The Talleys – Wherever I Am (1984)
By summer of 1984, the Talleys had signed with Canaan Records and were soon in the studio recording their first label album, and the comparison between this album and their first 2 independent recordings is like night and day! During the time leading up to signing with Canaan, the Talleys were considering offers from Canaan, Benson and even Riversong (which was a major up and coming label at that time), and they were not sure which offer to take. Bill Gaither, who was already very familiar with Kirk from his time with the Cathedrals (Gaither produced their 1982 album, “Something Special”), reached out to the Talleys and said he had been hearing good things about them and wanted to meet with them and hear them sing. They made the trek to Indiana, and he fell in love with them and wanted to produce their first album, and as they talked over the pending offers on the table, they ultimately signed with Canaan Records. Gaither remained an integral part of their music during their early years, helping them create their own brand of gospel that was a little Southern, a little Inspirational, a little Contemporary and a little choral, that they officially dubbed as…“Talley Music”!
Along with Bill Gaither, “Wherever I Am” was produced along with fellow Trio/Vocal Band member, Gary McSpadden, and the album set the bar exceptionally high for the Talleys going forward. The album was filled with big arrangements, and lots of strings and brass that was expertly arranged by Don Hart, who is a phenomenal orchestrator whose arrangements you hear in not just gospel, but also on many pop, country, and rock recordings, as well as via many of the finest symphonic organizations across the country. Another individual who played a big part in the sound of this record is Bill George, who played piano for the album (along with David Huntsinger) and he assisted with some of the vocal arrangements as well. Bill George was an out of the box thinker and arranger, and he was brought on board to assist with the production of this recording.
The album kicks off with the fun title song, “Wherever I Am”. I love the guitar work in the song as well as the pop of brass throughout. Featuring Roger, this was an infectious tune written by Steve Richardson, a writer associated with Gaither, and the Talleys recorded quite a few of his songs during their earlier days, and this remains one of my personal favorites of his.
Slowing the pace down slightly, we come to the gentle anthem, “Let the Whole World Sing”, featuring Roger on the first verse and Kirk on the second. Written by Kirk, the song was inspired by the classic Coca Cola commercial, “I’d like to teach the world to sing…”, and Kirk wondered what kind of impact we could make if the world sang about Jesus. The song had a nice “feel good” vibe, and it worked very well for this album.
One of the best-known songs the Talleys recorded is the stunning ballad, “Thinking About Home”, which was the first single release from this album, which peaked at #3 for June 1985 in the Singing News chart. The haunting guitar work and harmonica, coupled with Debra’s sultry alto, made this such an amazing story song that has truly become one of Southern Gospel’s classic gems. Cleverly written by Terry Toler, he showed up one afternoon at the offices of Word Music, as Bill Gaither, Gary McSpadden and the Talleys were listening to demos and picking out songs for this album, and he asked if he could pitch them a song. Terry sat at the piano, and before he was finished, Bill (as well as everyone else) had tears in his eyes and Bill excitedly stated through his tears, “this is good”, and then asked Debra to try to sing the song in her lower register, and the rest is history. Typically, when the Talleys performed this song in concert, Roger would just play piano with no track, thus allowing the song to take on a life of its own, and it remains one of the most revered songs in the Talleys repertoire. The song also endeared Debra Talley into the hearts of Southern Gospel fans everywhere, and every album going forward would feature Debra singing similar songs, allowing her to really speak to the hearts of the listeners. This isn’t the type of song you can just sing the words, as you have to live the story and deliver a performance that makes the listener believe you, and I’ve heard several people try to sing this song, but no one compares to Debra’s soul stirring delivery of this lyric…but I will say, Pat Barker of the Guardians Quartet comes awfully close, as they recorded an exceptional performance of this song on their 2024 recording, “The Legacy Lives On”.
As we move to a more black gospel feel, we come to another story song called, “Naaman”, which was written by a lady named Eleanor Wright, who was someone Bill Gaither knew, and he pitched the song for Kirk to sing since Kirk had the ability to deliver the soulful energy the song required. Filled with organ and fun brass embellishments, the song builds with intensity as the story moves along, and it was such a unique song for the Talleys that it ended up being the second single from the album, topping out at #13 in the December 1985 Singing News chart. Kirk’s ad libs were spot on, making this such a fun song to listen to, as well as being a big concert favorite for the Talleys.
