Harold Gilley Passes Away
I learned this afternoon that Harold Gilley passed away. I’m still in a bit of shock as I didn’t know he was sick.
I first heard Mr. Gilley in the mid-1990s when he was with Palmetto State Quartet. I’d not paid much attention to bass singers at that time as I preferred tenors but he instantly became a favorite and I thought if he stayed with PSQ long enough, he’d win some fan awards. He was only with them a couple years and then I lost track of him.
In 2003, he joined Danny Funderburk and Mercy’s Way. I was thrilled that one of my favorite tenors and my favorite bass was going to be singing together. I attended the National Quartet Convention that year and had the blessing of meeting Mr. Gilley for the first time.
It was six years before I heard Harold’s name and saw him again at the National Quartet Convention. As he would come to my mind I would pray for him so I was very sad to hear of his death today.
It reminded me again how short life is and how important it is to shine God’s light everywhere we go because we never know when the next breath will be our last.
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