Producer: John Rowsey
Label: Independent Release
Website: http://www.perrysisters.com

Having always been a fan of the Perry Sisters, I felt like there was a great void in Southern Gospel Music when they retired from the road a few years ago. How sweet it is that they have returned for a new season, albeit to a very limited schedule; but at least we get a new CD out of the deal! Diana Gillette has penned some great new songs and has brought back her niece Tammy to the front lines, and has now enlisted the help of her youngest daughter, Nicole. Collectively, they have a tough sound and individually, they can all tote the mail.

The uptempo, "I WANT TO BOW DOWN AT YOUR FEET" gets things underway before things slow down for the reflective and comforting, "I FALL DOWN ON MY KNEES". Nicole turns in a masterful performance on the next song, "LORD OF THE HARVEST. A call to the church to bring in the harvest for night is soon approaching; this song is probably the strongest song on the entire recording. Tammy then steps up to sing a Perry Sisters classic, "HE'LL DELIVER ME", which is done quite a bit different from the original, but it's still good!

"YES, I BELIEVE" is reminiscent to the former incarnation of the group and is a highlight of the recording for me and Diana does a marvelous job singing it before Tammy turns in a soulful performance on "TAKE UP THE CROSS".

Diana turns in an emotional performance on "NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE". Diana's penned lyric tells the story for all of us and paints a picture of where many of us has been countless times."how can I keep my eyes upon You Lord, when they're so full of tears.when all hope is gone, I'll still worship You.I'll keep trusting You Lord, no matter where you are." Keeping things in a worshipful mode, Nicole sings "SPEAK HIS NAME" before things get kicked back up with the uptempo, "HALLELUAH TO THE LAMB".

Written and sung as a testimony, Tammy sings the heartfelt, "MY HEART WILL SING" before the group turns in a couple of other songs that are reminiscent of their former self entitled, "KEEP WALKIN' ON" and the victorious, "UNDER THE BLOOD". The funk feel of "YOU'VE GOTTA LET GO" closes out the recording and definitely leaves you wanting more.

I've always regarded Diana Gillette as one of Southern Gospel's rare jewels as she is a great communicator and a wonderful songwriter. I believe these songs to be some of her best. Also, her daughter Nicole is an excellent singer in her own right. I hope we'll be seeing much more from her and the new Perry Sisters. I hope this isn't a one shot deal. This is an excellent piece of work as everything from the cover graphics/photography, to the music tracks and vocals; to the very songs themselves is first class all the way. Even though a vast majority of these songs lend themselves more into the Praise & Worship vein, it's a superb recording, nonetheless; and I think a majority of Perry Sisters fan will ecstatically approve, and they may even garner some new fans as well!

Dottie Rambo - Rembered

I am still in a state of shock. When I received a phone call from a friend of mine around 8am Sunday morning, I never dreamed the news I was about to receive would be that Dottie Rambo had been killed in a tragic bus accident earlier that morning. My heart literally sank as I was hearing the news. What a tremendous loss, but I still can't help but think what a wonderful Mother's Day she had, sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Dottie had spent her entire life singing and writing songs for Jesus. Her songs have reached literally millions of hearts and souls through such people as Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Barbara Mandrell, Happy Goodman Family, Greenes, Perrys, Kingsmen, Cathedrals, Oak Ridge Boys, Sandi Patti as well as her own family group, the Rambos; as these, along with so many other artists, have recorded and continue to record Dottie's "children", as she liked to call her songs. What a wonderful legacy she has left behind though her music. Very few people, I believe, sought the heart of the Master like Dottie Rambo did. She wrote what so many of us could not verbalize and was able to reach down and ##### our hearts though such tremendous and heartfelt offerings such as "He Looked Beyond my Fault", "If That Isn't Love", "Sheltered in the Arms of God", "We Shall Behold Him", "For What Earthly Reason", "Tears Will Never Stain the Streets of that City", "I've Never Been This Homesick Before", "I Will Glory in the Cross", "I Just Came to Talk with You Lord", "In the Valley He Restoreth My Soul" and so many more. One of my all-time favorite Dottie Rambo songs is one of her more obscure tunes the Rambos recorded back in 1981 called "You Will Have to Live the Song". That song could have been Dottie's testimony; as the song basically says "you will have to live the song before you know." Every note and every tear shed as Dottie travailed over her songs, she has lived (though it wasn't always easy) and she could convey those messages better than anyone.

