The Blackwood Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Blackwood Brothers Quartet are an eight-time Grammy award
-winning American
Southern Gospel
group. They have been around for 76 years, and were pioneers in the Christian music industry.
when preacher Roy Blackwood (1900–1971), moved his family back home to Mississippi
. His brothers Doyle Blackwood (1911–1974), and 15-year-old James Blackwood
(1919–2002), already had some experience singing with Vardaman Ray and Gene Catledge. After adding Roy's 13-year-old son R. W. Blackwood (1921–1954), to sing baritone, the brothers began to travel and sing locally. By 1940, they were affiliated with Stamps-Baxter to sell songbooks and were appearing on 50,000-watt radio station KMA (AM)
in Shenandoah, Iowa
.
Doyle left in 1942 and was replaced with Don Smith. After Doyle left, The Quartet relocated to Memphis, Tennessee
in 1950. The move proved to be profitable for the group as they began to appear on television station WMCT
in coming years. After the move, Roy left and was replaced with Calvin Newton, who was replaced with Cat Freeman, and after Freeman left, Alden Toney was hired to sing tenor. In 1951, Alden Toney and Don Smith left and were replaced with Dan Huskey and Bill Lyles. In 1952, Dan Huskey left and was replaced with Bill Shaw. On June 14, 1954, the Blackwood Brothers lineup of Bill Shaw (tenor), James Blackwood (lead), R. W. Blackwood (baritone), Bill Lyles (bass), and Jackie Marshall (piano), won the Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
competition on national television with their rendition of "Have You Talked To The Man Upstairs?" The excitement was short lived however, when a plane crash took the lives of R. W. Blackwood, Bill Lyles, and Johnny Ogburn, a local friend of the Blackwood Brothers. The survivors, James Blackwood, Bill Shaw, and Jackie Marshall soldiered on. R.W.'s little brother Cecil Blackwood (1934–2000) took over as baritone and J. D. Sumner
replaced Bill Lyles at the bass position. In the following years, he and James Blackwood put a number of innovative ideas into play. They were the first to customize a bus for group travel and are the founders of the National Quartet Convention
. Sumner also contributed to the group as a songwriter, sometimes writing all the songs for a music album
. The Blackwood Brothers were also setting new standards in the studio. Their RCA Victor
recordings from this time period are now prized collectors' items. The lineup with Bill Shaw, James, Cecil, and J.D. Sumner (who for many years was unchallenged as the Guinness World Record holder for having the lowest human voice on record) is considered the classic version of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet, with Jackie Marshall or Wally Varner on piano. The Blackwood Brothers Quartet came up with the idea to customize the first bus to make travel spacious and comfortable for entertainers thereby inventing the customized "Tour Bus". Elvis Presley
saw their bus and went straight out and had one made for him. A replica of the bus can be seen at the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame
at Dollywood
in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.http://www.dollywood.com/rides-attractions/ride-detail.aspx?AttractionID=185
The Blackwood Brothers formed a partnership with the Statesmen Quartet to tour as a team in the 1950s. This dominance lasted for about a decade until the rise of gospel television shows in the late 1960s began to give competing groups wider exposure. The Stateswood team also started independent record label Skylite
Records. At one time, the Skylite roster included The Blackwood Brothers, J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, Jake Hess
and the Imperials
, the Speer Family
, the Florida Boys
, the Couriers Quartet, the Kingsmen Quartet
, the Calvarymen Quartet, the Calvary Quartet, the Kingdom Heirs
Quartet, the Statesmen Quartet, the Prophets Quartet, the Oak Ridge Boys
, the Jordanaires
, the Southernairs Quartet and the Rebels Quartet.
