NEWS OF THE WEEK Gaither Music announced special programming will air on Gaither’s enLighten channel (SiriusXM Ch. 150) tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday to honor the life of Oak Ridge Boys tenor singer Joe Bonsall. The Friday night program begins at 7:00 PM Eastern. (No times were listed in the announcement for the other two days.) PRAYER REQUESTS Please pray for PromisedLand Quartet bass singer Steve Barnett who is undergoing surgery for kidney stones today. (The group will be appearing as a trio this weekend.)  Wilds & Associates CEO Randall Wilds has been diagnosed with blockages in ..read more

Who would have thought that when 1973 began, the Kingsmen would end the year with the release of what would become one of the most iconic live albums ever made? I’m sure Foxie had dreams of all the things that “could be” when he forged through re-building the Kingsmen just a couple of years prior, but I don’t know if he, or the Kingsmen, were prepared for what was going to happen when this album hit the marketplace in December 1973! By the time “Big & Live” was recorded, this vocal iteration of the Kingsmen had been together for about 2 years. During the latter half of 1973, the group had ..read more

I’ve had several comments over the last few months about tackling a male quartet. It makes sense that since my favorite male quartet is the Kingsmen, that we start with them! But where do I start with such a massive discography? For the sake of time, we’re going to cover the years 1972-2001. Without exaggerating, the Kingsmen recorded close to 100 albums between 1972 and 2001. This total includes mainline releases, as well as their innumerable budget/independent releases, but does not include re-releases/re-issues, recordings by the band, solo albums etc. In this series, we’re going to walk th ..read more

NEWS OF THE WEEK The Booth Brothers announced their upcoming album will feature the voices of Ron Booth and Charles Booth taken from recordings that are over 40 years old combined with newly recorded vocals by Michael and Ronnie Booth plus longtime Oak Ridge Boys bass singer Richard Sterban. The Shirah Brothers announced the addition of vocalist Samuel McIntyre. McIntyre replaces Aaron Shirah who left the trio earlier this year. Justified Quartet announced the additions of two new members: lead singer Anthony Patton and tenor singer Tony Goforth. Voting has opened for the Final Round of the S ..read more

On November 17, 2000, an historic moment occurred on the stage of the Dayton Memorial Hall in Dayton, Ohio…10 years after the group came off the road and a little over 15 years after the Paynes recorded their iconic “Fire on Stage” live recording, the Paynes returned to the same stage and created magic one final time! Produced by Wayne Haun along with Keith Payne, this was probably the most anticipated release of 2001 for me personally. This recording brings back the popular iteration of the group from the 80’s with Mike, Loreen, Keith and Bill, along with the added bonus of Mike and Loreen’s ..read more

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me. ~Hosea 4:6 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord.” ~Amos 8:11 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ~2 Chronicles 7:14 There are people in other countries who long to ..read more

NEWS OF THE WEEK Daywind Records announced they have extended their recording partnership with soloist Joseph Habedank. Habedank has been with the label since launching his solo career in 2014 and prior to that for several years as a member of The Perrys. Southern Gospel and Bluegrass TV show Gospel Country airing on WHBR TV (Pensacola, FL & Mobile, AL markets) will continue with new hosts Randy Shelnut Sr. and Randy “Scoot” Shelnut, Jr. The show was hosted for over 25 years by Ronnie Joyce who passed away in April. REMEMBERING Southern Gospel artist (Hemphills/McKeithens), songwriter, an ..read more

After spending a few years traveling as a soloist, the Paynes were “reborn”. During Mike’s time as a soloist, Loreen and their daughter, Sandra traveled often with him and they would also perform together as well, so it wasn’t a far-fetched idea to re-invent the Paynes as a family trio with the three of them. Stylistically, this incarnation of the group was very different from the original group. While Mike was the main singer in the original group, over the last few years, Sandra, was coming into her own as an amazing singer herself, and was a dynamic vocalist and a true stylist, just like he ..read more

NEWS OF THE WEEK Broadcast Music, Incorporated presented the BMI Christian Music Awards on Tuesday, June 18 at an invitation-only event in Nashville, Tennessee. “God Is Real” (Jacob Mills, Levi Mills, Sue Smith, Barry Weeks), “Liar, Liar” (Jason Cox, Joseph Habedank, Joshua Alan Tomlin), and “Never Not God” (Jacob Mills, Levi Mills, Barry Weeks) were among the Top 25 Most Performed Songs recognized throughout the evening. Worship leader Phil Wickham was recognized as Songwriter Of The Year. The Gospel Music Association announced the promotion of Alexandra Mohilowski to Marketing Director. Ale ..read more

NEWS OF THE WEEK Gaither Music Group president Paul Sizelove was included on Billboard’s Indie Power Players list for the fifth consecutive year. In addition to his duties for GMG, Sizelove was recently appointed president of Sun Label Group as well. RELEASED THIS WEEK There are no new releases this week. Click HERE to listen to June 2024 releases on YouTube Music. UPCOMING RELEASES The dates listed here are distribution dates when music will officially be available through retail and online outlets. Some titles may be available sooner direct from the artists. June 21 – Poet Voices – It Won ..read more