Dottie's songs are such a wonderful portrayal of who she was and who Christ is. She allowed you to see her heart, all the while showing the listener the very heart of God. Countless people found comfort, tranquility, joy and love through her music, and though she walked through many valleys to bring us these songs, the very essence of those songs helped us through our very own dark days. Though her songs were so complex at times, they were yet, so very simple and easy to understand. Even as a child growing up on the Rambos music and Dottie's songs, I understood what she was writing about. I remember as an 8 years old child totally comprehending the message behind "In the Valley He Restoreth My Soul". Oh how that song has elevated me to spiritual heights when I needed it most. Dottie's songs could be quite serious; but she was also in many ways, a child at heart; as she so wonderfully displayed in her children's musical, "Down by the Creekbank" (which I performed at the age of 7 years old). Though it's been close to 30 years since I performed it, to this day it brings back incredible feelings of nostalgia and warmth. Dottie's music embodied everything that was good and right. No one could craft a song like Dottie Rambo. I don't think I've heard a song she wrote that I just didn't like. Some I liked more than others, but all have touched me in some way. She wasn't just at the top of her class; she owned the whole school.

I've been extremely privileged to meet Dottie on several occasions, the last being the middle of last year (2007) when she sang at South Henderson Pentecostal-Holiness Church in Henderson, North Carolina. I was able to spend a few moments with her as Larry Ferguson (her manager and a friend of mine) and I were helping her to the bus after the concert and I will forever treasure that time, albeit brief. I was also privileged to do an interview with Dottie about 8 years ago for this website and we talked for close to 3 hours about her music and her life; we laughed, we cried and we rejoiced. My admiration and respect for Dottie grew tremendously that evening and I will forever treasure that interview.

Being an observant person, I love to watch people. I have observed Dottie in several places and environments and have always found her to be the same, no matter where she was. Back in 2006 at the National Quartet Convention, I observed how she interacted with her fans. There was a very long line of people waiting to see her and she could have very easily just moved everyone along so she can be done with meeting people. But she took her time and intently listened to their comments and had real conversations with people when they came to meet her. She made each person feel like they were the only people in the world and that they were the only ones that mattered to her. Even some young boys (maybe around 10 or 12 years old) were so excited to meet her and she treated them with such respect. She loved people, and it was a genuine love. Most of the time, ministry isn't what is on the platform; it is usually that one on one interaction, displaying God's love and compassion, and Dottie displayed that better than anyone.

Dottie's legacy was felt in churches all across America (and probably the world) on the day she died, as I know of 3 churches around the country that used a Dottie Rambo song in their Mothers Day service, (one of them being my own church) and the people who sang those songs had no clue that she had left this world. I remember sitting at my own church as a lady stepped up to sing, "Come Spring" and thought, how ironic, but yet how appropriate. I couldn't help but smile as a slight tear ran down my face.

Dottie did not walk through this world unnoticed, as her legacy lives on and her songs continue to be an anchor of hope for those tossed on stormy seas. It could be said that each life is a song. I believe that Dottie's life was one big, beautifully written melody and she has lived that song to its fullest, all the way to the end. She spent 74 years writing this song, and that song is now complete; for what she has known only in part, is now completely made known. All the songs that she was blessed to pen, were only parts of her life song. You can literally look at each lyric and read her life story. As a testament to that, the lyric in one of her songs says, "the roads been long, I'm a little bit weary, many miles behind me, but Home's a lot nearer." Dottie has fought many long, hard battles here in this life and has endured many heartaches and struggles, but she's crossed over the river now and is standing on the other side, where she is forever "sheltered in the arms of God" in a land "where a heart will never break anymore!"

Written by James Hales

---

THE GREATEST SONG I EVER HEARD

Dottie Rambo was an amazing talent. She was a singer, comedian, actress, philosopher, but above all else, a God Called Writer. As I began to adjust to the startling news that she had left us so quickly for the Hills Of Home that she sang about so often, I started thinking about the times in my life when my path crossed with hers.

I first saw her in person in 1969. I had no idea that night how much of an impact she would make on my life over the next forty years. I had already written my first song. So I listened close to every song that they said came from her pen. She sang a brand new one that night that they didn't even have on a record yet. I thought "Build My Mansion Next Door To Jesus" was the greatest song I ever heard.

