This is a joint episode with Josh Griffin and Kingsmen alumnus Bryan Hutson. They are co-hosts of the Behind the Crown podcast. So this is a collaboration between both podcasts, honoring the history and legacy of the Kingsmen Quartet.
Show Notes
Behind the Crown Facebook, YouTube
Transcript
Lightly edited for clarity.
Daniel J. Mount
Welcome to a joint episode of Behind the Crown podcast and Southern Gospel Journal. My name is Daniel Mount, and I have the privilege today of being joined by Bryan Hutson and Josh Griffin. How are you doing today?
Bryan Hutson
You’re doing well. How about yourself?
Daniel J. Mount
Doing well also. So has there been any demand recently, any requests for some useless information?
Bryan Hutson
There’s always requests for useless information, Daniel. That’s one of, I think, the most exciting parts of our podcast episode, is the useless information. And my wife said, “This segment of the useless information, that’s right down your alley, because you have so much useless information.” I said, “Yes, I do, honey. I’ve built a career on useless information.”
So, Daniel, do you have some useless information for us tonight?
Daniel J. Mount
I do! So this starts with a piece of Kingsmen-related trivia that I’m sure one of you knows. I’m not sure if Josh knows. Josh, do you happen to know what county the Kingsmen come from? We know it’s Asheville, North Carolina. Do you know the county?
Josh Griffin
Buncombe County, I think.
Daniel J. Mount
Buncombe County. Good job! Did you know that there is a word that everybody knows and everybody uses tied to that word?
Bryan Hutson
Hmm.
Daniel J. Mount
So there’s a bit of a story to this. There was a politician in 1820 – this is going all the way back. Some of our founding fathers were still alive. There was a U.S. Representative, Felix Walker, from Buncombe County, North Carolina. He was giving a very long-winded speech, and it was full, if you will, of what people might call malarkey. The kind of thing politicians do a lot of, and have ever since.
But he refused to stop this speech. He said, “You know, I’m speaking to the citizens of Buncombe.” Well, as a result of that, bunkim became a slang word for a good 20, 30, 40, 50 years, a synonym for malarkey. Oh, you can say, “He’s speaking a lot of malarkey. He’s speaking a lot of bunkum.” Well, that slang word fell out of practice.
However, American novelist and historian William Woodward wrote a 1923 satirical novel, Bunk. He derived it from this word, but he coined a word in this novel, debunk. As a response to answering or refuting malarkey, refuting bunkum, debunk is a word tied to the origin of where Kingsmen come from. How’s that?
Bryan Hutson
Pretty cool!
Josh Griffin
That is neat. Thank you, sir. Yeah. Thank you.
Bryan Hutson
I’ve heard that word pretty much all my life. When I was a member of the Kingsmen, I lived in Buncombe County. That’s a great piece of useless information and, like you said, has a significant tie to the Kingsmen Quartet. That’s pretty cool.
Josh Griffin
Yeah.
Daniel J. Mount
Ever since I first heard this segment, I was like, if I ever get to do an episode with you two, this is the one I’m pulling out.
Bryan Hutson
Well, that is so cool. That is so cool. Well, I have one that you guys may not know about. Josh might know about this one. And it has sort of a tie to the Kingsmen. This might be a stretch, but Ray Dean Reese, the longtime owner of the Kingsmen, longtime bass singer of the Kingsmen, loves crackers. He loves saltine crackers, okay? We’re on the cruise. You can ask any former Kingsman, any current guy.
Every night for dinner, no matter what they’re having on the menu for the cruise, Ray Dean Reese asks for saltine crackers. He just loves saltine crackers. So I found a piece of useless information concerning saltine crackers, and it’s this. Crackers have holes in them for a reason, okay? Because all the saltines have holes. During the baking process, if the crackers have holes in them, it prevents air bubbles from ruining the product.
So if you see the little holes in all the little saltine crackers, they placed them in there so it will keep air bubbles from ruining the product. So Ray Dean Reese loves saltine crackers, and I thought that would be a great piece of useful information for tonight, because Ray Dean Reese is a big saltine man. He goes, “Can somebody get me some saltine crackers?” That’s one of his favorite things in the whole world, some saltine crackers.
Josh Griffin
I can remember back in, I think, the year 2008, y’all came and sang at my uncle’s church in Pearson, Georgia. And Ray Dean Reese was on the bus, and he came outside to the church after y’all set up. And he came to my uncle and said, “Can I borrow some saltine crackers? Y’all got any there at the church?” I can’t talk in this Ray Dean Reese voice, but my uncle came to me. He said he wants some saltine crackers. I said, “If he wants some, just go get him some.” So he went and got him a whole box. Said, “You just keep them.”
Ray Dean Reese loves some saltine crackers, for sure. I’ve been listening the last several days. I’ve been listening to several episodes of the Southern Gospel Journal. I’m thoroughly enjoying your podcast. It’s very informative, and you’ve had a wide variety of guests. I love to find out stuff about Southern Gospel, which I’ve been involved in for several years. I love finding out things that I didn’t know before. I applaud you for the work you’ve done so far on the Southern Gospel Journal.
Daniel J. Mount
Yes. Thank you. I love and I have appreciated every episode you’ve put out on Behind the Crown as well.
Bryan Hutson
Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
Daniel J. Mount
So I was thinking, if both of you were all right with it, because this is a joint episode that’s going out to both our audiences, maybe we can each introduce ourselves. Could you both share a little about your background?
Bryan Hutson
Sure. Josh, why don’t you go ahead, Josh? You’re the youngest here.
Josh Griffin
Right. Yeah. 36 years old, living in Fitzgerald, Georgia. Been a Kingsmen fan since year 2000. That was the first time I ever remember seeing them live. Bryan Hutson was there on stage with them at Waycross, Georgia, at the all-night sing. And that night, unbeknownst to me, I had an onset of type 1 diabetes attack my body. So while all the groups were singing, the Nelons, the Brothers, you know, I was going back and forth, going to get Coca-Colas, water, Gatorade to drink.
And I went there mainly to see the Nelons. At that time, I didn’t know it because I didn’t have Singing News, that Rex had died back back in January of that year. So when they hit the stage, I didn’t know anything about them, and Rex wasn’t on stage, and I was kind of a little disappointed, you know? So I thought, well, Rex is not with them, so I wonder who’s next. And lo and behold, to me, the Kingsmen hit the stage.
That wall of sound, the guys, Bryan Hutson, Jerry Martin, Jonathan Parrack, Ray Dean Reese, Andrew Ishee, Jason Selph, Greg Fox. I don’t know, Randy Miller might have been there. He might’ve not. I can’t remember exactly. But then after that, I just fell in love with the Kingsmen.
And we started last year on this podcast, and I just kept aggravating Bryan long enough. I said, “Hey, we need to do this podcast,” you know, because I figured I’ve had a pretty good relationship with Bryan. I said he’d be the perfect guy to do this with.
And he’s got a long-standing history with the Kingsmen, far as fan-wise and singing-wise. So we just started on it from there and just fell in love with it ever since. And I appreciate Bryan doing this with me. Nearly every week – we took last December off – but after that, every week we’ve been doing an episode, and we’ve just been having fun.
Bryan Hutson
Well, for me, my name is Bryan Hutson. I was born and raised in southern Indiana, southeast Indiana. And I really became involved in music – I tell this jokingly – my father was from the Chattanooga, Tennessee area, and his family, uncles, and he had several uncles that could sing shape note and went to the singing schools, I mean, from the early 40s. And great-uncles, and all of them could sing and play instruments, and they were all shape-note singers.
And then on my mother’s side, who was from southern Indiana, they could all sing, but none of them could read music. And so you have the shape notes and then the – I call them open-up-the-letter-and-fly style of singing. That was, I have two or three aunts that could play the piano.
Everybody could sing, had great family harmony. Like I said, nobody could read music. So I really got the love of music and the love of gospel music from both sides of the family. So I started playing drums when I was about 13 years old, traveling with my family locally in southern Indiana and Tennessee and the surrounding states.
Then my brother and I formed a little trio called the New Generation in about 1985, and we traveled together for nine years. And then I eventually went on the road with my first professional group called the Heartland Quartet with George Amon Webster and Roy Tremble, former Cathedral members, and another young man from Kansas, Brent Fredericks, was the bass singer. And so I traveled with those guys about three and a half years, and Eldridge Fox, the owner of the Kingsmen, produced their albums. And so, you know, I had been a Kingsmen fan all my life. I forgot to kind of throw that in there.
And that was my connection. I mean, everything the Kingsmen ever recorded, you know, I studied and learned. And man, it was just surreal. When I joined Heartland, our very first professional recording was produced by Eldridge Fox. Anthony Burger played the piano on it. And it was just a surreal moment to get to meet those fellows.
And then in 1996, I had the opportunity to join the Kingsmen as lead singer. Big Jim Hamill was retiring and Tim Surrett was leaving the group. And so I joined the Kingsmen in 1996 and stayed for five years, and left and went to become a worship pastor in West Virginia from 2001 until 2005. And then I went back on the road with a group called the Blackwood Gospel Quartet. That was Mark Blackwood and those fellows. I sang with those guys about two and a half years.
Then Ray Dean Reese, who had acquired the name Kingsmen and had been retired for a short time, called me and said, “Would you be interested in coming back to the Kingsmen?” And so I rejoined the Kingsmen in 2007 and stayed till the last part of 2011, almost another five years with the guys, and just had a wonderful time.
And I joined another quartet in 2012, early 2012, and I came off the road in 2016. My wife and I have been ministering together since then. And Josh told you that he was pestering me about the podcast. My biggest fear about the podcast was I am not tech-savvy at all, and that was my biggest fear. Not that I knew Josh had the technology portion of it covered, but for me, I’m still upset about the rotary phone being gone. I mean, I’m not tech-savvy at all. That was my big fear.
But since we’ve been doing the podcast, and it’s dedicated to Kingsmen, I love talking to the older guys. I love talking to the current group as well. And I really feel like, not that the Kingsmen are above anybody else, but I have a connection with the Kingsmen because not only was I a member, but I was also a fan. And the Kingsmen – I was thinking the other day – how many groups out there have been continuously touring for 70 years? Seventy years. And I can think of maybe a handful, and that’s it. And the Kingsmen have stayed touring continuously.
