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In 1960's America, the equality of man envisioned by the Declaration of Independence was far from a reality. People of color, blacks, Hispanics, Orientals, were discriminated against in many ways. The 1960's were a turbulent time in America, when racial barriers began to come down due to Supreme Court decisions and due to an increase in the activism of blacks, fighting for equal rights.
Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist minister, was a driving force in the push for racial equality.
Thrust into the national spotlight in Birmingham, Alabama, where he was arrested and jailed, King organized a massive march on Washington, DC on August 28, 1963. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial he gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, which is credited with mobilizing supporters of desegregation and prompted the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The next year, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
On November 2, 1983, 15 years after Dr. King's death, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill into law, making the third Monday of January a national holiday celebrating the birth and life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I was a young man when Dr. King gave his speech, but I remember it clearly. It's easy for us to look back to those days now that we know the outcome and appreciate the work of Dr. King, but it could not have been easy for him to stand before 250,000 people and tell America about his dream. It is most difficult to express your thoughts and ideas when those ideas oppose the "Status-Quo".
I am certainly not comparing myself to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but I do know how he must have felt. My cause is not on the same scale as changing America, but to me it is just as noble, and I too have a dream that someday Southern Gospel Music will be able to hold its head high and be freed from its current ideology of mediocrity.
I have a dream that someday the various segments of our industry, Radio, Retail, Record Companies, Record Promoters, Booking Agents, Talent Promoters, Magazines, NQC, will actually communicate with one another and be united in forming a plan to move SGM forward.
I have a dream that someday our professional artists will represent SGM, and our amateur artists will have to earn their way to the top.
I have a dream that someday our reporting stations will be only the ones that actually know the difference between good and bad music.
I have a dream that someday our charts will be computerized, will all be computed using the same formula, and will be open to scrutiny by anyone.
I have a dream that someday radio promotion will be used for its intended purpose, promoting good Gospel music via radio, rather than it's current use of conning young artists into using it as an ill-conceived method of advancing their careers.
I have a dream that someday our charts will have a maximum of 40 positions. This one change, if we never ever did anything else, would literally clean up our industry overnight.
I have a dream that someday our artists will be musically literate. In my view, it is inexcusable to be in a music business and not know music.
The Dreamers of Southern Gospel Music
A dreamer and his dreams are usually the object of ridicule …UNTIL THE DREAM COMES TRUE.
We honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. because his dream came true for many Americans, not because he simply dreamed a dream. He could have kept his dream to himself. He could have remained silent when others told him that his dream was making him look silly. He could have looked at reality instead of his dream, and let despair win out instead of hope. But…he didn't…and because of that the world is changed forever.
Compared to the rest of the Universe, the world of SGM is miniscule, but it's the world I live in. The problems with SGM pale in comparison to the injustices that Dr. King chose to expose and make right. But I am pleasantly surprised to discover a groundswell of support coming from numerous and unexpected places in the world of SGM. Your emails, phone calls, and comments to me at various SGM events seem to be indicating that I am not dreaming alone. Many of you share the same vision I do for SGM.
During the time that Dr. King was at the forefront of the civil rights movement, John F. Kennedy is quoted as saying, "We need men who can dream of things that never were".
Keep dreaming and some day our dreams will come true.
As always, I welcome your comments.
God Bless You,
Nick Bruno
http://www.songgardenmusic.com
Reader Comments
Tony Partigianoni
http://www.ksgm.com/images/gospel.gif
Pure SGM & Quartet-Style Singing
http://www.ksgm.com
I agree with Tony Partigianoni's comment above. I believe that the greatest help to our kind of music would be to properly name it with a name that better describes it - and makes it more inviting and appealing to those who are from different regions of the country. I believe that the term "Southern Gospel Music" automatically conjures up a false impression in one's mind as to the nature of the music itself.And again, I am against limiting the chart positions to just 40. There are over 50 groups scheduled to appear on the main stage at NQC - not to mention the notable ones that are not appearing (Gaither Vocal band, Ernie Haase & SS, etc) and the very popular soloists who can not appear there, such as Ivan Parker and others.
40 chart positions might be OK if the positions were determined by the quality of the recordings - but that is never going to happen. That is a dream that will never come true. Station PM's. managers and owners will always play their favorites and the favorites of their listeners - and the 60 or so "major" artists will generally get their newest singles on the air on most stations just by reason of their longevity. Just put the single out - and it will automatically be on the playlist in regular (if not heavy) rotation.
Should they? Probably not. Will they? Well - they always have - and they probably always will.
So, those 40 positions will already be filled by the 60 major artists. New talent coming in will have little chance to chart, unless there are 40 - 80 positions.
So - should new talent be allowed in - if they can't crowd out and displace that artists already "owning" the top 40 positions?
One might say - let them be so good they replace the now-major artists - or let them fall by the wayside.