I began buying every Rambo record I could get my hands on. And I studied how this prolific writer put words and melodies together. I fell in love with so many of her songs from just hearing the recordings. Those records introduced me to "He Looked Beyond My Fault And Saw My Need", "The Holy Hills", "Too Much To Gain To Lose", "If That Isn't Love", "Sheltered In The Arms Of God", "Until He Comes", "In The Valley He Restoreth My Soul", "Tears Will Never Stain The Streets Of That City", "I've Never Been This Homesick Before", and "Holy Spirit Thou Art Welcome". The first time I heard each of these songs, I was once again sure, that I had just experienced the greatest song I ever heard.

I didn't get to see the Rambos again until 1978. That night I saw Dottie step to the center of the stage and sing a brand new song called "I Go To The Rock". As I sat in the balcony of Faith Temple Church in San Jose, California, I knew I had just witnessed the greatest song I had ever heard. But a few minutes later in the program they introduced another new song. They said this one was only four days old!! When I heard them sing "Behold The Lamb", I just knew it was the greatest song I ever heard. I can't explain how the Holy Spirit filled the room.

Dottie had turned that concert into a worship service. She closed the service with yet another brand new song. And even though I thought I had just experienced the two best songs I'd ever heard, "I Will Glory In The Cross" convinced me once again. That was the greatest song I had ever heard.

I didn't know what to do. I had never experienced Jesus the way I did when Dottie sang that night. I was overwhelmed. I began to question God as to whether or not I was called to a ministry of songwriting. I couldn't imagine ever writing under the anointing like she did.

I didn't see her for another nine years, but during that time her recordings introduced me to songs like "We Shall Behold Him", "The Mercy Throne", "The Broken Rose", and "For What Earthly Reason".

When I did get to see her again in 1987 I approached her to ask her advice on songwriting. By this time I was having a few songs recorded by some professional
artists, and I wanted to hear what advice she could give me to take me to the next level. I'll never forget her words to me that night. She said, "don't let the music business overwhelm and frustrate you. Write all you can, and give God all of the Glory."

Through the years I saw the music business and music styles change. Dottie's writing even changed with the times. One of the changes in Gospel Music has
been toward putting a greater emphasis on Praise and Worship Music. Dottie was never considered by the industry to be a Praise and Worship leader, but I can
say that in my life, she was.

She ushered us into the presence of Jesus so many times with her songs. She didn't even have to be there to sing them, because the Spirit she connected with when she was writing, lingered on the lyrics. She could have never taken us into God's presence if she didn't know how to get there herself. Isn't that what a true worship leader should be? Shouldn't they know how to lead you to the presence of the Lord, and shouldn't they be able to reveal a deeper aspect of his Holiness than you have ever seen before?

Dottie could lead us to a deeper experience with Jesus because she had already been there. And she wasn't afraid to expose her weaknesses in order to show how great God's strength was made perfect in it.

THIS HOUSE OF FLESH IS BUT A PRISON
BARS OF BONE HOLD MY SOUL
BUT THE DOORS OF CLAY
WILL BURST WIDE OPEN
WHEN THE ANGEL SETS MY SPIRIT FREE
I'LL TAKE MY FLIGHT LIKE A MIGHTY EAGLE
WHEN THE HILLS OF HOME START CALLING ME

Good bye, for now, Miss Dottie. The prophecy of these lyrics have been manifested for you.
Start Teaching Those Angels How To Sing.

Oh, and by the way, thanks for singing me the greatest song I ever heard.

