As I mentioned in my last article, after 6 years with the same vocal line-up, changes had settled in, and it basically ended up being a bit of a domino effect over the course of the next couple of years with additional changes. Eddie had been pastoring a church since 1976, but he continued singing with the Inspirations during this time. By late 1979, he decided it may be time to resign the group so he can fully devote all his time to pastoring the church, and by 1981, Eddie had gone into full-time evangelism. With Eddie’s departure, Jack moved up to sing baritone full-time, which was his original position with the Inspirations when they first began 16 years prior. With the vacancy on the upright bass, Roger would step up and play bass, along with guitar, but between the recording of this album and the photo shoot, Roger had left the Inspirations briefly to focus on studio work, but within about a month or so, Roger returned to the group. The first concert I ever went to when I was a kid was to see the Inspirations at Fellowship Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina, and it was during Roger’s brief hiatus from the group. For the concert that evening, Martin, of course, played piano, and Dale played rhythm guitar behind Martin, and that was the band. That is one reason “Sing Me a Gospel Song” is special to me, because this was the group I saw. Eventually, by late Spring of 1980, the group hired Lyndon Childers to play upright bass (and sing specialty numbers), but his time with the group was short lived (a matter of a few months), and the group continued with Martin, Roger and Dale playing as the band through late 1981, when both Dale and Roger ended up leaving the group. Along with all these changes, the Inspirations also decided to leave the Gospel Singing Jubilee television program sometime in late 1979 or so, as they focused on their future recording and touring efforts.

Recorded at Mark V Studios in Greenville, South Carolina in late winter/very early Spring of 1980, “Sing Me a Gospel Song” was a unique album in that it appears for a brief period, the Inspirations went independent, as this album was originally released through “Inspirations Records”, and produced by Martin Cook. Both Dale and Roger played on this album, but it was decided to bring in Otis Forrest to play piano for the recording session.

The album was released just before the summer session of the Singing in the Smokies, which became a common practice for the Inspirations, as they began timing the release of their latest album around their Singing in the Smokies schedule. A few months after “Sing Me a Gospel Song” was released, it was picked up by Canaan Records and released with the same cover shot, but the lettering/artwork was slightly different. Speaking of which, the full title of this album is, “The Inspirations Say…Sing Me a Gospel Song”. The original cover that was released through Inspirations Records, emphasized the word “Gospel”, with a different color than the rest of the title. With the updated Canaan release, the word “Gospel” is the same color as the rest of the title, but is done in all caps, as “GOSPEL”, which, either way, almost seemed to make a statement for the Inspirations. Mike Holcomb, who wrote the liner notes for the album, underscores this thought as he states, “emphasizing the GOSPEL in gospel singing has always been and will always continue to be the central theme of the Inspirations ministry in music.”. Additionally, the gospel music scene was changing, incorporating different sounds and styles into the music, and some groups and artists in Southern Gospel circles were embracing more contemporary sounds. The Inspirations, who have never been ashamed of their more traditional and conservative musical style, remained steadfast in keeping their music simple and their message unapologetically gospel, and this album truly did make a statement for the guys!

Speaking of the cover, the cover shot was taken at Judge Leatherwood’s cabin, who was a judge in Swain County, North Carolina. The judge had built the cabin himself, along with all the furniture inside, and he had old chopped up whiskey stills that he had confiscated over the years sitting out in his yard. Also, if you notice, it looks like the guys are wearing the same suits that they wore on their 1978 album, “Looking for You”.

With some fun steel guitar and piano highlights, the album kicks off with the highly enjoyable, convention feel of the title song, “Sing Me a Gospel Song”. Written by James Edwards and published by Inspirations Quartet Music, Troy takes the lead on the song, as well as on the following tune, “He Sent Him For Me”. Written by Colbert & Joyce Croft, though it seems this was the song that was pushed from the album, it appears this song never charted originally for the Inspirations, but it was a popular concert favorite in the early 80s, and it is one of my favorite Troy Burns features. Fast forward nearly 45 years later, the current Inspirations re-recorded the song on their 2024 recording, “The Legacy Continues”, and the song took off like a rocket, peaking at #3 in December 2024 (Personally, I felt it should have been a #1 song, but I digress…). The song has remained one of my favorite Inspirations tunes over the years, and I was thrilled to see the young guys revive the song and that it ended up doing so well in the charts.