This kind of thinking is exactly why our Industry is in the mess it is in today. New blood is needed. It needs to be recognized and given an opportunity to reach and gain an audience. (Can you say, "Amen," Deon?)
Our Industry is richer because we now have Hope's Call (who are on the main stage at NQC this year), The Crabbs, The MacRae's, The Dunaways and other newer groups.
But - and this is my point - if there were only a top 40 chart - and the recordings of newer groups were being played well enough to be in the top 60 or 70 in 1/3 or 1/4 of the SGM radio markets - then I submit that the other 2/3 of the stations would not be aware of their radio traffic - and would not automatically "investigate" their music the month after the top 40 chart came out.
Stations often learn that a song or group is doing well by discovering them in the top 40-80 on the chart - and their group and music then receives the recognition they have worked for - and a chance at that top 40 in succeeding months.
Limit it to 40 - and the left hand will never know what the right hand is doing.
And - groups that would have developed into major groups (to take the place of those that will retire) will be out of business.
And, the station owners, with less and less listenership and revenue, will continue to wonder why our Industry is dying.
The answer? Change the ridiculous name - and get New Blood.
New Blood - New Blood.
Someone has to take the place of the many who will retire within five years of each other.
And, the new blood has no immediate access to the top 40 spots. They are owned by the 60 major groups and soloists - and the belief that the station personnel will EVER not automatically put their singles on the air is a real dream.
A pipe dream.
I agree with you on everything else, Nick - but please don't change the system so that radio people in Greensboro, Nashville and Charlotte will not be aware if we are getting significant radio play in Birmingham, Atlanta and Knoxville.
Because then, we won't see OUR dreams fulfilled.
Does this make sense to anybody else out there?
Cliff Cerce
The Cerces, PO Box 8525, Springfield, MO 65801
417-863-8440
http://www.thecerces.com
I recognize Nick's concerns, and I understand his dreams. I also understand those of my friend Cliff's above me here.
But I think that the situation that Nick is addressing goes far deeper than a mere concern with the layout of song charts.
Speaking as the co-host of the U.S.'s longest continuously airing SG radio show, I can say that we do NOT play songs on the basis of a group's political position in the "industry"...in fact, we could care less about the "industry". We glance at charts occasionally to see what the rest of the world is playing or listening to, but beyond that, our songs are chosen based on what we feel their intrinsic musical worth is(or isn't)...and if certain songs become popular with out audience, we tend to play them more often.
But there has to be some point where any responsible chart must have a "cut-off"...whether it is at 40, 0r 50, or even 60. I doubt that there are 80 current songs at any given time that have any demonstrated audience appeal.
And there has to be more of a reason to include them than they're "out there". A certain amount of streamlining is necessary to enforce quality airplay standards. I can think of no better, objective way of ensuring that artists develop their talents to the point where their product will be able to compete on a successful basis with the best that is being offered at a given time.
The difficulties in the gospel music business have been addressed quite nicely by Nick in his previous articles, and I think we need to address them all, one at a time. Then and only then can the similar concerns that Cliff expresses be adequately dealt with.
If a body suffers from chronic pain, the sources of that pain need to be addressed to deal with it. I know we're all afraid of "surgery" to some extent, but in this case we're dealing with a patient that has a number of ills...so I feel we must open our minds to any snesible cure that can possibly do the trick...and go from there.
Good comments by John Scheideman and jeanne. I wouldn't object to a top 40 chart if radio stations would do actually do what John's station does - as he describes above.
And, I certainly know that Nick has no desire whatsoever to make it harder for newer groups to have access to the airwaves. On the contrary, he is a champion of good groups getting recognition.
But, my point is - I think it would be quite easy to restrict the charts to 40 positions only - while it would be almost impossible to get most of the SGM stations to select their material (and then properly report the airplay) as John's station does. Again, I believe that most stations will pretty-much-automatically play the recognizable 60 artists - and this will result in their occupying the 40 positions by default - for the most part.
So, making the easy change to 40 positions - without the more-needed change of proper scrutiny and assessment of ALL singles (as John's station does) will most probably result in less access to newer groups on the charts - in my opinion.
I would never opppose 40 positions - if the playing field could be leveled so that ALL of the singles reach air play on the merits of their quality and relevance. But, I really believe that station personnel will quickly agree to limiting the charts to 40 positions - but neglect to properly assess the material in the manner that Nick is advocating (and as John's station does).
And, I believe that one change without the other would make an admittedly bad situation even worse.
But, if both changes could really be implemented - bring it on. However - let's first get the stations to evaluate and select the music properly - and then let's limit the chart to 40.
Cliff Cerce
The Cerces, PO Box 8525, Springfield, MO 65801
417-863-8440
http://www.thecerces.com
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Written: 02/01/2006 
Author: Nick Bruno
Category:
The Gospel Truth
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