The Blackwood Brothers were still a major force in the industry at the end of the 1960s. In 1969, they collected nearly 200,000 signatures on a "God And Country" petition in retaliation to the banning of prayer
in school. In 1969, James Blackwood left and was replaced with his oldest son, James "Jimmy" Blackwood, Jr. (born 1943), formally of the Junior Blackwood Brothers and the Stamps Quartet, but sang with the group on the Johnny Cash Show
, and on some of the quartet's later albums. During the post-Sumner era the quartet included bass singers John Hall, Conley "London" Parris, and Ken Turner
, and tenors including John Cox, Steve Warren, and Pat Hoffmaster. The 1970s and 1980s lineup with Pat Hoffmaster, Jimmy Blackwood, Cecil Blackwood, Ken Turner and Tommy Fairchild had the Blackwood Brothers' biggest hit with "Learning To Lean." This song holds the record in The Gospel Music World as being No. 1 on the National radio charts longer than any other song in Gospel Music History. James Blackwood would win the male vocalist of the year 7 times from the Gospel Music Association. The Blackwood Brothers Quartet has won 8 Grammy Awards, 4 Dove Awards, recorded over 200 albums and sold over 50 million records. The Blackwood Brothers Quartet has been inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame, the GMA (Gospel Music Association) Hall Of Fame, the SGMA (Southern Gospel Music Association) Museum and Hall of Fame, and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Cecil Blackwood died in November 2000, and James Blackwood in effect retired the Blackwood Brothers name. Mark Blackwood continued the heritage in grand style with "Mark Blackwood and the Blackwood Gospel Quartet," eventually hiring tenor Wayne Little and bass singer Randy Byrd. In late 2004, Jimmy Blackwood joined Mark[1], and together they resurrected the Blackwood Brothers. However, Mark left in 2005, reforming his Blackwood Gospel Quartet, and was replaced with Brad White. Jimmy Blackwood, Wayne Little, Brad White, and Randy Byrd appeared on the Gaither Homecoming
Video Rock of Ages (2008). After filming the Gaither Homecoming
Video Rock of Ages, Brad White left and was replaced with Jimmy's youngest brother, Billy. The group is now composed of Jimmy and Billy Blackwood, Wayne Little, Randy Byrd, and Mike Hammontree.
The Blackwood Brothers can be heard singing on the radio towards the beginning of the movie Walk The Line—when Johnny Cash
(played by Joaquin Phoenix
) was in Memphis. The Blackwood family, Johnny Cash and the Cash family established a friendship that led to appearing together through the years on both recordings and live performances. The Blackwood Brothers were also among Elvis Presley's favorite musical groups, which led to The Blackwoods and Elvis to form an enduring friendship. The Blackwood Brothers have performed with many well-known artists over the years.
[1] http://www.singingnews.com/southern-gospel-news/11591327/
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel music—at one time also known as "quartet music"—is music whose lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
group. They have been around for 76 years, and were pioneers in the Christian music industry.
Musical career
The Blackwood Brothers Quartet was formed in 1934, in the midst of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
when preacher Roy Blackwood (1900–1971), moved his family back home to Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. His brothers Doyle Blackwood (1911–1974), and 15-year-old James Blackwood
James Blackwood
James Webre Blackwood was an American Gospel singer and one of the founding members of legendary Southern Gospel quartet The Blackwood Brothers.-Biography:...
(1919–2002), already had some experience singing with Vardaman Ray and Gene Catledge. After adding Roy's 13-year-old son R. W. Blackwood (1921–1954), to sing baritone, the brothers began to travel and sing locally. By 1940, they were affiliated with Stamps-Baxter to sell songbooks and were appearing on 50,000-watt radio station KMA (AM)
KMA (AM)
KMA is a radio station licensed to serve Shenandoah, Iowa. With a colorful history, it is one of the few radio stations in the country tracing back to its original 1925 owners.-History:...
in Shenandoah, Iowa
Shenandoah, Iowa
Shenandoah is a city in Fremont and Page Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 5,546 at the 2000 census.Once referred to as the "seed and nursery center of the world," Shenandoah is the home to Earl May Seed Company and the radio station KMA, founded by Earl May...
.