And so that’s what we want to do. We want to recognize and honor the guys and honor the Kingsmen name, honor the history of the Kingsmen. And so I’m thrilled that the Kingsmen are supporting the podcast. And so we’re just gonna keep interviewing guys, and we have special things coming up this year.
Josh Griffin
That’s right.
Daniel J. Mount
You know, I’m thankful for the work you’re doing with your podcast because, you know, when was the best time to start it? Okay, 15, 20 years ago. A few more people you could have interviewed. The next best time was when you started it, right? There’s so many stories you’re getting now you might not be able to get in 10 years, for one reason or another. I’m just grateful for the work you’re doing to preserve this history. There’s no question. The Kingsmen are one of the most impactful groups that Southern Gospel has ever seen. Yeah, great for the legacy.
I’ll introduce myself. I’m from northern Ohio. In my late teens, about 19 or thereabouts, I started a site called SouthernGospelBlog.com. Later, as the term blog fell out of use a little bit, I later renamed it Southern Gospel Journal. I wrote daily posts every day for eight years, every weekday.
And then I also got, through that, Mickey Gamble at Crossroads – Horizon/Crossroads – noticed me and hired me. I worked for Crossroads from 2010 through 2016. So I had the privilege of working for the Kingsmen’s record label for six years.
Josh Griffin
Yeah.
Bryan Hutson
That’s pretty awesome. Well, like I said a moment ago, I’m really enjoying your podcast. I listen to a lot of podcasts, and most of them are music-oriented. I think that gospel music needs more podcasts, more positive things to listen to, and also promote the gospel at the same time.
Josh Griffin
Yeah, pretty awesome.
Daniel J. Mount
And I will throw in one mission I have, is doing a lot of episodes that tell stories other podcasts might just not happen to tell. You know, I had the chance to work with some behind-the-scenes record company people, tell their stories. I just put up an episode the other day with Chris White, who’s a member of the Southern Gospel Hall of Fame. He’s not gonna be on that many other podcasts. I wanted his story to be told. That’s part of why I came back, to tell some of those stories.
And it’s always a privilege to talk to the current artists who everybody knows also. But a big part of the reason why I decided to, so to speak, come out of retirement was to tell some behind-the-scenes people’s stories, and people who’ve been off the road for 20, 30, 40 years. To tell the stories, get them preserved, help people now to know the stories, but hopefully preserve them in a way people some years from now can still hear them too.
Bryan Hutson
That’s very true. That’s very true. And that’s why we’ve done a couple of tribute episodes so far, and we have more of those planned for our podcast. Because like I was talking to a friend of mine the other night, a lot of the current fans – I mean, Jim Hamill and Eldridge Fox were instrumental in the success of the Kingsmen in the early 70s. The fans now, both those gentlemen have been gone for so long, some of the fans now have no earthly clue who Eldridge Fox and Jim Hamill were.
So we want to make tribute episodes so that they can – okay, “I heard that name. I may have heard that name and seen it on a recording someplace” – but we want to actually talk to the people that knew them and give their perspective. And same with you, to recognize and honor those names. Even though they’re in Heaven now, we can still honor them on earth for their contributions to the Kingsmen and gospel music.
Daniel J. Mount
I couldn’t have said it better.
Well, suppose that we could put this podcast in a time capsule so that someone could open it and play it 100 or 200 years from now. And you never know, maybe YouTube will still be around and maybe people will play this 100 or 200 years from now. If you were to describe the Kingsmen to someone from another era and culture and century, how would you describe the Kingsmen?
Bryan Hutson
Josh, I’m gonna let you answer that first.
Josh Griffin
That is a very good question, Daniel.
Probably just the only way you can describe them really, just a big wall of sound. And I’m not talking a bad or noisy sound, just a delightful sound, I guess you would say. Something that you could also feel and that you could enjoy, really, truthfully. Yeah. Not only the music, but the message behind the songs as well.
Bryan Hutson
I would say high-energy quartet. Of course, they’re now using accompaniment tracks. Back in the day when I was there, when I first got there, we had a live band. So I would say just high-energy music, high-energy biblically-based songs. I would say high-energy, biblically-based songs, great vocalists.
Batten down the hatches. Here come the Kingsmen. I mean, that’s what I would say. Batten down the hatches. Here they come. So yeah.
Daniel J. Mount
I don’t have much to add. The only thing I would add is, if you can imagine a scale of intensity of a song from one to ten – let’s just keep it real simple, a one to ten scale of intensity – well, you might have a rock concert that stays at eight, nine, or ten the whole time. And you might have a coffeehouse singer who stays at one, two, three the whole time. One characteristic of the Kingsmen concert, especially in the live-band era, is you will go one to ten, and that will happen multiple times. And in a song like “Love Lifted Me,” it might happen in the song.
Bryan Hutson
That is exactly right. And the Kingsmen program, at least the years that I was there, it was a program that was designed to do that. It was designed to start off easy, and then you get to a peak, and then you bring the people back down again, and you’re peaking, you’re raising and lowering the intensity of the program the entire time you’re there.
And also just allowing God to work, and especially during the years that I was emceeing, we had so much material that we designed a program all around that, that we could be able to call a song that we felt maybe God was directing a certain way. And we could pull out a song to, I guess, reach that goal of intensity and reaching people and allowing the Holy Spirit to work.
Daniel J. Mount
Now, I promise I’m not going to beat the time capsule analogy to death. I won’t extend this out the whole time. But there’s something useful to it because, you know, my wife grew up not really knowing Southern Gospel. And there’s other people who I’ll be sharing this with on Facebook who grew up not knowing Southern Gospel. And if you grew up in northern Ohio and you weren’t actively seeking out Southern Gospel, the world of the Kingsmen might be as unfamiliar to you as somebody who opens a time capsule 100 years from now. So I thought even for people today, coming at it from that angle, it could be a helpful starting point.
Now, I won’t torture the time capsule analogy much further, but I will do one more question. Let’s say we got this time capsule, we can put five albums in it to illustrate the Kingsmen’s history. What five are you thinking?
Bryan Hutson
Well, I’ll go first and give Josh that. You would have to put in Big and Live. It would have to be in there. I would put in Big and Live. I would put in probably Chattanooga Live. I would have to put in. And that’s three live albums right there. And then I would put in probably Wish You Were Here. “Wish You Were Here” was Song of the Year in ’92. That was really when Tim Surrett, Gary Sheppard, Jonathan Parrack, Ray Dean Reese – that’s up there.
And then When God Ran. Not because I sang on it, but they purposely wanted to kind of step away a little bit from the three chords and cloud of dust that the Kingsmen were known for. And so the “When God Ran” song was a little more contemporary-sounding, or a little more sounding than had been previously recorded. In fact, you know, they were sending “When God Ran” to radio stations and they were having a contest: can you guess who this is?
And 99 or 90 percent of the people were not guessing the Kingsmen. They were saying, “Oh, that’s Brian Free and Assurance. Oh, that’s Triumphant.” They were not guessing the Kingsmen. So I would have to put those five albums. And like I said, the last one was not because I was on it. And I could put ten more records – I mean, I would put ten more records in that time capsule. But yeah, Big and Live, Chattanooga Live, Live Naturally, Wish You Were Here, and When God Ran. Those are the albums I would put in that time capsule. That’s a great question, by the way.
Josh Griffin
Thank you.
Daniel J. Mount
And Josh, yes. And by the way, Mickey Gamble and the rest of the crew at Crossroads had just started reaching out to some bloggers at the time. And I think it was David Bruce Murray who posted audio from it, but I was at least part of the online discussions around that contest. I have fond memories of that.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah. Well, what five would you say, Josh?
Josh Griffin
All right. So I had to break my phone out here because I would’ve butchered the title name. So, of course, Live Naturally, I’ll say that one. That album right there. Big and Live, which I got autographed by Nick Bruno, Ray Dean Reese, and Johnny Parrack. For 1977, Just a Little Closer Home, that album. And then two of the, I guess, newer ones, Shelter from 1999. And I would probably say Victory Shout. Add that one.
Daniel J. Mount
And if you don’t mind, I was thinking through a top five as well. And I have a hard time not going all live albums because that is so much the first thing people think of who know the Kingsmen’s music. I mean, as soon as I thought top five, just instantly in my head went to Big and Live, Chattanooga Live, Live Naturally, Live at the University of Alabama – best album opening of any album ever. That’s just a Kingsmen album. You don’t get a better album opening. The crowd’s into it from second one, then how that album kicked off. And then I would go Better in Person.
But yeah, the problem is, there’s one other album I really wanted to include to pull in a different era of the group. And it’s like, which of these five do I bump off? I can’t say. But I really want to have in that top five somewhere, Old Time Way, which I believe you were part of.
Bryan Hutson
Yep.
Daniel J. Mount
But in some ways – and you two know what I mean. Everybody else, hear me out on this one – in some ways, it’s a little more live than the live albums.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah. Yes.
Daniel J. Mount
Yes, there’s no clapping. Yes, it was recorded in the studio. But this is all done the way albums used to be done, all done in the studio all at once. All the instrumentals, all the vocals, all in one take. And if that take wasn’t good enough, you all went back to the top.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah.
Daniel J. Mount
Now, the live albums were live, but they could go in and swap out a line later, add harmonica, add whatever they needed to. They did a little bit of that.
Bryan Hutson
Correct.
Daniel J. Mount
Not to any embarrassing extent, and I’m not revealing any great secret. You read the album liner notes, you’ll see overdubs. I’m not revealing any trade secrets here. But the live albums had some fixing up. Old Time Way might’ve been done in the studio, but it was still live. There weren’t any fixes on that one. And it’s a phenomenal album.
