Tag: Southern Gospel Radio

Tragedy Strikes Beloved Gospel Music Family: Members of The Nelons Lost in Plane Crash

Published on by Texas Gospel1 Comment

Jeff Turner / Constance Scully

Texas Gospel Canada has learned of the deaths of Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, Amber and Nathan Kistler, and their assistant, Melodi Hodges who were involved in a plane crash Friday. The pilot, Larry Haynie, and his wife, Melissa, also died.

Autumn Nelon Streetman, who also performs with the Nelons, was not on board. She confirmed the death of her parents and sister on Instagram. She thanked fans for their “prayers, love, and support” hours after the fatal crash.

Gaither Management said the passengers were making their way to Seattle to join a cruise ship on which The Nelons were set to perform. A National Transportation Safety Board official said the crash happened around 1 p.m. Friday north of Gillette, Wyoming. Preliminary reports indicate the aircraft went down due to an “auto-pilot issue.”

The Nelons have been nominated for three Grammy awards and were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2016.

A Statement from Gaither Management Group:

One of the best-loved Gospel music families in America, The Nelons were involved in a tragic, fatal plane crash on Friday afternoon on their way to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska. Killed in the crash were Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, Amber and Nathan Kistler, and their assistant, Melodi Hodges, along with the pilot, Larry Haynie, and his wife, Melissa. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.

Autumn, Jason and Kelly’s youngest daughter, and her husband, Jamie Streetman, were not on the plane and arrived safely into Seattle and were notified of the accident. They were brought to the hotel where artists were gathered with Bill and Gloria Gaither to pray, sing, and embrace them in their grief, pledging to support them in whatever needs arise.

Autumn and Jamie will return home for now to Kelly’s brother, Todd Nelon, and his wife, Rhonda, to begin the hard tasks that lie ahead. Please keep them, the Kistler family, the Haynie family, and the family of Melodi Hodges in your prayers.

A Statement from Autumn Nelon Streetman:

As many of you have heard by now, my father and mother, Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, along with my sister, Amber, and brother-in-law, Nathan, as well as our dear friends Melodi Hodges, Larry, and Melissa Haynie, were involved in a tragic plane crash on Friday. Thank you for the prayers that have been extended already to me, my husband, Jamie, and our soon-to-be-born baby boy, as well as Jason’s parents, Dan and Linda Clark. We appreciate your continued prayers, love, and support as we navigate the coming days.

A Statement from Autumn Daywind Records:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (July 27, 2024) One of America’s most cherished Gospel music families, The Nelons, was involved in a tragic plane crash on Friday afternoon. The family was en route to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska when the accident occurred. The crash claimed the lives of Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, their daughter Amber and son-in-law Nathan Kistler, their assistant Melodi Hodges, and the pilot Larry Haynie and his wife Melissa. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating the accident.
 
Daywind Music Group’s Ed Leonard states, “The Daywind Music Group family is devastated by the news of the passing of several members of the Nelons in a plane crash on Friday. We pray that God’s peace and love cover the surviving member, Autumn Nelon Streetman, and her husband, Jamie, along with the Clark, Hodges, Kistler, and Haynie families, following the loss of Kelly Nelon Clark, Jason Clark, Amber Nelon Kistler, Nathan Kistler, and their close friends Melodi Hodges, Larry Haynie, and Melissa Haynie, who traveled with them on the flight. In this time of unimaginable grief for these families, we know that our beloved artist and their friends are in the arms of Jesus Christ whom the Nelons spent their entire careers singing about as they spread His Gospel around the world. We stand on His promises today as we grieve the loss of our precious Daywind family members.”

Autumn Nelon Streetman, the youngest member of the Nelons and daughter of Kelly Nelon Clark and Jason Clark, and Autumn’s husband, Jamie Streetman, were not on the plane and arrived safely in Seattle. They were notified of the accident and brought to the hotel where fellow artists, including Bill and Gloria Gaither, gathered to support them. The community joined together to pray, sing, and offer their heartfelt condolences, pledging unwavering support during this difficult time.

Autumn and Jamie will return home to be with Kelly’s brother, Todd Nelon, and his wife, Rhonda, as they begin to navigate the challenging days ahead. The Nelon family, along with the Kistler, Haynie, and Hodges families, need your thoughts and prayers.

