The Statesmen Quartet
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| The Statesmen Quartet | |
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 Hovie Lister & The Statesmen Quartet
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| Background information | |
| Origin | United States |
| Genre(s) | Southern Gospel |
| Years active | 1948—2001 |
Contents |
[edit] Early years
Formed in 1948 in Atlanta, GA, by piano player Hovie Lister, a Baptist minister and convention-style piano player with a flair for showmanship, "Brother Hovie" envisioned the group as a hand-picked cream-of-the crop grouping. Hovie had been the pianist for the Sand Mountain Quartet in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The original Sand Mountain Quartet began singing in the 1930's in Boaz, Alabama. The personnel of this quartet at the time that Hovie became the pianist was Bobby Strickland, a great tenor from Albertville, Alabama; Erman Slater, from Geraldine, Alabama; Alton Jolley on the lead and Irby Gardner singing bass. Odis B. Moore, from Boaz, had been the pianist and stayed behind as the quartet moved to Chattanooga. There would be other singers from the Sand Mountain area that would play vital roles in the Statesmen Quartet.
The initial Statesmen included lead singer Mosie Lister from Atlanta, Gordon Hill on bass, Bervin Kendrick from Birmingham singing baritone and Bobby Strickland of Albertiville singing the tenor. The quartet made their debut on WCON in Atlanta in October, 1948.
Around 1952, Hovie's vision of "the perfect quartet" was realized when the lineup solidified with Denver Crumpler - tenor, Jake Hess - lead, Doy Ott - baritone, James 'Big Chief' Wetherington - bass, and Hovie Lister, piano and master emcee.
[edit] The Glory Years
In 1952, the Statesmen entered into a business partnership with The Blackwood Brothers Quartet. The "Stateswood" team would dominate Southern Gospel music for the next two decades.
The popular Cat Freeman, a native of Fyffe, Alabama was replaced by the great Irish tenor Denver Crumpler. With this lineup, the Statesmen began recording for RCA Victor and began starring in the Nabisco Hour national TV show. Popular songs of this period include "Get Away Jordan" and "Happy Rhythm." As early as 1950, the Statesmen used the phrase "Rockin' and rollin'" in a song, and Hovie Lister's frantic boogie woogie piano, piano bench acrobatics, and hair shaken down in his eyes predated Jerry Lee Lewis' use of the same tricks by a good five years.
[edit] Elvis: The Statesmen Influence
On 4 July, 1955, the Blackwood/Statesmen team traveled to Texas for an engagement that would feature several secular artists on the same program. Among them was Elvis Presley. Elvis was planning to sing his rock hits, but refrained out of respect of his gospel idols, the Statesmen and Blackwoods. The Statesmen exerted a powerful influence on young Elvis Presley, who idolized and imitated Jake Hess' vocal stylings and Big Chief's leg shaking. In an interview with songwriter Bill Gaither, Hess remembered seeing young Elvis coming to Statesmen shows in Tupelo when Presley was only nine or ten. Hess said that the serious young Elvis would ask him, "How do you make a record?" or "How many suits you got?" On the Gaither Homecoming video "Oh My Glory", Jake Hess tells about Elvis coming to Statesmen concerts and being invited up onstage to sing lead in place of Jake on a song or two.
[edit] Tragedy and Triumphs
In 1957, Denver Crumpler died in diabetic shock when his symptoms were misdiagnosed as a heart attack. Cat Freeman came back briefly, followed by lyric tenor Roland 'Rosie' Rozell, a soulful singer and former policeman from Oklahoma. The Rosie-Hess-Ott-Chief lineup recorded such classics as "Faith Unlocks The Door" and Rosie's signature tune "Oh What A Savior" and "There's Room at the Cross"
In 1963, Jake Hess left the Statesmen to form his own quartet, Jake Hess and The Imperials.
Hovie tapped young, debonnaire Jack Toney from Boaz, Alabama to replace Hess. Before long, Toney's movie idol looks and powerful voice helped the Statesmen to soldier on without missing a beat. Ironically, Jack Toney would replace Jake Hess on five different occasions in three different decades with the Statesmen and the Masters V.