Bryan Hutson
Well, thank you. And we’ve talked about this in an early episode, about Old Time Way. That was very challenging because, you know, hey, we were used to doing the live band, but it’s different when you’re trying to get everything correct. And these songs, honestly, we really didn’t know the songs. We had heard them two or three times, rehearsed them around the piano, and then we started filming, we started taping each song. And we’d stop and kind of go around the piano, and Jeff Collins, who was there –
And the videos were being sent back to the office because the people were buying those at our concerts, and they were expecting us to be standing in front of an audience. They weren’t expecting us to be standing in front of a sheet, you know, a lyric sheet. And they thought, “What’s going on?” So the fans, I don’t think the fans at the time really grasped the album. They wanted more of a live concert setting, and it wasn’t that. And so we got some reports back that they were’t crazy about that album.
Daniel J. Mount
And since you mentioned Jeff Collins, I have to mention the work he’s done producing decades of Kingsmen albums through the years at this point. Alan Kendall – and I had to have some excuse in this podcast. You can’t have this podcast without shouting out this book – Decades of Music, Decades of Memories by current Kingsmen baritone Alan Kendall. He called Jeff an honorary Kingsman, and I feel that title is well deserved.
Bryan Hutson
Yes. Yeah. In fact, we both have the book. Josh and I both have it, and it’s phenomenal. I contributed several things and different songs, and it was an honor for Alan to reach out to me. I believe he’s working on a second book. In fact, he texted me about a week and a half ago and asked me about six or seven songs, and he said, “Go ahead and give your thoughts on them.” I’m honored to be a part of that book, and I’m honored to be part of the Kingsmen legacy.
And so yes, that book is great. And anybody that is a Kingsmen fan should reach out and get on Amazon and order that book. It’d be a great addition to their library, for sure.
Daniel J. Mount
Yeah. If you hear something in this podcast episode that piques your interest and you want to learn more, that book is the perfect next step.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
Josh Griffin
Yes, sir.
Daniel J. Mount
All right. So I would like to describe, talk about some of the key members of the Kingsmen through the years.
So if you don’t mind, maybe we’ll start with Jim Hamill.
Bryan Hutson
Sure. Big Jim, they called him Big Jim. As a fan, I thought Big Jim was the greatest emcee of all time. And even as a Kingsmen member, he was still the greatest emcee that’s ever been. Most people, when they talk about Hamill, they talk about his emcee skills. And I don’t really feel like he’s got the recognition he deserved for being a lead singer.
He was incredible. He had an incredible range. He could sing the low stuff. He could sing the high stuff. He had the little falsetto that he could flip up into and sing the pretty stuff. You know, when he would sing it, he’d say, “The old man still got it” type of thing, you know? But he had a great feel for arranging music. He knew what the guys’ strengths were. He knew what the guys’ weaknesses were. And he was able to, what I call, direct traffic.
And what I mean by that is, he would call the program. And then when he got to the little later in his years, when he was still there, he wasn’t singing as much, but he was still on the platform, still directing whoever, whether it be Arthur Rice or Tim Surrett, to sing his part, to sing the lead, the melody. And so he just had a way of handling an audience. I mean, he could walk out there and there might have been three other groups on the program, and Hamill had the gift where he could control that audience and control their emotions almost with their music and with their songs.
And I’ve never seen anybody do it. I’ve watched it live countless times as a member of the group. And he walks out there, and of course when I joined in ’96, he had retired officially, but he was still riding the bus. And if he was on the bus, we would know we would be doing our normal thing, and we’d bring him out maybe for the last three songs. He would do one from his solo album, then another one with us, and then he would usher in the last song and it would normally be something up and people getting on their feet.
There’s just – during those three songs, he could control an audience. He did what he wanted. He didn’t need a 45-minute program to call the songs and call the program, but it was amazing to watch him at work and just to see him do his thing. But Hamill was – he also wanted you to be professional. So I will say this, and I’ve said this on our podcast. Sometimes his methods weren’t always the right methods. And this is not degrading to him in any way. I loved Hamill, and we got along very well.
But his methods were not trying to beat up the person or degrade the person in any way. He wanted you to become the best. So if he saw something, maybe a part of your range wasn’t as strong as it should be, he would purposely key the songs that made you have to learn how to sing in that range or in that key, to make you better, to make you better.
You know, if he saw you goofing off on stage or talking or whispering – and there’s times I’ve seen gospel groups today where they’re doing way too much talking on the stage between themselves – man, if Hamill ever saw you do that, boy, he would call you out in front of 2,500 people that night on stage, and it would teach you never to do that again. Don’t turn your back to the audience. You never turn your back to the audience. If you have to communicate, you say what you have to say and you get back to focusing on the program.
So that was Hamill. But ultimately, he wanted the best for the Kingsmen. He defended the Kingsmen. And any guy will tell you, he might have been a little rough on you as a person, but if he ever saw anybody else taking advantage of you or trying to take advantage of you, he was the first one to stand up and put a stop to it. So that was – to me – that was Jim Hamill. An incredible lead vocalist. I would say one of the top five lead singers of all time. That’s what I would say, for a quartet. For a quartet. Yeah. Absolutely.
Josh Griffin
I can remember back in, I want to say it was year 2006 or 2007, one or two Kingsmen were down in Waycross, Georgia again at the all-night singing. I think it was one of the last years they had it outside at the fairgrounds down there in Waycross. And I didn’t have a cell phone at the time. I wish I did. But I had one of them little throwaway cameras, you know, and I remember getting my picture made with Ray Dean Reese and Jim Hamill that night.
Sadly, I don’t have the picture now, but that was pretty neat to see Jim Hamill, even though at that older age, like Bryan said, still work a crowd. Get the tenor, Jeremy Peace, at the time singing high, and he just had the crowd eating out of his hand, you know, basically. But that’s one of my memories of Jim Hamill. Yes.
Daniel J. Mount
One other consistent thread I’ve noticed that’s come up time and again in your episodes is that he might kind of pick on people on stage, but one singer after another said essentially – not in these words – he was setting himself up as the antagonist.
Bryan Hutson
Yes.
Daniel J. Mount
To make you the hero, make the audience love you by the time the day was up.
Bryan Hutson
Yes.
Daniel J. Mount
At his expense. And the audience still loved him anyhow, which showed his talent to pull off both. That was one thing that has stuck out to me. In interview after interview, people said that.
Bryan Hutson
He had that gift because he wanted the people to feel sorry for this young guy over here that Hamill’s picking on. Because everybody loves the underdog. Everybody loves the underdog. And so this young person, he’s nervous already and he’s new to the Kingsmen. So he wanted people to love you more.
And so he would, like you said, at his own expense, he would try to – you know, he would say something to the new guy or treat the new guy a certain way to get the people to love him even more. And that is so true. He did the same thing to me. He would say, you know, when he would introduce me, or he would walk out and he’d say something about me and he’d say that I was ugly or something, you know, and the people would just – you would hear them go, “Ohhh,” you know. You would hear a gasp in the audience because he was trying to build up the new person and make the person be loved even more. And like you said, Daniel, at his own expense. Yeah.
Daniel J. Mount
Well then, we obviously need to talk about Eldridge Fox.
Bryan Hutson
Well, Fox to me was a great boss. I appreciated his baritone singing so much. He had such a – to me, the way I can describe it, he had a big-chested baritone voice. I mean, he could blend. I still think one of the best things that I loved listening to during my first tenure was the song “Beyond the Clouds” from my very first album that I did with them. Beyond the Clouds, that was the name of the album, but the song was me, myself, and Chris Collins and Eldridge Fox and Ray Dean Reese had the vocal on that song, “Beyond the Clouds.”
And to me, that was a highlight of my career, that I got to sing with Eldridge Fox. And I think the blend that the four of us had was amazing. So there still to this day, almost 30 years later – I joined the Kingsmen in ’96, so it’s been 30 years – I will still get out and listen to that title song, “Beyond the Clouds,” that I got to sing with Fox. But he was such a wonderful man, loved the Kingsmen, loved gospel music, and that’s one thing that I appreciated about him.
And what I loved about Fox, he helped other groups when he probably didn’t have to. But he loved this music so much. You hear stories about how he helped Gold City, how he helped find the first five number-one songs for Gold City. He produced their monster albums in the early days of Gold City.
And it wasn’t just about the Kingsmen. He could have had the mindset, “I’m going to try to make the Kingsmen advance and everybody else fall by the wayside.” But he sacrificed himself financially, personally and financially, for not only the Kingsmen, for gospel music as a whole because he loved the music and loved the people. And he loved the fans. You know, I shared on an earlier podcast, when he hired me, he said there are three things that would get you fired from the Kingsmen. One, if I ever catch you messing around with somebody you shouldn’t be messing around with, being mean to our people, and if I ever catch you drinking or doing drugs.
But one of those was being mean to the people, to the fans. And so he loved the people. He loved the fans that much. He was just a wonderful mentor. I wish, of course, when I joined in July of ’96, he had a stroke in November. I wish I would’ve had more time with him on the bus to get to know him as a person. Incredible, incredible man. And what a legacy that he left.
Josh Griffin
Yeah. My first memory of Eldridge Fox – never got to meet him, unfortunately, but I met his son and talked to his son on the podcast. Eldridge Fox – “Behold the Master Cometh” – yes. On Augusta Live back in 1994, I believe, there in Augusta, Georgia, the Bell Auditorium. That was my first time I’d heard Eldridge Fox sing. And you could tell, just the big voice, like you said. But also he let the Spirit move on as well. Just a very tender-hearted man as well.
And I wish I’d have gotten to meet him, but hopefully one day in heaven we’ll get to do that and talk to him. But probably that’s my memory of Eldridge Fox. And just like you said, “Beyond the Clouds,” great song. Even on the original recording of “Beyond the Clouds” back in the 70s, another great song as well.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah. And I think “Behold the Master Cometh,” in my opinion, was Eldridge Fox’s greatest solo. That was his greatest feature. It was an incredible, incredible song, for sure.
Daniel J. Mount
You know, it’s funny, Josh, because I’m delighted you mentioned it too. That was exactly where I was going when I was going to talk about Eldridge. Because I would say, of the classic live albums, I heard Live at the University of Alabama first, Big and Live next, and then all the others from the 70s and 80s. And somehow [Georgia] Live was right near one of the last ones I ever heard.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah.
