving camera jib and the giddy excitement swirling around the building brought to life in me a whole new meaning of Gospel Music.  It’s one thing to review a DVD based on quality, song selection, length or the ability to move the soul sitting on a couch…but it’s a whole new story to write a review based on experience.

Location:  Trinity Broadcasting Network – Nashville, Tennessee

A snapshot of artists and songs…

Highlights:  As one who had the opportunity to see this event live, I was very interested in which parts “stayed” and which ones were “cut out.”  Some were obvious, for instance, when host Gerald Wolfe stood in the center of the stage and humbly admitted, “I don’t remember what I’m suppose to do next.”  Others, I sorely missed.  There was one special moment when the Hoppers were on stage and Julie Goss (Lari’s daughter) brought out the ORIGINAL SCORE the song Jerusalem was composed on.  That was one clip I would liked to have seen included.  A more humorous instance, was when the Martins were getting ready to sing one of their acapella arrangements…suddenly, Lari played a bunch of octaves on the piano.  Gerald exclaimed, “Acapella means you don’t play!”  LOL  On the other hand, there are plenty of moments on the DVD that will always be remembered!  When Greater Vision sang Faces, the chorus filled the screen with pictures of Lari and many of the artists he has worked with down through the years.  Recent photos from the studio, pictures from when the Cathedrals recorded, portraits with Lari in the artists homes…really give the song a special meaning.  At the end, with all the artists on stage after singing Statement of Faith, Lari spoke to the audience and thanked them for supporting the groups represented.  His love for the Lord will touch your heart.  It was a special time, one that will make the DVD worth the purchase.

Behind the Scenes:  Yes!  There is footage from backstage!  You’ll get to see the artists individually thank Lari for the influence he has had on their lives and how much he means to them.  There were also two songs that are “bonus tracks” – they were taken out of the concert, but you can still view them elsewhere on the DVD.  The songs were Midnight Cry and I AM Is Enough.

Conclusion:  Perfect!  The live concert was perfect and the DVD is perfect!  I do hope you’ll add it to your collection if you haven’t already done so.  (Click HERE to order!)  For “lengths sake” I didn’t list all the songs and artists that appear on the DVD in a “Track List” – hope that’s okay!  On the other hand, if you’d like to read about everything that happened during this taping, you can read my concert review HERE.  In closing, I’d like to leave you with this quote from Gerald Wolfe, “Lari wants you to know, we all want you to know, that this is what we believe…”

I believe there is one true God – and Jesus Christ is His Holy Son; that He is the Living Word, and that by Him and through Him all things were made.I believe He was conceived by the Holy Spirit – and born of the virgin Mary, He lived a sinless life; healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and brought the dead back to life.I believe in the cross – that Jesus, God’s sacrificial Lamb, shedding His blood was crucified as an atonement for the sins of all the world; and whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.I believe in the resurrection – that on the third day He rose from the tomb, conquering death, hell and the grave; and today He sits at the right hand of the Father and that because He lives, we shall live also.  I believe in the church – a harbor for souls where God is glorified, saints are edified, grace is multiplied and mercy is magnified.I believe in the Holy Spirit – who dwells within all who are saved by grace through faith; He is our comforter our friend and our guide.  I believe that one day Jesus will come again to claim His own and prove once and for all that He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  

The Lesters were the first group on stage that night, and they did so with some hymns; In the Sweet By and By and When We All Get To Heaven.  The Lesters have been known and are very popular as a family group based out of St. Louis, Missouri.  Last winter, the trio went under a major change – Ginger Pitchers resigned to be in full time ministry with her husband, and for the first time ever, this family group has developed into a male trio.  After singing some newer songs, a  re-written version of Love Lifted Me and His Redeemed followed, Brian spoke of that change.  Someone asked him, “How are you going to replace your sister?”  Brian’s answer?  “I’m not – we’re just going to extend the family.”  This led into introducing their new tenor, Justin Wells.  The Lesters sang their popular, Rocks Droppin’, to which Brian declared, “I’m glad He doesn’t give up on us!”  A few more songs from their hymns project, Foundation, followed.  After Revive Us Again and the Blood Medley, Brian pretended to be out of breath and turned to his son, Jonathan and said, “Go ahead son, I’d sing it again, but I’m out of breath.”  Jonathan scratched his head and contemplated out loud, “He’s gonna let me talk?…Guess I’ll start at the beginning.  I was born on…”  Brian interrupted with, “You don’t need to do that!”  So, Jonathan shared some “special” news – he was an only child!  (The crowd giggled because, well, everybody already knew that!)  “You know what the best part about being an only child is?” asked Jonathan, then grinned as he announced, “I have the final decision in which nursing home he’s going to.”  (It was meant to be funny and the crowd burst out in laughter!  You may want to remember that little statement, ‘cause it’s going to be important when Mark Trammell is on stage…)

Switching to a serious note, Jonathan explained that they had an opportunity to sing at a penitentiary, said they wouldn’t have missed that for the world.  Jonathan shared, “They’re just like me and you – sinners saved by grace.”  While at the prison, Jonathan shared this little story that came about while they were on the bus one day.  They actually didn’t have a concert to sing at one night, so he and Brian were on the bus watching a movie on the Hallmark channel.  It was around Christmas time and the Salvation Army was running a commercial – the commercial was centered around the hymn Amazing Grace.  But the Salvation Army changed the lyrics to read like this…

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a drug addict, an alcoholic, a wife beater…
I once was lost but now I’m sober, drug free, my family is healed…etc.

