The McKameys
Encyclopedia
The McKameys are a professional Southern Gospel
group based in Clinton, Tennessee
, who record on the Horizon Records label.
The McKameys are Ruben and Peg Bean, Sheryl Farris, Connie Fortner, Roger Fortner, Eli Fortner
The group first organized in 1954 as a trio
of sisters: Dora, Peg and Carol McKamey. Since their father was a minister, the girls had grown up singing in church. One day Dora announced to her astonished sisters that they were going to sing with her in church the next Sunday as a trio. "She gathered us up in her kitchen, started singing and we each found our parts," Peg explained. "We just thought we were gonna sing that one time, in her home church, but different people heard us and invited us to sing at their church or at revivals. Then out of town evangelist
s heard us at the revivals
and invited us to come to their church and we started traveling to Florida
and Indiana
and Ohio
, and that's how it all started."
There have been several changes in the group's makeup over the years. In 1957 Ruben Bean started playing guitar for the trio, and he and Peg married two years later. As their girls, Connie and Sheryl, were growing up they traveled with their mom, dad and aunts. Dora and Carol retired from the trio in 1971 so it was a natural move for Connie and Sheryl to fill their aunt's shoes.
In the mid-1980s Sheryl retired to fulfill her obligations as a minister's wife. At that time Carol returned to the group, now made up of Peg, Connie, Ruben and Carol. Roger Fortner plays the guitars for the group. The group also uses digital tracks to enhance the value of their performance.
The McKameys play about 150 dates a year, traveling all over the United States
and Canada
. They have had 16 number one singles and in 1999 were honored by their record label, Horizon, for having the most number one hits in the history of Southern Gospel Music. Peg has been named Favorite Female Vocalist by the Singing News at its annual fan awards. From 1981 through 1999 they released an album a year filled with music with a message that their fans are eager to hear. Some of the music is written by daughter Sheryl and the remainder comes from songs sent to them in the mail or handed to them on tapes at concerts. The McKameys also hold the record for having the most #1 songs on the Singing News charts. The #1 songs include: "Who Put the Tears?", "Getting Used to the Dark", "God on the Mountain", "God Will Make This Trial a Blessing", "Do You Know How It Feels?", "A Borrowed Tomb", "Arise", "Right on Time", "Roll That Burden on Me", "I've Won", "He Calms Me", "The Good News", "I Am Home", "I Will Trust You Lord", "Between 12 and 33", and "I Keep Praying". Because of the strong, Biblical roots in these songs, the McKameys continually sing these #1 hits, much to the delight of fans.
"I try to listen to everything and see if the song has good sound doctrine and a good tune, and if it has those elements, then I let the rest of the group listen to it," Peg says. "We always try to find new songs for our albums -- if it's a good song and we like it, and it works in our ministry, then we will sing it. I think one of the reasons our fans have stayed with us is that we do find good songs."
Another reason the fans tell her they have stayed with them over the years, Peg says, is that they believe the singers really are sincere about the message they present. "It's the joy of the Lord and the strong message in the songs they hear," she says. "We try to have fresh songs and new encounters with the Lord so we can pass them along to those in need of it."
Peg says each of them sees their music as a ministry. "Each of us tries to minister to the people in our office when we are home and at the concerts when we are on the road. We started a prayer wall and it filled up real quickly because there was only room for 13,000 names on it. So now we have a basket that we put the requests in and we pray for people every day. We relate to helping others. And we are all active in our home church."
Peg is one of the first to admit that Southern Gospel Music has grown. "It's bigger now than it ever has been. There are more people attending the concerts and the concerts are in auditoriums where they were at first only in churches. There are also stronger songs, and the music that enhances those songs has gotten better. There has been a lot of quality added to Gospel Music."