Bass singer "Big Chief" Wetherington died of a massive heart attack on 3 October 1973 while attending the National Quartet Convention in Nashville. He is buried in a small cemetery just outside Atlanta, Georgia.
Hovie Lister died on December 27, 2001, at the age of 73. He is buried in Decatur Georgia.
Jack Toney died April 15th, 2004 at the age of 70 and is buried near Boaz, Alabama at Whitesboro Baptist Church.
Jake Hess died January 4, 2004 at the age of 78. He is buried in Columbus, Georgia.
Rosie Rozell died in 1994 at the age of 68. He is buried in Trussville, Alabama.
[edit] The Later Years
Later incarnations of the Statesmen would include tenors Sherrill 'Shaun' Nielson, Willie Wynn, and Johnny Cook; lead singers Roy McNeil and Jim Hill; baritones Chris Hess (Jake's son), Biney English and Rick Fair; and bass singers Ray Burdette, Bob Caldwell and Doug Young. Over the years, Jake Hess, Jack Toney, Doy Ott and Rosie Rozell would rejoin the Statesmen at various times, most notably a couple years after Chief's death when Lister brought back Rozell, Jake Hess, and Doy Ott as "The Statesmen" sans bass. A comical pairing of this classic Statesmen "trio" with longtime Blackwood Brothers/Stamps Quartet bass singer J.D. Sumner at the 1977 National Quartet Convention in Nashville was the birth of the Masters V Quartet, which would include, in its classic lineup, Rosie Rozell, James Blackwood, Jake Hess, J.D. Sumner, and Hovie Lister. The Statesmen's influence lives on in some of today's most popular quartets, such as The Dove Brothers, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, and Mercy's Mark.
[edit] Members
- Hovie Lister: Pianist, Vocalist & Founder
- Gordon Hill: Bass
- Bervin Kendrick: Baritone
- Mosie Lister: Lead
- Bobby Strickland: Tenor
- Jake Hess: Lead
- Aycel Soward: Bass
- Jim "Big Chief" Wetherington: Bass
- Boyce Hawkins: Pianist
- Troy Posey: Baritone
- Earl Terry: Tenor
- Doy Ott: Pianist/Baritone
- Cat Freeman: Tenor
- Denver Crumpler: Tenor
- Les Robeson: Lead
- Rosie Rozell: Tenor
- Gary McSpadden: Lead
- Jack Toney: Lead
- Roy McNeal: Lead
- Jim Hill: Lead
- Sherril Neilsen: Tenor
- Tim Baty: Bass Guitarist
- Gary Timbs: Lead
- Ray Burdett: Bass
- Kenny Hicks: Bass Guitarist
- Willie Wynn: Tenor
- Elmer Cole: Lead
- Wayne Little: Tenor
- Chris Hess: Baritone
- David Will: Lead
- Ed Hill: Baritone
- Buddy Burton : Lead
- Tommy Thompson: Bass
- Jake Robinson: Bass Guitarist
- Vep Ellis: Bass Guitarist
- Richard Coletrane: Baritone
- Roy Pauley: Bass
- Bob Caldwell: Bass
- Johnny Cook: Tenor
- Biney English: Baritone
- Jerry Candler: Baritone
- Stacey Bragg: Bass
- Mike LoPrinzi: Baritone
- Wallace Nelms: Tenor
- Nick Val: Bass
- Doug Young: Bass
- Rick Fair: Baritone
- Gene Miller: Tenor
[edit] Discography
- 1957 The Statesmen Quartet with Hovie Lister
- 1958 The Statesmen Quartet Sings with Hovie Lister
- 1958 The Bible Told Me So (RCA LPM 1683)
