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 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 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 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...
by James Hales | May 21, 2025 | LP Review, Reviews
By 1967, the Inspirations’ sound and style was taking shape very nicely…Archie’s voice was getting stronger, and he was giving the Inspirations an exceptional high end. Also, Ronnie had a unique style of singing, and he had developed a distinctive timbre or “cut” to...
by James Hales | May 14, 2025 | LP Review, Reviews
I hope everyone enjoyed the last series on the Talleys. As we move on to our next group, we’ll tackle a more traditional group as we talk about the music of the Inspirations. I don’t remember ever NOT hearing their music, as I grew up watching them on the Gospel...