Daniel J. Mount
And you know, the gospel songs of the 60s and 70s were a little simpler. And that’s not a bad thing. There is nothing sinful about a simple song that conveys a message simply. But there wasn’t quite as much meat on the bone sometimes as you get when you get into the 80s and 90s. It’s just what people wanted changed a little bit. And I heard his solos on those earlier albums and appreciated, he’s a good solid baritone singer. When I heard “Behold the Master Cometh,” the light bulb went on. I feel like now I get why Eldridge Fox captured so much of so much personality, so much heart.
The other thing I’d have to say about him, because I have a different perspective than most people, was as somebody who worked for Crossroads for six years. And you know, Crossroads came out of the merger of two record companies, Sonlite, founded by Chris White, and Horizon, which Eldridge founded. And I hate to admit it, but I didn’t grow up around Southern Gospel. I borrowed a Cathedral CD on a random whim from the library in 2003, and then started listening to Southern Gospel radio, subscribed to Singing News all within the next year, learned all the groups. Six years later, I was working for Crossroads.
But to hear – and it wasn’t a reverence in a bad way – but just working around people who had worked with him every day for decades, the way everybody at Crossroads who had worked with Foxy talked about him, the only analogy I can think of, and this almost is a bad word to say down south, and sorry about this, Yankees, New York Yankees – I’m only saying it because the original Yankee Stadium they tore down 20, 30 years ago, they called it the house that Babe Ruth built.
Bryan Hutson
Yes.
Daniel J. Mount
Imagine if you’d been working for the Yankees about five years after Babe Ruth died, and you walked into the house Babe Ruth built and you were working there every day. That’s about what it was like to work at Crossroads, except Babe Ruth could be a bit of a difficult personality sometimes. This is a different story. I’m not saying they were similar personality-wise. But the admiration and respect that the people who knew him best had for him increased my admiration and respect for him, to see who he was.
And then of course I hear it over and over from the guys on the bus too. Those who knew him best respected him the most, and that says a lot.
Bryan Hutson
Yes. And Fox, and this has been said by several members on our podcast, he was generous to a fault. Yes. He would give you – if you needed help, he would find a way to help you. And I’m sure his family sometimes got frustrated about that. I’d have gotten frustrated. But if somebody called, one of these guys called, or even somebody in gospel music, if they needed help, Fox would do whatever he had to do to help you.
And that’s a great quality. It’s a great quality to be loyal. I would call Fox, Eldridge Fox, loyal, and just a wonderful mentor to me. And we called him Papaw. I mean, all the younger guys in the Kingsmen during my first tenure, we called him Papaw because he was more than a boss. He was like a grandpa to us.
Josh Griffin
Yeah. Speaking about that, I remember Randy Miller in his episode talked about how he wanted to buy a Stratocaster that Roger Fortner had, and he didn’t have just so much money. So he sold a set of golf clubs and bought that Stratocaster. And then Eldridge heard about it and said, “Don’t do that, because we need you out here on the golf course just like we need you making music.” So Eldridge went back and found a guy that sold golf clubs, I guess, and bought the clubs and gave them back to Randy.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was a great story. And yes, Fox was known for that. There’s probably hundreds of stories that we probably will never hear about, similar to that, where Fox did that for somebody.
Daniel J. Mount
And then, of course, we can’t move on without talking about Ray Dean Reese.
Bryan Hutson
Ray Dean Reese is probably one of my favorite people in the entire world. When I joined in ’96, I had met Ray Dean Reese and we had kind of talked a little bit, but very little before I joined them, because the group I was with, Heartland Quartet, we worked on an occasional date with the Kingsmen. And during that time it was Chris Collins singing tenor and Tim Surrett and Jonathan and Ray Dean Reese and the band. Anthony had left by then.
And so Ray Dean Reese and I really became friends in ’96. And even though he was 20 years older than me, we really hit it off. We really hit it off. Ray Dean Reese, during that time, he was just the bass singer, but he really took the new guys under his wing and helped you. And I’ll never forget, my dad passed in ’99 during my first tenure, and Ray Reese helped me because he had lost his dad. And in fact, his mother had passed away during my first tenure, and we sang at his mother’s funeral.
But when I was really struggling around ’99, the last part of ’99 going into 2000 with my dad’s death, Ray Dean Reese really helped me. There were many mornings that I would be in the bed in my bunk, underneath his bunk, crying over the loss of my dad. And he would pull my curtain back and he would say, “Are you dreaming about your dad again, cousin?” I said, “Yeah, I am.” And he was really a friend. He really was a friend.
And when I left and then I came back, and when I came back in 2007, now Ray Dean Reese has the ownership of the Kingsmen. He not only is the bass singer, but he was a great boss. And we just picked up where we left off with our friendship. And Ray Dean Reese took care of me. Ray Dean Reese and Brandon both took care of me, and I’ll forever be in debt with that.
But Ray Dean Reese is a funny guy. He’s a funny person. He doesn’t mean to be funny. And even to this day – I left the Kingsmen in 2011 during my second tenure – we still talk every couple of weeks. And he’s just one of those guys that’s probably one of the finest I’ve ever known. And I’ve known a lot of men in my lifetime, a lot of guys that have poured into my life. But Ray Dean Reese not only poured into me musically, but I’ve come to cherish our relationship.
And so I tell people, you can’t talk about Ray Dean Reese without doing Ray Dean Reese. You talk about, “Hey-” because, you know, that’s just who Ray Dean Reese is. And one of the most iconic voices of all time. You instantly recognize Ray Dean Reese as soon as you hear a group. Whatever lineup it was, you know that’s Ray Dean Reese. You instantly know his voice. And I count it as an honor to consider him my friend.
Josh Griffin
Yeah, Ray Dean Reese, my favorite bass singer of all time. Just somebody that’s been friendly to me over the years. I remember when he was traveling with the group, I’d go see him live and in concert, getting to talk to him. And then, like Bryan said, when he came back in his second tenure, Bryan called me up on stage to sing with the Kingsmen. And boy, I probably messed them up for sure, but that was always a highlight for me.
But Ray Dean Reese let me sing with him, and Ray Dean Reese tried to hand me his bass mic a couple of times, saying, “Nah, you hold that mic. You’re gonna sing with me because I need all the help I can get.” But just a super friendly guy. Love Ray Dean. I actually talked to him this past weekend and called him and talked to him on the phone just a little bit, and he sounded great. He sounded like he was doing great. But just a fantastic guy. I’d say just my favorite bass singer of all time, and just thankful for his kindness, his and Brandon Reese’s kindness over the years, and all the Kingsmen. Yeah, appreciate Ray Dean Reese.
Daniel J. Mount
There are a number of people who could theoretically have been part of reacquiring the Kingsmen name and carrying it forward for a new generation. I’m grateful it was Ray Dean that did it.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah. Same here, same here, same here.
Daniel J. Mount
Well, just for the sake of time, I think we maybe talk about a couple other people a little more briefly. But let’s just talk about a couple of the Kingsmen members who are now in glory. So let’s say something about Squire Parsons.
Bryan Hutson
You want to start on this, Josh?
Josh Griffin
Yeah. Got to meet him on the Singin’ at Sea cruise back in 2015. And they had a little Kingsmen reunion there, and Bryan got me up on stage afterwards to get a picture made with him and some of the other guys. And just a giant guy, tall giant man, but what a great songwriter, great singer. Just a great humble guy. Love Squire Parsons.
Bryan Hutson
Well, I would say for Squire, I first met Squire probably, I’m going to say, early 1990. My brother, myself, and my cousin were in Huntington, West Virginia, recording, making a recording at a little studio there in Huntington. And we went to go eat lunch that day. And as we’re walking out after eating lunch, this bus pulls up. And here we are, big gospel music fans, and it’s Squire Parsons, and Ernie Haase was singing with him at the time.
And of course we didn’t know Ernie Haase, but I saw Squire, and I had a copy of the Singing News magazine in our van. I flipped through it, because I knew Squire had an ad in there for a new album. He had just come out with a solo album. So I ran in there and grabbed a pen and said, “Mr. Squire, would you please autograph this picture for us and for me?” And he was so kind and gracious.
But, you know, I would say one of the top five voices of all time in gospel music. Incredible singer, incredible range. But songwriter, I would have to say within the top five greatest songwriters of all time. How he wrote so many classic songs. And we could spend an entire podcast just naming off Squire Parsons songs. I mean, “Sweet Beulah Land” has to be included in the top 10 songs of all time for gospel music.
But how he could just – in my opinion, he had a special relationship with God. Not saying he was any better than anybody else, but you could just tell when you was around Squire that he had a special relationship with Jesus. He was one of my true heroes. And I don’t use that word lightly anymore as I get older. But Squire Parsons was one of my heroes.
And my favorite all-time Squire Parsons song was “How Sweet the Name of Jesus.” When he starts that song, I mean, it just takes me back as a child. And one of the greatest videos, I would say, about a six-minute video, is on the 40th anniversary reunion at the National Quartet Convention when they go into “Lovely Name of Jesus,” and Squire starts to preach a little bit at the end of that song before they finish it. And he starts preaching, and I mean the glory bumps, as Hamill would say, go down my arms to this day still.
“Lovely Name of Jesus” is my favorite all-time Squire song. And if I had a bucket list, and I wish I could go back one time – and I did, on the Singin’ at Sea cruise – Squire was in one of the piano rooms and was doing some songs around the piano and playing and singing. And I went in and I got to sing “Lovely Name of Jesus” with him and his other son. And we did a little bit of that. And that was a bucket-list moment for me. So Squire Parsons, true man of God, true hero.
Daniel J. Mount
I only got to meet him a time or two. I did come from growing up in northern Ohio, so I mainly got to know him through his songs. There is such a scriptural depth to his songs. Very few other writers – you’re talking like Charles Wesley, John Newton levels here. And not just an academic knowledge of Scripture, but the heart of somebody who feels it deeply. And just what a legacy.
Bryan Hutson
Yes, absolutely.
