| |
|
Bill Gaither and The Gaither Vocal Band
Fri. Oct 1, 2010 - 1:00 PM
Bill Gaither himself often says that the Gaither Vocal Band was formed in 1981, but it was actually formed in 1980 on the spur of the moment before a concert with the song, "First Day In Heaven." Not only did original bass singer, Lee Young confirm the date, one of their early performances of this song (with an explanation and introduction by Bill himself) can be found on the 1980 double record album, Live Across America. This arrangement is a little different than the one they eventually did on their debut album, the self titled The New Gaither Vocal Band in 1981. They chose this name because they didn't want to be restricted to necessarily 4 singers. Steve Green thought of the name because at the time he didn't want to be in a quartet .
During the 1990s and into the first few years of the 21st century, the Gaither Vocal Band mastered the art of mixing classic southern gospel with country and Inspirational styles. This gave the group a broad fan base that reached beyond the typical domain of Southern Gospel. Despite the immense popularity of the Gaither Vocal Band, they've only had two number one songs on the Singing News chart. "Yes, I Know" held the top position from July to October 1997, as did "I Will Go On" in November 2006. Other popular tunes by the Gaither Vocal Band include "Temporary Home," "Let Freedom Ring," "Count On Me," "The Baptism Of Jesse Taylor," and "When Jesus Says It's Enough." The group routinely performs classic Southern Gospel songs including many written by Bill Gaither and/or Gloria Gaither like "He Touched Me", "I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary", and "Sinner Saved By Grace."
On, January 13, 2009. Bill Gaither released on his website that Guy Penrod and Marshall Hall would be leaving the Gaither Vocal Band. Penrod was going to focus on his solo career. Instead, the Vocal Band would bring back some members of the past including Michael English as lead vocal, Mark Lowry as baritone and David Phelps as tenor, joining Gaither and Wes Hampton, whom Gaither described as occupying that "sweet spot" between tenor and lead. This five member version released Reunited in September 2009; the first album of the Vocal Band ever to feature only songs written by Bill & Gloria Gaither. A new DVD of GVB is set for release in January 2010 as well as a new album of all new material.
visit
artist website
|
