JEFF TURNER

The gospel music world is grieving the loss of one of its most respected musicians and producers. Garry Jones, an award-winning artist, passed away on Sunday evening, April 27, after a brief battle with metastatic cancer. He was 62 years old.

Jones built a long and celebrated career in gospel music, first gaining national attention as a member of the Pensacola, Florida-based group, the Dixie Echoes. However, it was his work with the renowned Gold City Quartet that left a lasting mark on the genre.

Daniel Riley of Gold City reflected on the deep influence Jones had on the group’s legacy. “I credit Gary Jones with creating the iconic Gold City sound,” Riley said. “As he started getting into producing the group in the latter part of the 80s, it became very popular. Sound that was different than what everybody else was doing.”

Jones’ impact on Gold City continued for many years, with Riley sharing personal memories of their time together. “The last time I’d seen Gary was when we were inducted into the gospel music hall of fame. He came to that, you know, I hadn’t talked to him, he’d moved to Texas and, you know, we lost touch.”

The connection between Jones and the group was renewed when Josh, a former member of Mercy’s Mark—a group Jones had also been part of—joined Gold City. Riley explained, “Josh had stayed in touch with him. And when Josh came with us, it sort of opened that dialogue again.”

This renewed relationship eventually led to Jones returning to work with Gold City once more. “We got to thinking and I talked to Michael Sykes who started this record with us. Where we are right now, we just thought, you know, if we could get Gary in here. And Michael’s like, man, that’s the perfect fit for where you guys are.”

Riley expressed how meaningful it was to see Jones return to the work he loved. “It’s just another cool story of how Gary got back involved. He was in a place in his life that he needed this. He had sort of gotten away from the production and all that. And when he got involved, he really got involved.”

Jones’ career extended beyond Gold City. He was also remembered for his time with The Old Friends Quartet and Canton Junction. Notably, he was a founding member of both Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, as well as Mercy’s Mark.

At this time, funeral arrangements for Mr. Jones have not yet been finalized. The family has asked for prayers and support in the difficult days ahead.