Daniel J. Mount
Ernie Phillips.
Bryan Hutson
You want to go first, Josh? Yeah.
Josh Griffin
I met him on the Singin’ at Sea cruise. Actually before that, 2016, I met him. He was filling in with the Kingsmen. It was in between tenors, and that was his fifth Sunday night in January, I believe. And I made him get my picture made with him after the concert, you know. And then a couple of weeks later I said, “Hey, I’ll see you on the cruise.” He said, “Okay.”
So me and my twin sister was on the cruise late one night after midnight, walking around, and we didn’t see him, but I don’t know where he jumped out and he scared us. This little short man scared us, and he got us good. But he came up to us and he said he remembered me, which made me feel cool, you know. But I introduced him to my sister, and he hugged both of us. Said, “Whenever y’all see me again, just call me Papa Ernie.” One of the best tenors of all time. He’s top three of my favorite Kingsmen tenors. “When Crossing Time Shall Come” is probably my favorite song that featured Ernie Phillips with the Kingsmen.
Bryan Hutson
Well, Ernie to me was another one of my heroes. And when I got to finally meet him – and we’ve talked about this on the Behind the Crown podcast – I was like a fan boy. I mean, it was like I was a basketball player meeting Michael Jordan, you know, a high school player meeting Michael Jordan. To me, that was Ernie.
And then not only did I love his voice, because that’s the voice I grew up hearing, but when I met him and found out how down to earth and what a godly, kind man he was – no ego. I mean, if he had an ego, I never saw it. And let me tell you, many a time when he was with other groups or he might’ve been with the Land of Sky Boys or Squire’s group and they’d be singing along with the Kingsmen, he could have very easily said, “Hey, I made this song famous. I’m gonna sing this song during our finale.” You know, we’d get the groups up there together.
And he was never that kind of person. He was pushing the other guys out front. He wanted the other tenors to sing. He could have said, “Hey, no, I made this song famous. I’m going to sing it.” But he was never that. It was almost like when you would compliment him or brag on him, it almost embarrassed him. It almost embarrassed him. And he was just so humble, and it wasn’t a fake humbleness. It wasn’t anything like that. He really loved people. He loved encouraging younger singers. And he was just one of those guys.
Countless people have told me through the years how he encouraged them, countless tenor singers and other singers too. So for me, Ernie Phillips was a hero of mine, an absolute hero. Never heard anything bad ever said about Squire or Ernie, either one. And those two guys are in Heaven, and I’m gonna sing in a quartet with them one day. I’m gonna get to Heaven, and we’re gonna sing in a quartet together. Because to me, Ernie was the voice of the Kingsmen for so many years for me. And I loved him as a person, not only for his vocal talent, but for who he was.
Daniel J. Mount
And of these first ones we’ve talked about, I probably had the chance to talk to him more than any of the other ones. And the same words stuck out to me, such humility. It didn’t matter what – and everybody in Southern Gospel tries to be humble, virtually. And most everybody has some level of humility. Like there isn’t room for people with huge egos who act like rock stars. That’s just not what Southern Gospel is. So everybody tries to be humble, and most people have some level of humility.
Bryan Hutson
Yes.
Everybody.
Daniel J. Mount
But you could tell there was no putting it on, no fake humility. One of the most talented people I’ve ever talked to. So humble.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah.
Daniel J. Mount
All right, maybe mention a few other people more briefly, just for the sake of time. Mention a few other names, maybe.
Josh Griffin
We – I’ll give a little fan-boy moment here. Got to interview Jason Selph, bass player back in the 90s and 2000s. Let’s just say I’m a big Jason Selph fan, and that was a neat experience to get to talk to Jason. Matter of fact, before we came on tonight, he texted me and we texted just a little bit. But that was a great experience for me.
And also Gary Sheppard and Tim Surrett. Yeah. Just all these guys, really, Daniel, Bryan. Just to talk to all the guys that we have talked to – Nick Bruno – that they would be willing to talk to somebody like me, man, I’m blessed. Yeah.
Bryan Hutson
Yes. Well, I would have to – to me, you’d have to throw Johnny Parrack in this. You’d have to go to Parrack, because Parrack came in early 70s and he really set the standard for the high tenor singing, blood-and-guts, I don’t know how else to say it, the blood-and-guts top tenor that the Kingsmen were known for for so many years. Parrack set the standard for that.
Because up to that point they had some great tenors – Jack Henderson and some of those guys that sang in their early days. Jerry Redd was a great tenor as well. Kermit Jamerson was a great tenor for the Kingsmen. But when Parrack came in, it was a different style. It was just high and loud. And so Big and Live was the perfect name for that first album that they did, the big come-out monster album of the Kingsmen.
So Parrack has to be included in that because he’s had so many imitators, the most emulated tenor of all time. I mean, every tenor that’s ever – I can say, you know, on “Glory Road,” they’re emulating Johnny Parrack even if they’re not even in the Kingsmen and they’re just in a local group singing “Glory Road.” If they do that little move, they’re doing Johnny Parrack. And so even to this day, if Harold Reed, you know, the current Kingsmen tenor, if he does that move this weekend with the Kingsmen, he’s doing Johnny Parrack, you know? So you have to include Parrack in that. Iconic voice.
I would have to say Tim Surrett. I think Tim Surrett is one of the – he’s the one that introduced “Wish You Were Here.” You know, myself and other lead singers have sung that song, and I think done very well, but no one can sing “Wish You Were Here” like Tim Surrett. Even to this day, 30-some years later, since he recorded that song, 30-plus years, when Tim Surrett steps up and says, “Wish You Were Here,” you instantly take – it’s his song. It’s going to be forever Tim Surrett’s song. Other singers may come. I attempted it. Jason Selph attempted it. Cole Watson, the current lead singer, he’s doing a great job at it. He’s doing a great job. But to me, and it’s no slam to anybody, that’s Tim Surrett.
So Tim Surrett’s one of those iconic voices as well. Gary Sheppard, you know, Gary Sheppard introduced “He’s All I Need.” He did “Go and Tell Somebody.” He did “Stand Up.” I mean, you have to include Gary Sheppard in that list too.
So, and even the guys that I traveled with and was a part of, you know, Chris Collins and Jerry Martin and Harold Reed and all those tenors that came in, and Jeremy Peace, you know. But those voices, they took the Kingsmen in new directions. And Greg Fox, you know, Greg Fox led the Kingsmen for several years. And you have to mention those names that were a part of the group for so long. I’m just glad to be a part of that legacy, for sure.
Daniel J. Mount
I feel like at the end of Hebrews 11 where there’s the hall of faith of heroes of the faith, and the author says, “And time would fail to tell us.” Yeah, we would love to mention every member of the Kingsmen through the years, and you all have a story. And because we didn’t happen – okay, Arthur Rice, another one.
Bryan Hutson
Absolutely.
Daniel J. Mount
Yeah. Arthur. Just because we didn’t mention somebody here means we think any less of them. We’re just fitting what we can fit in an hour or 90 minutes, with the highest respect to everybody else who we didn’t happen to mention in this segment.
Moving on to another question. What is your favorite Kingsmen moment you were there for? In Bryan’s case, that could be as a fan or on stage. For the other two of us, you know, as fans.
Josh Griffin
I’ll go ahead. Yeah. Oh, 2015 Singin’ at Sea cruise, little Kingsmen reunion. Ernie Phillips was there, Jerry Martin, Arthur Rice, and then the current guys at the time, Bob Sellers, Randy Crawford, Chris Jenkins, Ray Dean Reese. Andrew Ishee was there as well. Got to meet Andrew. Thanks to Bryan, I got to meet Andrew Ishee and talk to him. Squire Parsons. Like I said, that was just a great little Kingsmen reunion.
You know, Mark Trammell was there singing baritone, emcee work that day. But that was one of the Kingsmen highlights for me, just to be there on the ship that day. Where were we at, in the Atlantic Ocean down there near Mexico? Where was that, you know? And just a great time.
Bryan Hutson
Well, for me, I think I’ve got a couple. For sake of time, probably on the Gaither Homecoming at the Georgia Dome in 1998 when they introduced the Kingsmen to come up and do “Sail On Up Someday.” Thirty-five thousand people at the Georgia Dome. And not only that, and so many people, but so many legendary gospel music people on the stage behind us. I mean, we had the Goodmans, we had J.D., we had, of course, Hovie and James and all those legendary, legendary people, Rex Nelon and all those guys. All those people were on the stage behind us. And we’re up there singing, and 35,000 people at the Georgia Dome. So that was a highlight for me with the Kingsmen.
As the group, we got to enjoy that together. And I’ve always been a team player, always will be a team player. And that was a highlight for me, for the Kingsmen.
Daniel J. Mount
And my highlight, it’s two-part. I was working for Crossroads at the time, and I forget who just left, but I heard that Ernie Phillips was filling in for a few weeks.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah.
Daniel J. Mount
And I feel like I drove halfway across North Carolina. I don’t remember how far it was. It was farther than practically I’ve ever gone for a concert. I was like, I’m going to go however far it takes to hear a full concert of Ernie Phillips with the Kingsmen. I just can’t not. I have to.
And thankfully, since I was with the record company at the time, I wasn’t there in any official capacity, just because I love the music. I didn’t have any official business to do there, but they didn’t mind if I came for the soundcheck. So I was there for soundcheck. Well, not only was I there for soundcheck, it so happens they were auditioning Chris Jenkins that day.
Josh Griffin
Wow.
Bryan Hutson
Okay.
Daniel J. Mount
I actually got to be there for Chris Jenkins’ audition. And when I heard him with them, I was like, well, I mean, of course they’re offering him – they can’t not offer him the job. He has to be their next tenor, and he’s going to be one of the all-time great Kingsmen tenors. To me, I didn’t say anything. Of course, I let them make their own decision. But my take on hearing Chris Jenkins audition with them was, this is going to be one of the all-time great Kingsmen tenors. They have to hire him. And I was so glad they did.
