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CROSSROADS RECORDS

Arden, North Carolina (May 9, 2023) — Following the loving recreation of a vintage radio show that formed the core of 2021’s Radio Days, the Chuck Wagon Gang is returning with Come Go With Me, a glistening new collection for Mountain Home Music Company that finds the present-day version of the legendary gospel group serving up equal portions of old songs and new — but all bearing the signature sound that has sustained the Gang for an unprecedented career that’s now lasted nearly 90 years.

The album is now available for pre-save/add ahead of its June 30 release.

Produced by Jeremy Stephens, leader of the popular bluegrass revivalist band, High Fidelity, and a former member of the Chuck Wagon Gang himself, Come Go With Me makes a compelling case for the timelessness of the group’s sound. Indeed, at a time when the listening audience’s appetite for the down-to-earth resonance of acoustic sounds, the sturdy simplicity of traditional styles and the abiding warmth of sincere gospel sentiments has never been larger, the elemental approach embodied in this down-to-earth yet well-crafted collection has never been more appealing.  

With Stephens on board not only as producer, but as instrumentalist alongside studio wizard David Johnson and award-winning bassist Mike Bub, the Gang serve up a set that embraces continuity through a seamless blend of material that, whether old or new, sounds tailor-made for their old-school approach. Bookended by new songs — the closing “Our Sins Are Washed Away” even comes straight from the pen of the group’s leader, Shaye Smith — the Chuck Wagon Gang visit classics like “I Dreamed About Heaven Last Night” and Dottie Rambo’s thoughtful “For What Earthly Reason” and recent arrivals like “The Mighty Word of God” and the bluegrass-flavored “I Will Not Cry Today,” presenting each in an arrangement that faithfully reflects the essence of the sound first brought to the world three generations ago, yet infuses it with new energy.  Says Smith, “We have an interesting variety of selections on Come Go With Me. Maybe for the first time ever, there are as many brand new songs as recognizable favorites. But even these old favorites are new for the Gang. I believe there is something for everyone within this album and we are anticipating its release with great excitement!”

CROSSROADS RECORDS

Arden, North Carolina (April 21, 2023) — The Down East Boys broke new ground for Southern Gospel in January with the release of “Celebration At The Empty Grave,” the first song from Sonlite Records to be presented in the immersive spatial audio of Dolby Atmos. Now, the quartet is releasing There’s A Song For That, a six-song EP that touches on a variety of themes even as it focuses on the unique ability of music to reach hearts with Christ’s message of salvation.

The collection loses no time in getting to the point, open with lead singer Ricky Carden’s delivery of the title track, a country-flavored look at the power of Gospel songs:

When it feels like the enemy steals your victory 
Remember in your heart there rings a melody

If you’re down, you can sing a chorus of “love lifted me”
And if you’re bound, sing “glory to God, He set me free”
No matter what you’re facing, what kind of day you’ve had
There’s a song for that

And, indeed, the rest of the set offers just such songs, whether in the majestic ballad, “Love Worth Dying For,” which features glistening orchestration, sympathetic piano from GRAMMY-nominated producer Jeff Collins and a soulful performance by tenor Doug Pittman, or in the similarly full-bodied closer, “Until He Comes,” a Dottie Rambo classic that contrasts Carden’s and Pittman’s voices in a meditation on perseverance, hope and the assurance of God’s grace. And with “The Song Of The Redeemed,” a snappy reminder that there’s a “song of freedom for all that will believe” sung by the full quartet, and the thoughtful “Song About Going Home,” where central insights are shared by Pittman, bass Alex Utech and baritone Daryl Paschal, the deep truth of the title is fully revealed:

Just imagine the sound
In that glorious place
As the saints are singing
To Jesus face to face

There are anthems being lifted
Around the Savior’s throne
But the one song you won’t hear
Is a song about going home

From start to finish, then, There’s A Song For That amply fulfills the vision described by Ricky Carden, who says, “Songs have always had a way of lifting our hearts on the tough days and helping us rejoice on good days. This project reminds us that in every day of our lives, no matter where we are, ‘There’s a song for that!'”

Listen to There’s A Song For That HERE.

About Down East Boys
For more than 30 years, the Down East Boys quartet has traveled from coast to coast, Canada and Mexico. Starting in eastern North Carolina the group chose the name from that region called Down East, but quickly expanded its ministry and has now recorded more than 20 projects and has had more than 40 songs reach the top of the Singing News charts. The Down East Boys features lead singer Ricky Carden, baritone singer Cayden Howell, bass singer Alex Utech and tenor singer Doug Pittman, who each bring a richness to the group’s music and have been noted by industry leaders and singers as some of the best. The Down East Boys have been afforded many great accolades to their credit. Three songs — “Beat Up Bible,” “Testimony Time” and “I’d Like To Tell It Again” — from their album, One Day In The Past, reached the No 1. position on the Singing News Chart, and “Amazing Amounts of Amazing Grace” from their most recent album, Faithful Still, also made the top spot. From performing with many evangelists through the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, singing at Southern Baptist State Conventions and Evangelism conferences all over the country, to all the awards and nominations and the hit songs, nothing changes the goal of this group and that is to share the gospel of Jesus unto all the world.