The Gaither Vocal Band is an American
southern gospel vocal group, named after its founder and leader
Bill Gaither
William James Gaither (born March 28, 1936) is an American singer and songwriter of Southern gospel and contemporary Christian music. He has written numerous popular Christian songs with his wife Gloria; he is also known for performing as par ...
. On March 1, 2017, it was announced that the Gaither Vocal Band lineup consisted of Reggie Smith,
Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd Suttles, and Bill Gaither. Although the group started out recording
contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christianity, Chri ...
in the 1980s, it became known for southern gospel after the popularity of the ''
Gaither Homecoming
''Gaither Homecoming'' is the name applied to a series of videos, music recordings and concerts, which are organized, promoted and usually presented by Christian music songwriter and impresario Bill Gaither.
Beginnings
On February 19, 1992, the ...
'' videos.
The lineup of the band changes often, with artists leaving to work on solo careers, and new and old ones coming to replace them. Besides Gaither, singers with the longest tenure in the band include
Guy Penrod (1995–2009),
Mark Lowry (1988–2001, 2009–14),
Michael English (1985–94, 2009–14),
David Phelps (1997–2005, 2009–17) and
Wes Hampton (2005–present).
The band has released 29 albums (not including compilations), at least 19 of which have charted. The band has also released 10 DVDs, which feature many other Christian artists as well. The Gaither Vocal Band has been honored with two
Grammys
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
and 17
Dove Awards.
History
Beginnings
The Gaither Vocal Band is named after gospel leader
Bill Gaither
William James Gaither (born March 28, 1936) is an American singer and songwriter of Southern gospel and contemporary Christian music. He has written numerous popular Christian songs with his wife Gloria; he is also known for performing as par ...
.
It was the successor-group of the
Bill Gaither Trio. By the 1980s, Bill Gaither, along with wife
Gloria Gaither, were both very successful
songwriter
A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...
s.
For example, their song, "He Touched Me" was covered by
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
, after which he named his album ''
He Touched Me''. Presley won a Grammy for the album.
Bill Gaither felt that his trio had reached its peak in the mid-1980s, but his desire to make another gospel hit kept the trio going.
The original Vocal Band (called the ''New'' Gaither Vocal Band) was formed spontaneously, backstage of a Gaither Trio concert. It consisted of Bill Gaither and
Gary McSpadden of the trio, along with two of the trio's backup singers,
Steve Green and Lee Young. The quartet sang "Your First Day in Heaven" on stage that night. Their debut album, the self-titled ''The New Gaither Vocal Band'', debuted in 1981.
According to the liner notes of the CD compilation ''The Best of the GVB'', the term "vocal band" was used instead of "quartet" because it did not limit Gaither in terms of sound or number of group members.
Lee Young left the group in 1982, and Jon Mohr was hired as the new bass singer. They then recorded the album ''Passin' the Faith Along''. Later, tenor Steve Green left and
Larnelle Harris was hired. This group cut the ''New Point Of View'' album before Jon Mohr left.
Widespread popularity
Michael English was hired as the new lead singer, so Gary McSpadden was moved down to baritone, and Bill Gaither dropped to bass. At this point the group dropped the "new" part of their name. Although the previous album (''New Point of View'') had been more contemporary than its predecessors, the album with this version of the group (''One X 1'') took it even further. After this album, Larnelle Harris left and was replaced by Lemuel Miller. The group did not record an album with Lemuel Miller before he too left. He was replaced by
Imperials alumnus Jim Murray. This line up cut one album (''Wings'') before Gary McSpadden left to start his solo career.
Mark Lowry was convinced to replace him. Their Gospel roots project ''Homecoming'' was released in 1991. Jim Murray left and was replaced by
Terry Franklin. The album ''Southern Classics'' was released in 1993 with the hit "I Bowed on My Knees" (This song was co-written by Jeremy Ward).
Later Michael English left. He was replaced by Buddy Mullins. Buddy Mullins was only a temporary fill-in, but he was included on the album ''Testify''. Terry Franklin soon left and was replaced by yet another Imperials alumnus,
Jonathan Pierce (formerly known as Jonathan Hildreth, his first and last name, then changed to his first and middle name). Strengthened by the popularity of the ''Homecoming'' video series, the Vocal Band added
Guy Penrod at lead following the departure of Buddy Mullins. After Jonathan Pierce's departure, Gaither hired
David Phelps at tenor. After Mark Lowry's departure, Imperials alumnus
Russ Taff sang baritone for a couple of years.
