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It’s another homecoming for gospel’s Gaither band
By John Benson
Getting by and more is what popular gospel singer Bill Gaither has been doing for more than half a century.
“The Gaither Vocal Band originated years ago and grew out of the Bill Gaither Trio, which was with my wife, Gloria,” said Gaither, calling from his Hoosier State home. “I’ve lived three or four lifetimes.”
The lifetimes have been plentiful and fruitful for the Christian singer-songwriter, who grew up an avid fan of gospel quartets. While still in college, he founded the Bill Gaither Trio. Eventually he and his wife became songwriting partners. Over the decades, the two collaborated on more than 700 popular gospel songs.
The catalog includes the hymnal standards “Because He Lives,” “The King is Coming,” “Something Beautiful,” “He Touched Me,” “It is Finished,” “There’s Something About that Name,” “Let’s Just Praise the Lord” and “Loving God, Loving Each Other.”
To date, Gaither and his wife have released more than 40 albums, winning eight Grammy Awards.
Their latest is the recently released “Sometimes it Takes a Mountain,” from which Gaither said he’ll be performing material during the Gaither Vocal Band’s “Homecoming Tour” show Saturday at Covelli Centre. Gaither pointed out the vocal band now boasts a new and energized lineup.
“For the last 25 years for sure, we’ve had 16 or 17 different personnel members, which isn’t bad,” Gaither said. “We’ve had, I think, some of the best singers in the gospel music field.
“The present group is David Phelps, he’s our first tenor and he’s unbelievable. People love him. Wes Hampton has been there for about 10 years. Those are the two veterans but we have two new members of the group. Adam Crabb isn’t really new to the gospel music field. He’s part of the Crabb Family and has added a wonderful dimension to the vocal band. Then Todd Suttles is the new baritone bass. He’s quite a character and quite a personality.”
The current bill also includes special guests The Isaacs, The Martins and Charlotte Ritchie, too. Gaither said the success behind the live show stems from his early ’90s video “Homecoming,” which featured his many different groups performing individually before convening on stage together after intermission.
“That’s when we perform together in a pretty relaxed setting,” Gaither said. “We’re all sitting in chairs. It’s very spontaneous. To be honest, a lot of people say they like that part the best because it’s so unpredictable. It’s a coming together.”