1981 He Didn't Let Us Down (Morning Star)
1982 By Faith (Morning Star) "Burning The Midnight Oil"
1983 Keepsake (Morning Star) * "Who Put The Tears" (1984) and
"Someone Prayed For Me"
1984 Tennessee Live (Morning Star) "Tarry Here"
1985 Fruitful (Morning Star) " Bring Me Out Of The Desert"
1986 Unique (Morning Star) "The Bride Coming In" and "I'm Going Thru"
1987 More Than Music (Morning Star) * "Getting Used To The Dark" (1987) and
"Vision Of Heaven"
1988 Covered By Love (Morning Star) "No More Sea"
1988 Gone To Meetin' (Morning Star) ** "God On The Mountain (1989) and
"Ground Breaking"
1989 Sing Praises (Morning Star) * "God Will Make This Trial A Blessing" (1991)
and "Under His Feet"
1990 Purpose (Morning Star) "Somehow He Will" and "Handfuls of Purpose"
1991 Just Thinking (Morning Star) "The Rising Of The Son"
1992 With Feeling (Horizon) * "A Borrowed Tomb" (1993) and "Do You Know How It Feels" (1993)
1993 With His Power (Horizon) ** "Arise" (1994) and "Prayer Changes Me"
1994 It's Real (Horizon) "I'm Going Through Jesus" and "A Voice Within"
1995 Sheltered (Horizon) "How Deep Is The Sea" and "The Old Love Letter"
1996 Still Have A Song (Horizon) * "Right On Time" (1997) and "This Valley Is For Me"
1997 Remembrance (Horizon)
1998 Always (Horizon) "A Wall Of Prayer," * "Roll That Burden On Me" (1999) and "It Satisfies Me"
1999 Waiting (Horizon) "The Blood" and "Even The Valley"
2001 I've Won (Horizon) * "I've Won" (2001) * "He Calms Me"(2002) and * "The Other Side" (2002)
2002 Trophy of Grace (Horizon) * "Surely Goodness and Mercies of the Lord (2003) and "A Trophy of Grace"
2003 An Acoustic Journey (Horizon) "Anytime" "God Is So Good To Me"
2004 Fresh Manna (Horizon) * "The Good News" (2005) and * "I Am Home" (2005–2006)
2005 The Old Path (Horizon) * "I Will Trust You Lord" (2006) and * "Altogether Lovely"
2006 Christmas (Horizon)
2007 Telling The Story (Horizon) "You're Still God" "You Are with Me" (2007) *"It Takes Time"
2008 Something More (Horizon) * "I've Made Up My Mind" * "Between 12 and 33" (2009)
2009 The Message (Horizon) * "I Keep Praying" (2010) *"The Shepherd's Point of View"
1989 Sing Praises
1991 On Tour
1992 With Feeling, Live!
1994 With His Power
1996 Encourage
1999 Genuine
2000 Who We Are
2001 McKameys Hometown Live (Video of the year 2003 at SN Fan Awards)
2003 Renfro Valley Live (VHS/DVD)
2006 The Old Path Live
2006 Christmas
2008 Something More Live
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 based in Clinton, Tennessee
Clinton, Tennessee
Clinton is a city in Anderson County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 9,409 at the United States Census, 2000. It is the county seat of Anderson County. Clinton is included in the "Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area".-Geography:...
, who record on the Horizon Records label.
The McKameys are Ruben and Peg Bean, Sheryl Farris, Connie Fortner, Roger Fortner, Eli Fortner
The group first organized in 1954 as a trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
of sisters: Dora, Peg and Carol McKamey. Since their father was a minister, the girls had grown up singing in church. One day Dora announced to her astonished sisters that they were going to sing with her in church the next Sunday as a trio. "She gathered us up in her kitchen, started singing and we each found our parts," Peg explained. "We just thought we were gonna sing that one time, in her home church, but different people heard us and invited us to sing at their church or at revivals. Then out of town evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
s heard us at the revivals
Revival meeting
A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held in order to inspire active members of a church body, to raise funds and to gain new converts...
and invited us to come to their church and we started traveling to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and that's how it all started."
There have been several changes in the group's makeup over the years. In 1957 Ruben Bean started playing guitar for the trio, and he and Peg married two years later. As their girls, Connie and Sheryl, were growing up they traveled with their mom, dad and aunts. Dora and Carol retired from the trio in 1971 so it was a natural move for Connie and Sheryl to fill their aunt's shoes.
In the mid-1980s Sheryl retired to fulfill her obligations as a minister's wife. At that time Carol returned to the group, now made up of Peg, Connie, Ruben and Carol. Roger Fortner plays the guitars for the group. The group also uses digital tracks to enhance the value of their performance.
The McKameys play about 150 dates a year, traveling all over the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They have had 16 number one singles and in 1999 were honored by their record label, Horizon, for having the most number one hits in the history of Southern Gospel Music. Peg has been named Favorite Female Vocalist by the Singing News at its annual fan awards. From 1981 through 1999 they released an album a year filled with music with a message that their fans are eager to hear. Some of the music is written by daughter Sheryl and the remainder comes from songs sent to them in the mail or handed to them on tapes at concerts. The McKameys also hold the record for having the most #1 songs on the Singing News charts. The #1 songs include: "Who Put the Tears?", "Getting Used to the Dark", "God on the Mountain", "God Will Make This Trial a Blessing", "Do You Know How It Feels?", "A Borrowed Tomb", "Arise", "Right on Time", "Roll That Burden on Me", "I've Won", "He Calms Me", "The Good News", "I Am Home", "I Will Trust You Lord", "Between 12 and 33", and "I Keep Praying". Because of the strong, Biblical roots in these songs, the McKameys continually sing these #1 hits, much to the delight of fans.
