Day 1 2010

Busy first day! After a very long breakfast line (picture about 600 guys here for football camp ahead of about 150 gospel singing people age 8-86!) which culminated in a Hardee's run, the school officially kicked off with devotions and class assignments.

My class this year has 13 students, age range about 15 - 23. Most of them have some basic music theory, so we spent the first morning session reviewing intervals, major scales and shape notes.

Following the 2 hour theory session in the morning, we had our first group singing. What a glorious sound! Just about as close to heaven as you can get! Tom Powell (Dad Speer's eldest grandson) is the conductor and can get amazing sounds out of the 150 voice choir. A lot of the songs we'll be singing this year are Harold Lane classics. Harold sang and arranged for the Speer Family for about 25 years and published the Ben Speer Music songbook for about 15 years. Songs like "The Next Time He Comes," "What Sins Are You Talking About?" and many more.

After lunch (with a much shorter line!) it was back to theory class for some more interval identification, melodic dictation and sight singing (the students are learning what a music theory nerd I am!)

Allison Durham Speer teaches performance training at the school and does a fantastic job getting singers to really communicate the message they're sharing. She's such an encouragement and the perfect fit for that seminar.

More group singing ended the evening after dinner. I was able to sit by Mary Tom Speer Reid and hear her still crank out some great harmonies. About 6 chairs down was Rosa Nell Speer Powell, outsinging the whole alto section. Amazing! Group Singing is one of my favorite parts of singing school.

Performance opportunities will begin in a few minutes. This gives students the opportunity to perform for others and also will allow them to be considered for auditions for the closing program.

We miss many of our friends who cannot be with us this year: Allison Lynn (former staff member) has returned to Canada, Brandon Andrews, Becca Matlock, Jordan James and so many others. Perhaps we miss Tinker Hinson the most of all. He was the most humble, servant-hearted individual here at the school and kept us in tears from laughing so hard. He unexpectedly passed away earlier this year on his farm. He's got a front row seat for group singing this year!

Stamps-Baxter School of Music 2010

Up at 3:30 am to catch a 6:00 flight out of Peoria on Saturday morning. Barely made the connecting flight in Chicago and arrived in Nashville around 8:30am. Spent the rest of the day getting ready, meeting some new people and renewing my Stamps-Baxter family friendships.

Registration begins at 11:00am this morning, and there's an excitement in the air! From the Facebook updates I've been reading, a lot of gospel talent is going to be converging on Murfreesboro very soon!

My first year attending Stamps-Baxter was in 1998 and I attended for 3 years. We were at Belmont then, and it was there I met many of my gospel heroes and made some friendships that still exist today. I just visited the school for a few days from 2001-2003, but made plans for 2004 to be my final year. Anne and I were expecting our first daughter later that fall, so I figured this would be my last hurrah. God had different plans...

Three days into the 2004 school, I became a theory teacher and have been teaching ever since. It has been a joy teaching "up and coming" gospel musicians these past 7 years. Seeing how God has transformed these kids into fine young Christians and musicians is exciting and I am humbled to be a small part of their gospel music education.

Won't know until tomorrow morning who is in my class and how many there'll be. Each student will take a theory placement test upon their arrival and they'll be divided into about 10 different class levels. In the past, I've usually had high school/early college age who have had some music theory.

Each year is a new adventure! Can't wait for it to begin...

Summertime GospelFest poster

Summertime GospelFest tickets

Tickets will be available for the 12th annual Summertime GospelFest beginning Monday, May 17th! They'll be on sale at Hoerr's Berean Bookstores in central Illinois, the Grace Evangelical Church office in Morton, and through our website, www.gospelfestministries.com.

This annual event will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the southern gospel quartet, featuring some songs out of the 1910 James D. Vaughan songbook, "Voices for Jesus." This was the book the first quartet sang out of when they were put on the road to promote and sell the Vaughan books, thus establishing the southern gospel male quartet!

Plan on joining us! More information is available at www.gospelfestministries.com!

Summertime GospelFest rehearsals

Rehearsals will be beginning for our 12th annual Summertime GospelFest on Wednesday, April 28th at 7:30pm. Join your voice with ours as we sing some great southern gospel favorites with folks from all over central Illinois! We'll rehearse Wednesday evenings in the choir room at Grace Church in Morton, IL. Concert will be Friday, June 25th at the church. E-mail me for more information--shawn@gospelfestministries.com. Hope to see you on April 28th!

