Everyone knows J D Sumner sang backup on a number of Elvis Presley records. He also sang backup on another music legend’s song.  Enjoy!

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From the Where Are They Now? department:

Jody Medford, former bass singer with the Anchormen and the Land Of The Sky Boys, is currently singing bass with an Asheville, NC based Country vocal group called Whiteacre. I found this news through Jody’s Facebook page.

Check out their latest single on their MySpace page. It’s Rascal Flatts meets the Oak Ridge Boys.

Whiteacre’s official website is HERE. They don’t appear to have any dates booked at the moment.

Melvin Klaudt was a member of the Klaudt Indian Family when they traveled and sang years ago. His mother is a member of the SGMA Hall Of Fame.

In a comment at averyfineline, Klaudt states that the Hall Of Fame invoiced his family’s foundation for $2000 after the SGMA decided to replace his mother’s existing plaque with a “bust.”

(I need to interject a bit of clarification here. The new plaques include “a hand-carved likeness of the inductee.” They aren’t “busts” like you might imagine Beethoven and Mozart sitting on a piano. It is a three dimensional relief of a face mounted on a plaque.)

Back to the story…
Because the Hall Of Fame has a website page listing the names of inductees who don’t yet have one of the new plaques, Klaudt feels his mother is being characterized as a “deadbeat.” You can see the page at the SGMA website HERE.

In fairness to the SGMA Hall Of Fame, there’s nothing on the site itself that is demeaning to the individuals who still need plaques. The SGMA is upfront about the cost. The plaques are expensive, so it’s not at all surprising that a few still lack funding. In other words, you or I wouldn’t view it as a list of “deadbeats,” probably, but then, you and I didn’t receive an invoice for $2000.

Klaudt’s mother had already been inducted and her original plaque had been in the hall for two years, according to Klaudt. When the SGMA decided to change the plaques and after receiving the invoice, Klaudt says he wrote the SGMA asking for his mother’s name to be removed from the deadbeat list and from the Hall Of Fame itself. He says the SGMA has not complied with either request.

Now, I don’t think anyone should ever be removed from a Hall Of Fame after being duly inducted. A Hall Of Fame induction is until the end of time, regardless of the individual or their circumstances.

Hopefully, the SGMA will respond to either clarify or rectify this situation. If the correspondence sent to the Klaudt family was really just a request for funds to cover the new plaque and not a true invoice, then I don’t see anything wrong with what the SGMA has done. If it WAS a real invoice, though, or even if it just looked somewhat like an invoice, then the SGMA owes the Klaudt family an apology.

I couldn’t identify all the female singers being spoofed in this Saturday Night Live bit, but I thought of several SG singers while watching it.

I know, I know….it seems I’ve been picking on the Gaither Vocal Band a lot lately, but this is less a case of “spot the mistake” as much as it is explaining the song titles behind the Better Day CD track listing compared to the DVD release.

Typically, when Gaither releases a CD to accompany a DVD, the track listing remains relatively intact (although, in the last few years, I’ve noticed some songs being omitted, perhaps to drive DVD sales). With Better Day, however, the CD track listing is almost at random, including songs from both its DVD counterpart AND the Reunited DVD. Granted, both DVD’s come from the same taping, so it’s not like they just threw songs on there, but the more I look at the track listing, the more logic comes into play….

In September, Gaither released Reunited, a CD collection of previous Gaither Vocal Band ballads recut with the current lineup. A concert was also taped the previous summer that included songs from Reunited as well as other concert favorites and a couple new songs. The idea, I assume, was to release a live version of Reunited and another live DVD, which would become Better Day, with an accompanying live CD. The problem, however, is that the Reunited CD was ALL ballads, which would make for a rather boring DVD, so the decision was made to mix it up a bit. The end products ultimately included only 6 of the 13 tracks from the Reunited CD between the two DVD’s, with only THREE of the tracks on the Reunited DVD matching it’s CD namesake. The other four tracks found on Reunited appear on the Better Day DVD.

Confused yet?

To add to the mixup, the Better Day CD is not exactly the DVD soundtrack; it IS live, but it is a mix of songs from the two DVD’s. 8 of the songs are from the Better Day DVD, while the remaining 9 are from the Reunited DVD, which means the majority of the songs on the Better Day CD didn’t even appear on the corresponding DVD. One thing I did notice, though, is that any songs that appeared on the Reunited studio CD were left off of the Better Day live CD.