Doyle left in 1942 and was replaced with Don Smith. After Doyle left, The Quartet relocated to Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
in 1950. The move proved to be profitable for the group as they began to appear on television station WMCT
WMCT
WMCT is a radio station licensed to serve Mountain City, Tennessee, USA. The station is owned by Johnson County Broadcasting, Inc.WMCT broadcasts a classic country music format. The station was assigned the WMCT call sign by the Federal Communications Commission.-External links:*...
in coming years. After the move, Roy left and was replaced with Calvin Newton, who was replaced with Cat Freeman, and after Freeman left, Alden Toney was hired to sing tenor. In 1951, Alden Toney and Don Smith left and were replaced with Dan Huskey and Bill Lyles. In 1952, Dan Huskey left and was replaced with Bill Shaw. On June 14, 1954, the Blackwood Brothers lineup of Bill Shaw (tenor), James Blackwood (lead), R. W. Blackwood (baritone), Bill Lyles (bass), and Jackie Marshall (piano), won the Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts is an American radio and television variety show which ran on CBS from 1946 until 1958...
competition on national television with their rendition of "Have You Talked To The Man Upstairs?" The excitement was short lived however, when a plane crash took the lives of R. W. Blackwood, Bill Lyles, and Johnny Ogburn, a local friend of the Blackwood Brothers. The survivors, James Blackwood, Bill Shaw, and Jackie Marshall soldiered on. R.W.'s little brother Cecil Blackwood (1934–2000) took over as baritone and J. D. Sumner
J. D. Sumner
John Daniel "J. D." Sumner was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and music promoter noted for his extremely deep bass voice, his use of the vocal technique known as vocal fry, and his associations with Elvis Presley....
replaced Bill Lyles at the bass position. In the following years, he and James Blackwood put a number of innovative ideas into play. They were the first to customize a bus for group travel and are the founders of the National Quartet Convention
National Quartet Convention
The National Quartet Convention is an annual gathering of Southern Gospel quartets and musicians. It is currently held at Freedom Hall on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky.-History:...
. Sumner also contributed to the group as a songwriter, sometimes writing all the songs for a music album
Music Album
Music album is the name of:* Music Album , a 1970s Canadian television series* Album, a collection of music tracks...
. The Blackwood Brothers were also setting new standards in the studio. Their RCA Victor
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
recordings from this time period are now prized collectors' items. The lineup with Bill Shaw, James, Cecil, and J.D. Sumner (who for many years was unchallenged as the Guinness World Record holder for having the lowest human voice on record) is considered the classic version of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet, with Jackie Marshall or Wally Varner on piano. The Blackwood Brothers Quartet came up with the idea to customize the first bus to make travel spacious and comfortable for entertainers thereby inventing the customized "Tour Bus". Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
saw their bus and went straight out and had one made for him. A replica of the bus can be seen at the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame
Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame
150px|right|thumb|Entrance.The Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame is a site operated at Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, by the Southern Gospel Music Association. It was established in 1997...
at Dollywood
Dollywood
Dollywood is a theme park owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and the Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation. It is located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Dollywood has 3,000 people on its payroll, making it the largest employer in that community....
in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.http://www.dollywood.com/rides-attractions/ride-detail.aspx?AttractionID=185
The Blackwood Brothers formed a partnership with the Statesmen Quartet to tour as a team in the 1950s. This dominance lasted for about a decade until the rise of gospel television shows in the late 1960s began to give competing groups wider exposure. The Stateswood team also started independent record label Skylite
Skylite
Skylite is a Memphis based gospel music label started by The Statesmen Quartet and The Blackwood Brothers in 1959. Along with The Blackwood Brothers and The Statesmen Quartet, Skylite signed, among others, The Speer Family and the Oak Ridge Quartet...
Records. At one time, the Skylite roster included The Blackwood Brothers, J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, Jake Hess
Jake Hess
Jake Hess was an American Grammy Award-winning southern gospel singer.-Life:Hess was born Manchild Hess December 24, 1927, in Limestone County, Alabama...
and the Imperials
The Imperials
The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been around for over 45 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many changes for the band in membership and musical styles...
, the Speer Family
Speer Family
The Speer Family, a Southern Gospel family group, was founded in 1921 by George Thomas Speer , his wife Lena Speer, and his sister and brother-in-law Pearl and Logan Claborn.-Early years:...
, the Florida Boys
Florida Boys
The Florida Boys Quartet is a Southern Gospel vocal quartet founded in about 1946 by J. G. Whitfield. Originally named The Gospel Melody Quartet, the group was re-named in 1954.- History :...
