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Howard and Vestal Goodman

Conversations with The Goodmans

Over the Christmas holidays, Gospel Music lost one of its greatest and most precious voices and personalities. Vestal Goodman left this world with a wonderful legacy and truly was a legend in her own time. She joined her husband Howard, and went on to see the One she relentlessly sang about for over 50 years.

The Happy Goodman Family won a Grammy Award in 1968 and 1978, as well as numerous Dove awards and Fan Awards as well as topping the charts constantly with their songs. God used Vestal and all the Happy Goodman Family to inspire hundreds, and even thousands of people, myself included. They were the first group I ever listened to as a child. While rummaging through my mom and dad's closet, I found some old records, and saw an album by the Happy Goodman Family and this large woman on the cover with all that hair and I just had to hear her sing. I fell in love with them that day, and still to this day, their singing inspires, encourages and uplifts me. It is the end of an era, but I thank God for using Vestal and all the Goodmans to lift us all up to high Heavenly places.

Back a few years ago, I was afforded a couple of wonderful opportunities to interview Howard and Vestal Goodman for a radio station I worked for. Most of these interview excerpts are with Vestal, though Howard chimes in once in a while with some wonderful words of wisdom! While these interviews are about 10-12 years ago, they are still recent enough and relevant enough to re-visit and enjoy today. So just sit back and enjoy reading these "Conversations with Howard and Vestal Goodman!"

The Happy Goodman Family always seemed to have a certain charisma from the stage. The people seemed to flock to them. They were one of the first groups to put a strong spiritual emphasis on what they did. So one time, I asked Vestal about that.

Vestal: "We were pastoring a church when we started and got back together in the early 60's. It was very important for us that the Lord is first. It wasn't just a show for us"

It was very important that everyone in our group were spirit filled Christians. Nobody on our bus drank, smoked or did a lot of the things they ought not do. And we had a lot of prayer meetings on our bus. So, when you have that, it'll automatically come through.

"We were very strong spiritually because wherever we traveled, we went back to our church every Sunday. Howard or I preached every Sunday morning at our church in Kentucky for many years."

"And too, we enjoyed what we did. I think the fact that we enjoyed it came through. Singing is fun! Singing for the Lord is fun! We've done it all our lives. All Howard and I have ever done it preach and sing. And I'm gonna sing 'til Jesus comes anyway!"

I asked Vestal what she considered being the Goodman's greatest accomplishment or award?

Vestal : "The greatest award are those people who sat out there and bought a ticket to hear us sing and sat out there and cheered, cried and praised the Lord, and those people who got healed, saved and filled with the Spirit, those are the real awards!"

"You know, we want to be blessing first, and I hope we cause young people to want to sing. I want young people to sing. If I can inspire a young person to sing then, Hallelujah! Mission accomplished!"

In response to that question, I then asked her what kind of advice would you give to a young person wanting to sing gospel music the rest of their life. I was somewhat intrigued by her response

Vestal : "I grew up believing that singing was a part of worship. David sang and chased the evil spirits away with his music. I grew up in church and my daddy taught me, never let people ask you the second time to sing in church, or sing in the choir. If you're asked to do so, go do it right then. I think that parents need to encourage their children to get involved in the music at church. It's good for them! And if you're not in church, get in church! If your church doesn't have a good music program, get with your pastor or Minister of music and encourage him to start a music program that will include you and get to singing. Because if you're ever going to sing and amount to anything for God, in the singing world, you need a home church and a church to sing in. So start in church!"

Vestal, no doubt, has inspired hundreds of people, myself included; I often wondered who inspired her to sing?

Vestal : "My brother 'Cat' was a great inspiration to me. Old 'Dad' Speer inspired me. I loved 'Dad' Speer and the Speer family and Jake Hess inspired me, too "

Looking back over the many years on the ministry of the Happy Goodman Family, many questions come to mind. The Goodmans were known for many things. Their songs, their music, etc. So I asked one time what they would consider to be the biggest song they ever did?

Vestal : "Oh Lord! (laughing) I guess maybe the one that was on the charts the longest, "What A Beautiful Day for the Lord to Come Again" or "I Believe He's Coming Back." Then there's "God Walks the Dark Hills", "The Sweetest Song I know", "Who am I that a King would bleed and die for", "I Wouldn't Take Nothing for my Journey Now", just so many great songs. God just let us get some great songs! And Rusty was such a great songwriter, and he wrote so many great songs"

Howard : "But you know we didn't record like a lot of people did. Our contract with Word records required us to do maybe 2-3 albums a year. We were lucky if we did one a year. Because we wanted to record songs that people wanted to hear. We didn't just record a hit song and then fill it up with something wouldn't nobody play! So, all of our songs, people played them and liked them."

Vestal : "But you know who made all of that great? The beautiful people! We sing to the most wonderful people in all the world!"

Vestal always seemed to really treasure her fans. When I asked her about that, with eyes wide open and exaggerated expression, she says:

Vestal : "OH I love people! I just plain love people! Now, my son says 'Now mother go back and sit down and rest!' Course, I'm not 30 anymore! And I'have a hard time not resenting, I'll put it nicer, (smiling) having to sit down and rest, to keep my energy up to sing. But, I really would rather be out there mixing and mingling with those people and listening to their comments."

The Goodmans have won countless awards - Dove Awards, Fan Awards, 2 Grammy Awards, Top songs, and fans all around the world. One thing that always seemed to fascinate me, is that they never seem to let it go to their heads?

Vestal : "I know where I came from and I know where I'm headed, and I know that without God, and the anointing of the Spirit of God, I am nothing! I couldn't sing, nobody would want to hear me sing, and I couldn't be a blessing. My goal in life is to be a blessing to people, make people's hearts lighter, lift their burdens and cause them to want to know Jesus, and to sing!"

