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Peg McKamey of The McKameys has died

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JEFF TURNER

Texas Gospel is saddened to learn of the passing of long-time pillar of the Southern Gospel community Peg McKamey. The McKameys made the announcement this morning on the group’s Facebook page.

The McKameys originally formed as a trio in 1954 made up of Dora, Peg and Carol McKamey. All three are sisters.

Peg would meet her husband Ruban when he began playing guitar for the trio in 1957. Two years after joining the McKameys, he and Peg married.

Peg has won numerous awards in Southern Gospel Music including Female Vocalist of the year in 1989, and each year through 1994. She gave others a chance to win the awards until she won it again in 2002.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

The Wisecarvers’ new album,Strike A Chord, out now

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SPECIAL CROSSROADS RECORDS

Arden, North Carolina (December 8, 2023) — For fans wanting a complete collection from Southern Gospel’s The Wisecarvers, it’s been a long wait — but their patience is rewarded today with the release of the digital-only album Strike A Chord, the family musical ministry’s first full-length set in four years.

Not that the Wisecarvers haven’t been releasing new music in the interim — in fact, they’ve offered listeners five singles, including last Christmas’ contemplative “Wrapped In Red.” Still, Strike A Chord yields a fully rounded musical portrait that provides ample proof of The Wisecarvers’ talent for affirming the fundamentals of Christian faith and devotion in song. And with strong original songs and vocal performances by the three younger members of the group – Kaila, Dustin and Chase Wisecarver – who support one another as each takes a turn in the leading vocal role, the album delivers its Gospel message through multiple musical dimensions.  

Opening song “Tuning” sets the stage for the project, beginning with the sound of an acoustic guitar being tuned – a powerful sonic image that’s underscored by Chase Wisecarver’s powerful lyric:

Take the time to make a wrong a right
And act more like His chosen
Come together and strike a chord
Sing a song that’ll change the world
We are all broken, imperfect, just human
And we could all use a little tuning

From there, the collection unfolds through an array of musical settings – each different, each distinctive, each built around a powerful lead vocal and exquisite harmonies that reveal the breadth of The Wisecarvers’ talents and the depth of their faith. Whether they’re taking on the up-tempo, country-flavored celebration of “Worth Saying Again” or the thoughtful meditation found in their new single, “Grace,” the beauty of The Wisecarvers’ music on Strike A Chord will lift a listeners’ spirits and leave them feeling blessed. 

“As we were finishing the last touches on the new project, I took a look back at the group of songs we were blessed to record,” says Kaila Wisecarver, speaking for the entire group. “There are three things that kept coming back to my mind. 

“#1 – We pray these songs speak to us as a nation. The title of the new project comes from a song Chase wrote called ‘Tuning’: ‘We’re all sinners here. We all have our problems here. There is no better here than who’s on your right or left.’ We all desperately need Jesus. In this time of so much division, that’s something we ALL have in common. 

“#2 – We pray these songs move us as a body of believers. May we examine our hearts and make sure we are glorifying Jesus in all we do. 

“And #3 –  We pray these songs minister to you on a personal level. These lyrics are about struggles, addictions, doubt, fear, victory, faith. Songs for the sinner, songs for the saints. Wherever you are in the mix of it all, our desire is that you feel the Holy Spirit strike a chord in your heart and you come to know Jesus in a brand new way!”

Mark Bishop brings truth and wisdom to his upcoming album, Home

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CROSSROADS RECORDS

Arden, North Carolina (December 5, 2023) — “Every new recording project takes on its own personality, even after nearly forty years of recording music,” says GRAMMY-nominated artist Mark Bishop. “It never grows old. New songs, new ideas, different combinations of singers and musicians… they all come together to make a whole new thing.”

The truth and wisdom of this observation are borne out on Home, now available for pre-save/add ahead of its January 26 release.

For where Home’s predecessor, 2021’s Some Distant Mountain, reflected Bishop’s deep love and respect for a “mountain music” rooted in folk songs, Celtic sounds and timeless ballads, the new one takes a different, though no less creative — and rooted — approach that wraps the enduring messages of God’s love and Christ’s redemption in moments of startling musical vision. Opening with an up-tempo affirmation of faith that can triumph over Satan’s efforts:

The story of old Job shows Satan comes to everyone.
When he comes to you, well you can make the devil scat
By saying, “I found something better.
I found something better…
I found something better than that.”

Home introduces an accomplished crew of musicians — along with background singers Amber Eppinette Saunders (11th Hour) and Freddie Ratliff — capable of delivering inspired and soulful backing no matter which direction Bishop’s creativity takes them. Nowhere is the breadth of that creativity, and the depth of that talent, more evident than in the title — and focus — track, an evocation of generations of joyous African-American gospel that features a remarkable set of harmonies by Ratliff that surround Bishop’s exuberant lead.

Still, whether it’s the minor key groove of rising first single, “I Met Someone On The Way To The Cemetery,” the Beatles-esque sophistication of “If We Can’t Be Happy Here,” which includes some deliciously appropriate whistling by Bishop himself, the duet with Karen Peck Gooch on a foreboding “But There Is A Cross” or the magnificent closing, “Ten Thousand Witnesses,” with its swelling orchestral passages and celebratory choir, all of these are performances and songs — all written by Bishop — that perfectly match the living message of God’s grace to compelling music.

“With Home, we explore through music and lyrics how God moves through our lives, through big moments and little ones,” says Bishop. “He’s there in our love of family. He’s there through the ups and downs of life. He’s weaving a grand tapestry that one day will be revealed to us. We will see what at the time only He could see, on that day when we finally make it ‘home.'”

The Kingsmen’s new lineup takes on fan-favorite, “I Just Stopped By On My Way Home”

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SPECIAL CROSSROADS RECORDS

Arden, North Carolina (December 1, 2023) — With new single — and first new music since 2022’s Christmas EP, ‘Tis The Reason — “Unstoppable God” racing up the charts, The Kingsmen are wasting no time in following up with a new version of an old classic that’s sure to bring a flood of memories to long-time fans and a smile to new ones.  

First recorded by the group in 1991, “I Just Stopped By On My Way Home” quickly became a staple of the legendary quartet’s performances. As baritone singer Alan Kendall notes, “The Kingsmen rode high during the 90s with this high-octane classic. Over time the song took on a life of its own, with the band playing it even faster and the group singing it even livelier than on its original studio cut. It has been one of our most requested since I joined the group, and we were happy to finally honor our fans’ requests!”

The new recording offers only a gentle update of the original backing that serves to underline the latest line-up’s vigor, with producer Jeff Collins contributing rolling piano, studio ace David Johnson recapping the 5-string banjo part that lends the song a special flavor — and, notes Hall of Fame bass singer Ray Dean Reese, a special guest, too. 

“After many years of singing this song nearly every night, I feel like I have a better feel for it now than when I first recorded it,” he says. “We even brought former Kingsman Randy Miller into the studio to play harmonica for this one. As much as I loved the original, I believe this arrangement may be even stronger!”