Below is a chart that shows the songs and what they appear on, so as to clear up some of the confusion in relation to these releases. Keep in mind that Reunited CD is a studio recording (with the exception of “There’s Something About That Name”), while the Better Day CD is a live recording, so not all songs are live cuts.

Hopefully this will help in figuring out which product you want to buy if you are looking for specific songs.

112 of you participated in a poll I set up a few days ago, and now there’s a list of results posted HERE.

It’s interesting to me that we only needed about 25 votes to establish a pattern. The averages generally went down over time, but the grouping didn’t change very much. Jason Crabb was the only artist I noticed who made a large shift. He was at number 18 in the early going, but ended up midway down the list (still ahead of the other soloists).

Which brings up a notable point…voters highly prefer trios and quartets over soloists, but they don’t mind bluegrass as long as it’s the Isaacs.

Does the poll “mean anything?” In terms of NQC making drastic programming decisions based on the poll, I would say no, it isn’t conclusive enough for that. The voters found out about the poll and participated in a relatively random manner, though, so it does represent a fair sample of opinions. I didn’t target it to anyone other than those who normally read this blog. Some people passed the word along on other forums after seeing it here and at least one artist took a personal interest in the results. I allowed nature to take its course rather than telling individuals about it or encouraging anyone in particular to be sure to vote.

Even so, the poll wasn’t perfect. I spotted some mild hanky-panky in the voting. Three pairs of voters submitted nearly identical lists (presumably two members of the family…I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt). Also, some voters submitted lists that had a few votes of 4 with all the other votes being 1. If I throw ALL of the questionable votes out, though, the final list looks virtually the same.

The poll is an accurate enough reflection of general opinion, I think, that NQC should consider a couple of things it revealed. When a group has been coming to NQC for years, and they get extremely low marks, maybe they shouldn’t have prime time scheduling. Also, a group receiving high, high marks probably needs to be on stage when most of the crowd is still there.

Maybe NQC will limit the time allotted to the Pfeifers and the Specks. And maybe NQC will schedule Triumphant in a prime time spot rather than placing them in the last hour so much.

What are your thoughts?

The NQC poll has ended. Thanks to all who voted!

We had 112 participants over a five day period. They rated each artist based on the following:

4 = You won’t miss this group’s main stage set
3 = You’ll definitely stay in your seat if this group is next on the program, but you won’t necessarily rush to Freedom Hall if you’re checking out booths in the Exhibit Hall when their set starts
2 = You might stick around to hear this group, but you might just as likely get up and leave when their set starts
1 = You typically plan to miss this group’s set

The averages are:
3.29 Booth Brothers
3.23 Triumphant
3.22 Gaither Vocal Band
3.21 Perrys
3.19 Dixie Echoes
3.16 Gold City
2.97 Greater Vision
2.81 Mark Trammell Quartet
2.8 Isaacs
2.77 Karen Peck & New River
2.77 Legacy Five
2.76 Greenes
2.71 Brian Free & Assurance
2.69 Dove Brothers
2.68 Hoppers
2.66 Talleys
2.65 Kingdom Heirs
2.59 Collingsworth Family
2.55 Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
2.51 Kingsmen
2.46 Jeff & Sheri Easter
2.44 Southern Sound
2.38 Blackwood Brothers
2.34 LeFevre Quartet (Priority)
2.31 Dixie Melody Boys
2.27 Whisnants
2.22 Melody Boys
2.22 Original Couriers
2.21 Jason Crabb
2.2 Lesters
2.2 Tribute
2.16 Crist Family
2.14 Janet Paschal Ministries
2.11 Ball Brothers
2.09 Diplomats
2.09 Squire Parsons
2.04 Bowling Family
2.03 Down East
2.01 Soul’d Out
1.96 Inspirations
1.95 Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver
1.93 Dailey and Vincent
1.91 Freemans
1.89 Ivan Parker Ministries
1.88 HisSong
1.88 Liberty
1.87 Chuck Wagon Gang
1.86 Anchormen
1.79 McKameys
1.75 King’s Herald
1.71 Mark Bishop
1.68 Skyline Boys
1.64 Naomi & The Segos
1.62 Reggie Saddler Family
1.55 Rick Webb Family
1.5 Pfeifers
1.5 Specks
1.4 Calvary’s Voice
1.28 Hunters

