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You have performed with some impressive groups, JD Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, the Blackwood Brothers, and even the Master's V. Give us a little history about who you've performed with, and how long you've been singing.

I have been singing 54 years, having had my parents start me when I was the ripe old age of 2! I sang in front of 10,000 people at 3 and it's been going ever since. I was with the Masters 5 for 4 1/2 years, having taken Rosie Rozell's place. Then when everyone started going their own separate ways leaving only JD & I, that's when we went back to the name "JD Sumner & The Stamps Quartet." I was with The Blackwood Brothers twice; once for a year after leaving The Stamps, and then I went with The Wayne Newton Show (where I sang gospel music) for almost 3 years and then back to the Blackwood Brothers upon my leaving the Newton show. Altogether I was priviledged to travel and work with my lifelong friend, Cecil Blackwood for only 4 short years before we lost him to cancer.

What was your big "break" in getting a career going in Southern Gospel Music?

Everytime the Masters 5 would come to town, they would play a series of dates around Houston Texas, our hometown. My wife, Shirley & I had been to their first concert in their "series" and the next afternoon, I got a call from JD stating that they were in the emergency room with Rosie, who had suffered a stroke earlier that afternoon, and inquired if I could "handle singing tenor that night." I assured him that I could (although I was not actually a "tenor"). We sang the entire program that night (all they were singing was old Blackwood & Statesmen songs that I had grown up on) and that was that. I had the priviledge of producing 7 of the 8 albums I did with the M5, arranging most of the music and producing 3 solo albums for JD, 2 for James and 2 for Jake. I've been richly blessed. Those days are gone now, leaving me with a small fraction of what I did previously, but I have tons of great memories and recordings that I am quite proud of.

You've been tagged with the nickname "The Voice", and understandably so. Who dubbed you with that title and why?

I believe it was Wayne Newton, although it's been so long ago now. I suppose that it's because I have been blessed with a 4 1/2 octave vocal range that has given me an obvious wide scope of versatility as well. In most groups I've been in, I've sung, at one time or another, everything from tenor to bass (although I certainly would not classify myself as a "bass singer" either!). Just for fun mainly, a few years ago I recorded Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus," singing it just as he originally wrote it (reading the written score) in the original key, singing all 4 parts 10 times each (making it a 40 voice choir) and doing it a capella. THAT was a real workout for my range!!

When singing in your Tenor range, you sound more like Rozie Rozell than anyone I have ever heard. Do you have to work at that, or is it a natural phenomenon? Was Rozie a hero of yours?

I think that it was more of a thing that while I was actually "developing" my tenor "chops," I was singing with Jake doing a lot of the leads in the M5 and it just sort of happened. Not to take anything away from the great artistry of Rosie (he certainly brought a lot to the Statesmen when he joined in 1958), but Bill Shaw was always my ideal when it came to singing tenor. There never has been a tenor in the history of gospel music, (which most people, today, are unhappily unaware of) to ever sing as long with a group as Bill. He sang correctly. That is why, today at 83, he can still sing, more than reasonably well. In truth, the "Big 10," (The Blackwoods & Statesmen, in their glory years) represented the best, period. Although I was just a kid growing up, these dearly departed (save for Bill Shaw) pioneers were my friends as well. When most people today talk about them in glowing, respectful and complimentary terms ( of which they most assuredly deserve), I have the pleasure of having known them, been around them backstage and sort of behind-the-scenes.

I heard you on your Christmas CD singing all four parts of a song. Just how wide of a range do you have? What range do you prefer singing in?

Every voice on the Christmas CD is mine, on all the songs. Although the range width we've already discussed, my favorite place to sing is in my natural voice, around a lead or baritone. I'll still reach up from time to time and pop a few high ones, just for fun!

Many people may not know that you performed for a while with Wayne Newton. Tell us a little about that experience.

It was a level of professionalism and musicianship that I had not been accustomed to in the quartet world. With quartets, it was more "you sing this, you sing that, let's put it together and see if it flies and the piano player can just fall in with us!" In the Newton show, there were written orchestrations for the instruments and, particularly when I was given the responsibility of leading that section, the vocal group had written arrangements as well to coincide with what the orchestra was doing. (This was not a stretch, since I had been writing out all of the M5 and Stamps & Blackwood Brothers arrangements for years. A written arrangement alleviates having to commit a total arrangement to memory until one has really learned it from the written score.) The Wayne Newton Show was pure class, in its musical integrity, stage uniforms, stage settings, lighting, special effects, and everything you could imagine. I'm a better performer today because of it. The best thing about it, however, was having the opportunity to sing gospel music to a "non-gospel" crowd who had, by & large, never been exposed to it. I pray that someone, somewhere, by my singing gospel music at an unexpected time and place, picked up on the "seed" and explored further the Gospel that the music is all about and experienced salvation.

There is a video on YouTube showing you singing a Gospel song on one of Wayne's shows. Did you get to do that often?

That's all I sung on the Newton show and, thankfully, it was every night. From my first night, Mr. Newton gave me a solo spot on the show and always specified that I sing gospel, although, I would have, anyway! I'd like to have a copy of that video, by the way!

You've been doing a lot of solo work lately, do you have any desires to go back to singing with a group?

