Four Part Harmony

Four part harmony is the sweetest sound on this earth to me. Many people like the accapella sound of a barbershop quartet or the earthy blend of a folk singing group but I have always loved blended harmony. I learned to sing by joining in with the Brothers Four or The Limelighters in the early sixties. Folk groups were the rage then and many of their songs rose to the top of the charts, Trios like the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary also blended great harmonies like “Tom Dooley” and “Puff the Magic Dragon” which became number one hits. Folk singing didn’t last long as pop music, but the times were turbulent, and acoustic music seemed to fit the poignant ballads that sprang from that era. I learned to love the melodious blending and still do to this day. Some of the singers from the era wore wild flamboyant clothes with headbands and ribbons holding their long hair in place. The Brothers Four and the Limelighters were just regular guys with regular outfits and short haircuts that resonated with middle-America. In terms of the day, they were “squares” like me and I loved their sound.

   Being in a Baptist Church all my life and being a Christian since a child, I didn’t tune in to the changing sounds of the counter revolution and it’s anti-war challenges to society. With all of the chaos of the sixties raging around me, I found peace and contentment in listening to Southern Gospel Quartet music. I first heard them on the radio on Sunday mornings and then with the proliferation of gospel music on TV, I learned to admire the pure four part harmonies of all the leading quartet groups. The Statesmen Quartet with Rosie Rozzele, Doy Ott, Jake Hess and “Big Chief” Weatherington are my absolute all-time favorite Southern Gospel Quartet. Their blended voices produced a euphoric affect on the palate of your ear drums. Duets, Trios and Solos were expertly coalesced into heartfelt melodies of perfect fusion by their outstanding pianist Hovie Lister. Every great quartet had a great pianist.

   And then, of course, The Gaither Trio rocketed into the leading role of songwriters, and the smoothest concoction of harmony that has ever existed. By the seventies, they had climbed to the top of the charts with both of their lyrical talents and Bill’s beautiful tunes to match. Eventually they evolved into an all male Southern Gospel quartet group called the Gaither Vocal Band. Through the years, they have produced some of the best gospel songs ever recorded. 
  It was the early seventies when I fell into an opportunity to sing in a Gospel quartet. In our church I was a fair baritone in the choir and I had previous experience in leading the high school band in my senior year as drum major. If nothing else, I sang loud and I could read music, which was more than many in the choir could do. In any case, I was given the opportunity to sing with a mixed group and proved my abilities to blend in a decent harmony when called upon. A few years later I was asked to join an all-male quartet in our church. The lead singer, Billy, developed a severe problem with his vocal chords and resigned from both the quartet and as music minister of the church. I was asked by my pastor, Brother Jack Slater, to lead the music ministry in my church. I do love to sing and I did enjoy singing with a quartet, so I accepted the position along with my full-time job. By this time I had gained confidence and eventually developed into a fair music director with increased experience.I didn’t have that outstanding range required to be a strong lead singer, but my medium baritone range was adequate to carry a tune and lead others with my musical background.

   Quartets aren’t born, they emerge or metamorphosis from out of trial and error. Someone says, “Why don’t you and SO-In-SO sing together” or you hear a blend from a duet in the choir, or you listen to a beautiful soloist and think, “They would really sound good in a quartet”. By trial and much error, you finally put together a group whose voices and personalities blend in decent harmony. Chessene could sing in two ranges, a women’s alto and then she could “switch gears” into an operatic soprano up to a high “C”. She could also play a piano beautifully. We invited her to replace our lead singer and discovered a decent four part harmony that was pleasing to the palate. Tony sang tenor and lead, I sang baritone and lower lead parts, Delmar sang bass and Chessene sang “whatever she wanted to” which included lead, alto and high soprano. All in our thirties, we had a wonderful respect for each others talents. Each of us had limitations, but we helped each other to learn the right part or swap the wrong part with someone who was struggling. I think our unselfishness was why God blessed our efforts. It didn’t hurt that we had a six-foot-six piano player that could play the enamel off of the ivorys. Galen was classically trained, but had developed extraordinary ability to play convention style southern gospel music. Seldom was a key untouched on the board after he finished playing a song, and sometimes it seemed that he was playing all of them at once. And somehow God reached down and touched all of us so that others could be touched by the songs we sang.

