National Quartet Convention 2016 Highlights: Day 1
I debated as to whether or not I should post convention highlights this year and was actually leaning against it. What is a highlight to me may or may not be to you, and I don’t know how interesting it is to read my pared down list of things. There is also the fact that it can be hard to find time to post every day which makes me wonder if it is worth it. This morning, however, I decided I will go ahead and post fewer “highlights” than usual but I will post some things that I feel are of special note to give you a brief glimpse into the happenings. I assume that those who find these kinds of posts boring will just skip reading this week but, for those of you who are not at the convention, you may enjoy reading about it. I am not at the convention myself but I’m watching online, and I have already been blessed!
Sunday night was the kickoff with The Hoppers, Greater Vision, Legacy Five, The Mark Trammell Quartet, and The Jim Brady Trio. Each group sang 2 sets, going about 15-20 minutes each. The Hoppers and Legacy Five featured more of their newer songs. I especially want to get the Hopper’s CD. It sounds very good.
The night was interspersed by piano solos from Josh Singletary and Tim Lovelace. Tim did a segment which included a variety of styles of music from the rhythmic playing of Hovie Lister to the soul of Ray Charles. He also featured some African American church music, as well as some classical and an imitation of what you may see when a new, young southern gospel player comes on the scene. Tim and Josh later did a duet on the piano of “Just a Closer Walk,”
At the end of Legacy Five’s set, they played a clip of the Cathedrals with George Younce giving Scott Fowler a hard time. This was my first time to hear Josh Feemster with Legacy Five. He did a wonderful job, ending with “He Made a Change.” I also enjoyed watching them sing “The Hallelujah Chorus.”
Replacing Tim Parton with the Jim Brady Trio is 23-year-old Layke Jones from Anderson, Indiana. In their second set, Jim’s sister Marla Henry joined them to sing a song. I grew up listening to the Brady family sing so this was a special treat for me. Jim talked a bit about losing his dad and sister and Melissa’s mom, all in the last year. They then went on to sing “That Sounds Like Home to Me.” This brought tears to my eyes. I’m sure everyone reading this has someone that has gone ahead. The older I get, the more songs like this become precious.
Claude Hopper talked a bit about the coming election and the state of our country. It seems most people put the emphasis on voting so I was surprised when he emphasized prayer and the importance of praying for our leaders. He encouraged everyone to pray about who to vote for but he said he is praying that they get saved because, if that happens, everything else will work out. Thank you, Brother Claude, for reminding us of what is truly important.
Usually at the convention, a few groups will go over, causing the evenings to end later than planned. Sunday night, they ended up being ahead of schedule so they threw in a bonus group: Second Half Quartet. The group sang “Standing on Holy Ground” and “Wedding Music.”
Thank you for taking the time to post the events.
I am not able to afford the online version either.
Keep posting
I will do it for you then. 🙂 I struggled with purchasing the webcast for a while but the last few years I’ve needed the encouragement, and God has provided some extra for me to get it. I’ve been thanking Him daily.