"I try to listen to everything and see if the song has good sound doctrine and a good tune, and if it has those elements, then I let the rest of the group listen to it," Peg says. "We always try to find new songs for our albums -- if it's a good song and we like it, and it works in our ministry, then we will sing it. I think one of the reasons our fans have stayed with us is that we do find good songs."
Another reason the fans tell her they have stayed with them over the years, Peg says, is that they believe the singers really are sincere about the message they present. "It's the joy of the Lord and the strong message in the songs they hear," she says. "We try to have fresh songs and new encounters with the Lord so we can pass them along to those in need of it."
Peg says each of them sees their music as a ministry. "Each of us tries to minister to the people in our office when we are home and at the concerts when we are on the road. We started a prayer wall and it filled up real quickly because there was only room for 13,000 names on it. So now we have a basket that we put the requests in and we pray for people every day. We relate to helping others. And we are all active in our home church."
Peg is one of the first to admit that Southern Gospel Music has grown. "It's bigger now than it ever has been. There are more people attending the concerts and the concerts are in auditoriums where they were at first only in churches. There are also stronger songs, and the music that enhances those songs has gotten better. There has been a lot of quality added to Gospel Music."
Discography
Album (Label) / Radio Airplay1981 He Didn't Let Us Down (Morning Star)
1982 By Faith (Morning Star) "Burning The Midnight Oil"
1983 Keepsake (Morning Star) * "Who Put The Tears" (1984) and
"Someone Prayed For Me"
1984 Tennessee Live (Morning Star) "Tarry Here"
1985 Fruitful (Morning Star) " Bring Me Out Of The Desert"
1986 Unique (Morning Star) "The Bride Coming In" and "I'm Going Thru"
1987 More Than Music (Morning Star) * "Getting Used To The Dark" (1987) and
"Vision Of Heaven"
1988 Covered By Love (Morning Star) "No More Sea"
1988 Gone To Meetin' (Morning Star) ** "God On The Mountain (1989) and
"Ground Breaking"
1989 Sing Praises (Morning Star) * "God Will Make This Trial A Blessing" (1991)
and "Under His Feet"
1990 Purpose (Morning Star) "Somehow He Will" and "Handfuls of Purpose"
1991 Just Thinking (Morning Star) "The Rising Of The Son"
1992 With Feeling (Horizon) * "A Borrowed Tomb" (1993) and "Do You Know How It Feels" (1993)
1993 With His Power (Horizon) ** "Arise" (1994) and "Prayer Changes Me"
1994 It's Real (Horizon) "I'm Going Through Jesus" and "A Voice Within"
1995 Sheltered (Horizon) "How Deep Is The Sea" and "The Old Love Letter"
1996 Still Have A Song (Horizon) * "Right On Time" (1997) and "This Valley Is For Me"
1997 Remembrance (Horizon)
1998 Always (Horizon) "A Wall Of Prayer," * "Roll That Burden On Me" (1999) and "It Satisfies Me"
1999 Waiting (Horizon) "The Blood" and "Even The Valley"
2001 I've Won (Horizon) * "I've Won" (2001) * "He Calms Me"(2002) and * "The Other Side" (2002)
2002 Trophy of Grace (Horizon) * "Surely Goodness and Mercies of the Lord (2003) and "A Trophy of Grace"
2003 An Acoustic Journey (Horizon) "Anytime" "God Is So Good To Me"
2004 Fresh Manna (Horizon) * "The Good News" (2005) and * "I Am Home" (2005–2006)
2005 The Old Path (Horizon) * "I Will Trust You Lord" (2006) and * "Altogether Lovely"
2006 Christmas (Horizon)
2007 Telling The Story (Horizon) "You're Still God" "You Are with Me" (2007) *"It Takes Time"
2008 Something More (Horizon) * "I've Made Up My Mind" * "Between 12 and 33" (2009)
2009 The Message (Horizon) * "I Keep Praying" (2010) *"The Shepherd's Point of View"
- Number One Song
- Song of the Year
Videos/DVDs
1988 Gone To Meetin’1989 Sing Praises
1991 On Tour
1992 With Feeling, Live!
1994 With His Power
1996 Encourage
1999 Genuine
2000 Who We Are
2001 McKameys Hometown Live (Video of the year 2003 at SN Fan Awards)
2003 Renfro Valley Live (VHS/DVD)
2006 The Old Path Live
2006 Christmas
2008 Something More Live