Over the course of a 2-year span, between 1991 and 1992, the Greenes released 4 new recordings…2 mainline releases, 1 Christmas project and 1 non-mainline recording. In January 1992, the Greenes released “Mountain Heritage”, which was their 3rd release of the four, and while I wouldn’t call it a mainline release or a table project (I bought mine from the Greenes when they sang at Woodland Baptist Church in early January 1992), it wasn’t widely distributed. “Mountain Heritage” was a unique recording that featured a more rustic sound, akin to that of mountain/acoustic/bluegrass (aka-Appalachian) style music (pick whatever wording that strikes your fancy!), and contained mostly older songs and hymns including “Green Pastures”, “Farther Along” and “The Darkest Hour is Just Before Dawn”, as well as an updated version of “In the Morning” (which the Greenes first recorded on their 1985 album, “Evergreene”) and a “gospel” version of the classic “To Know Him is to Love Him”, which was popularized in the 1950’s by the Teddy Bears, and later brought back by Trio (Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris) in 1987. There were a couple of new songs included as well, such as “Time Keeps Tickin’ Away” and “Rose Beneath the Thorns”, which was a song written by Tim and Lucy Hemingway, and charted briefly for the Greenes, making it to #39 in July 1992.

The Greenes released their next mainline recording titled, “Safe in Christ”, later in the year, which was originally released independently through Tim Greene’s, ACA Records, but later pressings of the recording were released through Riversong Records. The Greenes were first signed to Riversong back in 1986, when they recorded their “When He Sees Me” album, when Kingsmen owner, Eldridge Fox signed them to the label. Thankfully the Greenes fostered a good relationship with Riversong as they would come back to the label a couple of times during the 90’s. Such as the case with “Safe in Christ”, as the Greenes signed a distribution deal with Riversong in an effort to boost sales and get their music out to the masses.

Produced by Tim Greene, with Kim Hopper and Shannon Childress serving as co-producers, and Steve Mauldin once again handling the live orchestrations, “Safe in Christ” was another excellent recording filled with songs that were totally within the Greenes’ wheelhouse. Recorded at Tim Greene’s “The Loft” Recording Studio in Boone, North Carolina, I always thought the cover shot and artwork for “Safe in Christ” was pretty neat, contrasting the bright colors of their “Carolina Live” recording.

Featuring Tony and Amy, the recording kicks off with the powerful tune, “Just the Beginning For Me”, which was written by Aaron Wilburn. Featuring a nice string section, the song showcases Tony’s excellent sense of pathos in his delivery of certain lyrics, in which Tony lets his “country boy” personality come through in how he delivers the lyric, “his ‘mama’ and a few faithful friends watched Him slowly die”, which seems to deviate slightly from the original words, but that slight deviation is what made his delivery of the first verse so much more meaningful. Most singers would have used the more acceptable term of “mother” instead of “mama”, but Tony was one who could pull it off and no one would think anything about it, and it worked for him every time! I always thought this would have been a great single release for the Greenes, but it was originally recorded a year earlier by Margo Smith & Holly, a mother and daughter Christian Country duo (Margo was a popular country artist during the 70’s and 80’s singing such hits as “Don’t Break the Heart That Loves You” and “It Only Hurts for a Little While”). The song was the duo’s first single, charting a few months in the latter half of 1991, but never quite breaking into the Top 40. It was also recorded by Three Bridges several years later, on their 2008 recording, “Another Blessing”.

With some nice piano, electric guitar, harmonica and banjo highlights, Tony sings the upbeat, “Let’s Get to Work”, which is actually a song that Tony wrote himself. Featuring a line from the chorus of the old hymn, “Bring Them In” as a bridge, it’s a fun song with a timely message, before Amy steps up to deliver a wonderful and heartfelt performance of the Gordon Jensen penned classic, “Tears are a Language”. Originally recorded by the Orrells, charting as high as #16 in July 1972, the song was seemingly written specifically for Amy, and even before Amy joined the Greenes in late 1989, she was singing the song as a soloist. As Amy testified on their “Carolina Live” recording, she was badly injured in an automobile accident when she was 9 years old, leaving many visible outward scars, requiring multiple reconstructive surgeries, and this song was the first song she sang in church as a little girl after that accident, so it has a strong personal connection to Amy. I was surprised the Greenes never released the song to radio, as I always felt that musically, it was right down their alley (especially with its messaging), but it never was released. Which probably worked out for the best, as Amy would later release the song as a single from her very first major solo recording, “Someone to Lean On”, that was released in 1995, charting as high as #12 in the May and June 1996 Singing News chart.

