by James Hales | Jun 25, 2025 | LP Review, Reviews
Soon after the release of “Keep Your Eyes on Jesus” in late 1970, the Inspirations began work on their next album, “Our Inspiration”, which would be released in 1971 and would also be their last album for Mark V. After recording 11 albums with Mark V, the group had...
by David Bruce Murray | Jun 20, 2025 | News
NEWS NUGGETS 13-year Legacy Five bass singer Matt Fouch announced his departure from the group. Fouch said the decision has been slowly coming since 2020 when the Covid virus forced most of us to spend more time at home. Les Butler announced the launch of a new record...
by James Hales | Jun 18, 2025 | LP Review, Reviews
Before 1970 came to a close, the Inspirations went through additional changes with their line-up. After being gone for almost a year, Ronnie Hutchins returned to the group, and original members, Troy Burns, along with Jack Laws, briefly exited the group as well....
by David Bruce Murray | Jun 13, 2025 | News
NEWS NUGGETS Crossroads Music announced that Aynsley Porchak has joined the company as a social media specialist. The Battle Of Songs Fort Worth event will be rebranded Texas Gospel Music Show in 2026. The change is in response to feedback from attendees who expected,...
by David Bruce Murray | Jun 12, 2025 | Commentary & Observations, Music Business, Music Tech
You may remember that in Part 2 of this series on Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Gospel Music, I linked to an example of a song titled “Cheese Pizza Delight” that I generated in an app called Suno after entering just three words. That song demonstrated...
by James Hales | Jun 11, 2025 | LP Review, Reviews
For years, I had assumed “The Night Before Easter” was released in 1969, but thanks to Lucas Vaught, and a newspaper article in the Asheville Citizen-Times from February 22, 1970, it was confirmed that this album was recorded in early 1970 and released the following...
by David Bruce Murray | Jun 6, 2025 | News
NEWS NUGGETS Singing News TV announced a special program highlighting the 2025 Southern Gospel Music Association Hall Of Fame inductees. The program will air on June 30 at 7 PM EST for free to all viewers. The program will then be available on demand, but only for...
by James Hales | Jun 4, 2025 | LP Review, Reviews
Riding a newfound wave of success with “Jesus is Coming Soon”, the Inspirations released an outstanding follow-up album in 1969 with, “The Next Step You Take”. Things had become so busy for the group, that Martin Cook, who at this point was a Professor of Science at...
by Diana Brantley | Jun 3, 2025 | Concert Review, Major Concert Events
I had the absolute joy of being able to attend the Carolina Gold Gospelfest held at the Brushy Creek Baptist Church outside of Greenville, SC this past weekend. This is part of Gold City’s celebration of their 45th year of ministry and was sponsored by LifeFM with...
by David Bruce Murray | May 30, 2025 | News
NEWS NUGGETS During Family Fest in Gatlinburg, Tennessee last weekend, Wes Hampton was recognized for his 20 years singing tenor with the Gaither Vocal Band. Hampton’s tenure exceeds all former and current group members not named Gaither. RELEASED TODAY ...
by David Bruce Murray | May 29, 2025 | Commentary & Observations, Music Business, Music Tech
BACKGROUND For Part 4 of this series, I will offer commentary on the recent statement from several of Southern Gospel’s prominent song publishers. The four points from their statement are: 1. As publishers, we recognize our moral, legal, and spiritual obligation...
by James Hales | May 28, 2025 | LP Review, Reviews
After recording 6 albums within a 2-year span, the Inspirations slowed things down a bit, releasing only one album a year for the next couple of years. Released in 1968, “Jesus is Coming Soon” became a pivotal album for the Inspirations, as it brought the group to the...