Yes. And then to go through the concert, and I forgot who it was emceeing that day, but whoever it was was like, we don’t need to do the whole “Excuses” song. We’ll just have Ray Dean Reese say his line and Ernie sing his line. And that was cool. But then hearing Ernie sing “God Saw a Cross” – it wasn’t his song. It was generations, several tenors after his time. The heart he brought to sing “God Saw a Cross” – that was a highlight. So to have that all in one day – a full concert with Ernie and Chris Jenkins, and Chris auditioning – that was a good night.
Bryan Hutson
Wow. And there’s a couple of videos out there of Ernie doing “When God Saw a Cross,” and it’s amazing. And even Harold – Harold Reed would tell you, who introduced that song – he’ll tell you, he said, “Once I heard Ernie sing it, I don’t need to sing that song ever again.” I said, “But you know, you came full circle with that.” For so many years you were singing the songs that Ernie made famous, and now Ernie was singing the song that you made famous. It’s kind of a full-circle thing for Harold.
Daniel J. Mount
Right. All right, here’s a fun one. Gold City has a signature song. Gold City’s signature song is “Midnight Cry.” Yes. There’s no question about it. The McKameys had a signature song. Their signature song is “God on the Mountain.” No question about it. Both of them had other big songs, but they both had one signature song. Is there a Kingsmen signature song? And either way, can we talk for a couple of minutes about the signature songs of some of the individual members of the Kingsmen?
Bryan Hutson
Yeah, yeah. Josh, what you-
I was just gonna ask Josh what his opinion was on the signature song of the Kingsmen.
Daniel J. Mount
And this is a way to shout out some songs that we may not have already talked about in this podcast, a way to get them mentioned in a fun context.
Josh Griffin
All right, let’s see.
I’m going to say it this way. I’ll say it’s a signature song because only a couple of lineups of the Kingsmen have done it. Of course, “Wish You Were Here,” but that’s still carried on. I’ll just say my favorite song, “I’ll Live Again.” I’ve heard people talk about those years when it came out in ’99 and 2000, NQC in Louisville when it was the big massive crowd, how y’all would end with that song, with the program, and had people on their feet going crazy. And the next group would have to come on stage, and everybody just kind of, “Okay, well this next group’s going on.” But I’ll say “I’ll Live Again” for me. Yeah.
Bryan Hutson
Well, for me, that’s a hard question because, from a fan standpoint, also from a former member standpoint, there’s very few groups that have more than one signature song.
Daniel J. Mount
And the Kingsmen have so many, it’s hard to-
Bryan Hutson
But if somebody was to ask me, okay, you have one, one – I would say “The Old Ship of Zion.” I would have to say “The Old Ship of Zion” because instantly it’s recognizable as a Kingsmen song. Of course Josh just mentioned “Wish You Were Here.” That’s a signature song as well. But I think, overall, “The Old Ship of Zion.”
Daniel J. Mount
That’s what I was going to say too. Like, it is so hard to name one song. But I think I was going to say “Old Ship of Zion” too. What was it, Singing in the Smokies, Bryson City last year? Kingsmen were there, and Ray Dean Reese came out one night. What’s the song that put Ray Dean Reese on? Of course they have him sing “Old Ship of Zion.” And of course everybody came unglued.
Bryan Hutson
Yes, yes, yes.
And “Get on Board.” Did the same key. And it made everybody laugh, and we would do it 20 times a night. Every time he’d see Ray Dean Reese, “Get on board,” you know? And so that was what Ray Dean Reese was known for, with “The Old Ship of Zion.” But that has to be, to me, that’s the Kingsmen signature song.
Daniel J. Mount
Yes. And then I think it would be fun also to talk about signature songs of some individual members. And I’ll mention, I’ll kick us off this time with two that have already been mentioned because they’ve already been mentioned. And that is, although he sings so many other phenomenal songs, including “We Do Not Die,” there’s something about Ernie Phillips singing “When Crossing Time Shall Come.” There’s that. Actually, I’ll mention three. Eldridge Fox singing “Behold the Master Cometh.” Talk about that one. And then Bryan, you singing “When God Ran.”
Bryan Hutson
Thank you. Thank you.
Daniel J. Mount
So I mention those three – it’s three that we’ve already talked about – and then turn the floor over to you to talk about some more.
Bryan Hutson
Well, Gary Sheppard, I think his signature song is “He’s All I Need,” which I loved. Other songs he did, I loved “In the Name of Jesus” from Live in Dayton, but “He’s All I Need” is his signature song. Tim Surrett, of course, “Wish You Were Here.” Arthur, I would have to say, would be “Place Where the Hungry are Fed.” That was his signature song.
Hamill, Hamill had a lot. Of course he had “Excuses” and he had “The Apple Tree Song” and songs like that that the people loved to hear him sing. I think a song that was overlooked was on the Anchors Away album. Hamill did “The Lost Sheep.” It’s incredible. You can look it up on YouTube. It’s an incredible song written by Ronny Hinson.
And Ray Dean, “Shake Hands with a Poor Boy,” it was his signature song. “The Healing Stream” was another one of his signature songs. Parker Jonathan had several. I loved to hear him sing “Hiding From His Voice” from the Live in Dayton recording. “The Name That Set Me Free” was a great song that featured Parker. Also “This One Again,” that was a great song that kind of featured everybody, but Parker had the verse on it.
Let’s see, Johnny Parrack. Of course, “Glory Road,” you know. He also had “Look for Me at Jesus’ Feet” as a signature song. Fox, you mentioned that, “Behold the Master Cometh.” But so many signature songs down through the years from the guys. Of course, you got to mention “Love Lifted Me” when you’re talking Ernie Phillips, you know, hitting the big high note at the end. I still get that out every now and then to get my blood flowing a little bit.
And the current guys are doing great with their signature songs as well. They’re bringing out songs that, of course, were recorded earlier, but what I love about the current group, they’re still bringing out new songs. And they’re trying to get those introduced to the audience. And there’s just so many iconic songs. And we’re going to do an episode of iconic Kingsmen songs, and we’re going to touch on some of those songs that we grew up loving and maybe some obscure songs that people need to go back and give a listen to.
Daniel J. Mount
I have been thinking of asking obscure songs. Why don’t we save it – just for the sake of time – let’s save it for that episode. And I look forward to hearing you talk about that. Josh, any other signature songs you want to shout out before we move on?
Josh Griffin
Bryan Hutson, “Come and See the Rising Sun.” Yeah, that was a great song. Talk about some of the current guys now – Cole Watson, “Soul Set Free,” another great song as well. Alan Kendall, I mean, he’s come out with several, several great songs that just feature him the past couple of years. And “Church of the Great I Am” is a great song that he’s done. He’s done a Christmas song that Bryan and myself talked to him about.
Daniel J. Mount
You know what? There’s one more I actually want to mention. And I don’t think anybody would say it was Ray Dean Reese’s signature song, but signature song or not, it always got me when he sang it. And that’s when he sang “Loving Shepherd, Gracious God.” Because there came a time in his career – okay, he had so many signature songs people wanted to hear – he wasn’t singing too many new songs.
Bryan Hutson
Yes.
Daniel J. Mount
That was one song that he sang and sang consistently for a long time. I had the chance to work with the song’s writer, Dianne Wilkinson, on her autobiography. And she said that she wrote it after she heard a preacher talk about Psalm 23 and say that the psalm was written from the perspective of an old sheep, a sheep who had seen the shepherd be faithful for many years. And that’s why she said she wrote it.
That inspired the bridge where it says, “There’s a loving Shepherd leading me where the older sheep have trod. He is guiding, guarding, feeding me. Loving Shepherd, gracious God.”
When Ray Dean Reese sang that, I mean, in part because I knew that, but in part how he sang it, you see this sheep who’s known the Shepherd for a long time. And it’s one of those songs that a 20-year-old might be able to sing the notes, but couldn’t convey the heart of it. He could read the heart of that song so well that I wanted to mention it here.
Bryan Hutson
Well, I’m thrilled I was on that recording. I chose that song for Ray Dean Reese. Dianne had sent us some songs, and first time I heard the demo, I said, “I want Ray Dean Reese to sing that.” And he did a great performance on it. But like you said, lyrically he delivered that song so well that probably nobody else – like you said, a younger person couldn’t have maybe done so well. Ray Dean Reese and I – it was a joy and an honor for me to get to sing that with Ray Dean Reese. It was a wonderful song.
And I’ll mention one more Ray Dean Reese song, “To Count for Jesus.” “To Count for Jesus,” recorded in 2006 on the Good Good God album. And I called that song. And when I came back in 2007, we were doing songs off that record, and I called that song every single night because I love that song, still love that song. It’s one of Ray’s greatest features, “To Count for Jesus.”
Daniel J. Mount
I agree. All right, so lightening the mood a little. Is there a singer who was never a Kingsman who you wish was?
Josh Griffin
Woo.
Bryan Hutson
Josh, what do you think? I’ll let you answer that first.
Josh Griffin
I’ll just say it. I think he’s a fan of the Kingsmen, but Jonathan Wilburn. Yeah. Cool.
Daniel J. Mount
That’s a good one.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah? Gosh.
Well, that’s a tough one. I mean, that is really a tough one.
Josh Griffin
I’ll add one more to the bass singer, Will Lane. Yeah.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah, yeah, he would have fit in very good vocally. He would have. Gosh, that’s a tough one. I mean, I’ve heard a lot of singers down through the years that absolutely could have done it. Rick Strickland back in the 80s could have, vocally, done it. In fact, at one point he auditioned for the Kingsmen.
Daniel J. Mount
I didn’t know that.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah, he auditioned for the Kingsmen, and that’s when they hired Gary Sheppard. So singers like that, yeah, I think could have done it. I would have loved to hear Jack Toney sing lead. I think Jack wasn’t really known, but he had such a great range and was a great singer. Of course Jack Toney is one of my favorite singers, so I would have loved to have heard a little bit of Jack Toney with the Kingsmen. That would have been pretty awesome to hear.
Daniel J. Mount
And I’ll mention one too, and he was probably the reason I asked this question. The first Southern Gospel concert I ever heard was the Mark Trammell Trio in their first year or two on the road, Eric Phillips.