Picking the tempo back up, Mike takes the lead on the song, “I Love to Tell”, which was written by Squire Parsons and published through Inspirations Quartet Music. Featuring an enjoyable piano track, this was an exciting, rhythmic tune that fit Mike perfectly and is a highlight of the album and was a concert favorite for the Inspirations. The Kingsmen also recorded the song several years later, on their 1997 recording, “You’re Not Alone”, and it became a popular concert favorite for the Kingsmen during that time. Squire Parsons eventually recorded the song as well, on a group project he recorded in 2007 titled, “Havin’ a Good Ole’ Gospel Time”.

Keeping the tempo lively, we come to the bouncy, “When My Feet Touch Down at Home”, which was written by Margaret Mabry (the writer of the Inspirations’ hit song, “Golden Street Parade”, which they recorded in 1975) and published by the Inspirations, leading perfectly into another upbeat tune, “When I Step Beyond the Clouds”, which was another song written by James Edwards (who wrote the title song for this album), featuring Mike singing step-out lines on the chorus. Both aforementioned songs were a perfect match for the Inspirations and their unique style, and both are highlights of the album.

Slowing the tempo back down and featuring a nice, lilting piano intro by Otis Forrest, Archie rounds out the first side as he sings the tender, “Mary Cried”, which was written by Kyla Rowland. This rather obscure Rowland penned tune was a very different type of song for the Inspirations, and Archie turns in an excellent performance on the song.

Featuring some nice guitar work by Roger, side 2 begins with the quartet classic, “Crown Him King”. Written by Wally Varner and Luther Presley and published by Stamps-Baxter Publishing, this was a popular quartet favorite that has been recorded by such quartets as the Cathedrals, Prophets, Florida Boys, Masters V, JD Sumner & the Stamps, Kingsmen and others. The song is a highlight of the album, and it is also one of my personal favorite versions of this classic tune. The current group recently brushed the dust off this song and has been staging it quite often, and they are doing a marvelous job with it!

Slowing the pace down, Jack steps up to sing his only feature on the album titled, “Love Gift From Jesus”. Another song written by husband-and-wife team, Colbert and Joyce Croft, the song features a nice dobro track played by Dale Jones, before the tempo picks back up as Archie takes the lead on another Margaret Mabry penned tune entitled, “Waiting for the Call”. The song has that classic Inspirations sound and feel, and it features some fun piano and electric guitar highlights throughout.

Mike takes his turn at the mic once again, as he is featured on another upbeat number, “Moving Time”, which was written by Ruby Moody (writer of such classics as “My Real Home” and “Walking My Lord Up Calvary’s Hill”) along with fellow songwriter, David Lehman. This lively song has that classic Inspirations feel, as does the Kyla Rowland penned, “Something Happened on the Mountain”, which features Archie, as well as some nice steel guitar and piano embellishments. This was a popular concert favorite during the early 80’s for the group, and a highlight of the album.

With a wailing steel guitar intro, the tempo slows back down as the album closes out with a bit of a bluesy feel with the song, “A Million Years or More”. Written by Dee Gaskin and published by Rex Nelon Music, Mike is featured on the first half of the song, before Archie steps up to carry the melody the rest of the way. This song has an almost haunting feel to it, rounding out the album with a unique twist, and it’s one of my favorites from this recording.

Sometime around 1980, I had become a member of the Canaan Record & Tape Club, and “Sing Me a Gospel Song” was one of the first albums I ever bought through the club. I had already seen the Inspirations for the first time a few months before, so I was very interested to hear how the group sounded on record, with Jack back at his original position as the baritone singer. As you listen to this album, you definitely hear a difference in their sound with Eddie’s departure, as Eddie had such a wide range and gave the Inspirations so much versatility, but Jack gave them a very unique sound as well, as there is a thicker vocal quality with the group’s overall sound with Jack at the baritone. I grew up watching the Inspirations on the Gospel Singing Jubilee, so hearing and seeing the group without Eddie was a bit of an adjustment, and this was the first major group change that affected me (as an aside, Howard and Vestal leaving the Happy Goodman Family just about kilt me!). Much like “Songs of Love”, I listened to “Sing Me a Gospel Song” a lot in my younger days, but for some reason, I eventually drifted away from listening to it. In more recent years though, “Sing Me a Gospel Song” came calling again, and like an old comfortable friend, it was there for me, recalling old times and making me feel “at home” again.

This was a very upbeat album, and although it provided some wonderful songs and concert favorites, no songs from this album appears to have charted for the group in the Singing News charts. Also, 1980 marked the first time the Inspirations did not take home any awards during the Singing News Fan Awards since they won their first awards in 1972. Nonetheless, despite this transitional period for the group, the group was still going strong, backed by legions of fans who were, and still are, fiercely loyal to the Inspirations and the ideals and musical style they promote!

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