September 2002 ~ A Year In Review
September is here and I hope to see many of you at the National Quartet Convention. I always enjoy going to the convention each year because it gives me a chance to spend time with my friends and make new friends. Next month's issue will mark a full year that I have been writing for the US Gospel News, and since I'm sure that we have had many new subscribers in the past year along with many people who will read great this great publication for the first time after obtaining a copy at NQC, I would like to share a little about myself and what you have missed this past year if you haven't been reading this article.

For those of you who may not know me, I am the pianist for the Dixie Echoes Quartet. I currently live in Pensacola, Florida, and joined the Dixie Echoes when I was eighteen years old. I am either 21 or 22 years old, depending on what time of this month you read this article. My birthday is September 11th, and will fall in the middle of National Quartet Convention this year. I am originally from Franklinton, Louisiana, which is located in southeast Louisiana. My family still lives in Franklinton and I visit often to see my mother, Janice Varnado. My father, Mack Varnado, passed away when I was 18 years old. He never got to see me play with the Dixie Echoes, but I'm sure that he is watching from Heaven. I took piano lessons for a while when I was younger, but eventually quit them, as I play primarily by ear. Now with that out of the way, let me focus on this article. I just wanted to take the opportunity to answer my most "frequently asked questions."

One of the sweetest ladies that I have met since I've been traveling is Mrs. Sandi Duncan Clark. I am honored to call her a good friend of mine. Last September, she featured me in the "And The Band Played On" article in this publication, and then at the 2001 NQC, she asked me if I would like to start writing for the US Gospel News. I had no experience writing a monthly article, but I have had so much fun this past year doing interviews and sharing information on my friends with all of the US Gospel News readers.

In October of 2001, I began my article by featuring my best friend Josh Garner of the Florida Boys. As I shared in that article, Josh and I traveled together in a regional group from south Mississippi prior to joining the Dixie Echoes and Florida Boys. As luck has it, we are both located in the same city now. In my opinion, Josh is the best lead singer in Southern Gospel Music, and I am glad that fans across the nation agree with me and are recognizing his great talent.

The next month, I featured Randy "Scoot" Shelnut Jr., a great friend of mine that I get to travel with every week. He is the baritone singer and bass guitar player for the Dixie Echoes. He joined the Dixie Echoes when he was eleven years old, and when he was 15 he was diagnosed with cancer. After major surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy treatments, thanks to the goodness of God and to the prayers of many friends and fans, he is now cancer-free!

In December, the spotlight went to Misty Freeman of the Freemans. Misty recently released her first solo recording and her first single from that recording entitled "What Judas Didn't Know" has done very well for her in the Southern Gospel Music charts.

Next, bass singer Tim Duncan of Poet Voices was featured. I don't hesitate to tell anyone that this is my favorite bass singer today! Before Tim joined Poet Voices, he sang in the Mississippi group along with Josh Garner and myself. Tim has an awesome talent and I know that he is bound to make a big mark in Gospel Music.

The next article was done on Eric Phillips, who just joined The Mark Trammell Trio. Eric is a great young tenor singer, who is also the son of legendary Kingsmen tenor Ernie Phillips. I haven't heard this new group yet, but with members like Mark Trammell, Joseph Smith, and Eric Phillips, it's sure to sound awesome!

Wow, it's hard to fit a years worth of info into one article! Next came Channing Eleton, pianist of Gold City. Channing is a class act! Loren Harris followed Channing, Loren is a great singer and has added a lot to the Perrys sound. They are at their best today! After that, two young baritone singers, Jeremy Raines of the Melody Boys and Scott Inman of Poet Voices, took the spotlight. Both are excellent singers and great friends. Last month I featured Devin McGlamery of the Dixie Melody Boys. Perhaps you can see the pattern, if not I'll fill you in. I am a huge fan of male quartets and Southern Gospel Music in general. So that's what I promote the most.

All of these young artists have been great friends and are all fan favorites across the country. Several month's ago the Dixie Echoes and Palmetto State Quartet traveled along side each other for a few days, and I rode on the bus with PSQ. They are some of my best friends, and their pianist Andrew Ishee is high on my list of favorites. I featured him in my May 2002 article. I really enjoy sharing the stage with him, because as good friends we work very well together. If you ever see our two groups on the same program, you don't want to miss attending. Andrew and I have a couple of instrumentals worked up together, and are always up to something on stage. If you are at NQC this year, be sure to see us during the Fan Awards program. We have been asked to present some awards. I think that our friendship is a good example of how all artists should work together. If you are online, stop by www.andrewishee.com and order his new cassette or cd. Andrew is one of the best pianists that I have ever heard and I'm sure he will be around for a long time!

Now that you are up to date with this article, I hope that you will become a monthly reader. If you are reading a friends copy or you picked up this publication at a concert, do yourself a favor and become a subscriber! I am a subscriber to both the US Gospel News and the Singing News, and I admire the fact that they work together to spread the Gospel! If you love Southern Gospel Music and want to get to know more about many of the artists individually, then subscribe today. If at NQC, stop by the US Gospel News booth. The Dixie Echoes also carry subscriptions, or you can subscribe online at www.usgospelnews.com. I would like to thank everyone for nominating me for Favorite Pianist this year. Thanks again to all of you who have encouraged me and helped make my first year here to be very fun and enjoyable.