Written by Daryl Williams
http://www.darylwilliamstrio.net

Top 40 Weekly Chart

TW	LW	#WK	TITLE	ARTIST	PEAK
1	1	20	I Still Have It All	HisSong	1(2)
2	4	22	Know So Salvation	Legacy Five	2
3	6	23	Your Cries Have Awoken the Master	Mike & Kelly Bowling	2
4	9	14	We've Weathered Storms Before	Greenes	4
5	14	8	When I Cry	Gaither Vocal Band	5
6	11	26	Preach the Word	Gold City	1(2)
7	7	13	You Don't Know God's Love	Dove Brothers	4
8	2	9	Yahweh	Hoppers	2
9	20	14	We Speak Your Name	Nelons	7
10	8	13	You Can't Take My Crown	Ivan Parker	8
11	10	25	The Light of the Lamb	Whisnants	4
12	12	24	Won't It Be Wonderful There	Mark Trammell Trio	12
13	15	16	We've Got a Great Big Wonderful God	Imperials	7
14	13	16	Beautiful Mistakes	Misty Freeman	13
15	3	15	You Are With Me	McKameys	3
16	18	13	Cast In the Sea	Freemans	13
17	16	6	God Will Pass By	Greater Vision	16
18	17	20	What We Needed	Kingdom Heirs	14
19	23	5	I Believe God	Brian Free & Assurance	19
20	29	3	Welcome to the Family	Booth Brothers	20
21	22	24	I Would	Ronnie Booth	1(2)
22	21	18	In Jesus' Name	Hope's Call	14
23	31	20	Life Is Great & Getting Better	Jeff & Sheri Easter	16
24	30	8	Hallelujah to the Lord	Webbs	24
25	28	13	Miracle	Aaron & Amanda Crabb	25
26	24	3	More Than Amazing	Paid In Full	24
27	32	3	Joy	Charlotte Ritchie	27
28	35	18	That's Just God (Doing What He Does)	Inspirations	25
29	19	29	Holy Shore	Perrys	1(4)
30	5	19	The Broken Ones	Talley Trio	1(5)
31	33	7	Walk On	Isaacs	31
32	34	6	Jesus Saved My Soul	Cavaliers Quartet	32
33	38	8	Naaman	Sunday Edition	31
34	37	2	Help Is On the Way	Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver	34
35	39	2	I Can Think of One	Mark Bishop	35
36	36	13	70 X 7	CrossWay	27
37	*	1	History Turned the Page	Austins Bridge	37
38	*	1	Rolled Away Stone	Eighth Day	38
39	40	3	Death In the Family Tonight	Hinsons	39
40	25	30	Hey	Karen Peck & New River	1(4)

TW - This week on the chart	LW - Last week on the chart	#WK - Number of weeks on the chart	#1 For the Week
Indicates 1st Week on chart	Greatest Gain on Chart	On chart the longest	Highest on chart after dropping off

Rev. T. F. Tenney ministered at our church a few days ago. This very wise preacher proclaimed to our congregation that "If you are committed to God, He is committed to you". He was illustrating how much God loves His children and the lengths that He will go to, to show His love to you. I believe that! I believe that if you are investing in God's work and pouring yourself into others, God rewards your faithfulness.

I had a beautiful example for being faithful to God and living a Godly life in my dad. Having been raised in a pastor's home, I saw the benefits of my dad's faithfulness to God. I saw his sacrifice for the kingdom of God and I know without a doubt that hundreds of lives who have been touched by his dedication and humility. My life is certainly a feeble attempt to achieve that level of dedication. I love you J. George Cohron and thank you for the example of love, hard work and devotion you have been to me!

Zion Compilation #42 will mail soon and will include: The McGruders, The Dunaways, David Patillo, The Crossmen, Tim Thomas Trio, Melinda Hand, The Gardners, Randy Swift, The Cupps, Sonny Schambeau, Cherise Perkins, Lorna Brittany Macey and The Dartts!!! I know, it is jam packed with incredible music for your listeners. You can also download the compilation online. Just call our office and Noel will provide the link to do so!

Oak Valley Studio has also experienced a busy spring! We have welcomed: Cherise Perkins, Shawn Drewitt, the McCoys, The Tim Thomas Trio, Mark Fuller ....to name a few!

If you need assistance with Sound and Video production for your event, contact us at 1-800-883-1772. You can also check out our website at http://www.nashvilleteleproductions.com . For information regarding all Zion artists go to http://www.zionmusic.com . If you would like to contact me directly, you can email me at .

For information regarding recording, contact our website at http://www.oakvalleystudio.com or call the office at 1-800-883-1772. We would love to discuss your recording needs and how we might be able to assist your ministry.

Until next month, keep a song in your heart!

Beverly Cohron McManua
http://www.zionmusic.com

Hello to everyone out in SoGospelNews land, I hope you all are having a good year so far, and if not I hope this will give you a little spring in your soul and in your step to have a better month.

I was thinking about spring time and how it relates to our Christian life. In the spring new life begins, springs start flowing out of the rocks down through the mountains and out to the valleys, everything is fresh and new. This is how God wants us to be as Christians to the world, new and fresh, a spring of living water.

