The Publisher’s Perspective: A Video Message to Readers from Rob Patz Rob arrives in Branson two months prior to the Diamond Awards...on a covert op to plan big surprises for the awards show we’ll all be talking about! Click to watch Now May 2010 COLUMNS 2 Publisher’s Point Video Blog... Rob Patz Publisher: ROB PATZ 5 Greenish Me... Kelly Capriotti Burton Editor-in-Chief: KELLY CAPRIOTTI BURTON 6 Ms. Lou’s...Lou Wills Hildreth Features Editor: LORRAINE WALKER 8 Eyes Wide Open...Tom Holste Contributing Writers 10 Faith Boost... Rhonda Frye D. ANN BAILEY WES BURKE EVIE HAWKINS NewS & FEATURES CHAD HAYES 12 2010 DIAMOND AWARD FINALISTS LOU WILLS HILDRETH TOM HOLSTE 14 Brumleys Bring the Brumley MusicFest RHONDA FRYE JIMMY MCMILLAN 18 COVER STORY: JERRY TINKLE Oak Ridge Boys & Gospel Music Graphic Design: 24 The Freemans: Keeping It Fresh STEPHANIE KELLEY 28 30 Years: Southern Plainsmen Layout & Design: KELLY CAPRIOTTI BURTON 35 Radio, Television, & Southern Gospel Music Founder: 40 Being Single in an SG World ~ Part 2 ALLEN SMITH 42 James Hillis: A Critical Reconnection WWW.SGNSCOOPS.COM 43 Fitness: Presenting Your Body interact: twitter.com/sgnscoops 46 Photos from Gospel Music Nashville facebook.com/sgnscoops 48 New Music: Mercy’s Well shoutlife.com/sgnscoops SGN Scoops exists to showcase what is distinguished, intriguing, and real about southern & country gospel music. We seek with our stories to shed light on people fulfilling a call to minister - to make or For advertising, inquiries, or comments: support the making of music that excites [email protected] an audience and glorifies God. Send news items to: And we seek to do it interactively. [email protected] 5 ness” (be it page hits, tiffs, tabernacles, & product sales, or even nominations) should why we do what we do not ever, ever, EVER supersede the reason If you don’t know that there is politics in southern we’ve chosen Gospel gospel, you’re even greener than I am. as the outlet for said But here’s the thing: I’m denouncing it. giftedness. I was on this roll anyway after the publication of last Simply put: Our Greenish month’s SGN Scoops. Nothing gets people talking like work is not for one me award nominations, and the top 10 list for the SGN moment more impor- Kelly Capriotti Burton, Scoops 2010 Diamond Awards was no exception. We tant than the reason that Editor-in-Chief encountered dismissive eye rolls, indignant protests, we do it. and enthusiastic gratitude, all in the same day. And See, Peter was in the midst of though my personal role in the Diamond Awards is one of the most incredible moments in history. He was simply making sure it gets reported, I tended to take beholding the Son of Man, the promise keeper of Isra- all of the responses personally, so much so that some el, and the blaze-of-glory prophet, and getting to hear of my friends – in and out of ‘the industry’ – had to God say, “Check it out. My Son ROCKS!” (parapharase, stage an intervention. Matthew 17:5) And Peter, bless his heart, was so ex- Then I heard a sermon that made me laugh and cited that he missed the point. God did not need three think – the best kind! Pastor David Renfro of Evangel tabernacles to mark the occasion. Church of God in Dayton, Ohio spoke to us about the God does not want our tabernacles to mark the oc- transfiguration. Sunday School lessons of yore have casions when He shows up big. this blessed event engraved in my mind as a felt- He wants…our attention. board story – complete with SeeThrough!Jesus and If our attention is on ourselves, on what we have to the booming voice of God the Father. Pastor Renfro, offer or gain, it’s not on Him. however, put his focus on the disciples that accompa- If our attention is on how a group with #1 hits on nied Jesus at this remarkable happening, in particular, southern gospel charts can possibly be on the same top Peter. While God was declaring and Jesus was per- 10 list as a group who only sings every other weekend, sonifying the glory, Peter was… spouting off it’s not on Him. about building three tabernacles. If our attention is on who is traditional, who is coun- It is Pastor Renfro’s opinion that Peter might try, who is acceptable, who is controversial, who has be a bit on the slow side. arrived, who is a neophyte, who is worthy, who is not, And so I or whatever other tiffs we have… it’s not on Him. ask, dear I understand that there is a business side to every God does not want our tabernacles to mark