, the Couriers Quartet, the Kingsmen Quartet
Kingsmen Quartet
The Kingsmen Quartet 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 have been members of The Kingsmen...
, the Calvarymen Quartet, the Calvary Quartet, the Kingdom Heirs
Kingdom Heirs
The Kingdom Heirs Quartet are a Southern Gospel quartet based at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.-Musical career:The Kingdom Heirs perform multiple shows daily at Dollywood during the months that the park is open. While the park is closed, they tour just like any other group. The group has...
Quartet, the Statesmen Quartet, the Prophets Quartet, the Oak Ridge Boys
The Oak Ridge Boys
The Oak Ridge Boys are an American country and gospel vocal quartet.The group was founded in the 1940s as the Oak Ridge Quartet. They became popular in southern gospel during the 1950s...
, the Jordanaires
The Jordanaires
The Jordanaires are an American vocal quartet, which formed as a gospel group in 1948. They are best known for providing vocal background for Elvis Presley, in live appearances and recordings from 1956 to 1972...
, the Southernairs Quartet and the Rebels Quartet.
The Blackwood Brothers were still a major force in the industry at the end of the 1960s. In 1969, they collected nearly 200,000 signatures on a "God And Country" petition in retaliation to the banning of prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
in school. In 1969, James Blackwood left and was replaced with his oldest son, James "Jimmy" Blackwood, Jr. (born 1943), formally of the Junior Blackwood Brothers and the Stamps Quartet, but sang with the group on the Johnny Cash Show
The Johnny Cash Show (TV series)
The Johnny Cash Show was an American television music variety show hosted by Johnny Cash. The Screen Gems 58-episode series ran from June 7, 1969 to March 31, 1971 on ABC; it was taped at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The show reached No...
, and on some of the quartet's later albums. During the post-Sumner era the quartet included bass singers John Hall, Conley "London" Parris, and Ken Turner
Ken Turner
Ken Turner may refer to:*Ken Turner , British television and film director and screenwriter*Ken Turner , former Australian rules footballer...
, and tenors including John Cox, Steve Warren, and Pat Hoffmaster. The 1970s and 1980s lineup with Pat Hoffmaster, Jimmy Blackwood, Cecil Blackwood, Ken Turner and Tommy Fairchild had the Blackwood Brothers' biggest hit with "Learning To Lean." This song holds the record in The Gospel Music World as being No. 1 on the National radio charts longer than any other song in Gospel Music History. James Blackwood would win the male vocalist of the year 7 times from the Gospel Music Association. The Blackwood Brothers Quartet has won 8 Grammy Awards, 4 Dove Awards, recorded over 200 albums and sold over 50 million records. The Blackwood Brothers Quartet has been inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame, the GMA (Gospel Music Association) Hall Of Fame, the SGMA (Southern Gospel Music Association) Museum and Hall of Fame, and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Cecil Blackwood died in November 2000, and James Blackwood in effect retired the Blackwood Brothers name. Mark Blackwood continued the heritage in grand style with "Mark Blackwood and the Blackwood Gospel Quartet," eventually hiring tenor Wayne Little and bass singer Randy Byrd. In late 2004, Jimmy Blackwood joined Mark[1], and together they resurrected the Blackwood Brothers. However, Mark left in 2005, reforming his Blackwood Gospel Quartet, and was replaced with Brad White. Jimmy Blackwood, Wayne Little, Brad White, and Randy Byrd appeared on the Gaither Homecoming
Gaither Homecoming
Gaither Homecoming is the name applied to a series of videos, music recordings and concerts, which are organized, promoted and usually presented by Christian music songwriter and impresario Bill Gaither...
Video Rock of Ages (2008). After filming the Gaither Homecoming
Gaither Homecoming
Gaither Homecoming is the name applied to a series of videos, music recordings and concerts, which are organized, promoted and usually presented by Christian music songwriter and impresario Bill Gaither...
Video Rock of Ages, Brad White left and was replaced with Jimmy's youngest brother, Billy. The group is now composed of Jimmy and Billy Blackwood, Wayne Little, Randy Byrd, and Mike Hammontree.
