Harold Lane HOF Nomination
This article is reprinted with kind permission of Mr. John Crenshaw and SGM Radio.
Nobody Likes it But the People
by John Crenshaw
Hi, folks!
I've been blessed to write a few articles for the SGM Radio site. Looks like I might be doing this on a monthly basis now thanks to the "crack staff" of SGM Radio.
Rob and Karen have given me the opportunity to fulfill a dream of mine by working on the Southern Styles Show. I've always dreamed of doing radio work. That is a wonderful blessing. Now they have given me the opportunity to share some of my thoughts with you on the web site on a monthly basis.
The title of my monthly musings is "Nobody Likes it But the People." I believe that comment was first attributed to the famous gospel music promoter, W.B. Nowlin when asked about some of the groups he promoted that had less than perfect musical skills. I hope that "nobody but the people" will enjoy my monthly comments.
This month, I want to share a secret with you. We recently completed nationwide elections. I will NOT discuss national politics here, but I would like to mention another election that will be coming up shortly. That is the election of new inductees into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Last month, I wrote a synopsis of the 2006 ceremony, so it's now time to consider the class of 2007.
Each member of the SGMA has the opportunity to nominate one living person and one deceased person for inclusion into the Hall of Fame. This year, my vote will go to Mr. Harold Lane.
Harold Lane is a multi-talented individual that did much work behind the scenes in the field of gospel music. This former band director formed the Gospel Harmony Boys Quartet in the early 1950s. If you've never heard the Gospel Harmony Boys, then you missed a treat. This part time West Virginia quartet was on par with many of the top groups of the 1950s and 1960s. Mr. Lane's writing and arranging made a great impact on the Gospel Harmony Boys' style. Harold took a brief hiatus from this group to spend some time with the famous Homeland Harmony Quartet. He spent a year with the Homeland Harmony Quartet, but his influence was with that quartet until they disbanded for he supplied their vocal arrangements.
Harold is a great songsmith, having written many top gospel tunes including "I've Done What the Lord Said Do," "What Sins Are You Talking About?", and his biggest hit, "Touring That City." Mr. Lane is probably best known for his tenure with the Speer Family. He joined the Speers in 1967, and his impact with this group was immediate. The Speers rose to new heights around the talents of Harold Lane. He did their arranging and wrote many of their hits. His solid tenor voice was paramount in their sound.
After leaving the Speer Family, Mr. Lane continued to influence gospel music through his teaching at the Stamps-Baxter School of Music and his arrangements of hymns and gospel songs for brass.
Harold Lane was quite the innovator in gospel music, and the world of gospel music is much richer because of the contributions of Mr. Lane. He will be my nominee for the living member of the SGMA Hall of Fame.
If you aren't a member of the SGMA, check out their web site at www.sgma.org for details.
I'd like to thank my friend, Dean Adkins, for his help and input on this article.
