January 2005 ~ Featuring Matt Dibler
This month, I would like to share a few details on a member of one of my favorite quartets. I have been a fan of the Inspirations for several years. They are one of the first groups that I saw in concert. They haven't changed much from the first time I saw them. Archie, Mike, Martin, and Myron are all still there. Now they have a young man named Melton Campbell singing baritone. I featured Melton in this article back in 2002. Their current lead singer has been with the group for eight years. He is one of my favorite lead singers and has been featured on many of the Inspirations recent radio hits. I hope you enjoy getting to know a little bit more about the Inspirations lead vocalist, Matt Dibler.

Matt Dibler was born on June 24, 1966. He is the son of Gordon Dibler and the late Roberta Carlson. I wouldn't like to be the one who did the Christmas shopping for his family, he is just one of eleven kids! His siblings are Gordy Dibler, Sheryl Troutman, Robin Garlick, Kelly Jenson, Mark Dibler, Sean Miller, Roger Carlson, Jason Dibler, James Dibler, and Jody Dibler. The Diblers are from Michigan. Actually, Matt's hometown is Metamora, MI. Matt was married on July 12, 1985. He and his wife Paulette have two girls, a sixteen year old, Sabrina, and a thirteen year old, Lindsay. They now live in Pickens, South Carolina.

Matt was saved on March 5, 1975, at Indianwood Baptist Church in Ortonville, Michigan. His home church is Truth-Missionary Baptist Church. Some of his biggest influences include his uncle who is a preacher, Dr. Russell Rice; a missionary and friend in Africa, Ed Frampton; his pastor, Dr. Sammy Kay; and Matt says that the Inspirations were a tremendous influence to him as a teenager and still today.

Some of Matt's hobbies are fishing, singing, and flying airplanes. Matt is a private pilot. He collects anything to do with eagles. His wife Paulette has worked at Bank of America for eighteen years. Their eldest daughter, Sabrina, is a junior at Landmark Christian Academy. She plays volleyball, basketball, and plays the piano. Lindsay is in the eighth grade at the same school. She also plays volleyball and basketball. Matt, along with his wife and girls, sing a lot together at their church and at churches that he preaches when he has the opportunity.

Matt first sang in a college quartet at Tabernacle Baptist Bible College. His family traveled and sang from 1991 to 1996. The group was called Family Harmony, and consisted of Matt, his wife Paulette, his brother and his wife, and his sister and her husband. He says that his mother taught them Southern Gospel Music all of their life. When I asked how he got the job with the Inspirations, Matt said, "Mike Holcomb had preached at the church that I pastored at the time, and we became close friends. I told him that I would love to fill in sometime if they needed me, and the rest is history." Matt started filling in when he was 26, in 1992, then at the age of 31, in 1997, he accepted the full-time job of singing lead for the Inspirations Quartet. Besides singing, he drives the bus and sets up the product tables.

There is a story that Matt shared with me about his first time to fill in with the Inspirations. Matt said that Mike Holcomb called him on a Wednesday night after church and asked if he would be able to fill in that Friday and Saturday. Matt said that he would love to, but asked when would they practice. Mike told him that they would practice that Friday on the bus. Matt says, "I was a nervous wreck. I practiced as much as I could with tapes. Then on Friday morning, I got on the bus, and we all talked. Archie and martin talked about hunting, tractors, and everything else, but we didn't practice! I asked Mike if we were going to practice, and he told me that we would run through some songs when we got to the place that we were going to sing. We got to the auditorium just in time to set up, change, and sing. We gathered on the side of the stage to pray, and Martin told me 'Matt we are not expecting a miracle', I thought that was a good thing. We lined up on the side of the stage and I asked Mike if he could at least tell me what songs that we were going to sing. He just grinned and said 'whatever Martin plays'. That's the way it was then, and that's the way it still is today, eight years later!"

For photos, information, recordings, and anything else you could want to find out about Matt Dibler or the Inspirations, visit them online at: www.theinspirations.com. Be sure to check their schedule to see when they might be in your area. Just make sure to get there early so you'll get a good seat. Also, the Inspirations promote one of Southern Gospel's biggest concert events at Inspirations Park in Bryson City, North Carolina. I always enjoy going to that concert. Lot's of great singing, fellowship, and food! If you don't see where they are coming to your neck of the woods, then head up their way! Hope you have enjoyed reading about Matt, now I've got to go make some new friends so I'll have someone to write about next month.