In John 4, it is talking about the woman at the well, and we have all read the story, but something caught my attention. She did not know what or who was before her; this was the Son of God standing before her offering her life, fresh water. We as Christians forget what we are doing and what we have been called to do as a vessel of God; we are to show life to the world one person at a time.

John chp7 refers to the Living water as “Eternal life”, how is the world going to know if we do not show them first and live it before them, so we can share with them the Love of God and the way to have Eternal Life?

This study took me back to the old testament where the priest had to do certain things before coming to the people, they had to be prepared to go before the King of Kings, “God Almighty,” they had to wash and prepare their minds as well as their bodies; yes we are living under Grace and we all have to be very thankful for this, but walk with me here for a moment. If we are the priesthood of the Almighty King, we need to be sure that we are all we can be when we go out and minister to the world. Isaiah 55 tells us to “Come all you who are thirsty, come at no cost." Psalm 42 talks about how the "deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you oh God." Are we truly looking for God? Psalm 36:7-9, talks bout “How Priceless is your unfailing love, both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings," vs 9 says “ for with you is a fountain of Life “ and in Jeremiah, God is called the Spring of Living Water. God’s word is Living Water, it is a Fresh Well, and He is New Life. Just as we see all the new life beginning each spring, the flowers blooming, the trees give new shade and the grass turns the lushest color of green. Friends, God is the main stream, and we are all one little spring flowing through out this land. The Word tells us “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”. If we are drinking out of the spring waters, the freshness of God is going to flow out of us.

Let us have the spring of New Life in our steps and the water of the spirit flowing out of our month. Let us show God’s Love; We are all in this together and let us show the world that Southern Gospel Music Fans and Artist are on fire for the Lord God Almighty and we are overflowing with the springs of Living Water, let us be a vessel of Honor full of the Living Water.

God Bless you all and I pray that you’ll have a new spring in your step as the joy of the Lord spills out of your heart onto everyone you come into contact with.

Blessings,
Bev McCann
http://www.bevmccann.com

I’M AN IMPOSTER. It’s true. It’s not something I want to admit. It’s not something I’m proud of. But it’s true. For nearly 30 years now I have been calling myself a mother…and it’s just not so…. at least not in the traditional sense.

My mother is one of the last generation of fortunate wives…those who could tend to the business of their home and family. She knew where her children were, and the five of us took comfort in knowing where she was … at home.

Mom did not take her role lightly. She taught us from the scriptures every single day, and I can still remember her praying, calling our names one by one and asking God to protect us, guide us, and make us the people he would have us be.

Our home was the center of everything. We ate at home….always. Mom’s red and white checked tablecloth covered the chipped paint on our old kitchen table and I remember thinking how beautiful it was. I can still hear the screen door snap as I came in from school to find mom in the kitchen making a batch of “cherry dumplins” or canning those big, beautiful tomatoes. She’d wipe her hands on her apron, give me a hug and ask how I did in school that day. Then she’d hum her way through “fixin’ supper”…sometimes “The Old Rugged Cross”, sometimes “Victory in Jesus”.

She’d visit over the picket fence with Mrs. Hampsey or Mrs. Shanks who were also home with their children and then excuse herself to check on the pot of beans simmering on the stove.

Sometimes I’d come home to find her hanging clothes out on the line or “sprinkling down” the ironing on the kitchen table with an old soda bottle outfitted with a sprinkler nozzle, and I couldn’t wait to grow up to do those same things.

My mother was and still is, even at 94, a beautiful lady and she always dressed like one. Mom had a pair of 1940’s navy blue platform shoes that had tall chunky heels and a peek toe and a “lunch box” type purse to match. I loved it when she wore them to church along with her veiled hat and her belted peplum suit. Right then and there I knew what I wanted out of life….I wanted to be my mother. I wanted to wear those hats and gloves and those tailored suits she wore and I wanted to do with my life what she had done. I wanted to watch my kids grow up and be there for them. I wanted her life. But that’s not what I got.

By the time I became an adult, the world had changed. Time had marched on and those things I grew up wanting no longer existed. The Ozzie and Harriett/ June Cleaver world …my mother’s world… that I so desperately needed for myself had disappeared. Gloves and hats had been replaced with tie-dyed T-shirts and ragged jeans. Women suddenly knew more about fixing typewriters than turkeys. They were pumping gas instead of potting plants. The life I dreamed of was just that…a distant dream. I was disoriented and I felt cheated and bitter.