Bryan Hutson
Yes, yes, yes.
Daniel J. Mount
Of course, he was on just a couple episodes ago. And I was already working on the questions for this, and I was like, okay, there’s a good tie-in to mention that episode. But he’s the best Kingsman tenor that was never a Kingsman.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah.
That’s a – I would agree with that. I would agree with that. Eric had a great voice, still does, and he would have fit not only with the people saying, “That’s Ernie Phillips’ son,” but he would have fit vocally very easily with the Kingsmen. Yeah, that would’ve been good.
Daniel J. Mount
His high notes were so effortless. He was the first tenor I heard, and he made it look so easy. Everybody who came after him in every concert I heard – some did – but everybody else had a high level to live up to, and that was my starting point. That was my starting point, hearing Mark Trammell on baritone too, no less.
All right, Josh, I think you mentioned you might have a couple of questions, so I don’t want to monopolize the whole time with mine. We can go into a couple things you might want to talk about.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah.
Yeah, that’s-
Josh Griffin
Your favorite Kingsman lineup, Daniel.
Daniel J. Mount
Well, it would involve Ernie Phillips on tenor and Squire Parsons on lead. The baritone, were there two baritones during that time? Who was the baritone at that point?
Bryan Hutson
’76.
Daniel J. Mount
Wayne Maynard. Okay, so I’m – and it’s in part vocally, and in part just the impeccable reputation both men had, and the level of spiritual depth they brought. I can’t not say, as much as I love every other lineup, I have to say Ernie Phillips on tenor and Squire on lead. And I love Hamill as much as anybody else, but yeah, there’s something that – that lineup sounded so amazing.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah, and Ed Crawford also sang baritone during that lineup too, for a while.
Daniel J. Mount
That live recording you posted a couple weeks ago of Squire singing “Is Not This the Land of Beulah?” Yes. You tore that place down.
Bryan Hutson
Absolutely. Well, let me ask you a question. I know Josh has got a couple.
Josh Griffin
Sure. Yep.
Bryan Hutson
From your standpoint, what do you think was one key factor in the success of the Kingsmen staying relevant in Southern Gospel music? You think there’s one? What would be your opinion from the outside? One key element, or one key factor, for the Kingsmen staying relevant all these years.
Daniel J. Mount
It’s hard to say just one, because you obviously have the songs. There’s so many signature songs, it’s hard to name one. And if I had to say just one, you know, fundamentally, this is Southern Gospel music. We’re about the gospel. That’s the heart of what it is we do. And there were so many songs that carried the gospel so well that I’d have a hard time saying anything else. If I only had to say one, I’d say songs.
If I had to say another, I would say something I referenced earlier between the singers and the live band, how they could take the dynamic from a one to a ten, and would, several times in a concert. There were other groups that go from a one to an eight, or from a two or three to a ten. I don’t know if there was anybody else who could bring it all the way down and then all the way back up like they could.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah, I agree with that. I agree with that. That was a gift. They had that gift, and yeah, I agree with that.
Daniel J. Mount
And you can’t say there’s only one factor. Part of that was Hamill reading the room. Yes. Part of that was the songs. Part of it was the singers. Part of it was the live band. It’s all of it together. That’s almost cheating the question to say that, but the result rather than the factor.
Josh Griffin
Yeah. My last question for you, Daniel. What is your all-time favorite Kingsman song?
What is Daniel Mount’s all-time favorite Kingsman song? Yeah.
Daniel J. Mount
You know, for a long time I probably would have said “When Crossing Time Shall Come,” and that might still be. And I hope they bring it back someday. But after hearing you post that live version of Squire singing “Is Not This the Land of Beulah?” there’s something about – I’ve loved that hymn for a long time. There’s something about that version that might take the number one spot.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah.
Daniel J. Mount
If I’m allowed a top three, probably gonna say “Behold the Master Cometh.”
Bryan Hutson
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, I agree with that.
Bryan Hutson
Well, I have a question about your podcast, and you’re doing such a great job of that. What do you think your overall goal is for your podcast?
Daniel J. Mount
You know, here’s the fun thing. I don’t know if I have a goal this time around. I had the privilege of seeing all the success I could want to see the first time around, with not only putting up a daily post for eight years, interviewing just about anybody in the field except Bill Gaither. I got to meet him, never interviewed him. But it’s like, anybody I wanted to interview, I had the chance to.
Bryan Hutson
Okay.
Daniel J. Mount
I had the chance to work for Crossroads for six years. I mean, yeah, does it get better than that for somebody? Okay, does it get better than that for somebody who doesn’t have the vocal talent? I can play church pianist, I can play a little piano. And if I’d had a burning desire to be on the road, piano would’ve been my only shot, which is part of why I like groups that still have pianists. But I always had a heart to be part of my local church every Sunday, had a calling to church music, helped my church with church music. That’s just been where my heart’s been my whole life.
So it doesn’t get any better than working for Crossroads. And the nice thing is, I don’t feel like I want to prove any points or I need to prove any points. I just wanted to come back to talk to people I enjoy talking to and tell some stories that I thought might not be told if I didn’t come back.
There’s a couple episodes I’ve already recorded and a couple more I hope to record someday, especially the behind-the-scenes people. Yeah. And then some people have been off the road enough years that I’m not sure they’d ever be on another podcast. And now their stories are told in the Singing News 30, 40 years ago. Good luck finding one of those old magazine issues. It’s hard to. Those singers, their stories have been told, but not in a way that’s accessible to younger fans today just coming to love this music.
And so I wanted to come back. I’ve just been super inspired by some of the groups that have hit a real – kicked things into another high gear these last couple of years. What the Inspirations are doing, seeing Wyatt Austin sing “Sea of Forgetfullness” was a moment for me that I’m like, there’s still something that’s so special happening, I need to come back and talk about it some more.
So the fun thing is, I just want to tell good stories. And I think deep down in my heart, I kind of don’t have a goal, and I’m kind of happy about that.
Bryan Hutson
Well, and I like what your answer was because I like it that you’re interested in interviewing the people that are behind the scenes, like the Chris Whites. And I watched the one on Jim Stover, you know, the co-writer of “Wish You Were Here.” It’s the behind-the-scenes people that don’t get recognized because they’re not on the stage in front of the 35,000 people or the people at the quartet convention, the Memphis Quartet Show.
But they’re the ones helping these groups, supporting these groups, recording their music and finding the music and getting behind them, and basically our cheerleaders, the Jim Stovers and the Chris Whites and the Mickey Gambles and the Jeff Collinses that get behind these groups and are supporting them. People might read their name on a record or a CD cover, or a USB cover now, but I love to hear those stories too.
For one, because I have a connection with those people because I worked with them for so many years and have great relationships with them, but people need to know the people that vacuum the sanctuaries and clean up the children’s area so the kids can come in and learn about Jesus. And those people have stories, and they’re giving of their life. They’re not teaching Sunday school. They’re not preaching. They’re not singing the specials on the praise team. Those are the behind-the-scenes people that shovel the driveway, shovel the walkways, and do the little things that people oftentimes walk by and think, I can’t do much in the kingdom of God. But yes, you can. You can. We’re all vitally important, not just the music. We’re all vitally important in the kingdom.
Daniel J. Mount
So, yes. And I’ll throw in a couple more details, having another minute to think about it. I also hope to do a lot of featuring songwriters. That was my initial point of interest in music. I actually had the privilege to collaborate with Dianne Wilkinson on a few songs, one of which Freedom recorded. I don’t think any of the other ones have gotten recorded. I’ve done some other writing through the years. So to tell the songwriter stories is another big goal.
And then the other fun thing, like why this year? Well, this year is 20 years since I first started blogging. It’s also 10 years since I left Crossroads. Wow. And this year I turn 40. So I was like, could I have a better midlife crisis than to go back and talk about something? For me, somebody wired like me, I don’t think I could think of a better midlife crisis than this one.
Bryan Hutson
That’s great. That is great. That is great. That is great.
Josh Griffin
I’ll mention this right quick, Daniel, before we end it up here. But our main goal with this podcast, Behind the Crown podcast, of course, is dedicated to the men, the message, and the music of the mighty Kingsmen. But to get these stories out from Bryan Hutson, from Johnny Parrack, Nick Bruno, Gary Sheppard, Ray Dean Reese, for these stories to be preserved for future generations.
I never thought I would do this, but I’m glad I took it on and got Bryan to help me. And Bryan, I tell him, he does a great job getting all these gentlemen scheduled. I do the small part. Bryan actually does the big part, and I appreciate him doing that. But just to – and I would much rather somebody else have done this and be excited every week to hear this. But I’m just more excited now than when we started with this.
What Gary Sheppard said to us was, he kind of got emotional when he said it, but he said to do it all these years, and all these older gentlemen, and then come off the road – they just don’t want to be forgotten, you know. And as a big Kingsmen fan, I promise you, they’re not forgotten by me. But as time goes by, you know, it doesn’t matter if anybody remembers me or forgets me, but as time goes by, these gentlemen – and hopefully we’ll get some more of these gentlemen in the future – but just so that people would remember them. And if the Lord tarries, don’t know how much longer, but for the new people coming in, they can hear these stories and be blessed by these men and their ministry. Yeah.
Bryan Hutson
I was just going to say, for me, the Kingsmen were such a vital part of my life growing up. I liked Elvis Presley. I was a fan of Elvis Presley’s music. And I grew up as a kid in the 80s. You know, I was an 80s kid, in the 70s and 80s. But as a teenager there in the 80s, the Kingsmen, the Kingsmen were my group. They were like, at the time, you know, the rock-and-roll bands, the kids I went to school with, they liked KISS and all the rock-and-roll bands and things like that. For me, it was Southern Gospel. It was the Kingsmen Quartet.
And I love interviewing the former guys that I grew up listening to because I want those guys to know what an impact they made on me. They made an impact on me. I seen them as guys that were standing up there singing for the Lord and playing music or singing. And that’s what I wanted to do.
