JEFF TURNER

This May, Ricky Carden will celebrate 34 years with The Down East Boys. His long journey in gospel music began when he was just 19 years old. The group became the second stop in what would grow into a lifelong career.

Carden recalls how it all started, crediting one man in particular for changing his path.

“Our ANR guy for Sunlight Records, Greg Bentley, and he’s the reason I’m in this mess,” said Carden.

He met Bentley through a well-known gospel group called the Hoppers. They gave Carden his first real taste of life on the road.

“I started at 19, of course I met Greg through a group called the Hoppers that everybody knows and they allow me to go on the road with him some just to see what it was all about,” he said. “I loved the music and wanted to be a part of it but didn’t really know a lot about it or how. I just sang it in church.”

Carden shared how Claude Hopper, a member of the group, quickly put him to work.

“Of course if you know Claude, Claude will put you to work,” he said. “He put me on the road and we’re unloading equipment, we’re doing all this stuff, and he just called me up one night.”

That call led to more time singing on stage with the Hoppers over the course of a year. Around that time, Greg Bentley joined The Down East Boys.

“A year later, and I had graduated high school, and he called and said, ‘We need a lead singer. I think you can do it,'” Carden recalled. “I didn’t know if I could or not, but I certainly wanted the chance.”

Just a few weeks later, he was on the bus with the group. That moment became the start of something lasting.

“And I’ve been here ever since. So 34 years in May,” he said.

Through hard work and a love for gospel music, Ricky Carden turned a single opportunity into a lifelong commitment. His story is one of faith, music, and perseverance—rooted in a moment that changed everything.