Interviews

The glory days of the Statesmen are now the stuff of legend. We play back the voices of Big Chief, Jake, Rosie, Denver, Doy, and Hovie on old LPs, and watch the few grainy black-and-white video clips that have survived on YouTube. Yet to this day, there are men still alive who had to turn down…

The glory days of the Statesmen are now the stuff of legend. We play back the voices of Big Chief, Jake, Rosie, Denver, Doy, and Hovie on old LPs, and watch the few grainy black-and-white video clips that have survived on YouTube. Yet to this day, there are men still alive who had to turn…

In 2007, we posted an unforgettable interview with Kyla Rowland. The most powerful moment in a conversation full of such moments was when she shared the story of how her son’s running away from home prompted her to write “One Scarred Hand.” On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to hear the other half of the…

I had the opportunity to interview Roger Talley before a Talley Trio concert last fall. One thing led to another, and it took this long to get it up. But it’s worth the wait. For a formatted version of the interview, click here. DJM: Could you start by explaining how you became interested in Southern…

I had made plans to interview Dianne Wilkinson on Tuesday night of this year’s National Quartet Convention. So we would have plenty of time, we arranged to meet at the Greater Vision booth about an hour before the last group walked off the mainstage for the night. A few minutes before the scheduled time, I…

I had the opportunity to talk with one of Southern Gospel’s best-loved pianists and altos, Kim Collingsworth, before a recent Collingsworth family concert. Since I interviewed her husband Phil earlier this year (read that interview here), I tried to avoid covering the same ground in this conversation. DJM: Even though I know you tell your…

Phil Collingsworth is the father, group manager, and baritone singer for the Collingsworth Family. Most of the interviews I’ve done for this site have been via email or phone, but for this one I had the opportunity to talk in person before a recent concert. DJM: I’ll just start off with a general question. How…

I recently had the opportunity to interview Wes Hampton, the tenor for the Gaither Vocal Band. I’d like to offer a special word of thanks to fellow blogger Wes Burke. When he posted a brief interview with Wes Hampton a couple months back, it planted a seed in my mind—”Hey, it just might be possible…

I recently had the opportunity of interviewing Pat Barker, bass singer for the Dixie Echoes and recently a top 5 nominee in the Singing News Fan Awards for Horizon Individual of the Year. DJM: How did you get interested in Southern Gospel, and what sparked a desire to sing it yourself? Pat: My dad was…

Recently, I had the chance to interview Gary Casto, lead singer and manager for Tribute Quartet. DJM: Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? How did you get interested in Southern Gospel, and what groups have you sung with? Casto: It started years ago. My family had some friends who lived down the…