The Kingsmen – Georgia Live (1995)
By 1995, this current iteration of the Kingsmen had been together for 2 years and they were riding high in the charts with their #1 song, “I Will Rise Up From My Grave”. It was decided that it was time for the Kingsmen to record a new live album, which would be their last mainline live recording. With the advent of the live video’s, live audio recordings didn’t have quite the same allure or excitement that they used to have during the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Plus, as time went on, the band gave way to soundtracks, and live albums just didn’t seem to be all that “live” anymore with the extra tracks and stacks that groups were using. But true to form, the Kingsmen hit the stage that night and delivered the goods for one last live album!
“Georgia Live” was recorded at the Bell Auditorium in Augusta, Georgia, and released just in time for the National Quartet Convention in September 1995, which is where I bought my copy. Along with the Kingsmen recording live that night, Gold City was on the program, and they recorded a live video titled, “Today”, and both the Kingsmen and Gold City recorded the final KingsGold project, aptly titled, “KingsGold IV”. In my efforts to nail down the exact date, I surmise it was recorded on Friday, June 30th, as they were singing at the big all-night sing in Bonifay, Florida the next night, which was usually the Saturday before July 4th.
For the last 10-15 years, Eldridge Fox and/or Jim Hamill sat in the producer’s chair for all of their recordings, but this live album was actually produced by Tim Surrett (his first being listed as sole producer), with Eldridge Fox serving as Executive Producer, meaning that ultimately, Foxie had the final say! Over the last few years, Tim had played a big role in the musical and vocal arrangements for the Kingsmen, and Foxie obviously had enough faith in Tim to have him produce this live album, which he did a great job with! The Kingsmen band provided most of the musical accompaniment, but David Johnson did add some overdubs on the dobro and acoustic guitar in the studio.
After a hearty intro by concert promotor, Jerry Foster (who promoted concerts often in parts of Tennessee, Georgia and surrounding areas), the Kingsmen kick off their set with the traditional quartet classic tune, “Give the World a Smile”, which they had recorded 13 years earlier on a live recording with Grady Nutt in 1982. Backed with just Randy Matthews at the keyboard, Chris, Hamill, Parker, and Ray kick off the song, but as they modulate into the second verse, Hamill steps aside and Tim Surrett takes the lead for the remainder of the song. It was a unique way to kick off the recording, but it worked very well, before the band kicks in for the easy shuffle beat of the medium tempo tongue twister, “Moses”, which features Parker.
Hamill then takes a brief moment to introduce Eldridge Fox, as he comes centerstage to sing the emotionally charged, “Behold the Master Cometh”. Though Foxie sings the verses, he and Parker switch off on the melody throughout the song and I love how the song builds with intensity until it reaches its climactic finish. This was a last minute co-write with Foxie and Sandy Knight and was added less than a week before the album was to be recorded, and in fact, they had que cards on the front row to help with the words. Inspired by a recent trip Foxie took to the Holy Land, before they jump into the encore, Foxie shared how that trip deeply affected him and you can tell he is overcome with emotions. This was the only single released from this recording, which crested at #6 in the Singing News chart for August 1996. This song was such a special song to Foxie and is the highlight of the recording, as it truly captured that classic Kingsmen excitement!
Next, Hamill is featured on the verses of the old-fashioned sounding, “I’ll Pray for You”, which was written by Sammy Easom (the same gentleman who wrote “He’s All I Need” that the Kingsmen recorded a few years prior). With simple instrumentation and Chris doing an absolutely beautiful job taking the lead on the chorus, it sounds like something Hovie Lister & the Statesmen or Blackwood Brothers would have recorded back in the day. It’s a stunning song and is an absolute gem, before the tempo picks up as Chris is featured on the exciting “Mention the Name”, which also features step-out lines by Ray and Parker on the chorus. The song was written by a lady named Barbara Huffman, and this was one of her first cuts as a young songwriter. Along with additional cuts by the Kingsmen, Barbara would go on to have her songs recorded by numerous other artists including the Whisnants, Down East Boys, McKameys, Hoppers, Nelons, Kirk Talley, Florida Boys, Ruppes, Inspirations and Karen Peck & New River.
As Hamill takes a moment to introduce the Kingsmen, he starts off with Randy Miller, and after he introduces Randy, Hamill goes off the cuff, and has Randy sing one of my all-time favorite hymns, “In the Garden”, and does an absolutely marvelous job. Totally unplanned, it’s a highlight of the recording and is probably my favorite Randy Miller feature, before Randy shines as he blows the harmonica on the instrumental, “I’ll Fly Away”, which wasn’t on the program either, nor is it on the audio recording, but it did make it on the video. It’s a quick and highly entertaining instrumental, but the band gets the job done and shows why they were America’s favorite band! In fact, during the 1995 Singing News Fan Awards, the Kingsmen band took home their 15th “Favorite Band” award!
