Back in February, K.C. Armstrong announced that he would be starting a new group and that it would be formally launched in August. K.C. formerly sang bass for the PromisedLand Quartet while he was stationed with the U.S. Army in Washington, DC. With his retirement, he wanted to fulfill his dream of having a quartet with some of his best friends, so King’s Cadence was created. The men who are joining him have known each other for many years, having met each other as members of choral groups in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area under the leadership of Dr. Glenn Draper. So, Todd Gaither (tenor), Jay Craig (lead), and Mark Tilley (baritone) have now come together with K.C. in a dynamic and powerful quartet.

In some of their own words, their style can be described as a mix of traditional, southern gospel, Americana, and contemporary flavored inspirational music. Each of these singers are extremely gifted, so together they are really outstanding! In the lead-up to their kick-off, they released four a capella videos, two of which were filmed in Covenant Presbyterian Church where the launch concert was held. The church is absolutely beautiful and has incredible acoustics.

After all of the anticipation, the concert was certainly worth the wait! While the large church was not filled to capacity, there was a great attendance of enthusiastic family, friends, and fans to cheer on the group. At this concert, they released a brand new hymn album, “Tune My Heart To Sing.” They sang a few of the songs from the album and gave quite a variety of other songs and styles. Here’s what they sang for us:

• Doxology – This was one of their pre-release a capella videos. They performed it from the aisles of the church rather than on the stage.
• A Mighty Fortress Is Our God – This was another a capella number and was a really nice arrangement. It was one of my favorites of the evening.
• ‘Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus – This was another of their re-release a capella videos. On their hymns album, they have this arrangement as well as one with guitar accompaniment that has some additional lyrics as well. One of the things I especially liked about the liner notes of the album is that the featured singer(s) are noted for each song.
• He Never Failed Me Yet – This is a new song to me and it was surely a strong testimony song.
• Just a Little Talk with Jesus – Just having some fun with this southern gospel classic!
• Satisfied – They did a great job on this southern gospel classic as well!
• You Raise Me Up – I’ve always loved this song and Jay did such a beautiful job on it. Another of my top favorites of the evening.
• Shine On Us – This and the next two songs were in tribute to Glenn Draper, who died in July.
• The Lord Is My Shepherd – I was not familiar with this song but it was in a heavier, more classical style. The lyrics were straight from Psalm 23.
• Light At the End of the Darkness – For this number, several gentlemen from past ensembles that were directed by Dr. Draper came to the stage and sang with the group on this song.
• Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee – Pianist Jason Duroy accompanied several of the songs for the group and then performed a delightful rendition of this song for the offertory. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture enough video to do it justice for this artist.
• I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked – This marvelous standard was performed by K.C. Oh, my goodness, the memories this song will have for so many people – especially older ones like myself!!
• Star Spangled Banner – This was performed right after a presentation to KC by retired General Bell acknowledging the importance of music and the different musical groups/ensembles that add so much to the esprit de corps of the armed forces.
• God Bless the USA – Of course, this and the Star Spangled Banner were dedicated to the veterans that were present.
• Midnight Cry – This song is special to so many people and I enjoyed this presentation very much.
• I Believe In a Hill Called Mount Calvary – What a great ending to a wonderful evening!!

Check out the King’s Cadence website and their schedule. More dates are being added since the group is planning to perform two weekends per month. As far as NQC 2019 — Yes, KC will be singing the National Anthem with the Army Quartet and King’s Cadence will be in the regional artist showcase on Friday morning, Sept. 27th.