Memphis Quartet Show 2017 – Friday Night

by | Jun 17, 2017 | Major Concert Events

We had another wonderful evening of great quartet music at the “all night sing” last night. Because there were six artists instead of the four or five that usually appear, this one went on until 11:00 and had the biggest variety of sounds yet – from the VERY classic (Classic Melody Boys), to mountain music (Inspirations), to conventional quartet singing by three other groups to the very high-energy style of Signature Sound! (Some videos will be added to this article at the beginning of next week.)

Gerald Williams and the Classic Melody Boys Quartet – Group members tenor Mike Franklin, lead Jonathan Sawrie, baritone Doug Kramer, and bass Gerald Williams made their second appearance at the show. They performed some really classic songs from the 50’s-60’s era. This crowd LOVES the Classic Melody Boys!!!   The only thing that disappointed me about their set was that Jonathan was at the keyboard during almost the entire set and all I could see was his back!  My, oh my, that boy can surely sing!  Here are some videos:

 

Dixie Echoes – The Dixie Echoes made their second appearance of the week and they repeated a couple of the songs from their brand new CD, Can’t Hardly Wait.  The Shelnut men treated us to a guitar duet of “Wait Til You See Me In My New Home.”  They even performed on song with a ukelele! One of the songs they sang was Get Away Jordan – which Signature Sound also sang later. I loved hearing the two versions – they could NOT be more different!!  I’m hoping those videos turned out well and I can share them both.   Here are other videos:

 

LeFevre Quartet – Members tenor Jeremy Peace, lead Jordan LeFevre, baritone Mike LeFevre, and bass Keith Plott brought us their signature song (Jesus Saves) and so much more. They even gave us a preview of a couple of songs that will be on a new album coming out soon

 

Blackwood Brothers – This was also the Blackwoods Brothers’ second appearance at the Show this year. Bryan Hutson is filling in this week at the lead position and sounded great with them.  Michael Helwig was able to appear for part of the performance as well.  Michael shared some of his thoughts and sang a couple of songs. Here are two videos:

 

Inspirations – The new lineup with tenor Archie Watkins, lead Matt Dibler, baritone Marlin Schubert, and bass Eddie Dietz. Roland Kesterson played bass guitar but then put it down and joined the singers on several songs. Lucas Vaught is just playing the piano now.  Here are some videos from their set:

 

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound – Tenor Ernie Haase, lead Devin McGlamery, baritone Dustin Doyle, and bass Paul Harkey were joined by Tyler Vestal on the piano and David Griffith on bass. They are still singing the Happy People song and throwing frisbees out into the crowd – and the crowds continue to LOVE it!! They sang “Give Me Jesus,” which Fanny Crosby wrote but didn’t finish. Ernie, Joel Lindsey and Wayne Haun finished it and Signature Sound had a professional video produced while they were in Ireland recently. It will be released in another month or two. Here are some videos of their performance:

 

Just for fun, here’s the comparison I mentioned earlier for Roll Away Jordan!!   Different strokes for different folks!    

First, Dixie Echoes:

 

Here’s Ernie and the boys:

The “Knocked My Socks Off” award for today goes to Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. All of the groups did very well, but Ernie’s group was the last on the program and they were still just as peppy at the end as they were in the beginning.  

I cannot believe I failed to mention in my post yesterday about the new venue the Memphis Quartet Show will be moving to next year! The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts is a beautiful, state-of-the-art theater within the Memphis Cook Convention Center complex where the event is currently being held. We were given a tour of the facility on Thursday and tickets went on sale yesterday. The event will be so much nicer and I’m sure the sound will be even better than the hall that has been used for five years. Here’s a picture from the Cannon Center website:

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Diana Brantley

Diana Brantley

Diana is from the Atlanta, Georgia area and is a relatively recent southern gospel fan, having started listening avidly about 15 years ago. With easy access to eastern Alabama, southeastern Tennessee and north and central Georgia, Diana attends as many concerts as her schedule allows to see a wide variety of artists.

4 Comments

  1. Slade Alday

    Just FYI
    You have the vocal parts for Eddie Deitz and Marlin Schubert reversed in your review. Eddie is baritone and Marlin is bass, not vice verse. Great review otherwise. Thanks! -Slade Alday

    Reply
  2. Slade Alday

    Also the song performed by both the Dixie Echoes and Signature Sound is entitled Roll On Jordan if it’s the song that the Echoes have been staging for several years. -Slade Aldah

    Reply
    • Diana Brantley

      Thanks so much for helping me out with this!!! I’ll make the corrections!

      Reply
    • Diana Brantley

      Actually, it’s another song after all – Get AWAY Jordan!! It’s on the Dixie Echoes’ newest release, Can’t Hardly Wait.

      Reply

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