Crimson Ridge & Michael Wayne Smith benefit singing

Tonight my wife and I attended a benefit concert that featured Michael Wayne Smith and Crimson Ridge. The fundraiser was to help raise money toward the cost of chemotherapy treatments for a young lady that has cancer.

The concert was held at Union Baptist Church and started just a little after 6:00 pm. Dale Burress, from Ark Studios, was there to film the evening for the television show Southern Style Praise. There was a great turn out for the event. The middle section of the sanctuary was pretty much packed as well as the left side. We took a seat in the middle section about 5 rows from the front.

Things started off with a surprise performance by, Jeff Branam, who is the father-in-law of the lady the concert was for. He sang, The Anchor Still Holds, and did an outstanding job on it. After that, Michael Wayne Smith walked up on stage and took a seat behind the piano. He sang and played several rousing numbers from his latest CD. He is an amazing song writer and has an excellent voice. His love for the Lord really shone through the songs and music, however, the huge smile on his face revealed it all. My favorite song that he sang was one titled, Until the Storm Is Over. The words just spoke to my heart and caused tears to well up inside of me and spill over.

Crimson Ridge came up to the stage next and tore into the lively, Let's Have Revival, followed up with one of my favorite songs that they sing, An Old Sinner Like Me.  I've had the pleasure of hearing these guys sing on several occasions when they were called, 3 For Thee, but this was the first time I had heard them under the new name of Crimson Ridge. Same guys (Greg Davis, Jackie Painter, and Warren Beeler) but they sounded tighter than ever. Great vocal harmonies and pitch, with a real nice full sound, which was really showcased on the catchy number, All I Ever Needed. My wife and I both agreed that probably our favorite song that they sang tonight was one lead singer, Jackie Painter, wrote, which is titled, He's In Control. I guess what I like most about this group is their heartfelt testimonies and clear presentation of the Gospel while on stage. Some groups will get up and try to sound real spiritual but you can always tell who is the real deal and the guys in Crimson Ridge are the real deal.