Within 2-3 months after “I’m Taking a Flight” had taken off (see what I did there?), the Inspirations were enroute back to the RCA Studios in August 1975, recording this latest album titled, “Golden Street Parade”. Released in the fall, this album wouldn’t yield any #1 songs or even a Top 5 hit, but it would be a very important album in their discography, containing some strong concert favorites that are still bringing melody to hearts and ears today!

Produced by Marvin Norcross and engineered by Bill Vandevort, I felt that this album had a very similar sound to “I’m Taking a Flight”, but I also think that “Golden Street Parade” had a bit more of a relaxed feel to it as well. The album features a few Stamps-Baxter tunes, along with a couple of songs from the Inspirations’ publishing company and various other publishing companies. It’s a very well-rounded recording with a good mix of older and newer songs, as well as several upbeat and medium tempo tunes with a handful of slower songs interspersed throughout, all done in the Inspirations’ inimitable style.

During the early 70’s, the Inspirations held their annual “Singing in the Smokies” at the Bryson City Airport (and just prior to that, it was held at the football stadium in Sylva, NC), but in 1974 they moved the event to a large, beautiful parcel of land between Cherokee and Bryson City. That piece of land would eventually become known as Inspirations Park (the Inspirations would eventually purchase the property several years later), and that is where the cover shot for “Golden Street Parade” was taken.

The album kicks off with the happy feel of the title song, “Golden Street Parade”, which features a fun piano and steel guitar track. Featuring Archie, the song was written by Margaret Mabry and was published in the Rambo’s publishing company. The Rambos recorded the song as well on their 1975 album, “These Three Are One”, and their version was starkly different from the Inspirations’. During this time, the Rambos were branching out musically and their version sounded like a circus come to town. While I am a HUGE fan of the Rambos and I appreciate their creative efforts with their version of the song, I fell in love with the Inspirations version years before I heard the Rambos unique arrangement, and the Inspirations’ version is still my favorite. The song obviously resonated with their fans, as it fared pretty well in the charts, peaking at #10 in the Singing News chart for July 1976.

Speaking of the Rambos, with a simple musical introduction, Eddie, Archie and Troy dive right into the Dottie Rambo penned, “Tears Will Never Stain The Streets of That City”. Martin had dubbed the three as “The Smoky Mountain Trio”, and this song is the first credited to the “group within a group”. This was an idea that Martin came up with to add some versatility to their program, and most songs by the trio would feature Eddie on lead, with Troy handling the baritone and Archie on tenor. The Inspirations had already shown their unique versatility in the past by grouping different singers together, creating unique sounds and blends, and there would be many instances where Mike Holcomb would jump up and sing lead while Troy would sing the bass. These variances, along with having Jack Laws singing his special solos, (and eventually Roger Fortner stepping up to sing on occasion), would continue to keep their concerts fresh, exciting and even entertaining. Though this was not a chart song for the Inspirations, it was a huge concert favorite for the guys, but it was a massive hit for the Rambos, as the song climbed all the way to the #2 position for multiple months in 1975 and early 1976, remaining in the Top 5 for 14 months. Ironically, it would be the Inspirations’ song, “Jesus is Mine” that kept “Tears Will Never Stain” from making it to #1 for the Rambos in March 1976.

With Mike and Archie taking turns with the lead on the chorus of “I Love to Tell of His Love”, this Stamps-Baxter tune written by Lonnie B. Combs (who also wrote another fabulous song, “Keep Moving Along”, which the Inspirations recorded back in 1972) is a highlight of the album. It appears that the Chuck Wagon Gang originally recorded the song back in the 1940’s, and the Perrys revived the song back in 2009 on their recording, “Almost Morning”. Another version that I particularly love is by the McKameys, from back around 1978 from their “On the Way Up” album…it’s not as polished as the Inspirations or the Perrys, but I absolutely love the rawness of their performance of the song.

Slowing the tempo down just a bit, Troy steps up as he sings the campmeeting feel of the Morris Stancil penned tune, “I Found a Treasure”, which was published by the Inspirations publishing company, before we come to the Luther Presley penned, “Will Someone Be Waiting”. This Stamps-Baxter tune was recorded by the Chestnut Grove Quartet, who was a regional group that heavily influenced the Inspirations over the years and is likely where the Inspirations originally heard the song. Featuring Archie and Troy, the song has that old-time convention feel and it fits the group perfectly.

With fun steel guitar and piano highlights, the exciting, “Glorybound” finishes out the first side. Written by Jack Campbell and published through the Inspirations’ publishing company, the song features the classic “stair-step” vocal arrangement on the chorus, but if you notice Mike sings “Going Home” on his part on the chorus instead of “Glory Bound” like the rest of the guys. When prodded, Mike said he just wanted to sing something different than everyone else, and they left it on the record for all to hear!