After the instrumental, Hamill then proceeds to introduce the rest of the Kingsmen. Once he finishes, Hamill jumps into his “I hate bluegrass” schtick, before Greg Fox, Randy Matthews, Tim Surrett and Randy Miller tackle the bluegrass classic, “Wicked Path of Sin”, which was written by Bill Monroe, and they do a great job with it, much to Hamill’s “dismay”. Another unplanned moment occurs when Hamill calls for them to sing another classic, “Beautiful Star of Bethlehem”. With Greg singing the first verse, Randy Miller taking the second verse and then Tim on the third verse, it’s a spectacular performance as Tim slows the tempo way down and then steps away from the mic, before the rest of the Kingsmen join him on the chorus; it’s a powerful moment and a highlight of the recording.
In a rare move, the Kingsmen rely on a soundtrack as Tim is featured on the Squire Parsons penned, “What Did He Ever See In Me”, a song Squire originally recorded in 1979, on his very first solo album, “Sweet Beulah Land”. Tim does a superb job on the song, before the tempo picks back up as Ray and Hamill each take a verse on the fun, up-tempo tune simply titled, “First Step”.
Before slowing the pace back down, Hamill tells on himself in a comedic story of forgetting the title of a song, before he has Parker introduce the Jack Toney penned, “What a Friend”. Featuring both Tim and Parker, this is one of my favorite songs from this recording and is one that I really wish had made it to radio, as I feel it would have been a great song for the Kingsmen.
As only Hamill can do, he very lightheartedly brings Chris Collins to centerstage as he takes a commanding lead on the classic, “Little is Much”. While I feel this has been an often-overdone song over the years, Chris does a really great job with it, before the recording closes out with the exciting, “The Son Will Rise”, which was another great tune written by Jack Toney. Tim arranged this song into the exciting performance that you hear on this recording and was one he was most proud of, as the song truly captured that exciting Kingsmen sound, and was a popular concert favorite for the Kingsmen.
I have struggled for days to write this paragraph, as it comes from the heart of a true, die-hard Kingsmen fan, but I feel I need to be genuine and honest…of all the Kingsmen live recordings, “Georgia Live” is the one I have listened to the least. Tim did a great job producing and the Kingsmen did their usual great job delivering the goods, but “Georgia Live” just doesn’t have the same feel and excitement as their previous live albums did. There are some fantastic songs on here and some truly spectacular moments, but when compared to previous live recordings there are specific aspects that I just haven’t been able to resolve within myself. For the sake of space and time, I’ll mention two of them…though the auditorium was packed (you can easily see in the video), the crowd just doesn’t seem as loud and doesn’t quite play as prominent of a role as in their previous live recordings. Also, the Kingsmen had always used a grand piano, and this was the first live recording where they used an electronic keyboard, and as awesome of a piano player as Randy Matthews is, the sound of the electronic keyboard just doesn’t have the same richness and feel as a real grand piano. I had seen the Kingsmen during Randy Matthews’ tenure and he did play a grand piano, so not sure why one wasn’t used here. There are other things that I just can’t quite put my finger on, but I will say that over the years though, I have warmed up to “Georgia Live” quite a bit, and I do find a lot to like and enjoy about it.
As I wrap up this article, the Kingsmen were getting ready to celebrate their 40th anniversary the following year (1996), and in preparation for their celebratory year, the Kingsmen recorded the exciting reunion audio/video project, “40th Anniversary: Perfecting the Crown” during one of the afternoon showcases at the 1995 National Quartet Convention. On this recording, the Kingsmen brought together many of their former members from the earliest days of the group, all the way through to the current group. It was one of the most anticipated and exciting recordings they’d ever released, bringing back so many wonderful memories for Kingsmen members and fans alike! They recorded another live reunion video titled, “Back to the Beginning” in Asheville, NC on November 9, 1996, which was another exceptional and exciting live video as well. It was an exciting time for the Kingsmen, as after 40 years on the road, they were still one of the most entertaining, exciting, and enjoyable acts in Southern Gospel Music…but change was coming once again, as pivotal members of the group were moving on. The Kingsmen would persevere these changes, just as they have done so in the past, and would continue to prove what they were made of!
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