the readers: what industry, of course. People have to pay bills. People is gospel mu- have to assume a professional posture. People natu- occasions when He shows up sic about for rally want to be noted as the best or the most popular big... If our attention is on you? Notice – and if we’re not striving to be excellent, there’s really ourselves, it’s not on Him. I did not say no point in making an effort. southern gos- We don’t all need to be excellent in the same exact pel, and that is with purpose. As the time draws nearer way, however. I had the distinct pleasure and privilege for our Lord to come, as the work of the church be- of talking to Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys for this comes more urgent, it’s this green-and-humble writer’s month’s issue. I will let you read his story as he tells it, opinion that labels and awards and the politics thereof but I will point out here that this world-renowned – not mean less and less. This is not to belittle the celebra- gospel-renowned, not country-renowned, tion of achievement, but it is to say that too WORLD-renowned- entertainer has a heart much emphasis on the fruits of our “gifted- continues on next page> 7 Ms. Lou: Nashville Celebrates Gospel Music With Gospel Friends Howard and I recently spent three days at GOSPEL MUSIC NASHVILLE held at the Opry- land Resort Hotel. Diana Thomas and her Photos by Howard Hildreth husband, David, of Freshwell Media, produced this monumental event. Their daughter, An- drea, and their son, Aaron, played a significant role in the success of GMN. Diana is one of the daughters of Jimmy and Dorothy Jones, FAM- ILY FRIENDLY ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK, responsible for taping all three days of gospel concerts. Diana did excellent MC duties, also. Other members of the Jones Family came from Texas to help, and each one did his or her part, making it a beautiful family effort. Aunt Connie Photos: Lou Hildreth with Jason Crabb; the Oak Ridge Boys: Duane Allen, Joe Bonsall, Richard Sterban, and William Golden. and some of her family came. Youngest daugh- ter, Carla, and her husband, Don, were there to help. Daughter Mary Fay Jackson, host of Texas Country Gospel, was there interviewing artists and performing with the family. Some great music was made when Brother Jimmy Jones played his mandolin and the entire family joined him in singing the great old gospel songs. The delightful matriarch of the Jones Family, Dorothy, stood by with a sweet smile, knowing she and Brother Jimmy are serving the Lord and have poured their hearts Greenish Me | cont’d for people, a passion for music, and a dedication to ing point. Maybe Jesus will return this year, and may- Christ. The three can co-exist – and can be used to be not for another 100 years, but the world we live positively reach and touch the lives of an audience. in is in desperate need of His light…not of our petti- And while Mr. Ban-Joey will be the first to say ORB ness. I want to be able to say I spent my energy, used does not make a living in the gospel music industry, my gifts, communicated every day, the love of Christ, they also count themselves privileged to have a place even in my disappointments, my aggravation, and the in it. details of my work. The thing is, if a Christian industry is in fact Christian, I love the song by Karen Peck and New River that then the fruit – the business dealings, the message asks, “Why Can’t all God’s Children Get Along?” The board posts, the general response – of that industry first time I heard it, at NQC 2009, I nodded my head should embody the example of Christ, specifically by emphatically and possibly shouted a few Amens. The being respectful, honest, and while not blindly sup- next time I heard it live was just a few days after portive, friendly in nature. drafting this column, and I wanted to shout! Per- I started to write that “SGN Scoops is at a turning haps the sentiment seems too simple, but since God’s point”…then revised that to “Southern Gospel is at a Word calls us to have the faith of children, I think it’s turning point”…but the truth is, our world is at a turn- right on. 8 and money into spread- ing the gospel all over the world with FFE Net- work. The concerts were filled with incredible gos- pel music, with artists and audience worshipping our Lord. One of the joys for us was spending time with the terrific editor of SCOOPS DIGITAL, Kelly, and her husband Rod Burton.