WBNH Share 2010

This Saturday, March 27th, from 10:00am til 11:00am, I'll be on WBNH's Share 2010! This is the radio station on which we started airing the GospelFest Hour back in April of 2006. In central Illinois, you can listen on 88.5FM in Peoria and 100.1FM in Bloomington. Outside the listening area, you can tune in (and watch!) at www.wbnh.org. It's so important to support our local Christian radio stations!

An Evening with Fanny Crosby

We had a great time this past Saturday presenting "An Evening With Fanny Crosby" for winter banquet at Morton United Methodist Church! There was a sweet spirit in the audience of about 150 or 200 people as we recounted this marvelous woman's journey of faith through her hymn writing.

If you'd like to share this program with your congregation or other group, please contact us. We'd love to come share the "Blessed Assurance" that Fanny Crosby had through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Help for Haiti

We've all seen the tragedy continuing to unfold after the recent earthquake in Haiti. In response, 50% of all gifts given to GospelFest ministries via our website between January 15 and February 15 will go directly to Samaritan's Purse's relief efforts in Haiti. These folks are on the front lines "being Christ" to our suffering brothers and sisters. Would you consider making a donation? All gifts are tax deductible and can be made at www.gospelfestministries.com. Just click on the "Support" link. Thank you so much. Even if not through GospelFest Ministries, please consider giving to other worthy organizations that are assisting!

Merry Christmas

Christmastime GospelFest was last week and it was a huge success! So thankful for a wonderful evening. It was also our first night offering our new "GospelFest Goodies" Christmas cookbook. Full of favorite Christmas treats from the GospelFest Singers, it also includes recipes from some of southern gospel's top personalities, including Wes Hampton from the Gaither Vocal Band, Doug Anderson from Signature Sound, members of the Speer Family, Rodney Griffin from Greater Vision and Judy Nelon. This cookbook is available for $5 (plus $2 shipping) through our PayPal account (shawn@gospelfestministries.com). It will soon be available on the webstore as well.

I hope you all have a very merry Christmas!

Letter from Listener

I received a letter in the mail from a 34 year old gentleman that listens to "The GospelFest Hour" in Indiana. He'd been raised in a Christian home and thought he had everybody "fooled," until he landed in prison in 2003. He has 2 more years to go until he's released, but since his incarceration, he's totally given his life over to the Lord. He wanted to let me know what an encouragement "The GospelFest Hour" has been to him. He has to stand on his bed and hold up his headphones near the window to get good reception. He said it's a bit awkward, but worth it. After his release in 2 years, he knows it'll be a rough road, but is excited that God is now in control of his life and looks forward to what He'll do in his life.

What an encouragement that letter was to me! To know that the program is ministering to at least one person is such a blessing to me. That is why we do what we do: to encourage folks and to exalt the name of the Lord!

Christmastime Tickets

Christmastime GospelFest 2009 is quickly approaching! This year's concert will be Friday, December 11th at the Caterpillar Performing Arts Center at Five Points Washington in Washington, IL. Concert begins at 7:00pm.

Tickets for this year's Christmastime GospelFest will soon be available! Group sales begin Monday, October 19 and regular ticket sales begin Monday, November 2. Group rates are as follows: 15-24 tickets are $12 each; 25 or more are $10 each. Regular tickets are $15 advance and $18 at the door. Children age 5 to 12 are $7; and 4 and under are free!

Consider bringing a group (Sunday school class, office staff, etc.) for this unforgettable Branson-style evening of Christmas music. Tickets will be available by calling the ministry office at 309.472.0027, at the Five Points Washington front desk. You can send in a check made out to "GospelFest Ministries" to 1336 Honeysuckle Ln., Metamora, IL 61548. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Hope to see you there!

Christmastime GospelFest 09

Preparations are officially underway for our 5th annual "Christmastime GospelFest." This holiday favorite will be held December 11th at the Five Points Washington community center in Washington, IL. Tickets will go on sale Monday, November 2, so put the date on your calendar. We've lots of exciting things planned for this year's event, so stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks!

Stamps-Baxter Wrap-Up

Well, as always, the two weeks just flew by. Had a great time with friends both old and new in Murfreesboro this year. A highlight was having Tom Powell back to direct the group singing sessions. Tom is Rosa Nell Speer Powell's son and the oldest grandson of G. T. "Dad" Speer. Singing many of those Speer Family classics with Tom directing is like a little taste of heaven. 

