After maintaining the same vocal line-up for about 2 years, bass singer, Marlin Shubert, decided to leave the Inspirations in late summer of 1972. During the interim until a full-time replacement could be named (about 2 weeks), Troy Burns sang the bass for the group. On Labor Day in 1972, at a concert in Cumming, Georgia that was promoted by the Marksmen Quartet, Martin Cook heard a young Mike Holcomb singing with a local group called Deliverance, and he felt that Mike was what the Inspirations needed to fill the bass role. Coincidently, along with Martin’s offer, the Hopper Brothers & Connie and Bob Wills & the Inspirationals (2 other groups on the program that day) both offered Mike a job singing bass for their respective groups as well! On top of that, Tilford Salyer was in the audience and was actively looking for individuals to record background vocals at his studio in Kingsport, Tennessee (Tri-State Recording) and offered Mike a full-time job as well! Needless to say, all of these offers on the table would be overwhelming for anyone, but Mike, being a fan of the Inspirations, knew who he wanted to sing with, and ultimately took the job with the Inspirations. At Martin’s invitation, Mike joined them for practice on the Wednesday after Labor Day, then he hit the road with them to “try out” that weekend, and he remained with the Inspirations for 41 years!

With the acquisition of Mike, the Inspirations were immediately rushed back into the studio, and before years’ end, would release this latest album, “We Shall Rise”. Despite having a new bass singer, the Inspirations had already perfected their style, and they made a wise choice by choosing someone who knew their music and would fit their unique style of singing. Mike was still very young (only 18 years old) and his voice was still maturing. Over time, his voice thickened, and he not only developed into one of the lowest bass singers in our genre, but he became one of the most dynamic and best rhythmic bass singers as well!

Recorded once again at the RCA Studios in Nashville, with Marvin Norcross producing, “We Shall Rise” continues the sound and style that distinctively identifies the Inspirations. While I felt “Old Time Singin’” had a nice warm depth to it, I didn’t feel that with this recording. “We Shall Rise” had a crisper feel to it overall, and that may be due to a different recording engineer, as Bill Vandevort engineered their last album, and Chuck Seitz was behind the board for “We Shall Rise”. Both gentlemen were Grammy nominated recording engineers, but I’m sure both had their own unique way of doing things, and you definitely feel and hear the difference with this latest recording.

The unique cover shot was taken along a rock cut formation along the interstate in the Nashville area, and coincidentally, Mike is wearing Marlin’s suit in the photo shoot. Mike was quite a bit taller than Marlin, but until the group bought new suits, Mike was relegated to wearing Marlin’s suits for the time being. With that in mind, we’ll re-visit this unique situation for another album very soon, so stay tuned!

With its tinkling piano intro, “We Shall Rise” kicks off with the title song, as the album introduces everyone to their brand-new bass singer. Originally titled, “The Great Resurrection Morn”, this Stamps-Baxter tune was written by J.B.F. Wright in 1932, and it was a song that Ila Knight’s mother found in a songbook one day and told Ila to “give it to the boys to sing”. The song, which featured the classic “stair step” vocals by the guys, fared very well in the charts for the Inspirations, peaking at #6 in the April 1973 Singing News chart. In fact, the current Inspirations brought the song back and re-recorded it on their 2022 studio recording, “A Pioneer Legacy”.

With Archie chiming in on the chorus as Mike tackles the verse of the Nancy Harmon classic, “I’ve Come Too Far to Look Back”, the song was a popular concert favorite for the Inspirations, but the song was more connected with the LeFevres, who recorded it on their 1972 album, “The New Sounds of the LeFevres” and charted their version of the song. Several years later, the Hoppers recorded it on their 2004 recording, “Generations” and took the song to #1 in the July 2006 Singing News chart. The current Inspirations still sing the song often and it’s always a highlight of the program.

Picking up the tempo, “I’ve Got That Old Time Religion” has all 6 men singing, with Ronnie and Troy doubling on the melody, Archie and Eddie are doubling on the tenor, and Jack and Mike hold down the baritone and bass parts respectively. This was a highlight of the album, as was the highly enjoyable, “Walk and Talk in the New Jerusalem Way”, which features Mike on the chorus. Written by Albert E. Brumley in 1932, this song was a popular Chuck Wagon Gang tune many years prior, and given the Chuck’s impact on the Inspirations, they do a great job paying homage to them with this song. In fact, the Inspirations had started working on songs for this album while Marlin was still with the group, and they had already started staging this song some before he left.