The Blackwood Brothers can be heard singing on the radio towards the beginning of the movie Walk The Line—when Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
(played by Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...
) was in Memphis. The Blackwood family, Johnny Cash and the Cash family established a friendship that led to appearing together through the years on both recordings and live performances. The Blackwood Brothers were also among Elvis Presley's favorite musical groups, which led to The Blackwoods and Elvis to form an enduring friendship. The Blackwood Brothers have performed with many well-known artists over the years.
[1] http://www.singingnews.com/southern-gospel-news/11591327/
Members (past and present)
- Bass
- Doyle Blackwood (1934–1942)
- Don Smith (1942–1947)
- Bill Lyles (1947–1954)
- J.D. Sumner (1954–1965)
- John Hall (1965–1968)
- London Parris (1968–1971)
- Ken Turner (1971–1988)
- Cecil Stringer (1988–1992)
- Eric Winston (1992–2000)
- Randy Byrd (2004–Present)
- Baritone
- R. W. Blackwood (1934–1944, 1946–1954)
- Hilton Griswold (1944–1946)
- Cecil Blackwood (1954–2000)
- Mark Blackwood (2004–2005)
- Brad White (2005–2009)
- Billy Blackwood (2009–Present)
- Lead
- James Blackwood (1934–1969)
- Winston Blackwood (1983–1987)
- Mark Blackwood (1987–1996)
- Tony Peace (1997)
- Mike LoPrinzi (1997–1999)
- Rick Price (1999–2000)
- Jimmy Blackwood (1969–1983, 2004–Present)
- Tenor
- Roy Blackwood (1934–1948)
- Calvin Newton (1948)
- Cat Freeman (1948–1949)
- Alden Toney (1949–1951)
- Dan Huskey (1951–1952)
- Bill Shaw (1952–1973)
- Pat Hoffmaster (1973–1979)
- John Cox (1979–1980)
- Pat Hoffmaster (1980–1983)
- Rick Price (1983–1985)
- Jerry Trammell (1986–1987)
- Mike LoPrinzi (1988–1989)
- Steve Warren (1993–1994)
- Paul Acree (1994–1997)
- Tracy Trent (1997–1998)
- Steve Warren (1998–2000)
- Wayne Little (2002–Present)
- Piano
- Joe Roper (1938–1939)
- Wallace Milligan (1939)
- Marion Snider (1939–1940)
- Hilton Griswold (1940–1950)
- Jackie Marshall (1950–1959)
- Wally Varner (1959–1964)
- Whitey Gleason (1964–1966)
- Dave Weston (1966–1968)
- Peter Kaups (1968–1970)
- Tony Brown (1970–1971)
- Tommy Fairchild (1971–1983)
- Jeff Stice (1983–1985)
- Brad White (2004–2009)
- Mike Hammontree (2009–Present)
Grammy Awards
- 1966 Best Sacred Recording Grand Old Gospel (with Porter WagonerPorter WagonerPorter Wayne Wagoner was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. He introduced the young Dolly Parton near the beginning of her career on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet throughout the late 1960s and...
) - 1967 Best Gospel Performance More Grand Old Gospel (with Porter Wagoner)
- 1969 Best Gospel Performance In Gospel Country
- 1972 Best Gospel Performance (Other Than Soul Gospel) L-O-V-E
- 1973 Best Gospel Performance (Other Than Soul Gospel) Release Me (From My Sin)
- 1979 Best Gospel Performance, Traditional Lift Up The Name Of Jesus
- 1980 Best Gospel Performance, Traditional We Come To Worship
- 1982 Best Gospel Performance, Traditional I'm Following You
GMA Dove Awards
- 1970 Album of the Year Fill My Cup, Lord
- 1972 Graphic Layout and Design L-O-V-E
- 1973 Male Group of the Year
- 1973 Backliner Notes Release Me (From My Sin)
- 1974 Male Group of the Year
- 1974 Associate Membership Award
- 1974 Backliner Notes On Stage
- 1974 Cover Photo or Cover Art On Stage
- 1974 Graphic Layout and Design On Stage, Volume I
- 1975 Cover Photo or Cover Art There He Goes
- 1976 Associate Membership Award
- 1977 Associate Membership Award