The Gospel Truth

Jun

2010

We Need A Little “Show Biz”?

“SHOW BIZ” is an abbreviation for “SHOW BUSINESS.” The term was first used in the 1945 edition of Variety Magazine and caught on as a trendy way to describe Show Business.

“Show Biz” is defined as the entertainment industry. It includes Performing Arts, Theatre, Films, Television, Radio, and Concerts, all of which are designed to entertain us.

Generally speaking, show biz personalities stand apart from the average citizen by virtue of their extraordinarily good looks or exceptional talent, or a combination of both.

Entertainers understand a very simple principle - people want to be entertained and if you fail to entertain them you will be among them.

There was a time when the Southern Gospel Music Industry understood this principle, but not any longer.

Gospel groups used to dress like, look like, act like, and sound like real entertainers, but not any longer.

We no longer have concerts that are entertainment; we have concerts that are church.

SGM has so much more to offer. In my view, it is one of the best ways to reach non-believers with the gospel. Mark 16:15 And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

So if our commission is to GO OUT and bring them in, how will we be effective in our mission if we have concerts that are only attended by churchgoers and are presented in an auditorium instead of a church?

There is no one, no one, who believes more than I do in the message of Southern Gospel songs as a tool for ministry. I have seen lives changed through the anointed delivery of Gospel Music. So I want to be clear about what I’m trying to say, or perhaps what I am not trying to say.

I am not saying that there is anything wrong with SGM artists ministering. I am not saying that we should abandon the ministry side of SGM. I am not saying that SGM is entertainment and not ministry (do not want to go there). I am not saying that artists who are more geared for entertainment are better (or worse) than artists who are in it for ministry.

However, there is entertainment value in SGM, and I have also seen lives changed in concerts where SGM was used as a form of entertainment.

Using a hammer is great until you have to cut a piece of wood, then you have to switch to a saw.

Just because some artists choose to use the tool of SGM as ministry doesn’t mean that we can’t have other artists using the tool of entertainment.

The folks, who don’t attend church, the ones we are trying to reach, don’t want to pay to attend a concert where they hear the same thing as they hear in church.

These people want to be entertained and they want to get their money’s worth. They want to see entertainers who look good and smell good and sound good. They want to be thrilled and chilled and oohed and aahed. They want to feel that they are seeing something special. They want to tell their friends about the wonderful experience they had at a gospel concert. They want to come back and bring friends with them.

They don’t want to hear preaching, they can get that at church. They don’t want to hear long boring stories or testimonies or long product plugs.

They want some SNAP, CRACKLE AND POP! They want some DAZZLE!

THEY WANT “SHOW BIZ!!!”

There was a time when church folk could take the family to a gospel concert and enjoy a great evening of gospel music and be entertained. It was something special, an event that offered church folk an alternative to secular entertainment. And, most times the building would be full.

There are a few artists who understand this concept, but the one group that is the perfect example is Ernie Haase and Signature Sound Quartet. I’m sure you all have varied opinions about this outstanding quartet, but the opinions that matter are the thousands of people who are filling very large auditoriums to hear them. The people love it!

The key word is balance. We don’t have to be all ministry or all entertainment. We can, and should be both. The problem is that our industry is out of balance.

We play all the games of secular music (radio singles, marketing, charts, etc.) until it comes time to present our music, then we take the path of least resistance and perform the same way we do in church. We have lost the entertainment value in SGM and I suspect the reason is that it takes a lot of hard work to provide quality entertainment.

This is not about whether SGM is ministry or entertainment. It is, can be, and should be both. There are some artists who are well suited for entertainment, and some who are better suited for ministry. That is the beauty of SGM.

However, I personally believe that a paid admission concert should be something special and should provide real entertainment value. Today’s SGM provides little opportunity for the secular person, or the borderline Christian to be attracted to a concert.

If I had a quartet I would want to be able to minister and entertain. For concerts I would dress everyone in snappy outfits. I would have every member take acting lessons, voice lessons and work with a choreographer to present the finest ENTERTAINMENT possible. And…I would deliver the gospel message in song to a crowd that included non-believers who paid to hear a concert.

For churches I would do things differently, and present a program geared for ministry.

If you have a group, you should consider doing the same.

As always, I welcome your comments.

God Bless You,

Nick Bruno
http://www.nickbruno.com

Reader Comments

Right on, brother. We went to see the Hovie Lister and the Statesmen, The Blackwood Brothers, JD and the Stamps, The Oaks, The Kingsmen, et al, and were HIGHLY entertained, while hearing songs that ministered to us.

Ernie Haase does it. Gaither does it, The Dove Brothers do it. The Booth Brothers do it. But way too many DON'T.

Bring it on!

Commented by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 06/03/2010

Nick,

I have a different perspective of things & yet maybe it is very similar to what you are saying here in your article. I believe you would like to see SGM performers have more energy & passion for what they do.

For any singing group there is a recipe for success: 1 Cup - Pure God Given Tallent, 3/4 Cup - Discipline, 3/4 Cup - Respect, 1 Cup - Humility, 1/2 Cup Humor, 1 Cup - Passion, 1 1/2 Cups - Energy, 3 Tbs - Understanding, and 3 Tsp of Unity.

The perfect blend of ingredients and then we have a masterpiece.
If not, then the balance, blend, and overall effectiveness is immensely diminished.

You are definitely on target in stating "Today’s SGM provides little opportunity for the secular person, or the borderline Christian to be attracted to a concert." A sad, but true fact.

P.S. Some SGM artist would do themselves a favor to learn the definition of insanity . . . "Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results." There is no silver bullet !