- 1959 Hymns
- 1959 I’ll Meet You By the River (RCA LSP 2065)
- 1959 Get Away Jordan
- 1960 Mansion Over the Hilltop (RCA LSP 2127)
- 1960 On Stage (RCA LSP 2188)
- 1960 Something To Shout About
- 1960 Encores
- 1960 Peace, O Lord
- 1960 Statesmen Blackwood Favorites
- 1961 Out West (RCA LSP 2281)
- 1961 Through the States (RCA LSP 2351)
- 1962 Stop, Look & Listen for the Lord
- 1962 Camp-Meeting Hymns (RCA LSP 2440)
- 1962 Singing Time in Dixie (Skylight SRLP 6000)
- 1963 The Mystery of His Way (RCA LSP 2546)
- 1963 Message in the Sky (RCA Camden CAL-743)
- 1963 A Gospel Concert
- 1964 Hovie Lister Sings with His Famous Statesmen Qt. (RCA LSP 2790)
- 1964 Hovie Lister Spotlights Doy Ott (RCA LSP 2864)
- 1964 Songs Of Faith (RCA Camden CAL 843)
- 1965 The Best Of (RCA LSP-2933)
- 1964 Doris Akers & The Statesmen Sing for You
- 1965 The Sensational Statesmen Quartet (RCA LSP 2989)
- 1965 Sings the Golden Gospel Songs (RCA LSP 3392)
- 1965 All Day Sing & Dinner on the Ground
- 1966 The Happy Sound (RCA LSP 3494)
- 1966 Sings the Gospel Gems
- 1967 In Gospel Country (RCA LSP 3703)
- 1967 My God is Real (RCA Camden CAL/CAS 2151)
- 1967 Showers of Blessing (RCA LSP 3815)
- 1968 Sing Brother Sing (RCA LSP 3888)
- 1968 Hits of the Decade
- 1968 Happy Land
- 1968 The Best of the Statesmen Volume 2 (RCA SLP 3925)
- 1968 God Loves American People (Skylite SLP 6070)
- 1968 Standing on the Promises
- 1969 Taller Than Trees (RCA Camden CAS 2314)
- 1969 Thanks to Calvary (Skylite SLP 6080)
- 1969 New Sounds Today (Skylite SLP 6090)
- 1970 No Greater Love (RCA Camden CAS 2419)
- 1970 Featuring…
- 1970 The Common Man
- 1971 Put Your Hand in the Hand (Skylite SLP 6110)
- 1972 Keep On Smiling
- 1972 Hits of the Decade
- 1972 Hits of the Decade Vol. 2 (Chime 605, Artistic 20711)
- 1972 They That Sow (Skylite SLP 6120)
- 1973 I Believe in Jesus
- 1973 In Memory Of “Big Chief” Jim Wetherington & Denver “Crump” Crumpler (Lord, I Want to Go to Heaven) (CAM LPS-1407)
- 1973 Time to Remember
- 1974 Ain’t That What It’s All About
- 1974 Precious Memories
- 1974 Feature Doy Ott
- 1977 The Legendary Statesmen Return
- 1977 Gospel Songs Elvis Loved
- 1977 Get Away Jordan
- 1978 His Love Put a Song in My Heart
- 1978 Oh What a Savior (Skylite SLP 6190)
- 1979 Gospel Gems (Skylite SLP 6200)
- 1979 Hovie Lister & The Sensational Statesmen
- 1980 He is Here (Skylite SLP 6235)
- 1981 Sweet Beulah Land
- 1985 The Magnificent Masters V Sing Sensational Statesmen Hits (Skylite SLP 6345)
- 1992 I Surrender All
- 1992 The Bible Told Me So
- 1992 Get Away Jordan
- 1992 Jubilee’s A Coming
- 1992 Revival
- 1992 O What a Savior
- 1993 O My Lord What a Time
- 1997 Hovie Lister & The Statesmen
- 1998 Still Sensational
- 1999 You Can't Shake the Rock
- 2000 Even So Come
- Unknown Year Precious Old Book (Temple 8503)
- Unknown Year Faith Unlocks the Door (Temple 8522)
- Unknown Year How Great Thou Art (Skylite 6294)
