The Kingsmen Quartet
| The Kingsmen | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Carolina Boys (2001-04) |
| Origin | Asheville, North Carolina |
| Genres | Christian, Southern Gospel |
| Years active | 1956-present |
| Website | Official website |
| Members |
Ray Dean Reese (bass) Chris Jenkins (tenor)[1] Alan Kendall (baritone) Chris Bryant (lead) Brandon Reese (sound system) |
| Past members | see section below |
The Kingsmen Quartet (better known as The Kingsmen) is an American Christian music group.
Musical career
The Kingsmen are a Southern Gospel vocal quartet based out of Asheville, North Carolina. Many legends of Southern Gospel including Jim Hamill,[2] Squire Parsons,[3] Anthony Burger,[4] Mark Trammell, Ed Crawford, Ernie Phillips, and others have been members of The Kingsmen. The group is currently owned and managed by bass vocalist, Ray Reese.
The Kingsmen are one of the most awarded groups in Southern Gospel Music history. They've had fourteen Singing News Top 40 #1 songs, the second most of any group in the history of the chart, several Dove Awards and Grammy nominations, appearances at some of the nation's most prestigious venues including The Grand Ole Opry and The White House and are members of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Christian Music Hall of Fame and Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame. They are the personification of a traditional male quartet with an attention to fast, driving songs as well as big, powerful ballads. The group's dynamic live performances and recordings, beginning with 1973's "Big And Live", set a standard for the genre and certainly for the group itself. The Kingsmen have come to be known for big, booming voices, high tenors and a low bass with tight, intricate four-part harmonies. They continue to produce hit songs and recordings, including 2014's "Battle Cry" which was nominated for album of the year and is the first recording in the group's rich history to produce multiple #1 songs. The Kingsmen still perform more than 200 dates per year across the nation and into Canada. They are also a staple on The Singing At Sea gospel cruise, the National Quartet Convention and many of gospel music's other annual events including the Albert E. Brumley Memorial Sing, Memphis Quartet Show and Bill Bailey's Winter Convention.
In October 2008, long time bass singer; Ray Dean Reese joined former Kingsmen members (Eldridge Fox, Jim Hamill, Anthony Burger and Squire Parsons) in The Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame[5] in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
For a brief period from 2001-2004, they were known as The Carolina Boys Quartet. In 2009, Ray Dean Reese transferred The Carolina Boys Quartet trademark to a newly formed quartet from Anderson, South Carolina.
Awards
- Favorite Group (1980, 1985)
- Favorite Traditional Male Quartet (1981)
- Favorite Horizon Group (2002, as Carolina Boys)
- Favorite Lead: Jim Hamill (1974, 1975, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985)
- Favorite Male Singer: Jim Hamill (1981, 1984, 1985)
- Favorite Tenor: Johnny Parrack (1976), Ernie Phillips (1980, 1981)
- Favorite Bass: Ray Dean Reese (1979, 1985)
- Favorite Baritone: Wayne Maynard (1981), Parker Jonathan (1992, 1993)
- Favorite Band (1978, 1981 to 1984, 1986 to 1997)
- Favorite Musician: Anthony Burger (1980 to 1989)
- Favorite Musician (non-pianist): Tim Surrett (2004, 2005)
- Favorite Horizon Individual: Bryan Hutson (1997)
- Song of the Year: "Sweet Beulah Land" (1981), "Wish You Were Here" (1992)
- Album of the Year: Wish You Were Here (1992)
Other
- Gospel Music Hall of Fame (Inducted in 2000)[6]
- Christian Music Hall of Fame (inducted in 2007)[7]
- Southern Gospel Hall of Fame (inducted in 2008)[5]
Members
The group today is composed of owner, manager, and bass singer, Ray Reese; lead Chris Bryant; baritone Alan Kendall, and tenor Chris Jenkins. Fill-in tenor Ernie Phillips returned for three months in 2012 and three more months again in 2016 while a full-time tenor was being sought. Former drummer Brandon Reese is now the group's sound technician. Bob Sellers, lead singer since 2011 departed the group in June, 2018 to pursue a solo career. Chris Bryant replaced him as the new lead singer. In late July, 2018 baritone Randy Crawford announced his resignation due to health issues, and was replaced by Alan Kendall.
