There’s anger in the land

...was an old folk song from many years ago. And at the risk of sounding like Andy Rooney, let me ask...

Do you ever notice these days just how angry everybody seems to be these days?

A person can barely be out of his/her driveway and when coming to the first traffic intersection, will notice an angry motorist in a hurry making vigforous physical gestures and maybe yelling angry epithets for no other reason than that person is in their way as they frantically try to get to wherever they may happen to be going...as if it were vital that they be there in the next few seconds or else.

That aforementioned motorist can have the radio on as they drive, and hear an angry talk show host ranting bitterly about the President, some legislation, or maybe even more trivially, the performance of a baseball or football team, or its' players, or both.

And when that person arrives at work, their boss(who is under a lot of pressure from a contentious management meeting)greets that person with an angry tirade about how yesterday's mistakes won't be tolerated today, or else....

That thought is never finished, as that boss throws up his/her hand in frustration about how things seem to be going in general.

We seem to be under more pressure than ever before just to live our lives...and as a result, nerves become jangled, and more prescription medication must be taken than ever before just to START to live on a more even keel.

I sure notice it...and although my days aren't always like what I just described, I see enough of this kind of behavior on a regular basis now that sometimes I wish I could just pull out a whistle, get everyone's attention, and just yell, "STOP!" to everyone.

Life is too short and too wonderful, and I am too blessed to deal with all this too-often-contrived outrage.

Why are we all so mad? If we're Christians, and we believe in an all-poweful and loving God to control this crazy universe we live in, why do even we get so angry about so much that isn't really worth it in the long run?

Maybe I just ask too many questions.

A whole lot of inspiration now on YouTube

For all those wondering how the Inspirations got to be such a popular and enduring gospel quartet over the past 40-some-odd years, you need wonder no more.

The audio and video evidence is now yours for the viewing, thanks to a handful of enterprising posters to YouTube

Of course, YouTube has for some time featured vintage video of such classic quartets as the Blackwood Brothers, the Statesmen, Gold City, the Oak Ridge Boys, the Rebels, the Melody Boys, and many more. It has given many young people who were never able to see these fine groups a chance to see them in action and see why so many of us fell in love with gospel quartet music because of these guys. To a certain extent, I feel vindicated now for much of what I said on gospel music message boards over the years about the relative merits of singers like London Parris(who few younger fans are familiar with)as compared to the likes of George Younce and Tim Riley(who they are more familiar with)....the proof is now there on YouTube for anyone to see if one chooses.

As it is now with the Inspirations. For a long while there was very little video available of the group, especially of their "salad years" in the 1970s, when they soared to the very top of the gospel quartet industry, and have pretty much remained there ever since. When it's pointed out to certain people that the Inspirations have won more awards than almost every other group in gospel music, they wonder aloud, "Based on what?" On the distinctive yet idiosyncratic vocal style of Hall of Fame tenor Archie Watkins? On their admittedly rural basic sound? Well, yes, in part....but there's much more to the Inspirations than what one can glean on first hearing.

And now, some enthusiastic fans of the Inspirations have suddenly posted a LOT of video and audio clips of the Inspirations on YouTube, some of it from recent concerts, some of it simply classic audio from their earliest LPs back in the mid 1960s(the oldest of those being their version of "Cool Water" from their very first LP), and some of it(my favorite)video from the early to mid-1970s from TV appearaances, most of them from the "Gospel Singing Jubilee"(where I first became a fan of theirs, when I would watch them there every week during my college years).

Through all these videos, you see and hear the group during their various stages of development, from nervous but enthusiastic young wannabe singers to only slightly more polished(you don't polish tennis shoes, after all)but still enthusiastic young professional singers who simply love to sing, to the established and unique gospel music institution they eventually became.

I was particularly excited to see this footage, because it brought back such fond memories of when I first paid attention to the Inspirations and why. When I first saw them, I saw a quartet that sounded a bit raw and ragged compared to the quartets that first moved me as a youngster(the Blackwoods, Statesmen, Rebels, and Couriers), but I also saw young men that clearly loved what they were doing, and put everything they had into singing the best that they could.

Because I enjoyed bass singers, and liked singing that part myself, I was drawn to Mike Holcomb. At that time, Mike's voice was still developing...it wasn't then the big, full voice it became years later. I liked his approach to bass singing...he always tried to sing as low as he could when he could. He didn't always reach the notes he wanted, but it wasn't for lack of effort. I knew he had the voice to hit the notes he wanted too when I discovered that a lot of the time he missed his pitches, he FLATTED them rather than being sharp(as most basses are when they miss their notes). I knew that if he was missing low, I could just imagine what he'd sound like when he finally hit the notes he wanted...and later on, we ALL found out.

But aside from Mike, I enjoyed watching Archie Watkins lean his head back, and just bellow out those notes that he NEVER had trouble hitting, and the obvious felling each member of the group put into every word they sang...I ALMOST enjoyed them more than the considerably smoother, more polished Cathedral Quartet(who also appeared often in those days on the Jubilee). And the Inspirations had a true appreciation for classic quartet and convention singing, as Martin Cook's arrangements often demonstrated.

I guess the Inspirations had much the same sort of appeal the Chuck Wagon Gang had...they were the sort of group that EVERYONE could imagine themselves singing in...and what's wrong with that?

Gospel quartet music ought to be the kind of music anyone can sing or play along with....granted, it's nice to be able to sing like James Blackwood or play piano like Anthony Burger...but most of us will never be virtuosos at music. But we can still sing praises to the Lord and sound good without being that.

