The Inspirations performed last weekend with two tenor singers (Archie Watkins/Casey Johnson), two lead singers (Matt Dibler/Troy Burns), two baritone singers (Roland Kesterson/Eddie Dietz), one bass singer (Marlin Shubert), and one piano player (Luke Vaught). Other musicians appeared on stage with the group, but only those eight individuals appear in the group’s most recent profile photograph on Facebook (updated March 2).
Here is a taste of their Chattanooga, Tennessee performance from this past Saturday:
Sounds good to my ears. But one thought that popped into my mind is “My, that’s a lot of mouths to feed!”. Any idea what their touring scheduling is going to be like? If it’s busy, I can’t see Troy Burns keeping his family group going. But I could be wrong. I truly hope this configuration works out for the Inspirations. They have had more turn over in the last number of years than most other groups.
Just to be clear, they have not yet announced that this will be the permanent line-up going forward. In the original press release announcing the change, Watkins said, “We will have more information about the future of The Inspirations within the coming weeks.”
All indications seem to be that they plan to continue being a full-time group.
Thanks, David. I missed the part about “more information coming”. It will be interesting to see how all the pieces shake into place. On a side note, it is good to see Archie back. He, in my mind, epitomizes what a true “INSPIRATION” is.
It is most definitely an outstanding combination of veterans and newbies, and for the first time in quite a while, The Inspirations look like a well oiled machine again.
This is odd. Why would Archie leave in the first place if he was fine with a full touring schedule. I agree he is the major defining sound of The Inspirations and this is a smart move. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Maybe send the legends out for the big dates and the newbies to everything?