Hallelujah! He Is Risen!

Sometimes its hard to say one day is better than another. After all, the Bible teaches that, "this is the day the Lord has made. We should rejoice and be glad in it!" Since God is not responsible for anything bad, today is a good day!

But the one thing that obviously separates today from the other 364 days in the calendar year is what we commemorate. We celebrate today because of His miraculous Resurrection! Jesus, who was dead, defeated death and the grave when He rose from the grave, victoriously!

It is our prayer that you are able to join together today with other believers and celebrate this special day. Christmas is a wonderful day as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. We look with bittersweet agony at Good Friday, recognizing that without the shedding of [Jesus' perfect] blood there can be no remission of sin. But make no mistake, we can celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus and know beyond the shadow of any doubt that Easter Sunday is proof positive of the promise of eternal life!

Without Easter, Good Friday would continue to be a sad, mournful day. Were it not for today's celebration, Christmas would be in vain. Friend, Jesus is alive and well!

And so, from the Trust Family to yours, Happy Easter! May you experience the true joy and assurance of the reason we celebrate today.

Thankful for the Resurrection,

Buzz and Bev
Spence and Karen
Rhonda and Jeff
Pat and John
Steve and Robin

A Night with Gold City

Over the course of the past few weeks, I've devoted quite a bit of time to blogging about Southern Gospel concerts I've attended. I want to thank the Nelons and the Dixie Echoes for allowing me to write about my experiences with them. Trust Quartet is off for a couple of weeks for Palm Sunday and Easter, so I'm going to take the opportunity to write about another concert I attended Friday night.

Most of Trust was able to be at this concert as well. I say 'most' because, bless his heart, Spence tried his best to be with us. He and our friend Paul, of Gulf State Quartet, made the trip all the way from Wauchula to Vero Beach only to get there as the place filled to capacity and due to fire marshall regulations, couldn't let anyone else in.

Faith Baptist Church in Vero Beach has quite a Southern Gospel Concert Series every year, and this year was no exception. I was able to hear Tribute, the Browns, and Great Day. They had several other groups; generally about two per month during the peak of the season when our friends from the great white North are with us. The concert season was over, or so we thought. In order to get to my job every night, I have to travel past this church, and I noticed on their church sign another Southern Gospel sing advertised for this week. I almost ran off the road taking a double take at the sign to make sure I read it correctly. Yeah ~ it said Gold City. In fact, I didn't say anything to anyone else until I drove past it again to read it one more time. It still said Gold City.

I knew that would be one that would be filled ~ early. I made the arrangements to get there as quickly as I could on Friday evening. Several were depending on me to hold seats for them. Quite frankly, I was nervous about that. That was especially true when I arrived at the church a solid 45 minutes before the concert started and the parking lot was full. Yes, you read that correctly! A full 45 minutes before a note was to be sung, the parking lot was full! As I walked into the church, there were a few seats for me to choose from; but saving any for my friends ~ that was going to be tight!

Beverly, Buzz, and Rhonda finally made it there as well as another couple of folks I was waiting for. The church leadership began to ask that people squeeze in as best they could. Then it became evident that seats were no longer able to be reserved. Then, it was FULL and no one else could get in. Please let no one try to tell you that Southern Gospel music is dying out. Yes, I saw a more than a handful of young people there.

Gold City is simply an incredible group of singers. They've been around for years and doing their thing with excellence and professionalism the entire time. Personnel may change, but the steadfastness of Tim Riley singing bass kept this group sounding remarkably the same for a long, LONG time. He's been singing professionally well beyond 40 years. His son, Danny, was the emcee for the group and it was obvious he enjoyed standing beside his dad and singing every night.

Jerry Pelfrey was introduced as the lead singer and a young man named Brian Elliott played the piano. Ladies and gentlemen, he's not yet 30 years old, but that guy can play! The newest member of the group is the tenor singer, Roger Fulton. There were several songs where I kind of sat there in awe of his clear tenor sound.

After the concert, Gold City was kind enough to pose for a picture with Trust. We really wanted Spence with us, but it just didn't happen. If you've got a Gold City concert experience, feel free to let us hear about it.

Trust Quartet with Gold City. L to R: Buzz, Rhonda, Steve, Danny Riley, Jerry Pelfrey, Tim Riley, Brian Elliott, and Roger Fulton

Trust Quartet Visits With the Dixie Echoes

Dixie Echoes


 

I've written several times here at Trust-Worthy News about other concerts I attend. I enjoy doing that (both attending AND writing about them) but this past weekend, I had the unique opportunity to attend a concert with the Trust family.

The Dixie Echoes, based in Pensacola, FL, were in Okeechobee at the New Testament Baptist Church on a day when we could just go enjoy the music before heading out to prepare for our concerts. We've had the priviledge of singing at New Testament Baptist before and are working to coordinate a date to be back with them. But on this night, it was about the Dixie Echoes.

We were also thrilled that a good friend of ours, George Shelton, now sings tenor with them. George is a special friend to Trust Quartet and has helped us more than he'll ever know. The last few CDs that Trust has recorded has been recorded at his studio. He (AND his wife Gail) have been so kind and gracious whenever we have the opportunity to visit with them. It was really awesome to be able to attend and support this fine group this past weekend.

