The Kingsmen – Shelter (1999)
As mentioned in my last article, the Kingsmen went through a few changes after the release of “You’re Not Alone” in 1997. First, Chris Collins got married and departed the group…enter Jerry Martin. I became familiar with Jerry back in the early 90’s when he was singing with the North Carolina based group, Lumber River. I first heard them at a concert with the Kingsmen and Inspirations in Fayetteville, NC and was thoroughly impressed with him and knew he’d be a Kingsmen tenor one day. In fact, after Garry Sheppard left the Kingsmen in 1993, it came down to Jerry and Chris for the position, but Jerry didn’t feel he was ready, so the job ultimately went to Chris Collins. Fast forward 5 years, and Jerry felt he was now ready, and the rest is history, and I was thrilled when he joined the group. After Jerry joined in 1998, Rory Rigdon decided to come off the road, and the Kingsmen hired a gentleman named Colby McLatchy to play bass, who remained with the Kingsmen for a little less than a year. After Colby left, the Kingsmen hired Jason Selph to play bass and sing, who joined right around the time of this recording. Fun fact…Jason and Jerry were both in Lumber River together.
With all the changes going on during 1998, the Kingsmen did not release a new mainline album that year, but instead, they did release a unique recording called, “The Old Time Way”, which featured classic quartet tunes done (as the title implies) the old-time way. Also, rather than follow the modern recording techniques of the day, they opted to have the band play and singers sing at the same time, taking as many times as it took to get the right take, with no overdubs and no stacks. This was Jerry’s first recording with the Kingsmen, and it was an outstanding release that is one of my favorite Kingsmen recordings.
As the calendar pushed onward to 1999, the Kingsmen released “Shelter”, which featured an unprecedented 14 songs and clocking in at almost 50 minutes, making this the longest studio recording the Kingsmen had recorded. During this time, most Southern Gospel artists were releasing 12-14 song recordings, and in fact, the last 2 Kingsmen recordings had 12 songs. “Shelter” featured a classy cover, with the cover shot taken at the Hendersonville Country Club in Hendersonville, NC. Once again produced by Jeff Collins and Greg Fox, they utilized the regular session players with Jeff Collins (piano/keyboards), Roger Fortner (guitar/bass), Tony Creaseman (drums/percussion) and David Johnson (utility player), as well as Randy Miller on harmonica and Milton Smith handling orchestrations, though once again no live strings or brass were used.
The recording kicks off with some nice guitar and piano work on the highly enjoyable, “I’ll Live Again”. The Kingsmen and Inspirations had recorded each other’s songs quite often over the years, and this was a song that the Inspirations originally recorded on their 1976 album, “On Heaven’s Bright Shore”. Interestingly, it was the writer, Ila Knight, who pitched this to the Kingsmen to record, as it had been over 20 years since the Inspirations recorded the song and it wasn’t a song in their current stage repertoire. The song enjoyed a wonderful revival, as it ended up being the first single from the recording, topping out at #5 in the August 1999 Singing News chart. This became an instant concert classic for the Kingsmen, and I particularly loved and enjoyed their performance of this song, especially in a live setting!
Slowing the pace down, we come to the warm, meditative feel of the Tim Lovelace penned title song, “Shelter”, featuring nice piano, mandolin and fiddle embellishments. The song features Ray and Parker on the first verse, Bryan on the second verse, with Jerry and Parker harmonizing with Bryan on the second half of the verse, and it’s such a soothing song calling for the weary soul that “it’s time to go home”. I also loved the partial inclusion of the Dottie Rambo classic, “Sheltered in the Arms of God” on the bridge, which I think really added tremendously to the song, before the tempo picks up slightly as Parker is featured on the Mark Bishop penned, “What I Found at the Altar”. Musically, this song was unique for the Kingsmen, as it had a free flowing 12/8 meter and was very different for the Kingsmen, but it’s a highlight of the recording. In fact, in an unusual move (as most recordings only released 2 songs from a recording) the record company released this as the third single, and the song topped out at #10 in the July 2000 Singing News chart.
One of my personal favorite songs is the driving tune, “Somebody Run”. Written by Sandy Knight, this song was a little different for the Kingsmen, but I always felt it would have been an excellent radio song. Bryan does a superb job executing the song, as well as on the light, jazz infused tune, “That’s When He Becomes So Real”, which was another song written by Mark Bishop. This was such a classy number, and the Kingsmen did an outstanding job on the song, before the tempo jumps into high gear for the LeeRoy Abernathy penned tune, “Meet Me Up in Heaven Someday”. Recorded by the Statesmen on their 1965 album, “Golden Gospel Songs”, the Kingsmen do a great job on this highly invigorating tune and was one that seemed to go over exceptionally well in concert.
Building off the success of the song, “You’re Not Alone”, newest member, Jerry Martin, does a great job on the Steve Chaney/Sheldon Wade Mencer penned, “Sweet Peace”. Originally recorded a year earlier by the Nelons on their 1998 recording, “Peace Within the Walls”, this became the second single release for the Kingsmen from this recording, cresting at #10 in the Singing News chart for February 2000.