Archie takes the lead on, “When I Inherit My Mansion”, which is a typical Inspirations type of song with quick, precision singing by the guys, and a tune that sticks with you! In fact, every time I listen to this song, I get the tune stuck in my head for days on end! Written by Mosie Lister, this was a popular song in the 60’s recorded by such groups as the Blue Ridge Quartet and Rebels. The Inspirations pepped it up a bit, putting their own stamp on the song, and is my favorite rendition of this classic tune, before the first side finishes off with the upbeat, acoustically flavored song, “After While”, which features Troy, with Jack also lending his vocals on the song as well.

Kicking off the second side is the country sounding LaVerne Tripp penned tune, “It’s Worth it All”, which features Ronnie (his only feature on this album). The song charted for a couple months for the Inspirations, peaking at #19 in April 1973, but ultimately, it was the Blue Ridge Quartet that took the song into the Top 10 in the fall of 1973. The song fit Ronnie like a glove and leads perfectly into the upbeat, convention feel of the Eugene Wright penned, “Heaven Must Be a Wonderful Place”. With Ronnie carrying the melody on the verses, the song has everyone taking a line here and there on the chorus. It’s a fun song and a highlight of the recording.

The tempo slows down for the Ila Knight penned tune, “Hallelujah, What a Morning”. Featuring a hauntingly beautiful steel guitar intro along with Archie and Mike handling lead duties on their respective verses, this was Ila’s mother’s favorite song that Ila wrote. Partially inspired by Matthew 25:13 (“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh”), Ila has written several songs about the rapture and Heaven over the years, and this has gone on to become one of her best-known and best-loved songs. Fifty years after the Inspirations originally recorded the song, the current group re-recorded it on their 2022 recording, “A Pioneer Legacy”.

Another fantastic tune about Heaven is found in the song, “Jesus Will Outshine Them All”. Written by Gordon Jensen, this is probably my all-time favorite Jensen penned tune, and Eddie does a great job rendering this song, before the tempo picks back up for the Jack Campbell penned, “Resting in the Arms of a Never-Failing God”, which features Archie. Campbell initially wrote the song with a much slower tempo, and in fact, sang the song at a funeral shortly after writing it, but somewhere along the way, it became a fun, up-tempo number, but the song was still filled with the promise of hope that when this life is over, we’ll be “resting in the arms of a never-failing God!” The Rambos, who along with the Inspirations, recorded a lot of Jack Campbell songs over the years, eventually picked this song up and recorded it the following year on their 1973 album, “Sing Me On Home”.

An acapella performance of the song, “There is a Fountain” concludes the album on a somber note. Featuring all the guys together, with Archie taking the lead, it was a poignant reminder for the listener, and an extremely captivating performance by the Inspirations to cap off the album.

“We Shall Rise” would be Ronnie’s last album with the Inspirations, as by Spring of 1973, he would leave the group and join the LeFevres. Ronnie would remain with the LeFevres for about 3 years, before moving on to sing with Willie Wynn & the Tennesseans, who would eventually move into the Country Music arena and start singing back-up for Billy “Crash” Craddock. The Tennesseans would eventually part ways with Craddock, but Ronnie stayed with him and put together a quartet called the Southern Knights, who would continue performing with Craddock until well into the 1980’s. By the way, this won’t be the last time we’ll hear from Ronnie, as he would eventually return to the Inspirations in the summer of 1986!

From a musical perspective, I felt that the album “We Shall Rise” was an excellent follow-up to “Old Time Singin’”, and kept the momentum for the Inspirations going, despite the personnel change with Marlin leaving and Mike joining. I think many times this album ends up getting lost in the shuffle due to the dual personnel changes with Marlin leaving and Ronnie’s eventual departure the following year, coupled with the subsequent release of their next 2 albums (“Touring that City” and “When I Wake Up”) which were smashing and overwhelming successes, thus leaving “We Shall Rise” in their wake.

From a personal perspective, unlike the previous 13 albums that were released prior to this one, I didn’t actually grow up listening to “We Shall Rise”, and I had not heard any of the songs from it until sometime in the mid-90’s, when I finally was able to add this album to my collection. At first, I had a hard time connecting with it and ended up not listening to it very much. Over time though, I have found a lot to like about this album and thoroughly enjoy many of the songs. While “We Shall Rise” may not rank as one of my top favorite albums by the Inspirations, it’s a wonderful piece of their legacy during a transitional time in the group, offering some truly outstanding songs and musical moments.

Please check out my music page on Facebook for more content related to Southern Gospel Music including more discography reviews on other groups, we well as other thoughts and discussions related to Southern Gospel Music.  Please like and follow my page at https://www.facebook.com/James-Music-Page-102612571620560.