Randy Shellnut, Sr. is the lead singer and emcee for the Dixie Echoes. His father, Dale, was a member of the group for years and years. Randy mentioned that he's in his 44th year of full time gospel music.

Randy Shellnut, Jr. sings baritone for the group. If you've heard the Dixie Echoes before and that name doesn't ring a bell, it's probably because most folks just call him 'Scoot'! He does a fantastic job of singing one part while playing a different part on an instrument. He played the bass guitar and from what we understand, plays most any musical instrument. Don't you just enjoy that kind of talent?

The bass singer for the Dixie Echoes is Jordan James. Here's a young man that in my estimation had one of the more difficult jobs of the entire group. Most bass singers have their own special, sensitive mikes to allow their low notes to be heard. Not Jordan! He and Scoot share a mic and he just has to belt it out. I'll share a bit more about that later.

Ben Hart is the last member of the Dixie Echoes to introduce to you. He is their keyboardist; and a fine one at that. He adds a bit of humor to the group and accompanies the quartet with a talent that, to me, is mind-boggling.

The unique thing about the Dixie Echoes is their 'throw-back' style. Back in the early years of Southern Gospel music, many groups would just gather around a microphone or two and sing. They'd be accompanied by a piano and / or a guitar, and on some occasions, a drummer. These guys sing gospel music that way. They just gather around a couple of microphones and sing.

From experience singing on a stage, let me just say, that takes a special sort of ability! They sing a true four-part harmony and sing it well. If you ever have the opportunity to hear the Dixie Echoes, I'd encourage you to do that. And when you do, be sure to stop by their product table, and as you're making your purchase, tell George that the folks at Trust Quartet sent you!

An Evening With The Nelons

Kelly Nelon Clark, Steve, Amber Thompson, Jason Clark

I was asked once who I would want to share a meal with if I could pick anyone other than my family. There are several names I could choose. From the sports world, I'd love to sit and visit with John Smoltz (former Atlanta Braves pitcher) and Mark Richt (UGA Football coach). From the political realm, I'd love to pick the brains of George W. Bush or Sarah Palin. In the avenue of 'entertainers', there are too many to mention; but no doubt towards the top of the list would be the folks who make up the Nelons.

The Nelons history is rich. Rex Nelon sang with the LeFevres for many years. In fact, he was with them when the family retired and disbanded from singing full time on the road. He bought the group and renamed it the Rex Nelon Singers. Now, the family calls themselves simply The Nelons. Rex has gone on to be with the Lord now, but the group still travels and sings strong. Rex's daughter, Kelly, sings alto and her husband, Jason handles the baritone vocals. He is also an incredible writer / arranger / musician. Amber is their daughter, and sings soprano.

During the days they were known as the Rex Nelon Singers, I was working in the radio industry. They were a group I played regularly ~ songs like Come Morning, We Shall Wear A Robe And Crown, and Jesus is Your Ticket to Heaven. If you've heard of names like Janet Paschal and Karen Peck Gooch . . . they sang with the Rex Nelon Singers back in the day.

Amber singing Morning Has Broken

Tonight, I had the pleasure of sitting on the second row of a Nelons concert. Musically, this family has a wide range of styles within the southern gospel genre of music. Amber is a powerful soprano with an uncanny ability to show a softer side that melts one's heart. It is amazing to hear this young lady's talent and  realize she's willingly singing for the Lord. Listening to her mom, Kelly, it becomes a no-brainer where the talent comes from. Kelly's smooth, velvety alto vocals add a rich dimension to the family sound. Throw in the sheer musical genius of Jason and the night becomes a complete joy of worship through music.

As I stood and visited with them at their product table for a few minutes, the difference was evident. There are some artists (who shall remain nameless) that seem to try to wade through their fans like a conveyor belt. Constantly looking around and beyond you to see who else might want to purchase a CD. These folks are the real deal. It was an honor to be able to just share with them and swap a few stories.

They have a great Internet presence and are quite involved in the social media scene. I follow them on twitter, I'm friends with them on facebook. I watch their socialcam videos (Sam Cam is GREAT!) and feel as though I already knew them as personal friends. Folks, they didn't know me from Adam before tonight, but it didn't show. They have that unique quality of allowing a new friend to feel at home in their zone.

If you EVER have an opportunity to attend a Nelons concert, please take advantage of it. Then, after the concert, stop by their product table and visit with them. You'll not find a more warm and welcoming family anywhere. Oh, and I've just finished listening to one of their latest projects, Come On Home. Go ahead, you know you want it . . . it'll be one of the best CDs you've purchased since, ummmm, Classics Made New! Seriously, enjoy the music of the Nelons. You won't be sorry!

Weekend Concerts Postponed

Folks, this is a painful post to share with you, but due to illnesses that have spread throughout the Trust Family, we're having to postpone our concerts for this weekend. We'll obviously keep you posted on when those might be rescheduled.

Please pray for Rhonda, Jeff, and Beverly ~ the flu bug has hit with a vengeance.