I married alright, but the economy saw to it that I couldn’t stay home. I had children that I loved, but could spend very little time with because of my work schedule. Finally, divorce put an unceremonious end to a bad marriage and there I was again…searching.

Now a divorced mom, I had no hope of being able to stay home. My mother, bless her heart, took care of the kids while I worked and each day they told me of their day’s adventures, their school field trip that I missed or the outing taken with grandma and grandpa that I couldn’t attend. She helped them with their homework, gave them their baths, read them Bible stories and tucked them into bed as I went back to work.

For years I sat through Mother’s Day service after Mother’s Day service feeling ill at ease, knowing full well that I was not the kind of mother that would be honored that day. Year after year the pastor would present a beautiful bouquet to the oldest mother, the youngest mother, the mother with the most children, the mother with the most children present in church that day, the mother of an adopted child, the mother with foster children in her care, etc. etc., until finally the biggie…Mother of the Year.

I was never sure exactly what criteria entered into the decision making process of choosing the various recipients, but there was one thing they nearly always had in common…they were married, fulltime, stay-at-home, non-career moms. Their husbands supported them and they were free to care for their children, keep up with the house work, the laundry, and have meals on the table at 5:00. These were the kind of ladies who could be available during the day to help make peanut brittle for the church fundraiser, be volunteers for Vacation Bible School or shop with the pastor’s wife.

It was painful. Not that the ladies chosen were undeserving. To the contrary, they were some of the finest ladies I’ve ever known, my own mother among them. There was just so much guilt associated with being the kind of mother I was forced to be and so much regret that I had not made better choices. I finally decided I didn’t have to put myself through that anymore, so I quit going to church on Mother’s Day.

Enough years have gone by now that I’ve come to grips with the fact that I probably did the only thing I could do. I wasn’t raised to get on the welfare rolls, so working was the only viable option. I’m married to a wonderful Christian man now who often tells me what a good job I did with my kids. Even my children who are approaching thirty tell me “You did good.” Still….my heart aches for the things I missed. And sometimes when flipping through old photographs I so much miss that little boy with the Buster Brown haircut and the golden-haired girl with the funny little gap between her front teeth.

I’m positive that I’m not the only mom in this world who’s felt less of a mother because she worked her kids’ childhood away and I sincerely hope that one of Heaven’s joys will be the opportunity to recapture some of the time lost. The Lord does say He will restore the years that the locust has eaten.

Before I close, I would just like to take this opportunity to give a verbal “bouquet” to all those mothers out there who may never be recognized for their efforts or whose circumstances have forced them into difficult financial decisions. A dozen red roses to the mother who stands goggled and gloved day after day on the assembly line… to the mother whose head throbs and whose nerves are raw from a grueling day in a stressful office…to the mother whose hands crack and bleed from scrubbing hospital floors…to the mother whose arms feel like lead and whose shoulders ache from hours of perms and comb-outs…to the mother who’s disappointed with herself and her life…to the mother who’s done the very best she can do and no one seems to notice….Happy Mother’s Day. You ARE a real mom, and come to think of it, maybe I am too.