Several groups came to give concerts to the student body, including the Perrys, Mike & Kelly Bowling, Priority Quartet (formerly the Mike LeFevre Quartet), Chuck Wagon Gang, Stephen Hill and Greater Vision. I had never heard the Perrys or Greater Vision live before, so that was an extra special treat.

My class consisted of mostly 16 and 17 year olds that had a basic knowledge of music theory. We took that and built upon it, reviewing scales, intervals and key signatures and by the end of the two weeks, we were working on 4-part writing. They were a great group of kids and were eager to learn all they could.

Performance Training with Allison Durham Speer was always a treat--she is an excellent communicator and knows how to get the most out of a singer. Looking forward again to working on her "Elijah Conference" this fall.

Perhaps the best times are the "off-hours" times after we've finished for the day. It wasn't uncommon to find a group of us at Steak-n-Shake or Sonic around 11:00pm after the concerts were over. Hearing Ben Speer tell stories and jokes from his experiences on the road is priceless!

Allison Speer asked me to help her plan out the closing program and we had a lot of fun doing that. We recognized Harold Lane, former member of the Speer Family, who is being inducted into the SGMA Hall of Fame this fall, by playing a recording of his song "I'm Standing on the Solid Rock." Tom Powell had decided to close the concert with Dad Speer's incomparable "He is Mine and I Am His," which always moves me to tears. Prior to that song, we decided to incorporate some audio of Dad Speer giving his testimony at the National Quartet Convention in 1958--the year he received a special certificate honoring 50 years in gospel music. It worked beautifully with the hymn and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. As a special ending, Ben, Faye, Mary Tom and Rosa Nell concluded the program with "Didn't It Rain," always a crowd pleaser.

All 3 of my girls were excited for me to be home and I was very glad to see them--a short two weeks for me wasn't quite as short for Anne, who is a single mom for these two weeks. I so appreciate her willingness to let me go and do this every year!

Stamps-Baxter Update 1

It's been a great 3 days so far. The school's schedule is always full and tiring, but so worth it! Tuesday night we were treated to a concert from the Perrys...fantastic! They are doing everything right and it was great to hear them live. I've heard them at NQC, but never at a full concert. Last night was Mike & Kelly Bowling--another great concert!

My class is going very well. I've got 11 students, mostly sophomores & juniors in high school and they seem eager to learn. They can all read music and know their scales & chords, but we're focusing on getting them to a place where they don't need to think about what a ii7 chord in the key of Ab is...any takers? One of my students actually ENJOYS the ear-training exercises...writing out a melody after hearing it, identifying chords by listening to them. I hated that part of my collegiate experience.

Group singing has been phenomenal. With Tom Powell back, Tracey is playing better than ever and we're not only doing some new songs, but we're also working on some old favorites, including many Dad Speer songs like "He is Mine and I Am His" and "When I Kneel to Pray." A glorious experience each time...I struggle with wanting to sing and wanting to sit out and just listen...but I choose to sing. This music is definitely participatory in nature and I think you can enjoy it more fully when you're totally engaged in it.

Two more days, then we can sleep in! Looking forward to that!

Stamps-Baxter School of Music

After a great vacation in northern Wisconsin last week, I arrived in Murfreesboro Saturday to get ready for Ben Speer's Stamps-Baxter School of Music. Registration began Sunday and it was great seeing old friends--many of whom are like family after so many years.

This morning I received my class roster--11 students--and we had a great first day focusing on intervals and scales...and of course shape notes!

Tom Powell has returned this year to head up the academics as well as lead group singing. It was wonderful having him back at the podium. If you've never sat in or heard a large group singing these wonderful convention songs, you're missing out! Many students and staff will be posting updates, so be sure to keep your eye out.

Tomorrow is another busy day that will culminate with a concert by the Perrys in the evening!

Come and Gone

The 11th Annual Summertime GospelFest was this past weekend...what fun! Although it was a smaller than usual crowd (probably around 500 people), we had a wonderful evening celebrating God's goodness and looking forward to heaven! The choir sounded great as did the GospelFest Singers. We also got several inquiries to come and sing at other churches in the area which is very exciting.

