April 2005 ~ Featuring Corey Pearson
Occasionally, when we are in concert with other groups, Randy Shelnut will ask other musicians to help us out on our closing song. That's actually how I first played with the Dixie Echoes. I had just graduated high school and had gone to the 1998 National Quartet Convention looking for a job with a quartet. On Friday night of NQC, Randy asked me to come on stage and play piano on one of the spirituals. At the time, Randy was playing piano and singing lead for the group. By joining them on stage, it freed him up to walk around and sing. When I started playing that night, I noticed someone else had started playing the drums. That someone was Corey Pearson. Corey is a member of the Diplomats Quartet from Carrollton, Georgia. He and the rest of the Diplomats have been friends with Randy and Scoot Shelnut as well as the rest of the Dixie Echoes for quite a while. Since that night, I have had the privilege of getting to know Corey and his family, and consider them among my closest friends. He is an awesome musician on nearly any instrument that you put in front of him.

Corey Pearson was born on October 2, 1976. He is the son of Jimmy and Rita Pearson. He has one sister, Rhonda, and two nephews, Zachary and Devin. Corey met his wife Heather during a singing at her home church in Phenix City, Alabama. They were married two years later on December 12, 1998. They have been married now for over six years and live in Carrollton, GA, where the group is based. He stays that Heather is his prayer warrior. Corey was saved when he was twelve years old at a little Baptist church during a revival where his parents were singing. He started playing the piano when he was eight years old. Corey states, "One day my Meemaw heard me playing a song on her piano, and she asked me where I learned it. I told her that I heard it on the TV. She started teaching me the notes and different chords. So I always say that he was a big influence to my musical career." Corey started playing the drums for his parents at the age of eleven. When he was fifteen, the bass player for the group left and they had found someone who could play the drums, so Corey started playing the bass. Over the years he has played just about every instrument either on stage or in the studio. As the years passed, Corey started singing lead for the Diplomats.

Corey gives thanks to the Lord for blessing him with the talents and calling him into a Southern Gospel Music ministry. His home church is Mount Holly Church of God, and his favorite scripture is the entire book of James. He says that his dad, Jimmy Pearson, is a wonderful songwriter. Corey has the privilege of arranging all of his dad's songs. Corey says that his jobs on the road consist of singing, playing bass, running sound, washing the bus, driving the bus sometimes, and most of all, cleaning the toilet! Don't you think it's time for a raise?

At NQC, Corey has filled in with both the Dixie Echoes and Brian Free & Assurance. This past year, Tim Lovelace invited Corey on stage to play a song during the Instrumental Jam Session. When I hear Corey play, it makes me want to start taking piano lessons! He was one of the featured musicians on the Southern Gospel Players recording that I put together last year. When he is not on the road, Corey enjoys going to the movies with his wife and buddy Kevin. He also enjoys doing session work in various recording studios. He plays on sessions at studios like BCS, Lamp Music, and a new studio called Red Hill Digital that was opened by one of his best friends, Jason Singleton. Corey says, "Some of my favorite players to jam with are Scoot Shelnut, Jason Singleton, Stewart Varnado, Ricky Free, Danny Crawford, and Corky Addison."

I asked Corey to give me a good story to share with everyone, so he decided to go with an embarrassing story. He says that they were loading the bus one night after a concert, and his dad was on the other side of the bus talking to the pastor. Somehow, Corey accidentally hit the button that released the holding tank for the bathroom. To quote Corey, "Needless to say, Dads conversation was cut short and we were never asked to come back to that church. Sorry Dad!"

To find out more about Corey and the rest of the Diplomats, visit them online at www.diplomatsqt.com. The Diplomats of today consist of Corey, Jimmy, and Rita Pearson, along with bass vocalist Kevin Cooke and pianist Lamar Newton. Be sure to check their schedule and see when they might be in your area. This is a fun group of very talented singers and musicians. Once you have heard Corey sing or play, you will completely understand why I included him on the Southern Gospel Players recording with all of the best musicians in the industry. This is one of my favorite groups to be in concert with and I'm sure that you will enjoy them as well.