NQC has posted their initial main stage schedule (subject to change/additions) for 2010. The most notable items are:

1. Monday night won’t be limited to quartets. Boo!

2. Squire Parsons is back. That’s good. Parsons is one of my favorite singer/songwriters in Southern Gospel.

3. Several artists will make their main stage debuts including the Hunters (never mind…they debuted in 2009), Liberty, Dailey & Vincent, and the Ball Brothers.

I’m not familiar with the Hunters. If I’m looking at the correct website, they have seven members.

I’ve already mentioned that the Ball Brothers are way overdue for an invitation to sing on the main stage. Liberty Quartet is very good on CD. I’m looking forward to hearing them in person. Dailey & Vincent is probably being tested as a main stage replacement for Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, whose performance last year was underwhelming. Plus, the recent addition of a former SG bass singer to Dailey & Vincent has to be viewed as icing on the cake from NQC’s perspective.

4. The Anchormen are returning after failing to appear last year. I’ve only heard their CD, but they have made great strides…particularly at the bass singing position. The Chuck Wagon Gang and Southern Sound are back as well. In all three cases, there were membership changes in recent months that may have helped their respective cases with the NQC board.

5. The Gaither Vocal Band is listed for Friday night, but there’s no sign of Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. (Actually, EH&SS are listed for the Together showcase on Wednesday…just not for a main stage appearance.) (I am blind. They ARE listed for Thursday night.)

6. Ivan Parker and Janet Paschal are curiously listed as “ministries.”

7. The Dixie Melody Boys have been cut back to one night. I doubt THIS comment (which I made a few days ago) had anything to do with it, but the board must have had a similar impression.

8. NQC got the memo about the name change for the Mark Trammell Quartet, but didn’t get the latest information about the LeFevre Quartet.

Priority Quartet is changing their name once again, but this time, there’s a good reason. Meurice and Mylon LeFevre have given Mike LeFevre’s group their blessing.

Welcome back, the LeFevre Quartet.

Family representative Meurice LeFevre, said:
“Mylon (LeFevre) and I are absolutely and completely supportive of Mike and his group and the work they are doing for our Lord and Saviour. Our initial reservations concerned quality; however, after hearing the group we could not be more in tune. What a great sound!”

Via Daniel Mount, we’ve learned that Liberty Quartet will be making their main stage debut at NQC this year. While it’s not surprising that Liberty Quartet was chosen for this honor, it was a surprise to learn they would be singing on both Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Ordinarily, groups have to work their way up to multiple nights and longer sets on the main stage. NQC’s board evidently holds a very positive impression of Liberty Quartet. I met them last year at their booth, and they seem like great guys.

To grace the main stage, a group should be actively touring over multiple states on a regular basis. They should also sound great in front of a crowd as well as on their recorded products. More importantly, they should be able to DRAW a crowd in the areas where they’re well known. I place less importance on radio charting success. It’s a bonus, but a group shouldn’t be automatically eliminated from consideration if they’ve failed to crack the Top 40.

There are three groups in particular I’d love to see NQC add this year.

1. Driven Quartet
Driven is a powerful sounding quartet. Their latest CD is one of the best I’ve ever heard from a group not signed to a record label. I’ve also enjoyed hearing them sing in concert several times. Remember, three of the members of this group have been singing together longer than Driven has been in existence, so they’re well beyond the neophyte stage at this point.

2. Ball Brothers
The Ball Brothers were ready for NQC’s main stage several years ago. Not only are they very good, they had the benefit of exposure on an Ernie Haase & Signature Sound DVD early in their careers. Plenty of fans are already familiar with them. Maybe this will finally be their year to get the nod.

3. Mercy’s Well
This trio has created a unique sound with their series of hymns CDs. Each recording features piano accompaniment with just a few other instruments. This approach sets their sound apart from the norm. They would add a nice slice of variety to NQC’s main stage.

These groups have all operated independently of labels, which may explain why they’re generally overlooked. The Ball Brothers signed with Song Garden last year.