Now looking forward to a week's vacation in Wisconsin before heading south for my 6th year teaching at the Stamps-Baxter School of Music! I teach music theory, sight-singing and ear-training and am one of 1o different levels. A great time to connect with other folks who eat, sleep and breathe southern gospel music like I do. (www.stampsbaxterschool.com)

GospelFest Hour now International!

We've been so blessed by the stations deciding to air the "GospelFest Hour" and have some great news...in addition to stations in 25 states airing the program, there are now 3 in Canada and 1 in Zambia, Africa! It's just amazing to think that God's word is being shared in this program not only in the United States, but on the "other side of the pond" as well. God is so good!

For a complete station listing, visit www.gospelfestministries.com/ministries/radio.

Eva Mae LeFevre

We lost one of the true pioneers of southern gospel music recently...Eva Mae LeFevre went home to be with the Lord on May 18, 2009, at the age of 91. She had been in failing health this past year and had been in and out of the hospital and nursing home.

I met Eva Mae in September 1997 during my first visit to the National Quartet Convention. She was one of the first "celebrities" I'd met and I spoke with her for a few minutes. What a funny lady! One thing I most remember was her signature laugh. A few days after returning from the NQC, I was working on a paper in college on southern gospel music and thought I'd try calling my new friend and seeing about doing an interview. I left a message on the phone number I found, and didn't expect to hear back. How surprised I was to return home the next day and hear that "some woman named Eva Mae had called!" I called back and we talked for probably a half-hour about her involvement in southern gospel music. She was so generous and encouraging...that conversation is something I'll always treasure.

Eva Mae began playing piano and singing at a very young age (as most pastor's daughters of that day did!). She was only 8 when she met her future husband, Urias LeFevre, and his brother, Alphus. Urias & Eva Mae were married when Eva Mae was 16, and thus began the LeFevre Trio. She was known for her great alto voice and her fantastic piano playing. Just listening to a few measures, you'd know it was her playing the piano.

Rex Nelon was an important part of the LeFevres as their bass singer. After Urias & Alphus retired in the mid 1970's, the group became the Rex Nelon Singers. After her retirement, Eva Mae continued singing by herself, even up to shortly before her death.

The very first Homecoming video featured Eva Mae on the piano, with many gospel singers calling out song after song. She was a very important part of southern gospel music's history and we are forever grateful.

Thank you, Eva Mae!

Mosie Lister

This week's "GospelFest Hour" showcases the songs of the great Mosie Lister! On any given recording, at any given concert, chances are a Mosie Lister song will be heard. Mosie was born in Cochran, GA and became a student of Dad Speer's while studying at the 1939 James D. Vaughan School of Music in Lawrenceburg, TN. He was an original member of the Sunny South Quartet prior to WWII. After returning from the war, he formed the Melody Masters Quartet with Jim "Big Chief" Wetherington, Alvin Tootle, Lee Kitches and Wally Varner. Despite similar last names, he is no relation to the founder of the Statesmen, Hovie Lister. He and Hovie were friends, and Mosie was hired as the original baritone for the Statesmen. Mosie later left the group as a singer, but continued with them as an arranger. 

All the while, Mosie focused on his songwriting. Despite a wide range of styles, all of his songs are Bible-inspired and evangelical in nature. He formed the Mosie Lister Publishing Company in 1953. That company merged with Lillenas publishing in 1969. Today, Mosie continues to write and arrange for Lillenas.

With the recent passing of Eva Mae LeFevre, I'm reminded of a story of one of Mosie's classics. The song "I'm Feelin' Fine" was written as a slow ballad and was offered to the LeFevres to record. They had a different idea for the song and recorded it as an upbeat convention song. At first, Mosie wasn't too sure about this new tempo, but history has proven it to be one of his most popular songs.

It's hard to choose the "best of" from a catalog as vast as Mosie Lister's, but there are songs that always rise to the top. In this week's "GospelFest Hour," we'll hear some of the best, including "How Long Has It Been?," "Goodby, World, Goodby," "Then I Met the Master," "His Hand in Mine," "I'm Feelin' Fine," and "Where No One Stands Alone." 

Please let me know what other writers, singers or groups you'd like to be featured on the "GospelFest Hour." I'd love to hear your ideas! Check out the new website at www.gospelfestministries.com.

Until next time...

new website

The new GospelFest Ministries website will be launching shortly after Memorial Day! Be sure to check it out: www.gospelfestministries.com, and be sure to sign up for our monthly e-newsletter!