During the early and mid-80’s, worship songs began infiltrating the mainstream Southern Gospel scene, and along with the Nelons, the Talleys were musical trailblazers by incorporating those types of songs on their albums and in their concerts, and both groups remained on the cusp of ingenuity for the duration of their careers because of that. For this album, Kirk wrote and sang the worshipful, “Magnify Him”, and it was a highlight of the album. The song is credited as a co-write with Gloria Gaither, but it wasn’t originally a co-write, as Gaither decided it might be a bigger hit with the church if the second verse was more “broad” lyrically, so they produced a choral arrangement using Gloria’s second verse. Speaking of choral arrangements, I was a music major in Bible College in the early 90’s and sang in the college choir, and I remember being super excited when this song was passed out for us to learn. We absolutely did not do Southern Gospel in Bible College, and I was completely stoked we were going to learn a Southern Gospel song! The song has been sung as a worship anthem in churches around the world, and in fact, the Collingsworth Family (a group who has recorded numerous Talley tunes over the years) recorded a stunning rendition of the song on their 2018 recording, “Mercy & Love”.
Roger kicks off side 2 with the soothing, meditative feel of the song, “Praise You”, which was written by Bill & Gloria Gaither. Beautifully orchestrated and perfectly executed by the Talleys, the Bill Gaither Trio originally recorded the song a few years earlier, on their 1979 album, “We Are Persuaded”. Adapting the Talleys version of the song, the Collingsworth Family eventually recorded the song on their 2011 recording, “Part of the Family”.
Next, Kirk sings the soulful feel of his self-penned tune, “Oh, How Sweet”. Inspired by the testimony of a little Pentecostal lady at a small church in West Virginia, the Cathedrals originally recorded the song on their 1982 release, “Oh Happy Day”, which featured Mark Trammell, but I really enjoy Kirk’s rendition of his own lyric, and the song fits the Talleys perfectly.
Picking up the tempo, we come to the unique feel of “Let Faith Hold You Up”, which features Roger on the first verse and Debra on the second verse. This fun song was written by Marlene and Theresa Childress, (mom and sister to Shannon Childress who played piano for the Hoppers from 1985 through 1998) and it was Roger who had heard the Childress Family’s cut of the song and thought it’d be a unique and fun song for the Talleys to record. I loved the song from the first listen, and it has remained one of my favorites from this album.
Debra steps up next as she does a beautiful job on Kirk’s poetic masterpiece, “No Other Word for Grace, But Amazing”. Written a couple of years prior, Kirk was inspired to write the song after George Younce planted the idea in his head. It was a difficult song for him to write at first, but after thinking about things that were hard to explain, the song quickly began coming together. The Cathedrals had just finished recording, “Something Special”, so Kirk pitched it to Gold City, and they recorded it on their 1982 “Live” album. The song has gone on to be recorded by numerous other groups and artists including Brian Free & Assurance, Janet Paschal, LeFevre Quartet and others. Naturally, when choosing songs for this recording, it made sense to pick this song up, and it’s a beautiful addition to the album, before things wrap up with the dramatic flair of the anthem, “Free at Last”, which was written by Reba Rambo and Dony McGuire. I love how they kick off the song acapella, and then the horns kick in mid-chorus giving it that dramatic regal feel. The song was part of the musical, “The Bride”, that Reba and Dony had released in 1984, and Gaither pitched the song to the Talleys, and it was an outstanding finale, and one of my personal favorite songs from this album.
Though the Talleys had released 2 independent recordings prior to releasing “Wherever I Am”, this was the first album that the vast majority of Southern Gospel fans got to hear by the group. Though it was an amazing blend of sounds and styles, I felt it was an extremely cohesive sounding recording that appealed to a broad spectrum of listeners, setting the Talleys on a path to be major trendsetters and trailblazers. Also worth mentioning is the cover work for the album, which was extremely understated, but yet very classy, which totally fit the Talleys’ vibe at the time.
I bought this album when I saw the Talleys for the first time at Bethel Christian Center here in Durham, North Carolina in early fall 1987, and I loved this album at first listen. I find it very hard to pick my favorite Talleys recording, but I find myself gravitating back to “Wherever I Am” quite often, so this MUST be my favorite, right? Truthfully, each Talleys recording had its own unique personality, and there are aspects of each one I love, so I still find it difficult to make a hard decision and point to just ONE album as my personal favorite…but “Wherever I Am” is my pick, if I HAD to choose just one!
Still enjoying residual success from his time with the Cathedrals, and fueled by the Talleys’ budding success, during the 1984 Singing News Fan Awards, Kirk took home “Favorite Tenor” honors. It was a tremendous cap to a remarkable first year as a group…they had signed with one of the foremost Christian record companies, released an exceptional album and were already enjoying their first major radio hit. While the average traditional Southern Gospel fans were not generally accepting of the more progressive sounds, the Talleys were an immediate hit and were very successful merging their traditional Southern Gospel roots with the more contemporary sounds. Over the ensuing years, we’ll hear the Talleys tackle a wide range of styles, touching on several different genres…giving us a wonderful dose of “Talley Music”, thereby making them one of the most versatile groups in our field!
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