By early 1986, the Inspirations had maintained the same vocal line-up with Archie, Troy, Jack and Mike for about 6 years or so. Though I grew up watching them on the Gospel Singing Jubilee with the line-up of Archie, Troy, Eddie and Mike, the line-up from late 1979 to early 1986 is pretty iconic to me as well, because that was the group I saw in person for the first time (as well as 2-3 more times afterwards). But change was once again dawning on the horizon for the Inspirations, as by Spring 1986, Jack made the decision to come off the road. Though Jack is not pictured on the cover, he is singing on this album, and with the deadline for releasing this album being the end of June (in time for the Singing in the Smokies), they had to get a cover shot done, despite not having named a replacement for Jack yet. But it would not take long, nor would they have to look far, as Ronnie Hutchins would return to the group and sing baritone in Jack’s place!

“Tell It To A Friend” was produced by Martin Cook, and this would be their last album to be recorded at Mark V Studios. After spending the last 10 years recording all their albums at Mark V, the group opted to stay closer to home and record at Dawn Studios in Ashville, North Carolina for the next few mainline recordings. “Tell It To A Friend” utilized the same musicians as their last album, minus Terry McMillan, and it has a very warm feel throughout the entire recording. Since Jack was gone and Ronnie hadn’t yet joined the group, the cover shot features the Inspirations as an incomplete quartet! One unique fact that Executive Producer Andy Tolbird is proud of, is that this is the first front cover shot with the Inspirations in casual clothes (exception being their 1972 album, “Old Time Singin’”, when they wore bib-overalls). You would not see the Inspirations wearing casual attire for a front cover shot again until nearly 25 years later, on their 2010 recording, “On the Sunrise Side”.

The album kicks off with one of my favorite Inspirations songs, “God is Still on His Throne”. Written by Ronny Hinson, I love the dramatic piano work and steel guitar on the song, and Troy does a great job interpreting the verses. This was the first single from the album, peaking at #6 in the March 1987 Singing News chart. Funny story about the song, Ronny Hinson promised Troy that he was sending them the song (this was back in the day when songwriters would send cassette tapes of their demos) and it was down to a week or so before the Inspirations were to go into the studio and there was still no demo. Troy called Ronnie on the phone and left him a message saying, “Hey ya big dummy…don’t forget to send us that song!” Needless to say, they did finally get the song! Ironically, the Freemans also recorded the song on their 1986 album, “Solid”, and though it wasn’t a chart song for them, it was a highly popular concert favorite for the Freemans, and still remains one of my favorite songs featuring Chris Freeman!

The tempo picks up as Mike is featured on the next song, “When Reveille Blows from Heaven”. I love the distinct Statesmen feel of the song, as well as the solid piano work by Otis Forrest. Written by Mike, and published through the Inspirations’ Tuckaseigee Publishing Company, the song was inspired by a message Mike’s pastor preached, and it leads perfectly into another up-tempo tune entitled, “One More Time Around the Wall”, which was written by Aaron Wilburn and features Archie. Showcasing some more excellent piano work, this is such a fun song to listen to, and I love the dynamics with the chorus sung in double time, while the verses are in regular time. The inclusion of one of my all-time favorite early Inspirations classics, “Joshua” as the closing tag, just adds to the overall excitement in the song.

Slowing the pace back down, Jack steps up as he sings the song of faith, “I Don’t Have to See the Tomb”, which was written by Lee Penland, before the first side finishes out with the Colbert & Joyce Croft penned tune, “Thank You Mama For Praying For Me”. Since 1971, the Inspirations have been recording songs written by the Crofts, and the group has usually included at least 1 song written by this husband-and-wife team on just about every album for the last 15 years. This is one of my favorites written by them, and it’s also another one of my favorite Troy features.

Featuring some nice guitar and dobro work, side two kicks off with the April Nye penned, “The Filling Station”, which has that classic Inspirations sound. During the 80’s and 90’s, groups such as the Paynes, Freemans, Lesters, Hoppers and others were recording April’s songs, and this song seemed perfect for the Inspirations. Published through Payne Family Publishing, the song was the second single released from this album, charting for about 5 months in the Top 40 during the latter half of 1987, but never quite making it into the Top 20, stalling out at #23 in the September 1987 Singing News chart. Though the song never quite made it to the “Greatest Hits” list for the Inspirations, it still remains one of their most requested songs. A historical fun-fact, just like some previous songs by the Inspirations, this tune became part of the off-Broadway production, “Smoke on the Mountain”.