   Soon we were singing every Sunday night and we even began singing special concert nights at our church. Word got out among our pastor’s association and we branched out to sing at revivals and tent revivals. Seldom were we paid, but when we did receive a gift, we plowed it back into equipment or clothing for the group. We sang at an outdoor meeting in a small country church for three or four consecutive nights and weren’t paid a dime, but another time we sang at a special anniversary service for a church and were paid $200 for a single performance. We practiced every week and added more Gaither songs to our repertoire. We added a drummer and a bass guitar player and even an electric guitarist for a short time. These produced some of our more memorable performances.

   We were invited to an all-black church of a dear friend of mine to sing on one of their revival nights. The church was packed and the fold came to worship that night. We set up prior to the regular service and then were treated to a song service unlike any we had ever attended. Black rhythm has a different rhythm than white rhythm. As they sang traditional hymns, I had difficulty staying in rhythm, even though they were songs I had sung all my life. I felt like I was a half-beat off on every song and I had almost grasped where I was supposed to be singing just as the service ended. We were introduced and got up to sing on a very small platform with our drummer on a platform down below us. Our all-white quartet and families, with a white drummer and piano player were the only Caucasians in the building. We sang a medium rhythm song to start and the crowd joined in clapping with us. Then we stepped up the tempo to a fast beat with our second song and the place was fairly rocking. At the high point of the chorus when everyone was clapping their hands and really into the spirit, our drummer reached over and slam-dunked his ‘high-hat’ cymbal to emphasize the beat. Unfortunately, he had not screwed down the 30” cymbal and it lifted off of the drum set and went sailing off of the platform like a flying saucer and came to loud crash directly in front of the front row pew. I can still hear it rim-a-rim-a-rim-a-rim-a-rimming as it spun to a slow death in front of our faces. When the screams died out we looked down and could see only the whites of the eyes of an entire row of terrified ladies. Magically their faces transformed into wide smiles and amid a sea of laughter, we continued the song. I think we all got more than we bargained for that night. A white-haired old black pastor slowly eased over after we sang and with three deacons sitting behind him, preached an unforgettable message about the “salt of the earth”. I’ll never forget it and I’m sure most of them will never forget us either.

   I don’t know if I ever enjoyed anything more than singing in a gospel quartet. We were mediocre at best, but God used us so many times to touch people’s hearts and lives. Our little group became like extended family to each other and we shared each others pains and joys. We often attended gospel quartet “singings” together where we listened to the real masters of quartet singing and heard new songs for us to try out. We heard the Blackwood Brothers, The Cathedrals, The Inspirations and of course The Happy Goodmans. Rusty Goodman was my hero and Chessene could sing like Vestal (Including her trademark white hanky), so we really enjoyed their singing. I still sing Rusty Goodman songs in my head and in the shower.

   My family grew to four children by the time we reached our best years and they provided some of my fondest memories of the times. When my youngest son, Darren was 3-4 years old, he was my biggest fan. One Sunday evening, his mother let him sit near the back in the ‘big’ church so he could hear his Daddy sing. We began a song that he really liked and I stepped forward as I started singing a solo part. From the podium, we all saw it happen simultaneously as he bolted from his Mother’s grasp and ran headlong down the aisle. His eyes were bright and he was giggling and smiling from ear to ear as he plunged straight toward me. I stopped singing and burst out laughing as he ran up the steps and thrust himself into my arms. I grabbed him up and introduced him as I gave him a big hug and a kiss. There’s nothing sweeter than receiving the full love and trust from your child and I still feel it today.

   Over the years, we sang at church services, funerals, revivals, tent meetings, anniversaries, open air meetings and one time we even sang at a fireman’s benefit event. It was probably the biggest crowd we ever played before with a couple of thousand people in attendance. After the bluegrass and the country singers performed, we got up and probably put on one of our best ever performances to this mixed crowd. We started out with “I’m in love with my Savior and He’s in love with me.” And we ended with a cranked up bluesy rendition of “I’ll Meet you in the Morning”. (A good friend of mine told me that the last time he heard it sung was at his Mother’s funeral and after he heard our version, he never wanted to hear it again- we had ruined it for him ) We received a loud burst of applause and it made us feel like all the effort was worth it. But the real joy came when a little kid came up to me after the show and said, “You sound just like Andy Williams”. Realizing immediately that he must have been tone deaf, I thanked him and then I made sure that everyone else in the group knew what he said. We didn’t do it for the compliments, we did it because we loved singing and we prayed God would use us in his work.

