After back-to-back changes with the Inspirations’ vocal line-up in 1991 and 1992, “He Brought Me Out” would be the first recording by the group with this line-up being involved completely from beginning to end. On this recording you can definitely hear a difference in the vocal blend, as the guys seemed to have gelled very nicely together. It seems the group had reached a deal with Canaan Records, with whom they enjoyed a very fruitful 17-year relationship with between 1971 and 1988, as well as just a short time prior to this release, as Canaan re-released “What’s That I Hear” and “My Anchor Still Holds/The Country Needs the Cross” in late 1991. Though it’s unclear what drew the Inspirations back to Canaan in 1993 for this one recording, my hunch is (and I have no data to back this up) that the Inspirations and the label, both likely came to the conclusion that they probably needed each other. The Inspirations had gone through some pretty important changes within the group over the last couple of years, and they likely wanted (or needed) the backing of a record company. By this time, Canaan Records was merely a shadow of the giant that they were during the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, and probably needed the sales that the Inspirations could generate, because although the Inspirations weren’t the powerhouse group they used to be, they had a very large and loyal fan base, and they still sold a TON of music! Sadly though, within a couple of years or so, Canaan Records had closed down completely. The label was revived briefly in the mid-2000’s, releasing some new music by the Hoppers and other artists, as well as re-releasing some of the label’s older music on CD, but the venture was very short lived, and the label was gone once again in about a year or so.

“He Brought Me Out” was produced by Martin Cook, and it appears this may have been recorded in May 1993 and released just in time for the Singing in the Smokies event in late June/early July of that year. After recording at Dawn Studios in Ashville, North Carolina for the last 5 years, Dawn ended up getting absorbed into Eldridge Fox’s Horizon Music Group conglomerate in 1992, and the Inspirations opted to move to another studio in the Ashville area called, Lifter Studios, which was operated by one of the founders of Dawn Studios, Richard McBrayer. Once again, Otis Forrest assists on piano/keyboards along with Tim Compton playing bass, and we are also joined by a few new faces including Kevin Williams on lead guitar, Bryan Sutton playing acoustic guitar/mandolin, and David Johnson playing the steel guitar/harmonica/acoustic guitar/fiddle. This ensemble of musicians created some really nice music tracks for this recording, building a nice bed of music for the Inspirations, making it a really enjoyable listening experience.

With a light and airy feel, the recording kicks off with the up-tempo title song, “He Brought Me Out”. With the verses written in 1898 by Henry Zelley, and the music and chorus composed by H.L. Gilmour, this was a classic hymn of the church, completely re-arranged by the Inspirations. In fact, it was Geniece (of the Spencers) who gave the Inspirations the idea about re-arranging the song for a bass feature, and it quickly became a popular concert favorite for the group. I remember seeing them perform this song live during this time, and it was always a favorite of mine as well!

Slowing the tempo down, Archie takes the lead on the poignant Squire Parsons penned tune, “It Did Not End With the Cross”. Recalling that salvation’s story did not end with Christ dying on the cross, but He arose from the grave and He is still alive and well today, I first heard the song when Squire recorded a powerful version of the song on his 1992 quartet recording, “I Go to the Rock”, and I quickly fell in love with that particular performance. While the Inspirations’ rendition doesn’t quite have the same dramatic punch as Squire’s version, Archie does a great job on the song and it’s a highlight of the recording.

Picking up the pace, Ronnie tackles the fun, “Don’t You Want to Go”, which was written by Gary Duty and published through Inspirations Quartet Music. I first heard the song by a wonderful bluegrass gospel family group called the Rochesters, on their 2012 recording, “Follow the Leader. As I mentioned, the song featured Ronnie, who was a much-loved Inspirations alumnus, who was such a likeable person with a magnetic personality, and that came across very genuinely on and off the stage. With it’s delightful piano and steel guitar highlights, this song fit Ronnie perfectly and his charismatic delivery was on point!

With the wailing harmonica and fiddle hauntingly playing the hymn, “Lord, I’m Coming Home” as a backdrop, Eddie is featured on the Jack Toney penned, “Come Home Children”, which was published by the Inspirations. Eddie has a certain way of delivering these heartfelt tunes, which I’m sure stems from a preacher’s heart beckoning the lost to “come home”, and this is one of my favorite Eddie features from this tenure with the group, and I’d probably say that this song (along with “He Brought Me Out”) is my favorite from this recording.