Keeping things in slow mode, Ray kicks off the poignant, “Missing Children”, with a spoken part before Bryan tackles the verses. Written by Squire Parsons, this thought-provoking song was inspired by the national dilemma of missing children and runaways, and the song parallels the love and sadness parents feel searching for their missing children, with that of the love and sadness Christ feels searching for the missing children in God’s family. I first heard the song several years earlier on Squire’s 1985 solo album, “Wind, Rain and Fire”, and always thought it was a unique inclusion for this latest recording by the Kingsmen. In an effort to reach a larger audience with the message of the song, the Kingsmen recorded a very moving concept video, which you can see on You Tube.
The tempo is kicked into high gear with the Jeff Weeks penned, “I’m Gonna Rise”. Featuring Ray, this song has that classic Kingsmen feel and is a highly enjoyable number, before Jerry shows off his chops on another Squire Parsons penned tune, “Way Down Inside of Me”, which Squire originally recorded with his group, Squire Parsons & Redeemed, on their 1985 album, “Keep the Fires Burning”. With Randy Miller harping on the harmonica and featuring some nice modern harmony, it’s a delightful gem before Bryan tackles the dramatic feel of another Squire Parsons penned tune entitled, “The Blessed Hill”. With the feel of a modern hymn, the song builds with intensity to its final crescendo and is a highlight of the recording.
One of the most enjoyable tunes is found in the exciting quartet feel of yet another Squire Parsons penned song, “I Shall Dwell in the House of the Lord”. With Parker taking the lead at the start, as the song ramps up with intensity, Bryan takes over the lead. With its fake ending, it’s an exciting tune that went over exceptionally well in concert, and in fact, this was one of Bryan’s favorite songs to sing while he was with the Kingsmen.
Slowing things back down, Jerry tackles the beautiful ballad, “More Than a Dream”, which was written by Bill Schell and features some cool harmony on the second verse. This was a song Jerry recorded during his Lumber River days and he pitched it to the Kingsmen to record, and it was a wonderful inclusion for this recording, before Randy Miller closes it down with the soulful feel of the Squire Parsons penned, “I Believe I’ll Go On”.
The Kingsmen enjoyed great success with “Shelter”, boasting 3 single releases, which was a bit unusual at that time, ultimately enjoying a top 5 hit and 2 top 10 songs between the 3 tunes. “Shelter” was a nice blend of traditional and non-traditional sounds, but still with an overarching traditional vibe. Comparing “Shelter” with their 1997 recording, “You’re Not Alone”, we find the Kingsmen went back to a more traditional quartet feel and a style that was a bit more “Kingsmen”. That is not to say there wasn’t some out of the box thinking with “Shelter”, as there were songs that didn’t quite fit the classic Kingsmen mold.
Later in 1999, the Kingsmen recorded a unique live recording, paying homage to their iconic 1973 live album, “Big & Live”. Titled, “Not Quite as Big, But Just as Live”, this was recorded at Gold City’s homecoming event in Gadsden, Alabama in July 1999 in the very building the original was recorded. In my conversation with Ray Reece, his biggest memory of recording the original “Big & Live” was that although it was recorded in November 1973, he recalls how unbelievably hot it was in the auditorium that night. Fast forward 26 years to July 1999, picture it… it was in the middle of summer and there was no AC, and it was instant déjà vu! The place was packed with a standing room only crowd, and it was 90+ degrees in the building. Bryan said that he sweat so badly, that the tie he wore that night had bled onto his white shirt! The recording was originally planned to be a national release, but ultimately, the record company wasn’t interested in releasing it, and the Kingsmen released it as an independent project that was sold only at their concerts. There was only 1 pressing, so finding a copy of this recording is very rare. Jim Hamill made an appearance, reviving his classic song, “Love Lifted Me”, before once again closing it out with the exciting anthem, “I’d Rather Be an Old Time Christian”. It’s an exciting live recording, recalling the glory days of live albums and it ranks as one of my favorite Kingsmen recordings.
As I close, let me share this memory…I saw the Kingsmen in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee during one of the Gospel Music Television tapings at the Convention Center in August 1999. My wife and I attended the event for vacation, as I had just recovered from 3 major surgeries between December 1998 and May 1999. I hadn’t seen the Kingsmen since Jerry joined the group, and I was especially excited to see them perform. They were everything I needed them to be at that time in my life….it was exhilarating and was such a refreshing time for me to see them sing. They closed their set with “I’ll Live Again”, and with the crowd on their feet for the encore, Ray jumps off the stage and stands on a chair in front of the crowd, and it was such an electrifying performance. Seeing the Kingsmen that day was more medicine for me than anything else could have been, and it’s one of my favorite memories of the Kingsmen. The Kingsmen were “the stuff” that day, as they gave me and everyone else in attendance a schooling in how to deliver the goods! Thank you Kingsmen for being the medicine I needed and bringing such joy into a life that truly needed it!
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