   Galen moved on to another city and we thought we were busted, until Jane came along and she proved to be another marvelous southern gospel piano player. She had the classical training but the extra added gift of ‘playing by ear’. This meant that you could tell her to play in a lower or higher key and there was no hesitation as she transitioned immediately to the more comfortable range for us to sing in. She played with us for another few years and we played many more concerts. When my Dad died, the group accompanied me to his funeral out of town and Chessene sang the Sandy Patti version of “We Shall Behold Him”. If I never got around to it, “Thank You Chessene”, you blessed me that day. The whole group was a great comfort to me and I really appreciated their presence at that time. Shortly after that I received notice that I was being transferred out of state on my job. This effectively ended the quartet, as I was the recognized leader, but by no means the most talented of our group. Delmar and Tony and Chessene still went to the same church, but never put another group together. Our lives were pulling us apart and within another year Tony would take his own life out of desperation and failure. His marriage had failed and he was severely depressed over the custody of his daughter. He was a talented singer, a faithful servant, a loving father and a good friend.

   But we had ten years of memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I lived a dream of making four part harmony with a bunch of gifted folks who sacrificed an immense amount of time and energy to make it happen. I’ve sung hundreds of songs before hundreds of people and my only hope is that somehow and somewhere, someone heard that special blend of harmony and it lifted their spirits. I trust that it made them feel better about life and they felt the hope that only God can put down in your soul. I was truly blessed to be a part of that group but I never was able to put another group together at that level. Eventually talent erodes without practice and though your heart is still there, your voice just isn’t. I can’t get into modern ‘Praise and Worship” songs, there is no music to read and there are no parts to follow. And though I join in and sing the praise choruses, I really prefer four part harmony.

   Today’s Southern Gospel music is a mixture of the old and the new, as it should be. The Gaither Vocal Band, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, The Isaacs, The Crabb Family, Bryan Free and Assurance, The Booth Brothers, The Talleys and many more carry on the tradition and are creating new sounds that all incorporate the basic principals of blended harmony. I still love to hear the old songs, but it thrills me that a new generation is out there making new sounds and writing new lyrics that will capture our hearts and touch us deep within our souls. Four part harmony is still the sweetest sound on earth to me. It soothes my soul and eases the burdens of the day, it lifts my spirits and carries me to a place of inner peace and, oh yes, pure joy.

   When I close my eyes, I can still hear ‘The Revelations’ singing.

 

SOMEBODY LOVES ME

I’m in love with my Savior and He’s in love with me,

He is with me from day to day, what a friend is He,

Watches over me when I sleep, Hears me when I pray.

I’m as happy as I can be, and I can say

Somebody loves me, answers my prayer

I love somebody, I know he cares

Somebody tells me not to repine

That somebody is Jesus and, I know He’s mine

TOURING THAT CITY

Some morning you’ll find me touring that city

Where the Son of God is the light

You’ll find me there on those streets so pretty

Made of gold so pure and so bright

With Jesus the one who gave me the victory

Who led me across the divide

Some morning you’ll find me touring that city

Where with Him I will ever abide

I’LL MEET YOU IN THE MORNING

I'll meet you in the morning by the bright riverside
When all sorrow has drifted away
I'll be standin' at the portals when the gates open wide
At the close of life's long weary day

I'll meet you in the morning with a how do you do
And we'll sit down by the river and when all the rapture is renewed
You'll know me in the morning by the smile that I wear
When I meet you in the morning In the city that is built four square

THE FAMILY OF GOD

You will notice we say "brother and sister" 'round here,

It's because we're a family and these folks are so near;

When one has a heartache, we all share the tears,

And rejoice in each victory in this family so dear.

I'm so glad I'm a part of the Family of God,

I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His Blood!

Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod,

For I'm part of the family,

From the door of an orphanage to the house of the King,

No longer an outcast, a new song I sing;

From rags unto riches, from the weak to the strong,

I'm not worthy to be here, but PRAISE GOD! I belong!

Chessene at the top and Tony in the middle

Jack and Doris Slater

Me in the red shirt, Tony sitting behind me, and Delmar on the right