September 2005~ A Year In Review
Welcome to the National Quartet Convention! If you plan on attending, please stop by the Dixie Echoes booth #820, and visit with me! We will be in Louisville, KY, at NQC the entire week. The group will be singing on the main stage on both Monday and Saturday nights. You can also see me play on Friday at noon in Roger Bennett's Parade of Pianos, then on Saturday at noon in Tim Lovelace's Instrumental Jam Session. If you have never attended Roger or Tim's showcases, I urge you to join us this year. We have so much fun! In 2003, they shot a video of both events and they are both available on vhs or dvd at: www.stewartvarnado.com. This month's article marks the 4th year that I have been writing for the US Gospel News. As always, in the September issue, I like to recap my articles throughout the year and share the latest info on my friends who I featured in the past year. I would also like to thank the subscribers for nominating me for Favorite Musician, Favorite Band (Dixie Echoes), and Favorite Album "The Southern Gospel Players", in the US Gospel News/Southern Gospel Music Fan Fair awards! I am honored by you're support! I've been with the Dixie Echoes now for seven years, and will celebrate by 25th birthday on September 11.

In October 2004, I featured Jason Singleton of Red Hill Digital Recording Studio. I have been doing studio work at this facility just west of Atlanta, GA, for a few years now. If you are looking for a great studio to record your next project, I strongly recommend contacting Jason. You can visit him online at: www.redhilldigital.com or by phone at: 770-562-0928. If you are at NQC, stop by his booth and talk with Jason about your recording needs.

The next month, I shared about the retirement of our bass singer, Billy Todd, and introduced our new bass, Tracy Crouch. I spent most of this month cleaning up from hurricane Ivan, which came through Pensacola, FL. So that was the big news story around my neck of the woods.

In December, I featured my good buddy Tim Lovelace. I mentioned earlier that you don't want to miss his showcase at NQC. But there is also something new that you don't want to miss, and that's his COMEDY VIDEO! It is hilarious! On it, he does all of his comedy songs, plus some great comic routines. If you don't get to pick it up at one of his concerts soon, visit his website at: www.lovelacecomedy.com and order it! On stage, Tim has joked that he's going to run for President, and I would be his vice-president. What do you think? Scary huh! Tim is one of the best songwriters and most genuine men I know!

My first article for 2005 went to Matt Dibler of the Inspirations. Matt sings lead for the Inspirations, one of my favorite quartets. They continue to be just as successful as ever all across the nation. Matt, Melton, Archie, Martin, Mike, and Myron, are still giving traditional quartet fans exactly what they want. No wonder they draw folks from across the country to enjoy an evening with the Inspirations.

In February 2005, I featured our bass singer, Tracy Crouch. Tracy is from Iota, Louisiana, and is doing a wonderful job! Billy Todd left some big shoes to fill, but Tracy is stepping up to the plate and making fans everywhere we go.

Matthew Holt, pianist for the Perrys, was my March feature. This young man has definitely been turning some ears in Gospel Music circles. He is an awesome young pianist and fans everywhere agree. They even nominated him in the Top 10 pianists in all of Gospel Music, and he's only been around for 1 year! I will mention that a few months ago, I helped produce a piano instrumental recording for Matthew, and it will be available at NQC. You can order your copy by going to the Perrys website at: www.perrysministries.com, or at the Perrys product table.

The April article featured Corey Pearson of the Diplomats Quartet. Corey is an excellent musician and singer. The Diplomats are based out of Carrollton, GA, but travel throughout the Southeast. He was featured on the Southern Gospel Players album, and I know that you too will enjoy Corey and all of the Diplomats if they are ever in your area. In May 2005, I featured soloist Cricket Lee, from Dothan, AL. We have shared the stage with Cricket on many occasions. Her new project titled "The Sparrow", features special guests Tony Gore and the Down East Boys. I guess I couldn't convince her to have a guest pianist, hint, hint…

Another great young pianist, Scott McDowell, took the interview seat for the June 2005 article. Scott is the pianist for Brian Free and Assurance. He is a great jazz pianist and this year he was nominated in the Top 10 Favorite Pianists in the Singing News Fan Awards. In July, I wrote about Adam Borden. Adam is the bass guitarist for the Gold City Quartet. He has been with the group for over ten years! There's not much to add from what I said in the article. He is simply the best! Also on a side note, he played bass on Matthew Holt's new piano recording. Ricky Free (of Brian Free & Assurance) played drums. Be sure to get this piano cd! It is awesome if I do say so myself. Just don't forget that I have piano cds too. Ha!

Last month, I featured Billy Hodges. Billy is now the tenor singer for the Kingdom Heirs, but he spent a couple of years traveling with the Dixie Echoes. Billy is sounding better than ever and is surrounded by some awesome singers! They have two brand new cds available now. So be sure to stop by and welcome Billy to the Kingdom Heirs.

Before I conclude this article, I would like to mention another Southern Gospel piano instrumental cd that I produced recently. It was for a pianist named Enoch. Enoch is from southern California, and is an accomplished concert pianist. You can visit his website at www.enochmusic.com for details on the new cd titled "Southern Gospel Favorites", and on his website you can read more about the piano artistry of Enoch. The cd features Ricky Free on drums, Scoot Shelnut on bass guitar, and Milton Smith provides the orchestrations. This cd is loaded with old church hymns packed into medleys. Over 20 songs on this one cd!

Well, there you have it, another year's summary of my articles! I urge you to subscribe to the US Gospel News while at the National Quartet Convention. Just stop by their booth and subscribe for only $20. You can receive this newspaper in your mailbox every month for a year. You can also subscribe online at www.usgospelnews.com. If you are new to the paper, or would like to read any of my past articles in their entirety, I have them all posted on my website at www.stewartvarnado.com. From the menu, select 'newsroom', then click on the US Gospel News logo. Hope you enjoy!