No, that phase of my life is over. Oh, I may do a fill-in here & there, but, I'm to the place that I'm pretty much set in my ways, musically, and I know what works for me, and that's my "comfort zone." At 56, I really have no desire to get out of it!

Tell us what you are doing now, and if someone came to see your show, what can they expect to see?

At this writing, we're doing 3 shows a night, 5 nights per week at the "Great American Steak and Buffet Company" in Pigeon Forge Tennessee. You can expect to see and hear a variety show of old music. (I sing old music because I'm Old and don't know any New songs!!!) It will be a variety show, consisting of everything from Big Band hits of the 40's, Sinatra (which is My favorite genre of music, by the way), Elvis hits, country classics, some rock& roll (from back when rock & roll was really music) and, of course, gospel. I've had people ask why I don't do all gospel and I explain that I'd rather do some gospel music for a lot of people rather than all gospel to a few. Be advised that all of the non-gospel music is music that I would sing to (and have sung to) my pastor, as well as any of the folks who know me from the gospel quartet days. It's music we all listen to and enjoy.

If fans wanted to get in touch with you how could they do so?

Through our website http://www.stevewarrenthevoice.com

Reader Comments

Steve was and still is a great singer.What record Label does he record for?

Daniel,
You are correct that Archie's tenure with the Inspirations exceeds Shaw's history with the Blackwood Brothers. I believe he's been with them for 44 years.

That being said, I would agree with Steve Warren that no other tenor sang as long with the same group while singing "the right way." There have been a few, like Brian Free, who have had more than twenty years of longevity and can still tote the mail.

The other factual error I noted in this article was with regards to the Masters V...or maybe it's me who is mistaken, and if so, hopefully someone else will correct me.

I'm pretty sure that Warren had left the group long before JD and Hovie. I saw them with Sherrill Nielsen, Jack Toney, Ed Hill, JD and Hovie near the end of their run. I don't think it got down to just Steve and JD, though JD may have brought him back at some point before he changed the group name to the Stamps.

--Making hay while the sun shines--
sgnforum@musicscribe.com - BLOG - SGHistory.com

David, since these are Steve's words and he's the one who was there and lived it, I believe that he has the facts straight.

Deon Unthank
SoGospelNews.com
My Blog

Some people are like Slinkys… Not really good for anything, but they
still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs - Author Unknown

Deon,
No problem.

I'm having a difficult time figuring out how I came to own a cassette with JD, Hovie, Jack Toney, Ed Hill, and Shaun Nielsen calling themselves the Masters V after Steve, Jake, and James had all left....but I'm sure your facts are right and this cassette must be a fake.

But no, now wait a minute...I remember buying that cassette after seeing that particular line-up of the group perform. I lived through that experience myself...but I suppose I just imagined it...

I'm kidding you...but only because I'm right, and you know it! :o)

--Making hay while the sun shines--
sgnforum@musicscribe.com - BLOG - SGHistory.com

Just to set the record straight, since a couple of people wondered if I didn't know...I do know and have known that Archie Watkins has been with the Inspirations for 40+ years. In fact, I probably have 2/3 to 3/4 of the albums he's appeared on!

I just put "over 20" (knowing it was more than twice that) to make my point while being less confrontational.

Deon, it appears you and Steve are wrong, and David is right. I too have that cassette that David mentioned. Steve Warren was not with the Masters V during the change over to the JD & The Stamps...it was Neilson, and then Jerry Tramell (Mark's brother) came on board as tenor when they did their first Riversong release "Victory Road". It was after Jerry left that Warren returned to JD.

It always intrigues me how artists don't even remember their own history...or they try to re-write it to their own benefit sometimes. (Not saying this is what Steven Warren was doing...he may very well have forgotten the events surrounding the M5 and Stamps.)

According to JD's book....Steve left and was replaced by Shaun (aka Sean, Sherrill). Prior to the 1988 NQC, Shaun left and Steve returned. CJ Almgren joined JD, Jack Toney, Ed Hill & Steve. They were introduced at the NQC as the Masters V. JD had them turn their backs to the audience and then introduced the Stamps Quartet. So everyone is sort of on teh rught track.

Dean

Actually, DBM also forgot about one other longtime tenor who sang "the right way".

Duane Nicholson(himself a frequent reader here)is still singing on a part-time basis with his original singing mates, Neil Enloe and Dave Kyllonen, as part of "Dave, Duane, and Neil". Prior to this, he sang 24 years with the Couriers between 1956 and 1980, and 17 more with them when they started up again around 1983.

And FYI, Deon, sometimes the artists themselves are not the most reliable sources of imformation about their own careers in terms of when and where they did certain things.

For example, in Joe Moscheo's otherwise excellent book about the gospel side of Elvis Presley, he mistakenly claims that he joined the group in 1964, which he did not. Moscheo's first albums with the group didn't happen until 1966, when he replaced the group's original pianist, Henry Slaughter.

He also claims that the Imperials introduced "I've Got Confidence" when Sherman Andrus joined the group. In fact, Andrus didn't join them until 1972...two years AFTER they first recorded the song with Roger Wiles as a member.

Morning glory and evening grace,

Giving the world a smile each day,

john.sogospelnews.com

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