I took in the afternoon showcase as well as the evening concerts at NQC on Tuesday.

After a sermon by James Merritt, the rest of the afternoon showcase featured the Southern Gospel Music Association’s Hall of Fame inductions for 2021. The 2-hour showcase consists of about 12-14 groups singing one song each plus time devoted to present the four inductees. The class of 2021 included XM enLighten’s Marlin Taylor, soprano singer Karen Peck Gooch, songwriter/comedian Aaron Wilburn, and music publisher Jack Clark.

After the SGMA showcase, I had my photo made with Arthur Rice and Aaron Rich in front of the SGMA banner. It should appear in an upcoming press release from the SGMA.

The performances included a few songs we’d heard on Monday night including “A Good Day Coming On” by the Kingdom Heirs with the 3 Heath Brothers, “I Call It Home” by Tribute, and “What A Day” by Legacy Five. Most groups sang one of their hits…the Hoppers sang “Jerusalem,” for example. One special moment was when Aaron Wilburn’s son joined Karen Peck & New River to sing his dad’s most popular song “Four Days Late.”

I did not see the entire evening concert, but I did post a few photos of some of the groups I saw on my Facebook page HERE. The angle of my seat this year is not good enough for photos of the stage, unfortunately, so I took a few photos of the big screen in front of me and then tried to straighten them up. I finally gave up on that, because I was not pleased with the results.

Groups I heard at least in part include:
Mylon Hayes Family – they do a variety of styles, but where this group really shines is singing convention-style
Mark Trammell Quartet – Mark and his group always deliver an excellent set. They sang several songs from a new album.
Jeff & Sheri Easter – I didn’t hear much of their set, but I can tell you they concluded with “Goin’ Away Party.” It’s a novelty song that I’m surprised they’re still staging some 20+ years later
Soul’d Out – It was kind of cool seeing Butch Owens singing in the group his son recently left. I have not yet heard if Butch has officially joined the group
Greater Vision – “I’ll Carry You” was a big hit Tuesday night.
Joseph Habedank – The whole room takes on a fresh energy when Joseph Habedank hits the stage. His track for “Religion Isn’t Working” didn’t start on cue, but it was all good as soon as it began rolling. Rodney Griffin joined him for “If You Knew Him.”
Hyssongs – I would have preferred to hear this group sing two songs vs. an instrumental and singing one song.
Master’s Voice – This quartet has been churning out some excellent recordings in the past 3-4 years. It was good to hear some of that material in a concert setting.
The Kingsmen – They sang a few songs from their new CD including “When The Old Old Story Was New,” their latest single.

The best sets of the night, of those I heard, go to: Mark Trammell Quartet & Joseph Habedank

One interesting thing happened at my seat. I found an autographed LP jacket on the floor…no record inside…of The Singing Perrys from way back in the day…no one sitting anywhere around it. It even had Eddie Crook’s autograph on the back. I turned it in at the NQC booth, so if you’re reading this and you’re the one who lost it, go ask them for it before you leave town!

Wednesday will be my final day at NQC 2021. The group I’m with opted to just take in the evening concert, so I will attempt to publish a report about that before we leave town Thursday morning.