As I mentioned in my last article, the mid-70’s saw a revival of songs written by Cleavant Derricks, and the Inspirations did a marvelous job reviving “When God Dips His Pen of Love”, which kicks off the second side. The song had been a popular tune back in the 60’s having been recorded by such groups as the Prophets, Statesmen, LeFevres, and even the Happy Goodmans, but it was never a bass feature, but it became one for the Inspirations by accident. At some point while the Inspirations were working out an arrangement, Mike was playing around with the melody and started singing the chorus all the way through. The guys liked what they heard and arranged some call-back lines behind him, and everything just clicked! Mike had the best rhythm of anyone in the group to carry a song like this, and it became one of the Inspirations most popular concert favorites.

The ¾ time of the Roger Horne penned tune, “I’m Going to Meet You in Heaven Someday”, was a song right up the Inspirations’ alley that fit Archie perfectly and was another concert favorite. This was one that our little church choir used to sing back when I was a teenager, and it remains one of my favorite songs from this album, before the tempo slows down for the song, “When the Saints Gather Home”. Written by Colbert and Joyce Croft, the song has Troy tackling the verses and Archie taking the lead on the chorus. I love the warm feel and encouraging message of the song, and it perfectly leads into another great tune, “The Haven of Rest”. Jack Laws takes the lead on this classic hymn, becoming one of his best loved and most remembered features.

Picking up the tempo, we come to the exciting song, “On the Sea of Life”. From the very first time I ever heard the song, I was obsessed with it, and I absolutely love the dynamics of the song with Archie holding his notes while Troy, Eddie and Mike use such precision behind him belting out the chorus. Written by Bob Angel and TS Sloan, the song was a popular concert favorite for the group, and it did chart briefly, but stalled out at #39 in the Singing News chart for April 1976. A few years later, Doyle Lawson picked up the song from the Inspirations and recorded it on Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver’s 1981 recording, “Rock My Soul”, becoming one of Lawson’s best loved songs. In fact, Doyle Lawson would go on to record several songs by the Inspirations over the years. The Chuck Wagon Gang also recorded the song several years later, on their 1993 recording, “On Tour”. More recently, Jeff & Sheri Easter also rendered a fun cut of the song on their 2017 recording, “Sing it Again”. I guess you just can’t keep a good song down!

As we wrap up the recording, Troy steps up to sing the comforting reminder, “God Still Cares”. Written by a gentleman named Bob Ponchot, he was a preacher of the gospel, as well as a songwriter and singer with the Ponchot Family out of the Cincinnati, Ohio area. This unassuming song is a wonderful reminder that we can have “a peace that is anchored in Jesus…”, and I’m glad the current group still stages this song from time to time, as it’s such a great song!

“Golden Street Parade” is a special album to me, and I admit that I have a sentimental attachment to it. Knowing how much I loved the Inspirations, my Great Aunt Margaret gave me this album back in the mid-80’s (along with a few other albums she had in her collection), and it quickly became one of my personal favorite recordings by the group. Sentimental attachments aside, this is such a great album by the Inspirations, and I love the overall feel and vibe of the recording. Interestingly, “Golden Street Parade” would be the last studio album the Inspirations would record at the RCA Studios in Nashville. When it came time for them to record their next studio album in late 1976, the Inspirations would move back “home” to Mark V Studios in Greenville, South Carolina, and would remain there for the rest of the 70’s and through most of the 80’s.

In addition to their eventual move back to Mark V, other changes were occurring with the Inspirations, as by late fall of 1975, the Battle of Songs concert series with the Happy Goodmans and Inspirations was winding down, and the Inspirations started a new concert series being billed as “A Night of Inspiration”, where the Inspirations would be the main draw, and they would focus on a program geared solely towards their fan base. There would be a special guest to open each program (early guests included the Galileans and later, the Primitive Quartet), but the Inspirations would remain the main attraction for each concert. The Inspirations would continue promoting these events for the next several years, extending well into the 1980’s. It made sense for them to venture into doing these targeted solo concert events (the Happy Goodman Family had already started doing similar events called, “An Evening with the Happy Goodmans”), as over the previous 5 years, the Inspirations’ fan base had grown exponentially, so it was smart for them to capitalize on their popularity and allow their fans the opportunity to enjoy a couple hours of music by their favorite quartet! Speaking of that popularity, during the 1975 Singing News Fan Awards, the Inspirations racked up 4 more awards including “Favorite Group”, along with Archie Watkins receiving “Favorite Male Singer”, Mike Holcomb winning “Favorite Bass”, and “Favorite Baritone” going to Eddie Dietz. As the Inspirations were approaching their 12th anniversary in 1976, the awards, hit songs, record sales and fan base were mounting up, and it was clear they had reached the pinnacle of success in their chosen field. It had been a long road to get here, but they were clearly enjoying the plenteous fruits of their labor, and even today, 60+ years since their inception, the group is still reaping the benefits!

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