And so let me tell you, and I’ve said it 150 times and I’ll say it 150 more times, when I was able to join the Kingsmen and join the group that inspired me to want to do music, that was a dream come true. And so I want to – I love honoring the guys that I grew up listening to, and I want them to know they just weren’t a member of the Kingsmen. They made a lasting impact on my life, and they inspired me to want to do what I’ve been able to do for the last 30 years, and they were a part of that.
The Kingsmen, yes, but individually, the Wayne Maynards and the Gary Sheppards and the Arthur Rices and the Johnny Parracks and the Ray Dean Reeses and all those guys that inspired me. I want them to know how much I value that now, as a friend. I get to call them guys friend. I get to call Tim Surrett my friend. That’s so cool to me. And it’s just something I’m going to treasure for the rest of my life.
Daniel J. Mount
I have two questions I’d love to close with. But before we do that, I want to add on to something you both said. And this is something we’re both trying to do, but I think you already are doing, and have been doing, with an exceptional degree of class since you’ve launched this podcast.
There is one thing that can be captured in this format, this video conversation format, that isn’t being preserved in any other way. And that is, you get a glimpse of the personality and heart of the people who are on the bus in a way. You know, I have a whole row of Southern Gospel books on my shelf, and I’m thankful for every one of them. You can only tell so much through the printed word. I worked with the written word in blogging for eight years, and did feature-length interviews that were hour-long conversations that I turned into text interviews because that’s just what we were doing technologically back then. And I’m grateful.
You know, I had a feature interview with Rusty Golden and talked about some songs that the Kingsmen sang in that. That might be hard to get that story otherwise. I’m glad I talked to him while I had the chance. Nobody knew he was going to go so soon, so young. I’m glad I talked to him while I had the chance to tell the story. But I got to get a feel for his personality in a way that the people just reading the words didn’t.
And the people just reading the Singing News don’t. And even seeing somebody on stage, you get little glimpses of the personality, but only so much. And I think what you’re doing with this podcast – and I do want to thank you for it – is the new generation of fans, and hopefully people 30, 50 years from now, can see the heart and see the personality of some of these gentlemen who made this legacy in a way that hasn’t been captured in any other format that’s publicly shared.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah.
True. Well, and I was thinking about that very thing today. There was a turning point – and not to go too long on this – but at one point, Hamill, Jim Hamill knew he was going to retire. So an album that came out, Singin’ in the Sun, which introduced the legendary signature song “He’s All I Need” and “The Healing Stream,” Hamill allowed every Kingsman person, every member, every vocalist to say something, including Anthony Burger. They didn’t do that before. Hamill did all the talking. He might let you do a testimony, like a 20-second testimony, but he didn’t let you talk.
And so what I love about our podcast, to kind of reiterate what you’re saying, you get to hear those guys talk. You heard them sing on an album. You heard them sing on a live album. And now you’re getting to hear them talk, from their own words, those stories, those great bus stories or stage stories. And so that’s one thing I love about our podcast. We’re actually letting them talk. And like you said, you hear their personality.
And I’ve even had friends of mine – Troy Caddell, a great pastor friend of mine – he told me a few days ago, he said, “That one interview you did with Gary Sheppard,” he said, “it made him human to me. It made him human. I always heard him sing. I finally got to hear him talk and hear it from his heart.” And so we want to keep doing that. We want to keep sharing those kind of stories.
Daniel J. Mount
And you’re doing it so well. So I’d love to close with two questions. And these are two that I’ve had in mind since I first proposed doing this episode. One is, you can’t talk about the legacy of the Kingsmen without talking about their impact on everyone else. And we’ve already talked about that some, but I think as we move toward wrapping this up, the final two questions, we could talk about that a couple more minutes. And I have some insight into this too from working with Crossroads.
But when we talk about the legacy of group leaves behind, it’s almost phrased in a darker way. What would Southern Gospel look like if that group had never existed? And because it’s not just there’s no Kingsmen, but does Gold City stay a local group? Do they get to the point that Eldridge Fox got Gold City? Then Eldridge Fox, you know, some of these artists have started building reputations.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah.
Daniel J. Mount
But does what Eldridge Fox did to launch the McKameys and Karen Peck and New Rivers and so many other groups on trajectories to become the top groups in the industry, some of them might’ve gotten there by other means, not all of them would’ve. Let’s talk about like that legacy that Kingsman leave behind on other groups for a few minutes.
Bryan Hutson
That’s very true. mean, had the, you know, Mark Trammell really got his start with the Kingsmen. Of course, he went on to the Cathedrals and, you know, and then started his own ministry, you know, Greater Vision, then he started Mark Trammell Trio and then Quartet.
Gold City was one of those.
Like you said, so many groups. mean, Arthur Rice, you know, joined the Kingsmen and later went to the Kingdom Heirs and spent 27 years there with the Kingdom Heirs and was the lead singer and vocal arranger and stage man for so many years. So many groups got their start from the Kingsmen. I mean, honestly, we could make a list all day and reference the Kingsmen on this particular person, this person that became a household name of gospel music, got their start with the Kingsmen.
Yeah, that’s a great thought, great question. How many people can we name? Several gospel, well-known gospel music personalities got their start or was helped by the Kingsmen.
Josh Griffin (1:41:14)
That’s great.
And not only the people too, but probably the songs as well. Some of the songs probably, you know, Gold City would have done “Excuses.” Probably wouldn’t have been the same, you know, but songs like that. Yeah. That’s a great question.
Daniel J. Mount (1:41:30)
There is that secondary impact of the songs in, in the seventies and eighties, you’d be hard pressed to name a group besides the Kingsmen that had more local and regional groups singing their songs. You know, there were plenty of people saved those services too. In fact, if you’re a total up the local group singing Kingsmen songs, there might’ve been more people come to saving faith in Jesus, and all those groups put together, then the Kingsmen singing to 2500 people every night. When so many groups – a good portion of their repertoire was the songs the Kingsmen introduced.
Bryan Hutson (1:42:11)
There were several nights that we’d have a group opening up for us. And sometimes, you know, the local groups, they’ve been practicing, this is not a demeaning thing, but they would practice all day at that church or the auditorium where they were going to be opening up for us. And they would have their set list on the floor, sitting in front of them. So they would know what song was next during their set list. And there’s gonna be at least two or three Kingsmen songs on the list.
And I never said anything to them, but one night I kind of said something because we got there to the building and this group was kind of maybe a little bit egotistical. The group was being very difficult. And I saw three Kingsman songs.
And one was a song that we were planning on doing that night because it was our current radio song. They were going to sing it before us. I said, “Was that your set list?”
“Yeah, that’s our set list tonight.”
I said, “Well, we’re for sure going to do one of those songs.”
“You are?”
“So, well, yeah, that’s our current radio song. We’re going to be doing that tonight. Well, we thought we would do that in honor of the Kingsmen.”
And this time, I said, “I’d rather you not do that song. We’re planning on doing that.” Anyway, I’m not going to belabor that.
So many groups were doing those songs and those classic iconic songs. And I’m sure when those guys recorded just like I did, I didn’t realize the impact they would be they would make on other people. And so I’m thankful that those songs are being sung.
Because, my little local group, we did Gold City and we did a lot of Kingsman songs. So, yeah.
Daniel J. Mount (1:44:17)
Alright, one last question. I thought it’d be fun to end on this one.
Josh Griffin (1:44:22)
What?
Daniel J. Mount
What do the Kingsmen look like at 100? What do we hope the Kingsmen look like 30 years from now? Lord willing, we might all be there to see it. So let’s dream a little. What could the Kingsmen legacy look like if they make it to year 100?
Bryan Hutson
Yeah.
Okay, Josh?
Josh Griffin
Hopefully they’re still singing some of the classics, but hopefully some new songs that kind of have the same impact too, as some of those classic songs as well. And who knows? Maybe even a band would be back.
Daniel J. Mount
That would be a dream.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah.
Well, for me, knowing Ray Dean Reese like I know Ray Dean Reese, I would not be surprised if Ray Dean Reese is still around. Listen, Ray Dean Reese’s mother lived to be almost 100 years old. And I tell you, a great memory, the day we sang at her funeral, we did “Rise from the Grave to Meet the Lamb.” And let me just tell you, at Ray Dean Reese’s mother’s funeral, there were people shouting all over that church. We kicked into that false ending and went up the, “We will rise up from the grave.” I’m telling you, people were shouting all over that church.
But Ray Dean Reese could totally be there. I would love to see the guys bring back a live band again. That would be just incredible, and I would love to see that. I think they’re gonna have great vocalists, no matter who is there. The Kingsmen have always been known for great songs and great singers and people that fit the group well.
So I would say some younger guys, maybe one of the guys that’s still there in their 70s. But I would love to see that, and I think Ray Dean Reese is still gonna be connected with the Kingsmen forever.
Josh Griffin
Yeah.
Daniel J. Mount
You never know. Maybe around year 100, if Brandon starts to get ready to slow down, maybe Alan Kendall will be the one to take the group over then. You never know.
Bryan Hutson
That would be good.
Josh Griffin
Yes.
Daniel J. Mount
All right. Anything you’d like to say where people can keep up with the podcast? Definitely want to give that a shout-out.
Bryan Hutson
Yeah, I’m going head on.
Josh Griffin
Yeah. You can be sure to follow Behind the Crown Podcast on Facebook and on Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel as well. Also, you can listen to Behind the Crown Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and all major podcast streaming platforms.
Daniel J. Mount
Thank you. And I’d say the same platforms, you can find Southern Gospel Journal as well. As you can read our written transcripts of the interviews at southerngospeljournal.com. Thank you so much to both of you for coming on. I have had an absolute blast talking about the history of the Kingsmen.
Bryan Hutson
We have too, Daniel. We appreciate you coming on, man. And you just keep Southern Gospel Journal – you keep doing that. You keep finding those great stories and keep sharing the gospel as well, and talking about Jesus during the podcast. Because ultimately, that’s what we all should strive to do, whether we’re talking or doing music or whatever. It’s always point to Jesus and His love for us. Yes.
Daniel J. Mount
That’s the goal. And to the listener, I would say thank you for listening to this joint episode of Behind the Crown podcast and Southern Gospel Journal.