With its country style piano and harmonica intro, and wailing steel guitar kicking in on the chorus, the slow, country feel of “Lord, Tell Me Again” is next and features Tony on the melody, with Tim singing the second verse. Written by Jean Canter, it’d been a few years since the Greenes had recorded a song by their friend who penned their first huge hit, “It Sure Sounds Like Angels”, and this had that classic Greenes sound to it, leading perfectly into the beautiful tune simply titled, “Safe”. With the feel of a classic hymn, the song was actually written in 1983 by Curtis Doss and it’s still a popular song that is often sung in those old-time singing schools in the deep south. Featuring Amy, I first heard the song a few years earlier by the Hayes Family, who had recorded it on their 1988 recording, “Rejoicin’”, but the Greenes arranged it a little differently than the Hayes Family, allowing the song to focus on their stunning harmonies, and it’s a highlight and true gem of the recording.

Featuring some synthesized brass embellishments, the tempo picks back up for the upbeat “God is Moving America”, which was written by Tim, along with Lucy Hemingway, and features Tony, Tim and Amy on their respective verses. The Greenes were never a group to shy away from singing these evangelistic type tunes, and this song fits them like a glove! I always felt it was a great song that I think could have worked well for them, and it kind of surprised me they didn’t release it as a single.

Contrasting the fake horns on the previous song, the medium tempo, “The Garment of the Savior”, features some nice, warm strings that were tastefully arranged by Steve Mauldin. Featuring Tim and Amy, the song was a collaborative effort by Tim and Kirk Talley. Tim had written a verse and chorus, but struggled with writing the second verse, so he reached out to Kirk, who came up with a verse in about 30 minutes. This was the first single from this recording, peaking at #3 in the January 1993 Singing News chart, and remained a popular concert favorite for several years. In fact, as a promotion for the song, during the 1992 National Quartet Convention, Kirk joined the Greenes on stage to sing the song, and naturally, it was a showstopper, as the song continued to propel up the charts over the following months.

The tempo picks up as Tim and Tony sing the peppy, “What About Jesus”, which also has Amy providing some call backs on the final choruses. Written by Tim and featuring nice steel guitar and fiddle highlights, the song is an enjoyable number, leading into the Kyla Rowland penned anthem, “Marching in Victory”. With Tony, Tim and Amy each taking a verse, this rather obscure Kyla tune was originally recorded by the Rowlands on their 1991 recording, “Insured Beyond the Grave”, and given the success the Greenes had with “They’ll Never Crucify Him Again”, though uncredited, they are joined by a choir on the final chorus of the song.

Rounding out the recording, featuring some nice fiddle and dobro accents, we come to the country feel of “They Found Him”. Written by Tim and Felicia Shifllett, this was the second single from this recording, cresting at #24 in the July 1993 Singing News chart. Despite not quite breaking into the top 20, I always thought this was such a great tune, and obviously the Greenes thought so as well, as they re-cut it several years later, on their 2006 recording, “God is a Good God”.

Overall, “Safe in Christ” was a bit more understated than their previous recordings had been, offering a mellower and slower pace for the listener. “Safe in Christ” showcased the Greenes’ amazing harmonies and had some outstanding songs, but I felt it was a very “safe” recording (no pun intended!), but it was a truly enjoyable listen, nonetheless! As I mentioned earlier, initial pressings of this recording were released on ACA Records, but then it was later released on the Riversong label. Likely due to the fact that the Greenes signed a year-long agreement with the label, the Greenes would remain with Riversong throughout most of the following year (1993), and they would end up taking part in a unique live recording with other Riversong artists called, “We’ve Come to Worship: A Live Celebration of Praise”, which was released in 1993. The multi-artist event and subsequent live recording/video included Michael English along with Greater Vision, Gold City, HeavenBound, Heirloom (along with Tanya Goodman-Sykes and Barbara Fairchild also performing a solo number), Jeff & Sheri Easter, Nelons and of course, the Greenes, who sang “They’ll Never Crucify Him Again”, backed by the Mt. Paran Church of God choir, which was a highlight of the recording.

“Safe in Christ” continued keeping the Greenes as one of the most popular and sought after groups in the industry, as they were an asset to any concert stage. The Greenes were not only entertaining and exciting, but they always brought a strong spirit of revival with them in their concerts as well. The Greenes’ “church-like” approach to their performance delivery appealed to a lot of Southern Gospel Music fans, and that popularity demanded that promotors add the Greenes to their concert rosters, which brought an added fan base to those events. It was an exciting time for the Greenes, and for Southern Gospel Music in general! Throughout the remainder of the 90’s and into the new millennium, the Greenes would continue to be a popular group at concerts and churches across the country, spurred by their numerous hit songs, unique sound and blend, as well as their rousing concert presentation!

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