With the amazing success from “Once in a Lifetime”, the Bishops’ 1992 release, “No 2 Ways About It”, while having some strong country overtones, wasn’t quite as musically creative as its predecessor. There was still a bit of a rustic feel to the overall sound, but this newest release leaned a bit more “Southern Gospel-ly”, if that makes sense. Also, I always thought the cover work for “No 2 Ways About It” was pretty cool, and I loved how they used the “2” in the title, rather than spelling it out as “two”, and I felt it made the title stand out and look really cool. It was not your average Southern Gospel album title, and kinda made the Bishops appear “hip”…which they were!

The Bishops returned to “The Oaks Place” to record this latest endeavor, and it was produced once again by Eddie Crook, along with orchestrations being handled by Steve Mauldin. The usual array of musicians was utilized for this recording, with the exception of bringing on Gary Smith to play keyboards. Gary’s brother was Jack Smith, who played steel guitar for the Happy Goodman Family back in the early to mid-70’s. Gary was an outstanding talent on the piano, who also happened to play piano for the Hemphills during the late 70’s, until around 1980 or so. After working for the Hemphills, Gary went on to play for such names as Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, Ricky Skaggs, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Randy Travis and many others, and you can definitely hear his country influence and stellar piano playing throughout this recording. Sadly, Gary and his brother Jack both passed away in 2014, but not before both leaving their indelible mark on the music industry! Interestingly, I first became aware of Gary Smith back when I was a teenager in the late 1980’s, and hearing his outstanding piano break on Jeff & Sheri Easter’s song, “There’s a Higher Power”, which they recorded on their very first duet album, “A New Tradition”, back in 1987. I remember being enamored by that piece and loved his work on that entire album.

With a lone (and very cool) electric guitar intro, the recording kicks off with the enjoyable, “Hallelujah Morning”. Written by Geniece Ingold, daughter of JB and Barbara Spencer, the Spencers recorded the song as well, on their 1992 recording, “20th Anniversary”, ultimately charting for the Spencers, topping out at #7 in the Singing News chart in February 1994. I really enjoyed the Spencers rendition of the song, and although the Spencers had the hit with it, I always preferred the Bishops’ arrangement, as it seemed to have a bit more “umph” to it. Plus, if I remember correctly, I heard the Bishops version first, and it always stuck with me!

The tempo gets ramped up with the driving, country feel of, “Heaven’s on a One Way Street”. Written by and featuring Mark, this is the song from which the title of the recording comes, and it’s a fun, gritty performance by the guys, and was one I thought would have been a great single release for the Bishops. With some nice dobro and electric guitar highlights, as well as some cool piano fills, it’s a highlight of the recording and one of my favorites from this recording.

Slowing the tempo down, the Bishops tackle the Bill & Gloria Gaither penned power ballad, “These are They”, which features both Kenny and Mark. Surprisingly, this was first recorded by the Happy Goodman Family several years earlier (my favorite performance of the song), on their 1979 album, “Better Hurry Up”, and was then later recorded by the Gaither Vocal Band on their 1990 recording, “A Few Good Men”. Eventually though, Vestal Goodman would later re-cut the song on her 1996 solo recording, “Moments”. Kenny was enjoying what the Gaither Vocal Band was doing around this time, and at some point, he had heard their version of the song, and he ultimately pitched it to the group to record. While I don’t think it had the same power as the Goodmans or Gaither Vocal Band versions, the guys do a really good job with their rendition of the song.

Next, we come to the exciting medium tempo tune, “He’s Living Again”, which was written by Buddy Mullins, and features both Mark and Kenny. Buddy’s family group, the Mullins, recorded an outstanding version of the song on their 1990 recording, “Let’s Claim Them”, and as much as I love the Bishops’ performance of the song, the Mullins totally blow it out of the park. Interestingly, it was the Bishops’ bass guitarist, Steve Perkins who brought the song to the group, encouraging them to record the song, which ultimately became the first single release from this recording, topping out at #9 in December 1992. While it may not have been their highest charting song, it always went over exceptionally well in concert during this time, and many times the Bishops used it as their final song, leaving audiences clamoring for more!

Next up, Kenneth and Mark trade lead vocals on the acapella “Ten Thousand Angels and Me”, which was written by Mark. This uniquely arranged tune, with the cool modulations between the verses and chorus, made this a fun, concert favorite for the Bishops. Eddie Crook was a big fan of this song, even going so far as to say that if it had a music track with it, he would have likely released it as a single!

