Though the Bishops’ first album with the Eddie Crook Company didn’t garner any major chart action, great strides were made at introducing them to radio and to Southern Gospel fans everywhere, and each successive album and song released to radio seemed to do better than the previous one. The added exposure allowed the Bishops to begin expanding their territory further away from home, as the group was soon added to major concerts across the south and other areas of the country. It was an exciting time for the group, and as the title of their 1986 album says…they just “Can’t Stop Now”!

Produced by Eddie Crook, “Can’t Stop Now” showed steady growth in the Bishops as singers and musical innovators, as they continued to infuse Bluegrass and Southern Gospel together. Compared to their last recording, “Can’t Stop Now” contained a bit more creativity in the overall arrangements and vocals. The Bishops’ sound was still evolving, and they hadn’t taken the turn toward a more mainstream Southern Gospel sound yet, as this recording was still solidly “Bishops” music. Thanks to Mark Bishop for providing me a screen shot of the back cover of the album, as, unfortunately, the musicians that played for the session are not credited, but compared to their last album, “Can’t Stop Now” showcased some nice musical arrangements, as well as a more robust sound overall.

The album’s front cover features a nice shot of the guys in matching suits, which happened to be the first matching suits the Bishops owned. Bunt Gross, who owned Bunt Gross Chevrolet in Irvine, Kentucky, saw the Bishops sing and he felt that they needed matching suits, so he told them to go to a local clothing store, and he would pay for their suits, and they ended up using those suits for the cover picture of this album! Additionally, the album is dedicated to the memory of Silas Barker, who was Mark Bishop’s father-in-law who had passed away before this album was recorded.

Kicking things off with a rollicking start, “I Can’t Stop ‘Til I Reach Canaan’s Land”, along with its dominant banjo track, is a fun, “bluegrassy” tune, and it’s one of my favorites from this recording. This was a song the guys picked up from Coleman Looper and the Looper Trio, when the Bishops sang with them at a concert at The Grand Ole Gospel Barn in Crossville, Tennessee. No doubt, this was a fun concert favorite for the Bishops, allowing Junior Williams to shine on the banjo.

Next, the guys jump into some “Front Porch Singing” with the acapella, “Old Time Chariot Medley”, which includes the songs “Sweet Chariot” (a song the Bishops borrowed from Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver), along with the classics “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Swing Down Chariot”. It’s a really cool combination of tunes and is a highlight of the album, before the tempo slows down as Kenny steps up to sing the poignant, “It is Finished”, which was written by Donna Evans (the same lady who wrote their first single, “Oh God, I Love You”). The song is filled with some nice keyboard and steel guitar highlights, along with Kenneth providing a heartfelt recitation before the final chorus. This moving tune has a bit of a dramatic feel to it, adding some depth to the first side, as the first side of the recording features mostly fun, up-tempo tunes. Speaking of which, as we come to the next song, the tempo kicks into high gear for another Evans penned tune entitled, “My Sins are Gone”. This highly invigorating tune features Kenny as well, along with some fun steel guitar and fiddle embellishments, making this such a fun song to listen to.

Starting off with simple chords on the acoustic guitar, the enjoyable, “Man on a Mule” starts off slow and easy, before the bass drum, as well as the bass and acoustic guitars punch in, kicking the tempo into overdrive, providing us with a fun, acoustic flavored tune to wrap up the first side. Featuring some really nice guitar licks throughout the song, along with Junior Williams taking the lead, this was a tune that was written by Joe Isaacs and David Marshall (of the famous bluegrass gospel group, the Marshall Family), and it was originally recorded by Joe Isaacs & the Sacred Bluegrass (forerunner of the Isaacs) on their 1986 album, “My Trust in Him”, and was recorded by the Isaacs several years later, on their 1997 recording, “Bridges”. The Bishops were good friends with the Isaacs family, often staying at their home when traveling through their area, and this song was a hat tip to the Isaacs family, honoring that friendship. As a side note, the Isaacs would eventually sign with Eddie Crook, releasing their first album with the Harvest label, “Heartbeat”, in 1988.

Side two kicks off with the fun acapella tune, “Lover of the Lord”, which is one of my personal favorite acapella numbers the Bishops recorded, and no doubt the group had fun staging this song back in the day. As they were big fans of Doyle Lawson, they picked this song up from Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver’s 1985 album, “Once & For Always”, and the Bishops do a really great job with this highly enjoyable tune.

Another one of my favorites from this album is the medium tempo, “For God So Loved the World”, which was written by and features Kenny, leading nicely into another medium tempo tune entitled, “Shadow of His Hand”. Featuring nice mandolin highlights, this song was written by Liz Freeman (who is Mark’s sister-in-law) and features Mark. Both of these songs really foretell the type of songs that would eventually bring the Bishops great success, as many of their biggest hits were not the gut busting, power ballads or the exciting and electric up-tempo songs (although they did have their fair share of both), but rather, it was those mellow, medium tempo tunes, very much like the previously aforementioned songs. Keep that in mind, as we’ll revisit this common theme throughout this series!

Picking up the tempo slightly and featuring some nice fiddle accents, the guys break into the Goodman/Hemphill classic, “Thank God I’m Free”, which was written by Rev. James McFall. Featuring both Kenneth and Kenny, the song leads perfectly into the final track, “Battle Scarred Soldier”. Written by Dee Gaskin and featuring Mark on the melody and Kenny taking the lead on the final chorus, the Bishops scored their first top 20 hit with this song, which crested at #19 in the March/April 1987 Singing News chart. Dee pitched this song to the Bishops (along with a couple of others that the Bishops eventually recorded), and again, like I mentioned just a bit ago, it was these easy-going medium tempo numbers that seemed to be totally within the Bishops’ wheelhouse. This was the first song I ever heard by the group on the radio, which initially made me a fan of their music. Additionally, the Singing Cookes also recorded the song the same year on their “Going on with Jesus Just the Same” album, but they used the title, “His Coming is Nigh at the Door”.

I recall purchasing “Can’t Stop Now” on cassette from a local Christian bookstore back in the late 80’s. I didn’t realize until several years later, that it was released on vinyl, and ever since then, I have sought to find a vinyl copy of this recording to add to my collection, but to no avail.

“Can’t Stop Now” proved to be an excellent follow up to the Bishops’ first nationally released album. While the recording continued to highlight their authentic Kentucky roots, it also demonstrated artistic growth, as the Bishops ever so slightly refined their overall sound. Also worth noting, Mark seemed to really grow as a singer, and he was really starting to come into his own with this album. Furthermore, although Mark did not contribute any original songs for this recording, in time he would become a key songwriter for the group, responsible for many of the Bishops’ best loved songs. Which is interesting to note, because it was Mark who really had no true interest in music or singing in the first place!

As I mentioned at the beginning, “Can’t Stop Now” seemed to be a fitting title for the album, as the Bishops were just getting started, and very soon they would enter a period of significant momentum. Though the road ahead would bring its share of successes and challenges, only eternity will tell the story of the impact the music of the Bishops has made in the lives of people around the world!

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