SINGING NEWS MAGAZINE - AUGUST 2006 ARTICLE (page 86)

Stewart Varnado Presents...
The Southern Gospel Players, Volume 2



HE'S DONE IT AGAIN. By popular demand, Stewart Varnado has once again assembled a cast of over 30 musical artists working together for the creation of  Southern Gospel Players Volume 2, an all-instrumental recording featuring today's top Southern Gospel musicians.

Stewart Varnado is a wonderfully talented pianist who performs with the great quartet, the Dixie Echoes. One of Southern Gospel's great ambassadors, Stewart came up with the first "Players" project as a way to showcase the great musicians in Southern Gospel Music. "The majority of fans in Southern Gospel buy groups' CDs that are singing projects. There normally aren't instrumentals on those recordings," Stewart says. "Also, it's not the norm for touring musicians to actually play on the studio recordings. Studio session musicians normally can do a song in one or two takes, and many times they are used for creative differences as well. All of us learn new licks from the studio players," he adds, citing another reason touring musicians are rarely used on recording projects.

The second installment of Southern Gospel Players accomplishes a two-fold mission. First, fans have simply let their wishes be known. Not long after the first volume had hit the CD racks, people were already clamoring for another. So, this project is satisfying a lot of hungry instrumental fans who love to hear the talented musicians of Southern Gospel Music. The second thing this recording accomplishes is affording Stewart the opportunity to use many more musicians who weren't featured on the first project. He says, "We have so many great musicians in Southern Gospel music, it was impossible to feature all of them on the first recording. So, this sequel has allowed me to use many more of the great talented men and women who play our music."

You'll recognize many of your favorites in the list of "Who's Who" on this CD. The roster includes Mike Riddle (Primitive Quartet), Jeff Tolbert (Primitive Quartet), Randy Shelnut Jr. (Dixie Echoes), Corey Pearson (Diplomats), Ricky Free (Brian Free & Assurance), Roger Fortner (McKameys), David Johnson (noted studio player and sometimes soloist), Randy Miller (former Kingsmen instrumentalist and current soloist), Steve "Rabbit" Easter (everyone knows him), and Adam Borden (former Gold City bassist), who all played on the first "Players" project, too. First-time players on this second recording include Gordon Mote (Gaither Homecoming pianist), Roger Bennett (Legacy Five), Brandon Reese (Kingsmen), Jason Selph (Kingsmen), Greg Ritchie (Jeff & Sheri Easter), Lewis Phillips (Lewis Family), Dennis Murphy (Kingdom Heirs), Kreis French (Kingdom Heirs), Jeff Easter (without Sheri!), Jeremy Brown (J.B.I.F), Stephanie Brown (J.B.I.F), Joel Key (formerly of Karen Peck & New River), Brian Sutton (another alumni of New River), Kelly Back (remember him from the Hinsons?), Jordan Bennett (Legacy Five), Les Butler ("Front Porch Fellowship"), Jason Webb (one of Nashville's most sought-after studio pianists), and Steve Mauldin, who arranged and conducted an ensemble of nine brass and string players for the project.

The Southern Gospel Players Volume 2 features 12 classic Gospel songs with a variety of styles, including jazz, country, bluegrass, and big band. The group performs such songs as "Just Over In The Gloryland," "The Holy Hills," "Down By The River Side," and "The Lighthouse," just to name a few.

Due to the schedules of so many musicians, the project actually took eight months to record and mix. But the result is well worth the time and effort and Stewart is thrilled with the result. "I feel our musicians are tops," he says, "and I'd put them up against anyone in any genre of music. These players give it their all, but the fact that they choose to glorify God is truly a blessing to me, especially when they could be out playing any kind of music they want."

The recording has already been released and is available for purchase nationwide. To get your copy now, visit the website at www.stewartvarnado.com. Make sure you get your copy of this unique and exceptional recording featuring the best of today's Southern Gospel musicians.