The Kingsmen Quartet

The Kingsmen Quartet (better known as The Kingsmen) 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 including Jim Hamill,^[2] Squire Parsons,^[3] Anthony Burger,^[4] Mark Trammell, Ed Crawford, Ernie Phillips, and others have been members of The Kingsmen. The group is currently owned and managed by bass vocalist, Ray Reese.

The Kingsmen are one of the most awarded groups in Southern Gospel Music history. They've had fourteen Singing News Top 40 #1 songs, the second most of any group in the history of the chart, several Dove Awards and Grammy nominations, appearances at some of the nation's most prestigious venues including The Grand Ole Opry and The White House and are members of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Christian Music Hall of Fame and Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame. They are the personification of a traditional male quartet with an attention to fast, driving songs as well as big, powerful ballads. The group's dynamic live performances and recordings, beginning with 1973's "Big And Live", set a standard for the genre and certainly for the group itself. The Kingsmen have come to be known for big, booming voices, high tenors and a low bass with tight, intricate four-part harmonies. They continue to produce hit songs and recordings, including 2014's "Battle Cry" which was nominated for album of the year and is the first recording in the group's rich history to produce multiple #1 songs. The Kingsmen still perform more than 200 dates per year across the nation and into Canada. They are also a staple on The Singing At Sea gospel cruise, which sails to places such as The Bahamas, The British Isles and the coast of Mexico, the National Quartet Convention and many of gospel music's other annual events including the Albert P. Brumley Memorial Sing, Memphis Quartet Show and Bill Bailey's Winter Convention.

In October 2008, long time bass singer; Ray Dean Reese joined former Kingsmen members (Eldridge Fox, Jim Hamill, Anthony Burger and Squire Parsons) in The Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame^[5] in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

For a brief period from 2001-2004, they were known as The Carolina Boys Quartet. In 2009, Ray Dean Reese transferred The Carolina Boys Quartet trademark to a newly formed quartet from Anderson, SC.

Awards

Singing News Fan Awards

• Favorite Group (1980, 1985)
• Favorite Traditional Male Quartet (1981)
• Favorite Horizon Group (2002, as Carolina Boys)
• Favorite Lead: Jim Hamill (1974, 1975, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985)
• Favorite Male Singer: Jim Hamill (1981, 1984, 1985)
• Favorite Tenor: Johnny Parrack (1976), Ernie Phillips (1980, 1981)
• Favorite Bass: Ray Dean Reese (1979, 1985)
• Favorite Baritone: Wayne Maynard (1981), Parker Jonathan (1992, 1993)
• Favorite Band (1978, 1981 to 1984, 1986 to 1997)
• Favorite Musician: Anthony Burger (1980 to 1989)
• Favorite Musician (non-pianist): Tim Surrett (2004, 2005)
• Favorite Horizon Individual: Bryan Hutson (1997)
• Song of the Year: "Sweet Beulah Land" (1981), "Wish You Were Here" (1992)
• Album of the Year: Wish You Were Here (1992)

Other

• Gospel Music Hall of Fame (Inducted in 2000)^[6]
• Christian Music Hall of Fame (inducted in 2007)^[7]
• Southern Gospel Hall of Fame (inducted in 2008)^[8]

Members

The group today is composed of owner, manager, and bass singer, Ray Reese; lead Bob Sellers; baritone Randy Crawford and tenor Josh Horrell.^[1] Fill-in tenor Ernie Phillips returned in 2016 while a full-time tenor was being sought. Former drummer Brandon Reese is now the group's sound technician.

Line-ups

Additional Musicians

Discography

References

External links

• http://www.sghistory.com/index.php?n=K.Kingsmen_Quartet Southern Gospel Music history: Kingsmen Quartet
• www.kingsmenquartet.com The Official Kingsmen Quartet web site
• http://www.gospelvinyl.com/kingsmen.html illustrated discography