As we entered a new and exciting decade, the Greenes were entering a new and exciting era! As with any group, change is inevitable…even in tightly knit family groups. After 10 years as a family unit, Kim left the Greenes in order to bring some normalcy into her new life with husband Dean (as he continued traveling with his family, the Hoppers), but very soon afterward, she would join the Hoppers, which of course, is where she remains today! Before Kim departed though, she left Tim and Tony with a gift…Amy Lambert! Kim personally chose Amy as her replacement and helped train her to take her place in the group, to ensure the transition would be a smooth one. As the baton was passed during the 1989 National Quartet Convention, Kim handed the mic over to Amy to sing the second verse of “When I Knelt, the Blood Fell”, and the next exciting era of the Greenes began!

Amy Lambert grew up surrounded by music, listening to the music of the Rambos, as Reba Rambo was her favorite singer, and you definitely hear that influence in her singing. Eventually, Amy began traveling and singing primarily as a soloist, and in fact, I remember seeing her sing as a soloist in the late 80’s on a local Christian television station out of Burlington, NC. When Amy joined the Greenes, I was already familiar with who she was, and I knew the group was in great hands! Amy did not replace Kim but rather created her own place within the Greenes legacy, and fans of the Greenes accepted her unconditionally, even awarding her the Singing News Fan Award for “Favorite Horizon Individual” during the 1990 National Quartet Convention!

Just as Amy was getting her seat warm on the bus, the Greenes were back in the studio to work on their first recording with Amy titled, “Testimony”. Produced by Tim Greene, with strings and horns arranged by Steve Mauldin, “Testimony” was an outstanding recording that continued the Greenes musical legacy, as it’s filled with many of the hallmarks that made the Greenes…the Greenes! The music tracks were recorded in Nashville, while the vocals were recorded at Eldridge Fox’s Hear Here studios in Asheville, NC and arranged by Roger Talley. Additionally, Tim and Tony’s half-brother, Ronnie Brookshire is back in the picture serving as engineer for the session. Several notable names are playing on this recording as well, including Dirk Johnson, Roger Talley, John Mays, Tim Greene, John Hammond, Bobby All, Kelly Back, Mike Severs, Scott Sanders and Terry McMillan. Overall, “Testimony” is a great sounding recording, and despite being Amy’s first release with the group, they sound great together, and it’s one of their best sounding recordings during the “Amy era”.

“Testimony” kicks off with the anthem, “When God Calls My Name”, which has Tim and Amy sharing the first verse and then Tony and Amy sharing the second. Written by Tim, this was the second single, ultimately topping out at #28 in the May 1991 Singing News chart. Though it may not have fared well in the charts as I think it should have, it was a great power anthem, that was solidly in the Greenes “wheelhouse”, proclaiming that, “I’ll be there when God calls my name”! At the time, I was in Bible college in Winston-Salem, NC and was a member of Woodland Baptist Church and the choir there, and this song always got them shouting and running the aisles!

With a strong bass guitar track, highlighted with electric guitar, synthesized horns and a strong beat, the fun, upbeat “Can I Get a Witness” features Tony and Tim, with Amy taking some step-out lines on the bridge and final chorus. Written by a young lady named Marcia Henry, she would go on to have many songs recorded over the years by several groups including the Whisnants, Karen Peck & New River, Hoppers, Chuck Wagon Gang, Jeff & Sheri Easter, Nelons, Perry Sisters, Perrys, as well as the Happy Goodman Family, who recorded her song, “He’ll Come as No Surprise” (which she co-wrote with Ronny Hinson), on their 1990 recording, “The Reunion”. Henry is a wonderful writer who is still churning out great songs today, and in fact, the Greenes would go on to record several of her songs through the years, so you’ll see her name pop up from time to time through the remainder of this series.

As we move on to the next song, the tempo slows back down as Tim tackles the first verse, before Amy delivers the second verse, on the Billy Ready penned tune, “Crucified Heart”, which harkens that classic “Greenes” sound (which would have been right at home on their “From Our Heart” album), before the tempo picks back up as Amy takes the lead for the Joel Hemphill penned title song, “Testimony”, which the Hemphills originally recorded on their 1989 album, “Celebration”. I love the Greenes arrangement of the song, as they included the chorus of the classic, “I’m Standing on the Solid Rock” as a bridge, and it added so much to the message and excitement of the song! A concert favorite for the Greenes, I always felt this could have been a viable radio song for the group, and it’s a highlight of the recording.

