Category: Southern Gospel

The King James Boys release new bluegrass gospel single “Everything Heaven Won’t Be”

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

Some songs bring comfort, the kind that comes from a song that doesn’t pretend life is easy, but reminds you that none of it lasts forever. That’s the territory The King James Boys are working in with their new single, “Everything Heaven Won’t Be,” the latest cut to be pulled from their celebrated record Get A Transfer.

The band, lineup intact since their 1994 formation in upstate South Carolina, isn’t chasing trends. Randy Spencer handles guitar and lead vocals, his brother Cole Spencer rounds out the harmonies on bass, Curtis Lewis carries the banjo work, and Will Hart fills in mandolin and harmony. More than three decades in, they’ve built their reputation on a simple premise: stay rooted in traditional bluegrass, stay rooted in faith, and let the songs do the convincing.

This one was written by Daryl Mosley, a four-time Songwriter of the Year, who says he never expected to hear his own words come back to him in The King James Boys’ voice. “I’ve been a fan of The King James Boys for a long time, so I’m especially excited that a song I wrote has found its way into their repertoire,” Mosley says. “They absolutely made this song their own! I’m grateful they liked the song and their recording truly knocks it out of the park!”

The song itself plays a clever trick. It runs through the everyday jobs and worries that eat up people’s attention, the deadlines, the anxieties, the noise, and then quietly sets all of it against the backdrop of eternity, where none of that weight exists. It’s not a heavy-handed sermon; it’s more of an invitation, nudging listeners toward what Mosley and the band clearly believe sticks around: faith, relationships, and the long view.

“Everything Heaven Won’t Be” doesn’t arrive in a vacuum. It follows a run of singles from Get A Transfer that have already found an audience, including “Glory Ride,” “Ready and Waiting,” “The News That Never Changes,” “The Best Selling Book Of All Time,” and “Power of Prayer.” The album as a whole has quietly become one of the most decorated of the group’s career, landing multiple No. 1 spots on both the Roots Music Report Charts and the Bluegrass Today Gospel Weekly Airplay Chart. “The Best Selling Book Of All Time,” written by Christopher Burton, has gone further still, advancing to the second round of voting on the IBMA Awards ballot.

For a band thirty years into its run, that kind of momentum isn’t an accident. It’s the product of consistency: the same lineup, the same convictions, and a catalogue that keeps finding new listeners without ever needing to chase them.

Chuck wagon gang celebrates more than 90 years of gospel music

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CONSTANCE TURNER

Ninety years is a long time for any group to stay together, let alone stay relevant. But that’s exactly what the Chuck Wagon Gang has done since they first started singing on local radio back in 1935. Over nine decades, the group has built a legacy that includes performances at Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Grand Ole Opry, a level of recognition that few gospel acts ever reach.

Reaching a 90th anniversary is rare in any genre of music. In Southern Gospel, where so many groups have come and gone over the decades, it’s almost unheard of. The Chuck Wagon Gang’s longevity speaks to something deeper than nostalgia. It speaks to a sound and a message that has continued to resonate with listeners across generations.

Part of what has kept that sound alive in recent years is the addition of new voices to the lineup. In 2021, Josh Garner joined the group, bringing with him years of experience from his time with The Florida Boys and Dixie Melody Boys. Garner has always been drawn to groups with deep roots and lasting influence, the kind of acts whose music has stood the test of time.

That same appreciation for tradition is part of what made joining the Chuck Wagon Gang feel like such a natural fit, even though stepping into a mixed group wasn’t something Garner had ever planned for himself.

“One thing that I’ve always focused on is the history of gospel music and the groups that have lasted, that have stood the test of time. That they have a special place in my heart,” Garner said. “And I never dreamed I’d sing in a mixed group, never was on my list of things to do. But when this came open and they presented the opportunity, it just felt natural, like a hand in a glove.”

Since joining, Garner has brought a fresh energy to the group’s sound and stage presence, all while staying true to the classic style that has defined the Chuck Wagon Gang for nine decades. He described the adjustment as a welcome challenge.

“It’s been an interesting challenge because it’s a totally different way of singing, a totally different way of presenting a program,” he said. “But I’m having a ball. They let me have carte blanche to do and say what I want. We’re just, the gang’s having fun.”

That balance, of honouring 90 years of history while welcoming new voices like Garner’s, is part of what continues to set the Chuck Wagon Gang apart. The group isn’t simply marking time. They’re still creating music that carries the same spirit that made them a Southern Gospel staple in the first place.

To mark this milestone anniversary, the Chuck Wagon Gang has released a new single, “When All I Can Cry Is Holy,” from their album Made to Live Forever. The song explores themes of struggle and hope, offering a reflection on the promise of complete redemption, a message that has anchored the group’s music since the very beginning.

Ninety years in, with Garner’s fresh voice now part of the mix, the Chuck Wagon Gang shows no signs of slowing down.

Gary Casto on faith, gospel music, and the project nobody believed in

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AMY TURNER

After forty years in the industry, Gary Casto still lights up when he talks about gospel music.

Since 2006, Tribute Quartet, Casto alongside Josh Singletary, Gus Gaches, and Ian Owens, has built a reputation as one of southern gospel’s most reliable forces: a multi-Dove-nominated, award-winning act that’s managed to stay both beloved and dynamic in a genre that doesn’t always reward both at once. Now they’re back in the studio, kicking off work on their fourth Quartet Tribute project, having just wrapped a song selection session with longtime producer Gerald Wolfe.