With some nice piano fills and a wailing steel guitar, giving the feel of a mournful, country ballad, the sentimental Mark Bishop penned, “I’d Sure Like to Be There Now”, features an excellent performance by Mark, before Kenny kicks it into high gear with his own self-penned song, “New Campmeeting Days”. Using the campmeeting classic, “Look What the Lord Has Done” as a backdrop, and backed by the Victory Voice Choir, this invigorating song has that old-time Pentecostal feel to it, and is a highlight of the recording. A couple of years later, Kenny recorded an updated arrangement of the song on his first solo recording, “Reaching Out”, which was released in 1994.

Slowing the tempo back down, Kenneth takes the lead on the unassuming, “Look to Him”, which was written by husband-and-wife team, Dee & Danny Kramer. Surprisingly, this would end up being the second single release from this recording, ultimately going to #6 in the July 1993 Singing News chart. I will admit, at first I was scratching my head with the single choice, as this song was not on my radar as a single release, but it quickly grew on me and has become one of my favorite Kenneth leads, as he gently reminds us, “Look to Him, keep your eyes upon the Savior, trust in Jesus the One who really cares, put your hand in the hand of the Man who never fails, when you need a friend, look to Him!”.

Filled with nice piano, electric and steel guitar fills, the country vibe of the upbeat, “Hearts on Fire” is next, and is an enjoyable tune that was written by Bebe Sanders, who was another great writer within the ECC wheelhouse, penning such great songs during the 80’s and 90’s including “We’re Gonna Rise” (Gold City), “Sweet Home of the Soul” (Johnny Cook Trio) and “Glory Divine” (Perrys). It’s another favorite from this recording, leading nicely into the warm, country feel of the final song, “Sheltered By the Master’s Arms”. Featuring both Mark and Kenny, the song was written by Andra Richardson and published through Chestnut Mound Music, and it’s a nice closing tune for the recording, reminding the listener, “through the lowest valley that I walk, or the mountains that I climb, I know that He’ll be there beside me throughout eternity, for I’m sheltered by the Masters arms, safe from all harm!”.

“No 2 Ways About It” was an excellent recording, but it wasn’t one that blew me away like some of their previous recordings did, or even some of those that they recorded later on. I don’t know if it was song selection, arrangements, sequencing or what, but in my opinion, it just didn’t have the same “feel” as some of their other recordings. Nevertheless, it’s still a really great effort by the guys, and it just continued to fuel the fire of their immense popularity. It was an exciting time for the Bishops, and their concerts reflected that same energy and excitement, as evidenced when I saw them “tear the house down” at the Civic Center in Lexington, North Carolina, back in February 1993.

During the 1992 Singing News Fan Awards, Kenny won “Favorite Young Artist”, which reiterated the impact the Bishops were making on people with their music. The Bishops also released their first all acapella recording, “The Front Porch Collection” later in 1992, which featured some previously released material such as “Blind Bartimaeus”, “Waitin’ for the Master to Come” and “Whispering Hope”, as well as some newly recorded tunes such as “Across the River” (a song Mark wrote and would bring back for his 2021 recording, “Some Distant Mountain”), “God Put a Rainbow in the Clouds” and “The Lighthouse”. The Bishops had enjoyed immense success with their acapella singing, and they would always include at least one “Front Porch” song on each recording and in their concerts, so naturally, it seemed that it was time to release an all acapella recording for their fans to enjoy, and it was met with great success!

Before I close, I did want to mention one slight change with the Bishops during this time, as they had hired a full-time drummer named Brian McGee. The combination of Brian, along with Johnny Sansom and Steve Perkins, was a dynamic combo, as they maintained a tight sound while keeping the Bishops’ live performances exciting and entertaining. During the early 90’s, along with the Bishops, several groups were blazing the concert trails, presenting exciting and energetic concerts such as the Kingsmen, Gold City, Greenes, McGruders, HeavenBound, Freemans, Perkins Family, Anchormen, Perrys and others. It was a great time before stacks and tracks really started replacing the bands. Tracks were used by a few groups, but in many cases, they were used to complement and enhance what the band was doing. But the musical landscape was changing, and as the 90’s pressed on, the Bishops would continue to evolve as well, adapting their live performances to include tracks, and they would eventually drop the drums. Even with tracks, the Bishops were still an exciting group to see “live”, and their popularity continued to blossom throughout the remainder of the 90’s and into the new millennium.

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