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All the work was finished. The ads were all placed, the flyers were handed out, and the E-mail blast was completed. After working all afternoon the sound system is finally working the way we wanted it, just in time to start sound checks for Friday evening's concert.

It was great to see members from the lists and the forums showing to be a part of this 1st SGN Reunion Concert. Finally putting faces to names is always fun. Showing up first was Harlan Burton.  Harlan is always a ball of energy, but this time he and his lovely wife, Gail, were expecting some of his fans to meet them at the Catfish House just across the parking lot form the church, and they must have been hungry, because they zipped in, Harlan got his sound check, and they were off for some catfish. Next the Diggles came in. What a neat family group. Those kids are just cute beyond words. Lastly, but not least, Living Proof was there to get their sound check.

Brad Smith, former Bass singer for the Speer Family and Baritone for the Statesmen Quartet served as the emcee for the evening. Brad has some great stories that kept the audience in stitches between groups. Bread did a great job of keeping the concert on the move.

Heart Song opened the Friday evening concert. These guys are a solid quartet. That Tenor goes sky high, and the Bass goes way low. When you think of quartet, these guys fit the picture. They were high energy, so they set the pace for an exciting evening.

One word describes the Diggles and that is “wow”. This family can sing. Dad can be proud to stand up there and sing as his kids not only sing along,  but sing all the parts and sound great. Doug Diggles has quite a range and their closing number the girls sang their parts and Doug was able to show his big Bass voice quality.

Next Harlan Burton took the stage. Harlan really knows how to command an audience. He is a high energy singer who has the audience in the palm of his hands after the first number. Harlan worked the stage from using tracks to playing the piano for himself. The sound guy accidentally skipped one of Harlan’s songs, but the crowd demanded that he sing “one” more, so he ended his segment with a rousing rendition of “Midnight Cry”, to which he received a standing ovation.

Finishing out the program was Living Proof. Wow, this group can sing. Expect to see this group moving up the SG ladder of success.  All three are great voices in themselves, but when they put it all together as a group, they are fantastic. Not only do they sing GREAT, but they are starting to write their own material. The only way that things are looking for this group is UP.

Sound checks started again for the Saturday afternoon concert at 12:00 PM the next day.

It seemed like it came very early. First to show was Don Frazier. He came so early that he watched the Friday night concert too. The Glorylanders were up to the Sound check plate next, and then the Milbys.

The Glorylanders got the program off to a great start, and of course our Emcee, Brad Smith was still right on cue. They sang mostly older songs, but they really know how to sing them. They were a blessing to all.

If you are looking for Ministry, Don Frazier is your man. He was very sensitive to the Spirit, but he also plays that piano and sings very well. Be looking for a new Gospel Nuggets article that Don will be writing for us. As much as I enjoyed his performance, I could have listened to him dissect the Word all day.

The Milby Family finished up the afternoon. Those kids are so cute that I wasn’t about to make anyone follow them. The Milbys have a great sound. This is the whole family on stage, Dad, Mom, and all three kids. I sure wouldn’t want to get into a scripture reciting contest with those girls. Whew they can quote verse after verse after verse. They we a very joyful end to the afternoon concert.

By this time so many groups were showing up that who sound checked first is sort of a blur.

Opening the concert was Vertical Praise.  This is a great young group and they have great versatility in their presentation.  With groups like this it is easy to see that southern gospel music is alive and well. Two of the singers are married, and it was their anniversary, so they hurried on their way to an anniversary weekend. It must be nice to be young.

The Cerces were next and just as energetic as ever. Everyone loves the Cerces and if you ever see them on stage you will understand why. They just share their hearts with you.

Brad Smith started his five part story now and kept the audience in stitches throughout the evening.

Between parts of his story, Brad brought on His WayII. This fine mixed group showed some great harmony and were a real blessing to be around.

Calvary’s Way hit the stage next. These guys show you what a male trio is all about. Their smooth style sets them apart and they added great variety to the evening.

Then, it was time for the offering, and Brad Smith treated us to some of his musical talent. After Brad’s song, he brought Theresa Haddock on. We managed to have one soloist on each program. Theresa is a fantastic songwriter and she performed her songs. Anyone looking for some new material???? Give Theresa a call.

Next we went to the only duet of the Reunion. Hearts of Faith came on the stage and captured the attention of everyone right away. This sister team works very well together.

We seemed to be moving from soloist, to duet, and on to trio. It had to happen sooner or later, but it was finally time for The Sunday Edition to go on. It really had the feel of singing in front of your family, like I have at so many reunions.

Lastly were two quartets. The House Family is a mixed quartet with sort of a Nelons sound. They sang some material written by the Bass singer’s uncle. They did a great job.

Closing out the evening, CrossBridge took the stage. They really know how to command the stage. These guys have a bright future in Southern Gospel Music. Their sound and stage presence is far above average.

It was a great two days of singing and a whole lot of fellowship. New friends were made and people were finally able to put some faces with names form meeting on the message boards and E-mail lists. I don’t know about everyone else, but I had a GREAT time.

More pictures can be seen here.

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