Line-ups
| 1956–1957
(Under the Name "The Kingsmen Quartet") |
1957-1958 | 1958-1959 |
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| 1959 | 1959-1960 | 1960-1961 |
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| 1961-1963 | 1963-1964 | 1964-1965 |
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| 1965-1967 | 1967-1968 | 1968-1969 |
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| 1969-1970 | 1970-1971 | 1971-1973 |
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| 1973-1975 | 1975-1976 | 1976-1977 |
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| 1977-1978 | 1978-1979 | 1979 |
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| 1979-1980 | 1980-1983 | 1983-1984 |
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| 1984-1988 | 1988-1989 | 1989-1993 |
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| 1993-1995 | 1995-1996 | 1996-1997 |
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| 1997-1998 | 1998-2001 | 2001-2002
(Under the Name "Carolina Boys") |
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| 2002-2003 | 2003-2004 | 2004-2005
(Under the Name "The Kingsmen") |
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| 2005-2007 | 2007-2008 | 2008-2009 |
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| 2009-2010 | 2010-2011 | 2011-2012 |
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| 2012-2016 | 2016 | 2016-2017 |
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| 2017–2018 | 2018-present | |
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Additional Musicians
- John Dalton (Drums, 1964–65)
- Jim Kirby (Guitar, 1964–69)
- Jim McCauley (Bass guitar, 1964–67)
- Otis Lynn Dillon (Bass, 1980–81)
- Tommy Hensley (Bass guitar, 1969–71)
- Jim McCauley (Bass guitar, 1971–78)
- John Broome (Drums, 1971–74)
- Leonard Hollifield (Guitar, 1971–73)
- Eddie Trent (Steel Guitar, 1971–73)
- Bob Conley (Guitar, 1976)
- Chester Arms (Drums, 1974–76)
- Gary Dillard (Steel Guitar, 1974–80)
- Greg Fox (Drums, 1977–99)
- Mark Trammell (Bass guitar, 1978–80)
- Wayne Maynard (Bass guitar, 1983–84)
- Sam Crowe (Steel Guitar, 1980–83)
- Jim McCauley (Bass guitar, 1980–81)
- Ed Crawford (Bass guitar, 1981–83)
- Gary Dillard (Steel Guitar, 1983–93)
- Arthur Rice (Bass guitar, 1984–89, also sang lead)
- Tim Surrett (Bass guitar, 1989–96)
- Randy Miller (Guitar, 1993–98)
- Rory Rigdon (Bass guitar, 1995–97)
- Jason Selph (Bass player, 1999-07)
- Colby McClatchey (Bass player, 1998)
- Brandon Reese (Drums, 1999-08)
- Tim Surrett (Guitar, 2003–06)
- Grant Barker (Bass guitar, 2007–08)
- Brandon Reese (Sound system, 2008- )
Discography
- 1959 What Love
- 1960 New Jerusalem
- 1962 Closer To Thee
- 1963 That Kingsmen Sound
- 1963 From The Land Of The Sky
- 1964 A Visit With The Kingsmen
- 1965 Carolina's Favorite Quartet
- 1966 Songs and Spirituals
- 1967 Sing Out!
- 1968 Kingsmen Kountry
- 1968 Daddy Sang Bass
- 1968 Crown Him King
- 1969 Try A Little Kindness
- 1969 Standing Room Only
- 1970 The Kingsmen
- 1971 Then and Now
- 1971 Suddenly There's A Valley
- 1971 America's Favorite Hymns
- 1971 Presented by Colonial Mobile Homes
- 1972 May Day
- 1972 Turn Your Radio On
- 1972 It's Time To Ring The Bell
- 1972 Johnny Parrack Out Front
- 1972 Hymn Time in the Country
- 1973 High and Low: Johnny Parrack and Ray Dean Reese
- 1973 Sing A Lot of Gospel
- 1973 Reverend Everett Beverly and Anna Laura
- 1973 Just Plain Singin'
- 1973 Just As The Sun Went Down (same album as above)
- 1973 Big and Live
- 1974 1686 lbs. of Gospel
- 1975 Jubiliation
- 1975 The Old and the New: Jim Hamill and Squire Parsons
- 1975 24 Carat Gospel
- 1976 It Made News In Heaven
- 1976 Just In Time
- 1976 Golden Gospel
- 1977 Just A Little Closer Home
- 1977 Chattanooga Live
- 1978 The Upper Window
- 1979 From Out Of The Past[8]
- 1980 Ring The Bells Of Freedom
- 1981 Live...Naturally
- 1982 Your Ride Is On The Way
- 1982 With Grady Nutt
- 1983 Live From The University of Alabama
- 1984 The Game of Life
- 1984 Kingsmen Silver (Compilation album plus two original featuring Garry Sheppard)
- 1985 Better In Person
- 1986 Stand Up At Opryland USA
- 1986 The River
- 1987 Mississippi Live
- 1988 Anchors Aweigh
- 1989 The Judgement
- 1990 Live in Dayton
- 1991 Wish You Were Here
- 1992 Singin' in the Sun Live
- 1992 Walking With Jesus
- 1992 Singing News Hits
- 1992 Living By Faith
- 1993 Kingsmen Band
- 1993 27 Great Gospel Songs
- 1993 New Life
- 1994 Ridin' High
- 1994 Live From The Alabama Theatre
- 1994 A Kingsmen Christmas
- 1994 30 Great Gospel Songs
- 1995 Georgia Live
- 1996 40th Anniversary Reunion: Perfecting The Crown
- 1996 Beyond The Clouds
- 1997 You're Not Alone
- 1997 Kingsmen Klassics
- 1998 The Old Time Way
- 1998 Kingsmen Klassics 2
- 1999 Southern Standards
- 1999 Shelter
- 1999 Not Quite As Big, But Just As Live
- 2000 Proven Time And Again
- 2001 I Will
- 2001 Honoring the Heritage 1 (as Carolina Boys)
- 2002 Good News! (as Carolina Boys)
- 2003 Ready (as Carolina Boys)
- 2004 Born Again
- 2005 My Past Is Past
- 2006 Good, Good God
- 2007 I'll Not Turn Back-Live
- 2007 Honoring The Heritage 2- Live
- 2008 When God Ran
- 2009 Missing People[9]
- 2010 Honoring The Heritage 3
- 2010 Live Performances From The National Quartet Convention
- 2011 Grace Says
- 2012 Once Again
- 2013 Front Row Live
- 2014 "Battle Cry"
- 2017 "They Don't Know"
References
- ↑ "Kingsmen Quartet Announce New Tenor". Singingnews.com. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ↑
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-17. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-10. Retrieved 2012-03-10.
- 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-12-06. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-11-26. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
- ↑ "Hallmuseum.com". Hallmuseum.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ↑ "Latest Music News - MetroLyrics". Metrolyrics.com. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-05-05. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
External links
- Southern Gospel Music history: Kingsmen Quartet
- The Official Kingsmen Quartet web site
- Illustrated discography
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