Keeping the tempo in slow mode, Mike, who always does an amazing job singing those slower, meaningful songs, takes his turn at the mic as he sings the verses of the Ray Vaughn penned, “He Fell in Love”, before the pace picks back up as both Ronnie and Mike tackle the Sammy Easom penned, “Back to the Old Time Way”. Easom was a wonderful writer whose most popular song was the #1 hit, “He’s All I Need” by the Kingsmen, and this song was another perfect pairing with Ronnie’s charismatic delivery. I also love the overall musicality of the song, featuring highlights on the electric guitar, harmonica, mandolin and fiddle, along with some fun piano work by Otis as well.

With a slight bluegrass feel, Archie sings the Ira and Charlie Louvin penned, “The Family Who Prays”, which was recorded by the Louvin Brothers back in 1958. This song completely embodied the Inspirations’ messaging of family and strong Christian values, before we come to the quartet classic, “I Can Tell You Now the Time”. Written by Adgar Pace in 1939 and published by James D. Vaughn Music, this was a popular concert favorite for the Inspirations for several years. This was a big quartet favorite during the 1960’s and early 1970’s, being recorded by such groups as the Blackwood Brothers, Dixie Echoes, Weatherford Quartet, JD Sumner & the Stamps, LeFevres and others, but during most of the 70’s and through the 80’s and early 90’s, it pretty much laid dormant until the Inspirations recorded it for this recording. Gold City eventually picked up the song and recorded it a year later, on their 1994 release, “Renewed”, and it became a huge concert favorite for Tim Riley over the next 20 years or so. I remember seeing both Gold City and the Inspirations stage this song many times back in the day, and it always was a fan favorite for both groups. In fact, the current Inspirations is still delighting crowds by staging this song from time to time.

Ronnie takes the lead once again as we come to the excellent song of faith and encouragement entitled, “Beyond the Grave”, which was written by Dee & Danny Kramer. This husband and wife team wrote a bunch of popular songs during the 90’s including “My Footsteps Will End at the Throne”, “A Walking Miracle”, “He’s in the Midst” and “Lord, I Need Your Touch”, and this song was a nice addition to this recording, before things conclude with the now classic, “Glory to God in the Highest”, which was written by one of my favorite songwriters, Daryl Williams. The song was first recorded on a solo project Daryl recorded in very early 1993 that was produced by Ben Speer. Ben then pitched it to Don Degrate & Strong Tower, who recorded it on their 1993 recording, “Sold Out”. Almost immediately, Mike Speck picked up the song and recorded it the same year on their “Sing Out” recording (and the song became a popular one for the Specks). Since Daryl’s publishing company (Centergetic Music) was under the Word/Homeland umbrella, and this recording by the Inspirations was released through Canaan Records, it is likely the song was pitched to the Inspirations, who then re-arranged the song a bit, adding the bass step out lines that most quartet versions use today. Due to Mike Speck’s involvement in choral music, the song became a popular one for church choirs and ensembles during the 90’s and into the 2000’s, but then the Booth Brothers recorded it on their 1999 recording, “Walkin’ on the Good Side” (which was the first version I seriously paid attention to). The following year, the Old Friends Quartet (which included George Younce and Jake Hess) picked up the song and recorded it on their 2000 recording, “Encore”, ultimately becoming a huge hit on the Gaither Homecoming videos. Then, just a few short years later, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound recorded it on their 2004 Christmas recording, “Christmas with Ernie Haase & Signature Sound”, and the song became an exciting showstopper for them for the next few years. The song has gone on to be recorded by numerous other groups including Brian Free & Assurance, Canton Junction, Kingdom Heirs, Down East Boys and many others. The Inspirations still stage the song from time to time, and it’s always an exciting performance when they do!

Surprisingly, “He Brought Me Out” did not yield any charting tunes for the Inspirations, but I believe it was one of their best recordings during the 90’s, and it’s my favorite recording by this iteration of the group. The overall quality of the recording is of a higher caliber than their last release, and it has a very nice sound overall. The recording features a nice cover shot and artwork, along with excellent music tracks, and the vocals are nicely done as well; an all-around nice piece of work by everyone involved. I do not remember exactly when I bought “He Brought Me Out”, but I think it was one of the first recordings I purchased about 10-12 years or so ago, when I started trying to complete my collection of their music from the 90’s. At first, I thought it was just an “okay” recording, but it grew on me pretty quickly, and it’s definitely become one of my favorites from this decade, as it does have a lot of the components of what made the Inspirations…well, the Inspirations, along with providing some unique musical qualities that made “He Brought Me Out” stand out from the others during this period. I wish the rest of their recordings during the 90’s were at the same level as “He Brought Me Out”, as this vocal line-up was a legendary iteration of the group, worthy of first class quality and presentation!

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