Acappella Vocal Band (AVB) was a
vocal group
A musical ensemble, also known as a music group, musical group, or a band is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrume ...
put together by
Keith Lancaster
Keith Lancaster is a singer, songwriter, composer, producer and executive at The Acappella Company.
In 1982, Lancaster began pursuit of his dream to spread the Gospel through a cappella music by creating Acappella Ministries in his hometown of P ...
in 1986 to augment the vocal group
Acappella
Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
.
AVB's popularity and ministry quickly grew, prompting Lancaster to launch AVB as a full-time touring group in 1988. AVB went through various lineup and stylistic changes before disbanding in 2000.
In addition to their early duties as Acappella's
opening act
An opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, supporting act or opener, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform ...
and augmentation group, AVB performed and recorded as an independent ensemble. Many of their recordings, which included ''Give Me Light'' (1987) and ''Steppin' On A Cloud'' (1988), were later re-released on a
CD titled ''The Early Years.'' In June 1988, with Acappella's expansion to a
quartet
In music, a quartet (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers.
Classical String quartet
In classical music, one of the most common combinations of four instruments in chamber music is the string quartet. String quar ...
, AVB branched off to tour on their own under the auspices of Acappella Ministries. Both groups underwent a shift in musical style during this period. Whereas previously, they had covered traditional
hymns
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
, praise songs and contemporary
Christian pop music, both Acappella and AVB now recorded and performed primarily original music, much of which was composed by Lancaster. Acappella forged ahead with an adult contemporary sound while AVB targeted the youth market.
With ''Song In My Soul'' (1989), AVB made a major shift toward contemporary
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
,
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
and
R&B sounds, though still entirely produced
a cappella
Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
. On ''What's Your Tag Say?,'' the shift toward slick
hip-hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
and
R&B was even greater, with a strong lyrical focus on the youth market and extensive
choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...
incorporated into their live performances.
By the time ''Celebrate And Party'' became popular, the transformation to a near-perfect a cappella
mimicry
In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. In the simples ...
of the
new jack swing
New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...
style had been achieved, with a sound similar to
Take 6
Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group integrates jazz with spiritual and inspirational lyrics. Take 6 has received several Grammy Awards as well as D ...
,
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...
, and
Tony! Toni! Toné!
Tony! Toni! Toné! is an American R&B/Soul band from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s to mid-1990s. During the band's heyday, it was composed of D'Wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq (born Char ...
. The song ''U & Me & God Make 5'' followed in 1993, producing a hit on the
CCM charts. The AVB lineup of John K. Green, Brishan Hatcher, Wes McKinzie, Max Plaster and Steve Reischl also recorded AVB's Spanish project, ''Caminando en la Luz'' (1994), and "greatest hits" compilation, ''The Road'' (1995).
After a brief hiatus, AVB returned with a different lineup for ''Way of Life'' and yet another lineup and sound for ''Real.'' Although the group is now defunct, almost 30 former members reunited in
Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
for a concert in July 2009.
Previous members
*Todd Austin – Nashville, TN.
*Chad Bahr – Graphic designer in Plato, MN.
*Shannon Beasley – Teaches English at Arkansas State University. Personal trainer for Victory Fitness.
*Luke Brown – Singer/songwriter in Nashville, TN.
*Tony Brown – Worship minister at Grace Harbor Church in Rogers, AR.
*Dale Cal – Independent environmental manager in Nashville, TN.
*Dale Carpenter – Former worship minister a
Highland Park Christian Churchin Tulsa, OK.
*Terry Cheatham – Counselor; Professor of Psychology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. Terry died in August 2018.
*Todd Dunaway – Works for Catalog Music Corporation in Nashville, TN. Also sang bass fo
Watershed Worship
*Danny Elliott – Police officer in Tulsa, OK.
*Dave Fletcher – Works for Microsoft in Seattle, WA.
*George Gee – Musical artist in Beverly Hills, CA.
*John K. Green – Singer/songwriter/producer in Los Angeles, CA. John was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and died on November 3, 2020.
*Josh Harrison – Director of production for Premier Companies in Franklin, TN.
Brishan Hatcher– Worship minister at Highland Church of Christ in Memphis, TN.
*Aaron Herman – Worship Pastor at North Ridge Church, Marshfield, WI.
*Chris Lindsey – Worship and Creative Arts Minister at Well House Church in Nashville, TN. Also sang wit
Watershed Worship
*Wes McKinzie – Assistant Professor of Business at
Oklahoma Christian University
Oklahoma Christian University (OC) is a private Christian university in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It was founded in 1950 by members of the Churches of Christ.
History
Oklahoma Christian University, originally named Central Christian College, ...
in Oklahoma City, OK.
*Andrew McNeal – Worked as operator manager for a company in Washington D.C. Recorded a solo album entitled "The Lord is Blessing Me." Andrew died in November 2011.
*Max L. Plaster – Technical consultant at Edward Jones in St. Louis, MO.
*Brian Randolph – Former worship minister at First Street Church in Dumas, TX, and Altamesa Church of Christ in Fort Worth, TX. Brian died in January 2020.
*Steve Reischl – Technical director at Dardenne Presbyterian Church in Dardenne Prairie, MO.
*Kevin Schaffer – Worship Minister at Central Church of Christ in Amarillo, TX.
*Jay Smith – Teacher, songwriter and salesman in Atlanta, G
*
Tim Storms
Tim Storms (born August 28, 1972) is an American singer and composer. He holds the Guinness World Record for both the "lowest note produced by a human" and the "widest vocal range".
Musical career
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Storms was raised in ...
– Featured performer at Pierce Arrow Theater in Branson, MO.
*Jeremy Swindle – Worship Minister at Landmark Church of Christ in Montgomery, AL.
*Bret Testerman – Started Worship Coach, Inc., providing worship consulting for churches and coaching for worship ministers and is also part of Interim Ministry Partners.
Group formations
Discography
The labels are taken from the original releases; many of the albums have been re-released with new distributors.
* ''Give Me Light'' (1987, Clifty Records)
* ''Steppin' On A Cloud'' (1988, Clifty Records)
* ''Song In My Soul'' (1989, Clifty Records)
* ''A Savior Is Born!'' (1989, Clifty Records, with Acappella)
* ''What's Your Tag Say?'' (1991, Word)
* ''Celebrate And Party'' (1992, Word)
* ''U And Me And God Make 5'' (1993, Word)
* ''Caminando en la Luz'' (1994, Word)
* ''The Road'' (1995,
The Acappella Company)
* ''Way Of Life'' (1996, The Acappella Company)
* ''Real'' (1999, The Acappella Company)
* ''The Early Years'' (2002, The Acappella Company)
AVB also appeared on numerous other recording projects for the Acappella Company (Acappella Series, Acappella Praise and Worship, Acappella Scripture Songs, Keith Lancaster solo projects) and made three video projects: ''Song In My Soul'' (1989), ''Video Party'' (1993), and ''The Land of Five'' (1994).
References
External links
AVB page on The Acappella Company's website*
{{Authority control
American Christian musical groups
Professional a cappella groups
Musical groups established in 1986