I posted this over on my Knoxville Trivia blog but thought I would add it to this one as well since it is Southern Gospel related.
The music that is the most near and dear to my heart is Southern Gospel. I have been listening to it ever since I can remember. When you live in this area of East Tennessee, it's hard not to be influenced by gospel music in some form or fashion. Whether it was listening to Preacher and Lady Mull on the Mull's Singing Convention, or being rocked to sleep by a dear old mother or granny as they sang those old gospel hymns.
I was raised on a healthy assortment of gospel music, with my dad spinning those big old 33 rpm albums on our console stereo. We listened to the Chuck Wagon Gang, the Carter family, Naomi and the Segos, the Singing Cookes, Calvary Echoes, the Inspirations, and the Primitives, just to name a few. My very favorite album in the whole world was the
Kingsmen Quartet's, Big & Live. The album was recorded live in Gadsden, Alabama, in 1973 . My singing idol was the Kingsmen's bass singer,
Ray Dean Reese. I sang along with him, matching every dip and slide that he made. It is with this album that I learned to sing bass. My mother was always singing also. She sang in Churches and with a trio called the Singing Rainbows. They used to travel around in the Knoxville area and sing at homecomings and such. I learned many a gospel song by listening to my mother.
My uncle, Ronnie Spencer, was a big influence in my life. He was always singing. He was in several local gospel quartets in the Knoxville area. Most notably the
King's Servants Quartet. I traveled around with them as often as possible. They played every church and fair in the Knoxville and East Tennessee area. Some mighty big names came out of the King's Servants quartet, including,
Steve and
Kreis French, of the
Kingdom Heirs, David McGill, music minister at
Ridgeview Baptist and lead singer of the Bread of Life Quartet, and David Hoskins, former
WJBZ radio personality and manager of
Crystal River, now manager of
Cross 4 Crowns.
I perfected my bass singing talents under the direction of the late Mr. Jerry Reeves, former choral director at
Gibbs high school. It was during my time in chorus that I learned to read music, how to breath properly, and how to conduct myself as a musician. I was classified as a "
contrabass." Mr. Reeves nicknamed me "boom-boom." My friends and I started a barbershop/gospel quartet and we went around singing at different churches. That was my first taste of how God works his power through music. Sadly, after graduation, we all went our separate ways and the singing stopped. I still sang in Church and with my family, but not with any organized quartets or groups.
I was 19 years old, had been married for about 6 months, when the phone rang at my house. I answered, and on the other end of the line was
Steve French. Steve had started up a quartet that was singing part-time at Silver Dollar City (now
Dollywood), and they were looking for a bass singer. He wanted me to come out the next week and practice with them and see how I liked it.
"Well, I'll think about it," was my reply. The truth was, I was scared to death. I made every excuse I could think of.
"I'm newly married and can't be away from home." I'm working full-time and don't think I could give up the $4.25 an hour that I am making." Blah, blah, blah... One of the guys in the group, Wayne Mitchell, ran a Service Master company and even offered me a job working for him.
"I'll think about it," I said. I wrestled with the decision night and day, right up until the evening that I was supposed to meet with them. I didn't show up. I missed out on my golden opportunity to do what I always wanted to do with my life. How could I have been so stupid? If I had put my trust and faith in God during that time, and not relied on myself, things would have been much different. The Lord only knows all of the great things I have missed out on since that opportunity 20 years ago. There is hardly a day goes by that I don't think about it.
Nowadays, I try to use my God given talents by leading the
music program at
my church. I still have dreams of singing bass in a big time Southern Gospel quartet, but if that never happens, I'll be OK with it. Meanwhile, I'll be satisfied knowing that I am trying to follow God's will in my life, and not my own. Still, I can't help but wonder...what might have been?