They asked the men at the prison to sing Amazing Grace with them and Jonathan said he has never heard that hymn sung like that in his WHOLE life.  They didn’t care about what so-and-so thought about their voice, they just opened up their hearts and sang.  Think about that.  What a moment.  Justin then stepped forward and sang Amazing Grace, with Brian and Jonathan each featured on a verse.  They closed with I’ll See You Again and We’ll Understand It Better in the By and By.  That last one had the crowd on their feet at the beginning!  Tim slipped out and played with them also – no surprise that they encored it!

Before the next artist came on stage, the Lesters quickly told about their product.  Brian pretended that he couldn’t see the titles on their current CD, so he asked Jonathan to read them.  After rattling off great hymns like Amazing Grace, Revive Us Again, In the Sweet By and By and such, he abruptly ended with Elvira.  Brian shot him a stern look and Jonathan squinted at the back of the CD once more.  As if on cue, Justin pushed a button and the track for Elvira which started to play.  (That ended as suddenly as it began!  LOL)

The Mark Trammell Quartet was the second group to be featured that evening and opened their set with Guide Me Oh, Thou Great Jehovah.  “It is a joy to be back in Osage Beach, Missouri,” Mark said greeting the crowd, “but I have yet to find a beach here.”  LOL  Mark went on to make a joke about how his hair color indicates that sometimes, he can’t remember the name of the song he wants to sing next.  Bass singer Pat Barker, couldn’t resist the opportunity he saw.  “I think it goes like this!”…and began to sing the bass line of Elvira that goes boom – bop – a – boom – bop – a – bow – bow.  Just as Pat finished his impromptu bass solo, Jonathan scooted out from behind the curtain, took a mic and addressed Mark, “I know a good nursing home for you too!”  The crowd burst at the seams!!!  Acting like it was the most natural thing in the world to say, Jonathan turned around and walked backstage.  Mark, on the other hand, couldn’t let that go – and so he asked Jonathan to come back out on stage and gave him a thorough teasing.  And all this happened before the second song!  The quartet’s following selections were How Long Has It Been, Echoes From the Burning Bush, Wedding Music, and Testimony.  Introductions followed and then they let Pat loose on Wonderful Time Up There.  Yet, they didn’t just sing it once…they didn’t just encore it a few times…MTQ actually sang the WHOLE SONG twice!  When Nick began the track for the third time, Pat rushed over to shut it off.  Mark grinned in Pat’s direction and casually added, “You said you needed to exercise.”  LOL  Their first set closed with the King is Coming.

When intermission ended both groups came back out and sang a few more songs.  The Lesters were up first with I’ll Fly Away and the Old Rugged Cross.  Brian shared with the audience how Mark teased them that afternoon when they arrived at the theater.  Mark told him, “All you need now is a bass singer.”  Mark stuck his head out from behind the curtain and when Brian noticed him, he said, “Oh!  Are you still awake?”  LOL  With a comment like the previous one, the Lesters couldn’t leave without singing at least one song with a bass singer!  So Pat came out and sang We’ll Understand It Better in the By and By with them.  They encored that one around three times!  They were so into it, the fun and joy was written all over their faces!  During the standing ovation encore], Jon ran across to the left side of the stage and reached between the curtains to “shake my hand with the elders” – and a certain elder named Mark Trammell …. Well, I’m just gonna let you watch the video to see what happened!    “The Lesters ended with their signature song – He Didn’t Throw the Clay Away.

The Mark Trammell Quartet opened their second set with Meet Me Over On the Other Side and Tis So Sweet.  The 70 year old song I Want To Know (and most played song of 2012) came next.  While they were singing this upbeat song, the house lights brightened a bit and the disco ball shimmied silver reflections all around the room!  Mark asked, “Do you want to hear some more?”  Nick encored the track and Pat shook his head “no.”  Someone from the audience cried out, “C’mon!”  Pat turned to where the voice came from and hollered back, “HUSH!”  Well, Pat didn’t get out of singing that night, for the next song was I Thirst.  The night ended with the upbeat Boundless Love and the powerful Too Much To Gain To Lose.  In honor of the last song and who (Buck Rambo) sang it, Mark shared how as a young man that song impacted him because, “He proved to me what he was singing about, Who he was singing about and that he had been where he was singing about…and by God’s grace, had made it through.”  The ballad received a standing ovation.

Conclusion:  From all the concerts that weekend, this one was my favorite.  When two groups get together and have this much fun AND can encourage Believers with the Word, well, it’s something special.  It was so fun to watch the banter between Mark Trammell and Jonathan Lester, see Pat sing the same song twice back to back and then watch Jonathan sing We’ll Understand It Better in the By and By twice too – once as a trio, and once as a quartet!

Gerald and Tim…

Roger and Scott…