Lauren, Amber & Kenna share eternal belief with “Every Praise”

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SPECIAL HORIZON & SONLITE RECORDS

Arden, North Carolina (July 26, 2024) — For their next Horizon Records single, the Southern Gospel trio of Lauren, Amber & Kenna â€” Lauren Talley, 11th Hour’s Amber Eppinette Saunders and Kenna Turner West â€” serve up a stately anthem of eternal belief in “Every Praise.” 

“As a songwriter, there are songs that — as you co-write them — make you weep,” says West of the number she penned with Michael Farren. “This is one of those songs for me. It was the last thing written for the project and is perhaps my favorite, because it speaks to the fundamentals of our faith.”

Just as she notes, “Every Praise” is elemental in its message. West herself delivers its opening verse, set in hushed tones over simple piano accompaniment, before giving way to the trio’s sweetly harmonized chorus:

For the Cross, the Blood, the blessed Resurrection
For the hope we have in this life and in Heaven
We’ll spend every single grateful day
Giving You every praise

As the lead passes to Lauren for a second verse — and then, after a second chorus, to Amber â€” the backing grows ever stronger, magnifying “Every Praise”‘s triumphant embrace of worship in the rise and fall of its bridge:

Every praise in the morning, every praise in the night
Every praise in the darkness of my battles that You fight
Every praise for the bondage-breaking power of Your love
Every praise for the glory of the Kingdom yet to come

and final choruses. 

“We all have something to praise God for,” Talley observes. “When I hear Amber sing the line, ‘every praise in the darkness for my battles that You fight,’ I think of the victories God has won in my own life, for me. I wouldn’t be here singing this amazing song with my friends if God hadn’t done what He does, over and over again. That’s worth spending every single grateful day giving Him every praise.”

Listen to “Every Praise” on Texas Gospel Canada!

Dean Hickman’s Miraculous Recovery: A Testament to Faith and Resilience

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JEFF TURNER

Recently, Dean Hickman had the opportunity to perform with The Guardians and later appeared with The Hoppers at his home church. However, a serious medical issue struck several weeks ago. Pat Barker explains the harrowing experience and the miraculous recovery that followed.

“Things took a turn and he started having headaches. Dean doesn’t really deal with headaches often, and so they thought maybe some kind of sinus infection or something,” Barker begins. “So he went to a doctor, they sent him somewhere else, and they discovered a blood clot and then a brain bleed.”

The situation escalated quickly. “Within just a few hours, they had to do emergency brain surgery on our friend Dean Hickman. We kept that pretty quiet. We made the decision, along with them, to just tell a very small handful of people, mostly some pastors that we knew that could pray for Dean,” Barker continues. “Prayer works. It always works.”

The days following the surgery were tense. “We went about a week and Dean really didn’t say much of anything. Maybe a word here or there. It was very touch and go,” Barker recalls. “But the other day, John received a phone call. It was Dean. It was Dean who called and was talking now. His speech was a little slurred and he was very emotional and he struggled to get some things out.”

The next day brought even more hope. “Then the next day he called us and he sounded like Dean. He was happy, he was laughing. It was like having Dean right back with us only a week after the brain surgery. It was nothing short of a miracle,” Barker concludes.

We are so delighted to hear that Dean Hickman is doing better. Please continue to lift him up in your prayers. Dean is featured on the current song from The Guardians, “Another Life To Give.” Listen for Dean and The Guardians on Texas Gospel Canada!

The Kingdom Heirs’ “Until Prayer Changes Me” talks about the transformative powerof talking to God

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SPECIAL: CROSSROADS MUSIC

Arden, North Carolina (July 12, 2024) — They may be a legendary group with decades of music already behind them, but the Kingdom Heirs are taking an approach to releasing music that’s as forward-looking as today’s headlines.  Less than two months after issuing what will eventually be the title track of a new collection — and just weeks after the announcement that the beloved Southern Gospel ensemble’s musicians are in the Singing News Fan Awards Top 5 â€” the Sonlite Records recording artists are back with new music. Cast as a stately country waltz, with pedal steel guitar and lush strings punctuating soaring vocals, “Until Prayer Changes Me” offers a heartfelt look at the transformative power of prayer.  