Gary Casto (tributequartet.com)

Casto, a West Virginia native who’s spent decades in nearly every corner of gospel music, is the group’s manager and lead vocalist, and he’s the one who dreamed up the Quartet Tribute concept in the first place. It wasn’t an easy sell.

“I try to always pick the right songs,” Casto says. “You know, when we started doing the quartet series, several folks told me, industry leaders says, that’s a great idea, but you’ll never be able to mix those songs in with your national projects. There’s no way.”

He wasn’t deterred. If anything, the skepticism lit something in him. “I love a challenge,” he says. “And I just said, Lord, we’ve got to do this. And we do it nightly.”

That stubborn faith has paid off. Tribute Quartet has spent years proving that classic and contemporary material can share a setlist without friction, that southern gospel audiences don’t need to choose between nostalgia and novelty; they want both, often in the same evening. It’s a small rebellion against the industry’s instinct to keep things tidy and categorized, and it’s worked because Casto refused to back down when people told him it wouldn’t.

As the group dives into its fourth installment in the series, that same restless mix of reverence and reinvention is driving them forward: music built to feel timely without losing its center, relevant to the moment without forgetting what brought the audience there in the first place. For Tribute Quartet, the mission underneath the music hasn’t moved an inch, even as everything around it keeps shifting.

One dead after tent collapses during Craguns performance in Moneta, Virginia

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STEVE MORGAN, SPECIAL FOR TEXAS GOSPEL

MONETA, Va. — A sudden, powerful wind gust collapsed a large commercial tent during an outdoor celebration at Eastlake Community Church on the evening of June 13, killing one person and injuring several others.

The church was marking its 20th anniversary with an outdoor service featuring The Craguns when the wind struck without warning, according to witnesses and a statement released by the group.

The victim has been identified by witnesses as Bob Stouffer, a longtime member of the church congregation.

A witness at the event said the wind lifted the tent into the air, estimating it rose roughly 100 feet before crashing back down on the crowd below. The witness said the church’s pastor, sensing the danger, tried to warn attendees to get to their cars, but the wind hit before he could finish delivering the warning.

The number of people injured in the collapse has not been confirmed.

The Craguns, who were performing under the tent at the time, said in a statement posted online that their family was unharmed.

“Tonight while singing outdoors (under a large commercial tent) celebrating the 20th anniversary of Eastlake Community Church in Moneta, Virginia, a VERY strong wind came through suddenly and without warning and blew the tent down,” the group wrote. “We are thankful to report that our entire family is safe and unharmed. However, there were multiple injuries and at least one fatality (that we are aware of).”

The group said they released the statement after receiving hundreds of messages asking about their safety, noting the incident had become national news.

“We ask that you help us pray for everyone who is injured, the church staff and all of the precious souls who attend this church,” the statement continued. “They are hurting tonight and they need our love and prayer support. Eastlake Community Church is a wonderful, God honoring church. After 20 great years, they will have a few hard weeks ahead.”

The Craguns expressed confidence that the church and its members would recover from the tragedy.

“But based on God’s word, we know that somehow, someway, God is working all things together for good to those who love him… and by God’s grace we believe brighter days are ahead,” the statement read. “Thank you for your prayers.”

Services for Mr. Stouffer were held June 20, 2026 at the EastLake Community Church.

LeFevre Quartet’s Jordan LeFevre on finding honour in the ordinary moments of parenthood

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CHERYL QUIGG

There was nothing glamorous about it. A tour bus, a bucket of soapy water, and a little boy trying to keep up with his dad. But for Jordan LeFevre of the LeFevre Quartet, that quiet Saturday chore turned into something he is still thinking about.

“My son was helping me wash our tour bus,” LeFevre recalls, “and if we’re being honest, I probably could have done it faster by myself. But that’s not really the point.”

For a man who spends much of his life on the road, performing for audiences across the country, LeFevre has a gift for recognising what actually matters. And what matters, he will tell you, is not the stage. It is the small, unremarkable hours in between, the ones most parents are tempted to rush through.

“As we scrubbed and rinsed, I was showing him how to do the job the right way,” he says. “Teaching him, guiding him, working alongside him.”

It brought to mind a verse he knows well, Proverbs 22:6, which calls parents to train up a child in the way he should go. LeFevre sees that scripture not as a task to complete, but as a posture to hold. “God doesn’t just give us instructions and walk away,” he says. “He teaches us, corrects us, and patiently works alongside us as we grow in faith and character.”

That patience is something every parent recognises and struggles with. The mess, the inefficiency, the slower pace that comes with letting a child participate rather than simply observe. It takes a certain kind of discipline to resist doing it yourself, to honour the process over the outcome.

And yet, those are exactly the moments children carry with them. A home, after all, can be a place of peace or a place of noise and confusion. The difference often comes down to whether parents are willing to be present, not perfectly, but consistently, and with intention.

LeFevre puts it plainly: “Sometimes the greatest lessons aren’t taught in the classroom. They’re learned side by side, in doing life together.”

For Christian parents, that is both a comfort and a challenge. Every errand, every chore, every ordinary Tuesday holds the potential to shape the next generation’s understanding of faith, character, and what it looks like to follow Christ. The colour of those moments, whether they feel significant or not, is rarely obvious in real time.

But a soapy bucket and a willing child are a good place to start.