Commented by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 06/11/2010

I find that Southern Gospel Music is just not relevant anymore to
main stream America, not sure that it ever was. Young mens dreams
and desires have affected the priorities of ministry, family and the
whole purpose of sharing the gospel through three minute pieces of majic.
Im afraid that merely adding
a bit of show biz will hardly solve the lack of support by the church
as a whole. There are a handful of groups in the industry today that I
would dare say have some ministry affect to their performance, but for the
most part its a paycheck, and more often than not, a small one.

Commented by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 06/14/2010

Well, if groups minister through entertainment, it is clean fun. If they minister through the words of a song, it is clean music. Show biz is doing what you do with quality and excelence. Not just getting up there and telling a few jokes and doing some half hearted unrehersed singing. God gave his best and we are to do the same. Every group or soloist has to chart their own destiny and not try to be someone else. That is what sets anyone apart is that they are themselves and not the next so and so or just like so and so.

As far as doing it as a job for a paycheck, that is no different than any pastor or music minister. A workman is worthy of his or her hire. If they do the work that they are passionate about they should be paid. Yes sometimes it does get tough and a person gets up there and it only seems like a job sometimes. No different than pastors that have a 24/7/365 job and gets tired. I learned that lesson from a pastor friend of mine.

Commented by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 06/18/2010

Anthony, I would add one bit to your comment, that I think would make your already-good comment even better:

"If they do the work that they are passionate about, and do it WELL, they should be paid."

Commented by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 06/18/2010

I'm too young to remember much of the old groups (saw the Cathedrals one time on their farewell tour... I think I was 14), but a lot of current SG groups would do well to take some lessons from CCM. It's still the message of the Gospel that leads men to Christ, but the way you present the Gospel has a lot to do with it as well. I recently attended a concert with Mercy Me, Dave Crowder, and others. It blew away any SG production I have ever seen, Gaither included. I don't care a lot for the music, but their presentation was amazing. Their jokes aren't stale and 50 years old. Every move they make onstage is deliberate. They involve the crowd on every song. The energy had almost 10,000 people on their feet about half the time. And after thoroughly entertaining you, they genuinely present the Gospel or lead the crowd in some of the most heartfelt worship imaginable. And as a result, they sell out huge arenas while even some of the biggest name SG groups do well to halfway fill much smaller concert halls.

Commented by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 06/18/2010

Ron, you hit the point well. I kind of hit that point in the first paragraph but repeatition helps people remember. I said repeatition helps...what was I saying? Anyway.

CCM is a different crowd to a point. We do contemporary music along with our SG and you would be suprised how many of the 40-50+ year olds know the songs. CCM and SG both have a very good and direct message. Also CCM and SG have some songs that are so far off base when it comes to the Bible.

CCM gets the larger audience mainly because it's style is close to that of pop and progressive country. SG can do the same without destorting the message, but the age difference gets in the way. SG 35+ age group CCM 15-35 age group.

Sicko25 you are right. No matter which, good presentation is key. I think of John the Baptist. His presentation was very foward and to the point and everyone in that time knew who he was, Why? His actions and his look. He was different and easy to remember and you remembered what he said.. He also had the power of God most of all. That is the #1 thing that any CHristian performer needs.

Commented by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 06/18/2010

Wayne, I believe you missed my point, or I failed to make it clear SGM is a dying and lost art for many different reasons. I love the music and will continue to sing gospel quartet music on a limited basis, when asked to do so. I dont think its a accurate comparision with respect to pasters, music ministers. As far as the laborer being worthy of their wages, try telling that to the church that your group drove 2 or more hours to perform who gives you a 100.00 love offering, however this is nothing new, its been goin on for years, its just a part of the SGM culture.

Commented by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 06/22/2010

Great Article!

I saw EHSS a couple months back and can honestly say I was entertained and uplifted all at the same time! Ill be honest, it did seem weird that i was at a southern gospel concert that wasn't overly "preachy". I go to concerts ALOT, perform in groups alot, and promote concerts...and after going to so many of the same types of "let's have church" concerts. It was really almost a different world, going to the EHSS concert. Loved It.

I really believe, if artists, pro and local alike, would get back to what makes southern gospel great then things would get stronger and stronger and more people would come out. Recently, I went and saw a singer, Michael Buble, in concert. Sold Out. Production was wonderful, the music was top notch, the band was fantastic. and the Singing was real. He was a great entertainer and had the audience eating out of his hand. Made me laugh because he was doing some old standards, but doing it fresh. I guess from the promoter side it hit me,why can't southern gospel do something like this - fresh, and captivating,entertaining and then point to Christ through the songs and through the program. We have the talent out there and I believe the resources to make our audiences latch on. Great thoughts!

Commented by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) On 07/13/2010

This kind of discussion is very good because it get all of us to think about what we are doing. However, the comments got off the subject. Unfortunately, Nick and I go back to the days of the Statesmen, Blackwood Bros, etc. and most of you are too young to have experienced that era. Today we have hundreds, maybe thousands of "groups" that are out there trying to find dates. Very few these groups of today could have even gotten booked back then. I know this will sound very radical but there is not a group today that could have followed the Statesmen or Blackwood Bros.on stage. They electrified the audience without Karaoke tracks,only a piano and no stacked vocals. There performance was polished, there humor was clean and tasteful and their delivery was "show biz" at its finest. If we want to attract a wider audience today we have to get rid of the "tricks" and "tracks" and polish our performances so they are electrifing.

Commented by Robert Jones On 08/07/2010

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