Janice Crow

Top 40 Weekly Chart

TW	LW	#WK	TITLE	ARTIST	PEAK
1	2	19	I Still Have It All	HisSong	1
2	5	8	Yahweh	Hoppers	2
3	7	14	You Are With Me	McKameys	3
4	3	21	Know So Salvation	Legacy Five	3
5	1	18	The Broken Ones	Talley Trio	1(5)
6	4	22	Your Cries Have Awoken the Master	Mike & Kelly Bowling	2
7	6	12	You Don't Know God's Love	Dove Brothers	4
8	9	12	You Can't Take My Crown	Ivan Parker	8
9	12	13	We've Weathered Storms Before	Greenes	9
10	10	24	The Light of the Lamb	Whisnants	4
11	8	25	Preach the Word	Gold City	1(2)
12	18	23	Won't It Be Wonderful There	Mark Trammell Trio	12
13	16	15	Beautiful Mistakes	Misty Freeman	13
14	13	7	When I Cry	Gaither Vocal Band	9
15	14	15	We've Got a Great Big Wonderful God	Imperials	7
16	20	5	God Will Pass By	Greater Vision	16
17	17	19	What We Needed	Kingdom Heirs	14
18	15	12	Cast In the Sea	Freemans	13
19	11	28	Holy Shore	Perrys	1(4)
20	19	13	We Speak Your Name	Nelons	7
21	22	17	In Jesus' Name	Hope's Call	14
22	21	23	I Would	Ronnie Booth	1(2)
23	25	4	I Believe God	Brian Free & Assurance	23
24	34	2	More Than Amazing	Paid In Full	24
25	24	29	Hey	Karen Peck & New River	1(4)
26	23	29	The Great I Am Still Is	Triumphant Quartet	9
27	36	2	That Soldier Was Me	Primitive Quartet	27
28	27	12	Miracle	Aaron & Amanda Crabb	26
29	40	2	Welcome to the Family	Booth Brothers	29
30	32	7	Hallelujah to the Lord	Webbs	30
31	30	19	Life Is Great & Getting Better	Jeff & Sheri Easter	16
32	33	2	Joy	Charlotte Ritchie	32
33	35	6	Walk On	Isaacs	32
34	**	5	Jesus Saved My Soul	Cavaliers Quartet	34
35	28	17	That's Just God (Doing What He Does)	Inspirations	25
36	31	12	70 X 7	CrossWay	27
37	*	1	Help Is On the Way	Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver	37
38	**	7	Naaman	Sunday Edition	31
39	*	1	I Can Think of One	Mark Bishop	39
40	39	2	Death In the Family Tonight	Hinsons	39

TW - This week on the chart	LW - Last week on the chart	#WK - Number of weeks on the chart	#1 For the Week
Indicates 1st Week on chart	Greatest Gain on Chart	On chart the longest	Highest on chart after dropping off

This month, I want to take a closer look at the man who is considered by most people familiar with gospel music as the “father of southern gospel music”.

James David Vaughan was born December 14, 1864 in Giles County, Tennessee. Music was an integral part of his life from the outset, as was church. He was motivated from very early in life to the concept of sharing the gospel through song.

As a teenager, he attended a singing school and quickly assimilated the concepts and rudiments of shape note singing. By the time he was eighteen, he was teaching singing classes himself, and in a short time he started a male quartet composed of his three younger brothers and himself to publicize his school and his teaching, a portend of what was to come in the succeeding years.

Vaughan married a Tennessee girl, Jennie Freeman, in 1890, and suddenly decided to relocate to Cisco, Texas, a rural town in the central part of the state. Vaughan had an uncle there who was a Methodist minister, and who more than likely encouraged young James to begin a teaching career there. It wasn’t long afterward that most of James’ family, including his parents and his brothers John and Charles, likewise moved to Cisco.

Vaughan not only began teaching public school, he continued to offer friends and neighbors alike the opportunity to learn music through shape-note singing schools. By 1892, he met up with Ephraim Hildebrand, who operated a Virginia music publishing company, and also taught advanced normal schools along with traditional singing schools. Through the connection with Hildebrand, Vaughan became even more interested in music as a career than before. Hildebrand convinced Vaughan to compose gospel songs of his own. This proved to be a fortuitous move for Vaughan, who by 1896 was a published writer in “Crowning Day #2, a shaped-note gospel song collection.

It was tragedy, though, that prompted the next big move in Vaughan’s life. A tornado devastated Cisco, and Vaughan took his young and growing family back to Giles County, Tennessee, where James became a school principal there.

Vaughan by this time was firmly committed to making music his life’s calling, and in 1901 left his school principal job to relocate to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. By this time he had already published his first independent song sollection, named “Gospel Chimes” after one of the original Vaughan compositions in the book.

It was here that Vaughan began the James D. Vaughan Music Company to market and publish songbooks of his own. Because of Vaughan’s contacts in the world of shape note publishing and his growing singing school teaching career, he was able to get a foothold in the songbook publishing business, and he was well on his way toward becoming a success in the gospel singing world.

And it was in 1910 that Vaughan made the most significant business decision of his life. He organized a male quartet that year to travel throughout the area to sing for anyone who would listen. The quartet’s repertoire consisted exclusively of songs in Vaughan’s songbooks, and sold 5,000 songbooks to a crowd of 1,500 at the quartet’s first official concert engagement at the Cumberland Presbyterian Assembly in Dickson, Tennessee.

This innovative concept is generally recognized as the beginning of professional gospel singing. For the first time, people organized to sing songs of praise to God, and they received renumeration for their efforts. Vaughan realized what a valuable tool that the singers he employed were to his business, and like any good businessman, he began expanding o