“From the moment I heard the first words of this song, I knew that it was a song the Kingdom Heirs needed to record,” affirms Chris Bryant, whose soulful voice is at the fore throughout the song. “It’s one of the most relatable messages in song that I have heard in a very long time. There’s not a believer out there who hasn’t found themselves on their knees asking God ‘why?’ Those are often some of the most difficult moments of our lives.”

Penned by veteran songwriter Janice Crow, “Until Prayer Changes Me” offers a vivid depiction of how prayer can bring reassurance of God’s mercy in times of trouble—and how it can change the believer rather than the circumstances they face:

Sometimes my burdens send me to my knees
With problems I don’t understand
I ask God to change it so I can arrange it
According to my master plan
But when I remember who parted the sea
And hung all the stars in the blue
I stop and surrender to the only heart mender
Who knows just what I need to do

Says Bryant, “This song reminds us that sometimes God doesn’t change our situation—sometimes He changes US! He gives us peace, assurance that He is still in control, and grace to make it through. We pray that this song touches so many people as it has us.”

Listen to “Until Prayer Changes Me” on Texas Gospel Canada!

Sound Street announces upcoming album, Good Seed

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SPECIAL: CROSSROADS MUSIC

Arden, North Carolina (July 9, 2024) — “I have worked with Sound Street since they began singing,” said esteemed Southern Gospel artist and producer Roger Talley when the trio was signed to Sonlite Records at the end of 2023. “Jarrod Vanderslice and Ryan Bilby have always been great singers and talented communicators. Jaylie inherited the natural, God-given musical talent and is now taking an important role center stage with Sound Street.”

The truth of Talley’s observations was borne out quickly enough with the release of Sound Street’s first single, “Mansions,” at the beginning of the year, but the upcoming release of their debut album for the label drives home the point in an unmistakable way. Infused with the energy of youth, the spirit of unshakeable faith and an abundance of talent, brought to life in settings molded by Talley’s signature blend of creative innovation and mastery of tradition, Good Seed â€” now available for pre-save/add ahead of its August 30 release â€” reveals a group that has seized the opportunity to bring their music and its message to an ever-widening audience.

“In Mark Chapter 4,” recalls Jarrod Vanderslice, “Jesus shares a powerful parable about a farmer who sowed seeds into his field. By leaving the seeds to grow in their own time, the parable illustrates the strength of the Gospel ‘seed.’ It reminds us that although we may not see immediate results, the Gospel will bear fruit at the right time. Our new project, Good Seed, embodies this message. Each song in this project represents a small yet powerful seed. Wherever you are today, these songs will take root and grow, offering you encouragement and the reminder that God’s goodness will ultimately lead to a fruitful and fulfilling life in His perfect timing.”

Indeed, each of Good Seed’s dozen songs has been carefully shaped — first by their songwriters, a group that includes multiple contributions from Adina Bowman, Rebecca J. Peck and Tony Bowman, as well as familiar names like Matthew West and Joseph Habedank, then by Talley and the members of Sound Street â€” with an arrangement and a performance that underlines its unique yet universal outlook. Whether it’s the soaring majesty of the stately opener, “Mountains Will Fall,” which features Jarrod Vanderslice’s convincing vocal, the excitingly modern touches that frame Jaylie Vanderslice’s confident-beyond-her-years lead on their top 40 (and rising) lead-off single, “Mansions,” the quiet warmth of “Looking Up” or the rootsy, acoustic flavor and trio focus of the closing meditation, “The One Who Is Unworthy,” Good Seed is a collection that elegantly matches music to message to create a powerful artistic and spiritual listening experience.

“I thoroughly enjoyed working on this new project by Sound Street,” says Talley. “It has one of the strongest collections of new songs that I have been privileged to produce. They are very wise and seasoned for their time as a new artist, and have chosen some incredible songs to showcase on this project. I can’t wait for you to hear the vocal stylings of young Jaylie Vanderslice, the exciting and heartfelt interpretations from her dad Jarrod, and the powerful delivery of baritone Ryan Bilby. Their vocal performances are exceptional, and I know you are going to enjoy this whole project!”Pre-save/add Good SeedHERE.