The title song, “Tell It”, was a fun tune written by David Lehman and it was pitched to the Inspirations by J. Aaron Brown, who was head of Prime Time Music, publisher for the song, and it was a perfect match for the Inspirations. With Troy and Mike sharing solo duties on the verses, this is a bright and cheerful tune, and it was a great inclusion for the album.

Slowing the tempo down, we come to one of my favorites from this album, “He Gave All Of Him”, which was written by Don McHan (who co-wrote a song on the Inspirations last album) and John Bolan, and published by the Inspirations. Though there is no featured solo, Troy carries the lead throughout the song, before we move on to the sentimental feel of another Colbert & Joyce Croft penned tune entitled, “Memories of Home”. With the classic hymn, “Precious Memories” as a backdrop, Mike does a tremendous job on the verses, before Jack and Archie trade off with the melody on the chorus. I love the steel guitar and piano work, as they accentuate the song perfectly!

With some cool piano and guitar highlights, the rockabilly feel of “Gonna Build Me an Ark”, which was written by Squire Parsons, rounds out the album on a fun and happy note. This was a popular concert favorite featuring Troy singing the bass, and the guys always seemed to have fun on stage with this song. Squire recorded the song the following year on his 1987 solo album, “Going Home”, and he seemed to have a lot of fun with the song as well, even including his children on the recording session.

I have always loved this album, and it ranks as one of my favorite recordings by the group. “Tell It To A Friend” is sequenced very well with a good balance of songs and tempos, and I enjoy the music/vocal arrangements found on here as well. Plus, the overall quality of sound on the album is superb, as it has a bit of a slicker feel to it, continuing the trend we began hearing with their last album. I bought “Tell It To A Friend” when I saw the Inspirations at the Greenes Homecoming in Boone, NC in August 1986, and it was my first time seeing Ronnie with the Inspirations, and I was thrilled getting to meet him and have him autograph the album for me, along with Archie and Troy. When Ronnie rejoined the Inspirations, he agreed to stay for 2 years, as he was also going to school to obtain his college degree. As the Singing News was reporting Ronnie’s return to the group, I remember an article where Ronnie stated that when he returned, he also returned to the same bunk on the bus as well!

After Ronnie’s return in the Spring of 1986, the group found themselves back in the recording studio during the summer, as they began work on their first and only Christmas album titled, “Going Home for Christmas”, which was likely released just in time for the 1986 National Quartet Convention. Produced by Andy Tolbird, this would be a very different album for the Inspirations. Martin was not involved in the production aspects of this album at all, and showing full trust in his friend, he gave Andy the liberty to do what he wanted to with the album. Martin’s thought process was that everyone expects a Christmas album to be something different, and if the Inspirations are going to do something different, then a Christmas album is where they should do it. Recorded at the Creative Workshop in Nashville, TN, they also used a completely different set of musicians, including such notable names as David Huntsinger, Jon Goin, Mark Casstevens, Mike Brignardello, Jerry Kroon and others. Also, for the first and only time, they utilized live strings that were arranged by Steve Mauldin (Steve’s brother, Russell, had been playing drums on the last several albums by the Inspirations). The album featured a few newer songs by such familiar names as Squire Parsons and Don McHan, as well as a new recording of the Charles Wycuff penned, “The Wonder of Wonders”. There were several new songs (my favorite being the exciting upbeat tune, “Good News”) as well as a couple of classic Christmas tunes. Interesting tid bit, Andy’s favorite song from this album is “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem”, which is a song the Inspirations still stage today from time to time. I’ve never been a huge fan of Christmas music in general, and I usually have very high standards when it comes to Southern Gospel artists releasing Christmas music, as most tend to release sub-standard Christmas recordings (in my opinion). From a production standpoint, Canaan Records definitely pulled out all the stops and released a “Grade A” Christmas album, and stylistically, it stretches the Inspirations further than any album before, or after! It’s a really good album overall, but it’s just not one of my favorites…mostly because I am extremely picky about Christmas music, and just generally not a huge fan of Christmas music altogether!

Circling back to the new vocal line-up of the Inspirations, I think with Ronnie returning to the group and stepping in to sing the baritone, gave the Inspirations a unique sound, and Ronnie also brought a little extra charisma to the stage as well, same as he did back in the early days. Ronnie had the uncanny ability to involve himself in the music, while also getting the crowd involved, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy singing with the group again. I think many long-time Inspirations fans were happy to see a familiar face return to the stage to replace Jack, and I think it made the transition easy for the group, as well as for the fans. Plus, it re-introduced him to a whole new demographic of fans who weren’t around 15-20 years earlier when he was with the group. It was an exciting time for the Inspirations, a renewal if you will…even if only for a couple of years.

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