Contained in this webpage are links to songs that our brother Merritt clearly liked, and some of which we sang in our family quartet. In a number of cases, he was the one who brought new songs to our attention.
Our introduction to quartet singing was natural; Dad had been part of the first traveling quartet for ENC, along with Ken Aikens, Ebbie Phillips, and Harvey Blaney. I think Harvey sang Bass, and Ebbie first tenor, but for sure, Dad was the lead!
Southern Gospel music at first was mostly brought to us as a family by ENC students from the Akron and Pittsburg districts. As each of us grew into our mid-teen years, we began to associate with some of the ENC students, and over time became aware of their gospel music tastes.
Also, as kids with early morning paper routes, we could sometimes listen to gospel quartet music from WWVA in Wheeling West Virgina. That station was only available to us in those early hours. (They also advertised “piano lesson books” written by the pianists of those groups. We never bought any, however.)
The most prominent quartet for us in the early 1950s was the Blackwood Brothers. Merritt as a teenager had bought a 45rpm record player, and we began to collect Blackwood Brothers records. We also cheered when they won the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts (June 1954), and were crushed when two of our favorite Blackwood’s died in an airplane crash a week or so later.
As a personal side-note, sometimes at home when I was attempting to play the piano while a Blackwood’s record was playing, there was a problem. Our piano then was “voiced” one half-step down (it apparently was NEVER tuned!), such that for example a song recorded in the key of C (with all the fancy flourishes by the Blackwood pianist) came out on our piano in the key of D-flat (i.e., 5 black keys). Thus, I was able to learn how to at least “chord” in A-flat, D-flat and G-flat as a kind of un-intentional gift!
We brothers each had to work out our own singing parts. In general, Ed sang bass, and Bob – who had learned to sing falsetto – sang first tenor. Merritt and I took the other two parts, though usually Merritt had the lead. Later on, when Ed moved away, and cousin K.J. was available to do first tenor, then Bob was able to do baritone, I bass, and Merritt the lead.
Here are a few of the songs that we had 45rpm recordings of in the early 50s, and soon began to learn to sing some (but not all) of them together. And to an extent, I would attempt to accompany some of the songs on the piano.
Blackwood Brothers Songs – 1950s
Blackwood Brothers. 1981. I Wanna Rest
He Knows Just How Much We Can Bear
Gloryland Jubilee – Blackwood Brothers
Everywhere He Went – Blackwood Brothers
Blackwood Brothers- Just A Little Talk With Jesus
Blackwood Brothers Quartet – 1958 – NO TEARS IN HEAVEN
Blackwood Brothers. 1981. This Ole House, When the Saints. feat. Ken Turner
Blackwood Brothers – Heavenly Love 1955
The Blackwood Brothers — How Many Times
Blackwood Brothers- Peace Like A River
He Knows Just What I Need – The Blackwood Brothers Quartet
Every Day Will Be Sunday Bye And Bye
Blackwood Brothers — Rock-A-My Soul
Blackwood Brothers with JD Sumner – Hide Me, Rock of Ages
This final one was (in our minds) competition to the Blackwoods in those early years.
The Statesman – We’ll Soon Be Done
Note: Were Merritt still with us, he would know all of these songs, be able to sing his part, and have some commentary about the song.
Other Groups we Followed
These are some songs from the 1950s and 1960s, again, mostly acquired by Merritt for his 45rpm. The first three were originally from the Weatherford Quartet. During his time as an ENC student, Merritt spent several summers in Akron Ohio, staying with friends such as Jack Holcomb and Bill Webb. While there, he gained exposure to the Weatherford Quartet, who at that juncture was singing at The Cathedral of Tomorrow, with Pastor Rex Humbard. The Weatherford’s had their own style, with some differing chord progressions. And the beautiful voice of Lily Fern Weatherford, wife of the founder Earl, was way better than any First Tenor we had ever listened to in the 1950s.
Note that in Akron, in addition to the Weatherford Quartet – who traveled extensively – there was also the Cathedral Quartet, whose initial home base was Rex Humbard’s church.
Also, note: The actual recordings below are from either the Gaither Homecoming series of videos, available beginning in 1992, or from performances of the Gaither Vocal Band, even more recent. In other words, they are NOT the versions we initially had access to in the 1950s and early 1960s, when we were attempting to learn how to sing them as a family quartet.
(A brief moment of truth: we did NOT learn how to sing “What a Precious Friend” and “Tell My Friends”)
In addition to the Weatherford’s, Merritt also brought to our attention the music of Bill Pearce and The Melody Four Quartet, as well as some of what was sung by Doris Akers, or one of her choirs. Most of us remember her song, “Sweet Sweet Spirit.”
The Mann Family Quartet
This video was recorded at the 90th birthday party for Dad, held in Quincy, on September 2, 1998. Two songs are included: “Everywhere He Went”, and “Lead Me, Guide Me”; the first is from the Blackwood’s (although I don’t remember the original song having lyrics about “French fries”!), and the second from the Weatherford’s.
There were many more singing groups and songs that we listened to than what is listed here, as we began to become familiar with Southern Gospel quartets other than just the Blackwood’s and Weatherford’s. Merritt was the inspiration for much of that as well.
Also, in those years, Merritt and Bob both provided us with some of the early music of Bill and Gloria Gaither, and the Gaither Trio. They were just beginning to be recognized in the 1960s, and in a way Merritt and Bob were introducing the Gaither music to the rest of our extended family.
While at ENC, Merritt also sang in A Cappella choir at least one year, maybe more. Similar for Bob and Ed. There, they were exposed to some amazing Gospel music arranged by the Director Greg Larkin. Does anybody have a copy of his arrangement of “Walk All Over God’s Heaven”?
Additionally at ENC, Merritt and a couple friends formed their own quartet, singing some of the songs that we as a family had done, as well as some new music. They sang occasionally at ENC, and also in a number of Nazarene Churches in the Greater Boston area, including in Pawtucket Rhode Island, where Uncle John Nielson was Pastor. I believe I accompanied them in some of their songs that day. “Where Could I Go”, for sure.
Fast forward several decades later, and both Merritt and Bob became early proponents of the Gaither Homecoming Series of concerts, the videos of which began to be available in 1992. It was in the early videos of that series that we began to see older versions of the people that we had first followed in the 50’s and 60s. Groups such as the Blackwood’s, Weatherford’s, Statesmen, the Gaither Trio, Doris Aikers, and a large collection of other groups, many totally new to most of us. But probably not to Merritt!
Before closing this discussion, one other link concerning very recent interactions of Bill Gaither with past gospel singing groups needs to be considered. Whether or not Merritt had been aware of this in recentyears, it surely contains the kind of music that he always treasured, and shared with others:
Merritt’s love of this “style” of Gospel music seemed to have continued throughout his life. And a large aspect of that had to be the Biblical truth that was clearly contained in the lyrics to most of this music; truths applicable to every stage of our lives. And his love of this music enriched all in his family and extended family, and to many in the ENC community, and elsewhere as well.