He was an excellent singer, and wrote a few significant songs, I don’t think he had a big enough presence for Bill to warrant a tribute. Fortunately, he has had solos on several Homecoming projects.

I’m afraid Donnie will be not much more than a footnote in sg history.

Gee, being an ‘old timer’, it took me a couple days to get back to this thread; then I had to find my reading glasses and put the magnifier in front of the monitor, lol.

I guess everything’s relative. I’m 53. I think of ‘old timers’ as people in their 70’s or 80’s. And I regularly throw out the membership offers I get in the mail from the AARP. Maybe I’m just in denial.

Oops, gotta go…Lawrence Welk is on tv and my large print Reader’s Digest just came in the mail…

While we are doing a wish list, I wish the GVB would tour more. Perhaps they are some now with Sig Sound, I haven’t kept up with their schedule, however, for the most part since Homecoming (and even early on), the GVB has been underutilzed in favor of all of the Homecoming artists and earlier the Gaither Trio. Here we have one of the top groups, and you can generally only get a few songs from them.

I was blessed enough to hear them in a full concert before the Homecoming stuff took off as much as it did. This was with Murray, English, and Lowry, but at the time the way he introduced Murray, Murray might have already been gone and was back filling in. I could be wrong, but it sure sounded like Murray was helping out. This was before Franklin though.

If your local Christian does not have a track for the song you’re looking for, and if they don’t offer to check, ask them to call New Day Christian Distributors, as they are now the primary source for both Daywind and Gaither accompaniment tracks.

Hope this helps someone.

I do hope you understand that I didn’t attack the quality of your writing or equate them with the only two songs that I thought wouldn’t sell as well as others. For the record, several of my favorite Homecoming tracks are not released (from what I can tell.) Some have been, but you are certainly in good company. Different strokes for different folks. For instance, I preferred the version of Night Before Easter with Donnie Sumner instead of Jessie Dixion. I wanted Joy In My Heart, The Robe Of Calvary, and Lord, Feed Your Children. There are several others, but I can’t think of them off the top of my head. Ones I really like they did release were ones such as “This World Is Not Home”, Canaanland Is Just In Sight, The Haven Of Rest, Glorious Freedom, Hear My Song Lord, O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing, Master Of the Wind, The Statue Of Liberty, Child Of The King (although I wish they had done the version with only Younce) and some others.

Let’s just say I have checked online for tracks in places such as christianbbok and other places, local bookstores, and even Gaither himself. He carries more, but not aot of songs, I have been to Gaithers once, but don’t recall a lot of tracks. By the way, didn’t you write the new(er) theme song for Phipps Gospel Sing? It wouldn’t be one I would sing in church either, but I do like it.

Trying not to take that too personally. . . but since those are my songs, I don’t have a choice! (Insert Laughter!) I co-published the first title you mentioned with Gaither Music, and the second one, I published 100%, so that is not why they released them. I am thankful for the exposure. Almost all the songs released on the Homecoming programs are available. Perhaps you have not been contacting the right source. Many bookstores don’t order them all, but if you contact Gaither Family Resources in Alexandria, you will find more Homecoming Tracks available than you could ever use, including those two “worthless” songs!

I also hate the choices sometimes they make as far as Gaither Homecoming accompaniment tracks released. They overlook better songs, more popular songs, and what I think would sell better in favor of songs published by Gaithers company such as God Loves New York City, New York City Have We Got A Song For You etc. I mean, other than directly after 09/11 and by New Yorkers themselves, just how many would buy and sing this in church? There are other examples. Gaither is a great businessman, but I can’t understand some of these decisions although he doesn’t need me telling him how to be successful. To me though, it seems that selling 3 times as much tracks at say 95% profit beats getting the whole pie, but only selling 1/3.

Now, I want to say I admire Bill, love a lot of his music and know he has done great things. He also has helped several and seems to love doing so often putting their success over his as far as featuring the stronger singers (even though he knows they all succeed when one wins.) Other examples are in encouraging Sandi Patty, Michael English etc. to further their solo careers instead of selfishly hanging on because they helped him be more successful. That is selfless.

One thing I don’t like though, is misinformation out there. Bill himself claims the GVB started a year later than they did. The proof is a live album the year before by the Gaither Trio (Live Across America) that has the GVB (but not named) doing “First Day In Heaven” much as described in their history. I understand that he has a bad memory and is more concerned in the now and later, but I would think that they have records (the paper or computer kind) and people who would keep up with this.

Sure, I am nitpicking, but I like accurate information out there.

To be heard in two two-hour segments on Daniel’s program the weeks of March 31st and April 7th.

For times and details: www.enLighten34.com - on H. P.

I’m not shocked at all. Bill Gaither is the master when it comes to recording the same songs over and over with slight variations and improvements. If you were Bill Gaither, would you rather have people buying your latest Homecoming and GVB recordings, or would you prefer that they buy and collect used Gaither Trio LPs from the 50s, 60s, and 70s?

It’s the old Doritos catch phrase…”we’ll make more”…with a dual meaning on “more,” if you catch my drift.

Here’s an example: In the mid-90s Benson Special Products put out a series of CDs called “20 Favorites.” Different groups were featured on each disk which contained old songs released on earlier projects. The ones in the series I have by the Cathedrals, Kingsmen, Oaks and Speers list the album on which each song first appeared and the year of the album release.

However, a disk by the Gaither Trio (identified as Bill and Gloria Gaither with no reference to the trio) has no information on where the songs first appeared or what year they were released.

Many of the old masters have been re-packaged and re-released, but nothing in the way of a definitive collection. And that’s a shame. I’d buy one, too.