Vestal always wore some pretty bold dresses. I asked her one time where she got them. I was somewhat surprised at her answer:

Vestal : "Many of the beautiful clothes I wore - beautiful people would buy them and give them to me! Wasn't that wonderful? All down through the years, people thought I made my dresses or I spent a fortune on clothes, but people would buy them and give them to me."

Other than her flamboyant stage attire, which brought about a new certain "class" to gospel music, Vestal also was known for the hair and the hanky! She laughingly recalls the days of the big hair-dos:

Vestal : All that long tall stuff up there was wigs. All wigs. I ain't got that much hair! (laughing) That was back in the days when the high hair-do's were in. So I just went and bought me some wigs and put mine up high. And a lot of people, when I quit wearing it that way, thought that I had cut all that beautiful long hair off. I hadn't, it's at home on the closet shelf! (laughing)

"Now the handkerchief, though it turned out to be a trademark, but it started out, and what it still is, a necessity! I'm an emotional singer, I cry a lot and sweat a lot and I need something to wipe with. And a Kleenex will just roll up!" (laughing)

""You know, a lot of people think it's just out there for looks, but if you see them when I take them home and try to wash 'em, you'll know they've been used darlin'!" (laughing)

When asked if her wig ever fell over she says:

Vestal : "No it never fell over, but it did get wet and go flat one time, but no, I never did lose my wig!" (laughing)

Other than the hair, I asked Vestal if there were any funny road stories she could tell from the past. After a moment of thinking, she came up with a good one the guys on the bus played on former Goodman tenor, the late Johnny Cook:

Vestal : "I guess one of the funniest experiences was the time the boys on the bus handcuffed Johnny Cook and he thought they threw the keys away! It was a hilarious show, -cause Johnny screamed and hollered for the longest time 'til they finally had to loose him and let him go."

In one instance in talking with Vestal, I asked if there was a concert that stood out in her mind above the rest?

Vestal : "Yes, there is. We had a concert in Atlanta , Georgia one night, years ago. In that concert we gave an altar call and there was more than 300 people that came, and we made an altar at the front of the auditorium, and people came and gave their hearts to God! To me, that was one of the most fabulous concerts I ever did in my whole life. I loved it!"

We all know that Howard has a very distinctive playing style. At first glance, you would think he was beating a piano to death, with his hands flying through the air. But after paying closer attention, you notice he lightly touches the keys with his fingers. I had often heard he taught himself to play the piano. He was quite amused at my asking him if he did teach himself"

Howard : "Well, I think when people hear me play they would know that! (laughing)

I never did take any piano lessons. But, I always wanted to play. I grew up with an old pump organ, and then got a piano but I did, I taught myself how to play. Now, I can play the lead shape notes of any shape note song. That's do-re-mi-fa-so-la-te-do. I read that and can play it in any key I want to on the piano. I had a "Showalters Rudiment Book" that I used and I taught myself those things.

"You know, Eddie Crook used to play for us, and Eddie couldn't understand how some nights I'd get a standing ovation when I went out. Of course, Eddie is a fine musician, and he used to say, I don't understand it Howard. I said, 'Eddie, they like to HEAR you play, but they like to SEE me play!' (laughing) I enjoy it, too."

At one of the more serious moments in one of my interviews with the Goodmans, I posed a question to Vestal, and received and answer I was not expecting at all. I asked her if she could compare Gospel Music from then to now. She was not sure how to answer it at first. I was surprised somewhat, but highly respected the answer that she gave:

Vestal : "Oh my! There is very little comparison! It's totally different. And I'm not so sure it's for the better. I think that we sang more from our hearts and to please the people then than they do now. And I don't say that to put them down. I think that we need a revival among gospel singers. There's a lot of them out there that are doing it for the Lord, and that's wonderful! But there is a need for a revival among gospel singers and they need to catch sight of why they're singing, and the people they're singing to. They need to know those fans, they didn't come to see who's the best singer, they came to be blessed. As my daddy used to say, 'If you don't have the Blesser living inside of you, you can't bless nobody!' So they need a blesser living inside them!"

At the close of my last interview with the Goodmans, I posed Howard and Vestal a question asking them what Jesus Christ meant to them. But in return I received a sort of mini-sermon between the two. They really said it all in a nutshell:

Vestal : "Everything! Without Him, there would be no Song, no motive for singing, no inspiration to sing, and I would be totally void of any joy. Now, the way of a transgressor is hard. And a lot of people say, 'Oh it's just so hard.' And they need to check up and see if they're transgressing. Now I really believe the scripture! I believe John 3:16 that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that we can be saved, I believe all of that. But I believe the rest of it. I believe all of the scriptures. And I believe they work for me, and without Jesus, I wouldn't have a Song."

Howard : "You know, we have been let down in the past by ministries that failed and singers that would fall by the way, and I cannot understand how that the Grace of God, as it saves people, keeps them saved and makes them a blessing. If preachers and singers would look to the Lord, Jesus Christ, and really be sincere, that they can be kept by the Grace of God-free from those things."

Vestal : "But that is not to say that the Goodmans have never made mistakes. We've made many-a mistake, darlin'. We're only human. But the Lord said we could have an Advocate with the Father, and Lord grant, that we would cause people that do falter, like we have in times past, and make mistakes, to go back to the cross."

Howard : "You know, Galatians the 6 th chapter says that if a brother be overtaken in a fault, and falls by the way-the Word says we that are strong, should pick him up and restore him back to the place where he was. And that takes the saving Grace of the Lord to do that."

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Written: 12/31/2003 |

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