People who put down the Inspirations musically or insist that to be a great gospel singer or instrumentalist, one has to be an excellent technical musician do not understand the art of southern-style gospel music.

The Inspirations did, do, and continue to advance that art...check out all the new YouTube video of them and see why for yourself.

Doran Ritchey leaves Liberty

I told you all I'd be talking about this.

Recently, Liberty Quartet pianist Doran Ritchey announced that he would leave the Idaho-based quartet to join his wife in Phil Cross' new group, Crossing.

This at first glance would appear to be quite a coup for the Dove Award winning singer/songwriter. I don't have first hand knowledge of the singing ability of Doran's wife(Diane), but I didn't have any first hand knowledge of the singing ability of the talented woman she's replacing(Paula Stepanovich), and when I finally saw Paula sing in Fresno, she more than proved that she was not only a fine songwriter, but a very good singer as well. So based on that, my guess is that Diane will be just fine, thank you.

And I DO know first hand that Doran is one of the finest keyboard artists in today's gospel music, as well as an up-and-coming songwriter in his own right. He has been one of the several reasons that the Liberty Quartet has become one of the fastest rising groups in gospel music today.

So I'm pretty sure that Doran will be an asset to Phil Cross and Crossing as well. They've worked together in the past, and they're both very talented people.

But what happens now with the Liberty Quartet? Here they are, emerging from mere regional acclaim in the West, and thanks to many fine recordings, an engaging concert style, good material, and mentions here and again in blogs like these, the Liberty Quartet is finally acheiving the national recognition it deserves.

And at first glance, it may appear that Doran's departure from the Liberty Quartet may be a serious setback for the group, roughly equivalent to Jackie Marshall leaving the Blackwood Brothers in the early 1950s, prior to them making their national breakthrough on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts(which didn't actually happen, just an illustration to make a point).

And that it might be, if the Liberty Quartet were primarily interested in becoming gospel music's top quartet.

But that is not the Liberty Quartet's primary goal. I have often on this little corner of the web compared the Liberty Quartet to the Couriers, because their primary focus is on ministry through quality gospel music more than it is acclaim or awards. Like the legendary Couriers, the men of Liberty are humble, dedicated men to their mission. Yes, like most groups, the Liberty Quartet has changed personnel several times during their 13 years or so of existence. And through all the changes, they've just gotten better and better.

And with the current lineup of tenor Keith Waggoner, lead Dan Gilbert, baritone Jordan Cragun, and bass and manager Royce Mitchell, the Liberty Quartet currently has what it takes to continue to improve and grow in popularity...their way.

Yes, Doran's singing, playing, and stage manner(especially his comedy interactions with the other members of the Liberty Quartet)will be missed, but I have no reason not to believe that both Liberty and Doran will continue to flourish and fulfill their respective callings in their new relationship to each other.

A short update

A longer installment will follow soon, but for now(for those two or three of you that are interested), an update on the calamities I described in my last missive.

The cable TV...working again(more or less). The DVD player...back in business(yay!).

The car...still running hot...often....but the tires have been dealt with(in a story that is blogworthy in itself!), and it gets me from A to B.

Finances? Still very shaky...but I'm trusting...and praying(as many of the rest of you are as well, and I thank you)....I'll be fine.

And I've not even mentioned Michael Vick's return, or the departure of Liberty Quartet pianist Doran Ritchey(but I'll get to THAT one!)!

Finding the time to write is still a challenge, but it's there...somewhere!

More to come....

Maybe things ARE relative(to a point!)

What a week!

The stress doesn't seem to want to let up, and things I've counted on to work to keep my mind in perspective seem to want to collectively bail on me...for one, my relatively new cable TV service inexplicably quit on me, and you ALL know how cable repair service is, You have to fit your life to THEIR schedule, not vice versa.

So you can imagine how happy I am to have them come out Tuesday morning(on my lone day off)to do something that will probably take no more than five minutes, something that maybe I could have just as easily done myself with the proper instructions.

Meanwhile, during this unexpected "down time", I cannot get my relatively new DVD player to operate at all. I know it still works, but unfortunately, I don't have the entire evening ANY day to take the time to figure out how to do that.

The capper to all this came today, when driving my car home(for the first time in nearly a week after prolonged brake repair), my left front tire blew, and since I'm unable to access the spare in my trunk because of some inconsiderate motorist who rear-ended me several months ago, I had to be towed home, and now I need to buy a replacement tire.

And there's still a battery to replace and overheating issues that need to be dealt with as well with ol' Blue(my car).

And my money ran out of month a LONG time ago, and it's awfully hard to remedy the above situation without it.

Yet still, I can't help but wonder why I'm getting so bent out of shape about those things. Until nearly two years ago, I had been living without cable TV and a DVD player for FIVE YEARS. How did I manage that?:-)

And there are many people all over this world(even in the United States)that have no access to ANY of the above, especially a private automobile...and yet they seem far more content in their lot than I do in mine.

And I was doing perfectly fine when all I had to entertain me in the evenings was this computer, and music, and the radio.

And I can't help but think of the many friends I have who would go almost stir-crazy if they didn't have all the conveniences they have.

And yet we all profess our faith and trust in a loving, unfailing God(which I KNOW He is)...but what's the matter with us? Where is our faith? Why aren't we more thankful?

I can only answer for myself....and I AM thankful for what I DO have, especially for the best friends a person could have...so I'll stop whining and shut up now.

Now where DID I put those LPs, anyway?:-)

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