The first half of the recording concludes with the Dottie Rambo penned, “Mercy Throne”, which was a tune she recorded on her 1981 solo album, “Makin’ My Own Place”. Once again, they split up the verses with Tim and Amy sharing solos on the first verse, then Tony and Amy split the second verse, and the Greenes do a tremendous job on this classic tune, picking up the tempo slightly from Dottie’s original version, and giving it their own “Greenes” version of the Rambos.

The second half kicks off with the driving Tim Greene penned tune, “The Church is Going Higher”. This was the first single from the recording, cresting at #13 in the December 1990 Singing News chart. Nicely accented by a popping brass section (hat tip to Steve Mauldin!), I always thought this was a great song that was perfect for radio (their strongest upbeat tune since “Going on with my Jesus”), and I felt it should have at least broken into the top 10, but the song was a strong concert favorite for the Greenes for several years.

Slowing the pace down, we come to the comforting, acoustic feel of “Shelter From the Storms”, which has that classic “Greenes” feel, with Tony handling the melody and Amy taking the solo on the second verse. I love the chorus coming out of the second verse, which was sung acapella, before the band kicks back in for the final tag, creating a powerful, yet delicate performance, and it’s one of my personal favorites from this recording. Published in 1946 by Jimmie Davis Music Company, the song was written by Bryan Faust, and eventually recorded by Davis on his 1960 album, “Someone to Care”. This would be a great “old” song for someone to bring back today!

Continuing with that classic Greenes sound and unique harmonies, Tony steps up to sing the Squire Parsons penned, “King of Eternity”. I love the harmonica highlights throughout the song and it’s one of my favorite Tony features. Originally recorded by Squire on a unique album he recorded with his brothers in 1983 called, “Family Reunion”, he recorded it again on his 1989 Christmas recording, “Christmas at Calvary”. Eventually, the Kingdom Heirs would also record the song on their 2016 Christmas recording, “Glory to God in the Highest”.

Next, the tempo picks back up as Tony is featured once more as he sings, “Latter Rain”, which is another tune written by Marcia Henry. Featuring a quick beat and some nice electric guitar and harmonica highlights, this is a fun and enjoyable song, perfectly contrasted with the final track, “Where Would I Be”. Written by and featuring Tim, this stunning tune is one of my all-time favorite songs written by Tim. The inspiration came while flying home from Dallas, Texas, as he began thinking about all that God had done for him, and Tim delivers a fantastic performance. The song has a very warm and calming feel to it, and I love the lush strings and guitar work, as it was something very different for the Greenes. In fact, Tim would later record the song on his 2002 solo recording, “At the Cross”, and it’s still one that Tim can’t get away from, as he still sings it from time to time at his church. Though this isn’t the type of tune that would likely ever become a radio single, it’s such a beautiful song and I’d love to hear someone tackle this and record it today.

Naturally, with Amy being the newest member of the group, and allowing her to find her own footing and niche, she is featured on several songs throughout “Testimony”. While many of the songs stick to the tried and true “Greenes” formula, there are some unique variations throughout the recording, making it an exceptional piece of work, and Amy solidly makes her mark with this recording. “Testimony” was a fantastic recording and was the perfect follow-up to their “10th Anniversary Live” release.

Later in 1990, the Greenes would release, “Let the Children Pray” to radio, which was a song Tim wrote, which featured the Greenes with Brock Speer and Ronny Hinson, along with the Mt. Vernon Baptist Church children’s choir, of Boone, NC. The song was never included on a full-length recording by the Greenes, but Tim felt it was a time the nation needed to turn back to God. As far as I can tell, the song never charted for the group, but it did get a lot of air play around that time. The Greenes were never shy about singing and recording songs that were more evangelical in nature or addressed certain political or social issues, and this would be one of the first songs they recorded in that vein.

1990 was a pivotal year for the Greenes, and I think any doubts that fans may have had regarding the future of the group after Kim’s departure, “Testimony” quickly, and most assuredly, put those fears to rest! Amy was a different singer than Kim was, but she was such a natural fit for the Greenes and their unique sound. Amy would remain with the Greenes for about 5 years, and she would add so much to the Greenes’ sound during that time, even integrating some unique qualities into their sound, that Kim nor any of the other ladies that followed Amy could bring to the table. It was a wonderful time of growth for the Greenes, and “Testimony” was a true testimony of that fact!

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