Marshall Hall was his replacement.
Wes Hampton succeeded David Phelps in 2005.
The group has had three number one songs on the ''
Singing News'' chart. "Yes, I Know" held the top position from July to October 1997, as did "I Will Go On" in November 2006. "Greatly Blessed" was their third number one single. The group has routinely performed classic Southern Gospel songs including many written by Bill and Gloria Gaither like "He Touched Me", "I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary", and "Sinner Saved By Grace".
Reunion
In July 2008, the vocal band recorded a reunion DVD at the Gaither Studios — ''The Gaither Vocal Band Reunion, Volumes 1 and 2''. Except for
Jonathan Pierce, Terry Franklin, and Lemuel Miller, the former and present members appeared and performed. The two CDs debuted in the top two positions on ''Billboard''s Contemporary Christian Album chart, marking the Gaither Vocal Band's first No. 1 on the Christian Album chart. The DVDs of the same title debuted in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions on the Music Video charts as well. It also garnered a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for Best Southern, Country, Bluegrass Gospel Album.
The quintet

In January 2009, Marshall Hall and Guy Penrod left. Gaither brought back some former members:
Michael English as lead vocal,
Mark Lowry as baritone and
David Phelps as tenor. The first album by this five-member version was ''
Reunited'', released in September 2009. It was also the first album of the vocal band ever to feature only songs written by Bill and Gloria Gaither. A live album called ''Better Day'' was released in January 2010. In August 2010, they released the long-awaited album called ''Greatly Blessed'', followed by ''I Am A Promise'', a children's album, released in August 2011. Their most recent album was ''Pure & Simple'', released in September 2012.
In October 2013, it was announced that Mark Lowry and Michael English would once again be leaving the group to devote more time to their solo careers. Michael English's departure was immediate whereas Mark Lowry stayed on until they could find another baritone to replace him. Their last album as members, ''Hymns'', was released in March 2014 and was nominated for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
the following December. After their departure, several guests filled-in until two new members could be found. In January 2014, it was announced that Adam Crabb (of
The Crabb Family) would join the group as the fourth member and lead singer. Todd Suttles joined the group as the baritone singer one month later.
Following their formation, the new quintet would go on to release a limited edition album, ''The New Edition'', which could only be purchased at concert performances. In October 2014, the group released their first album together, entitled ''Sometimes it Takes a Mountain''. Five months later, that album was followed by a two-DVD live performance release and the release of their second album (a live performance album), ''Happy Rhythm''. Upon release, the DVDs debuted at the top of ''Billboard''s Music Video chart (''Sometimes it Takes a Mountain'' at #1 and ''Happy Rhythm'' at #2). In August 2016, the group's album ''Better Together'' was released.
In March 2017, it was announced that David Phelps would be once again leaving the group on April 1st, and Reggie Smith would join the group as tenor.
In October 2017, this line-up released their first studio album, entitled ''We Have This Moment''.
In October 2018, there was another Gaither Vocal Band Reunion. It was a two-day concert, recorded live. Except for Steve Green, all of the past and present members who were at the first reunion performed.
Members
Lineups
Timeline
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at:01/04/1981 # The New Gaither Vocal Band
at:01/08/1982 # Passin' the Faith Along
at:01/05/1984 # A New Point of View
at:01/06/1986 # One X-1
at:01/02/1988 # Wings
at:01/06/1990 # A Few Good Men
at:01/04/1991 # Homecoming
at:01/03/1993 # Peace of the Rock
at:01/08/1993 # Southern Classics Vol. 1
at:01/09/1994 # Testify
at:01/11/1995 # Southern Classics Vol. 2
at:09/09/1997 # Lovin' God & Lovin' Each Other
at:01/04/1998 # Still The Greatest Story Ever Told
at:18/05/1999 # God Is Good
at:24/10/2000 # I Do Believe
at:13/08/2002 # Everything Good
at:30/09/2003 # A Capella
at:24/01/2006 # Give It Away
at:15/04/2008 # Lovin' Life
at:30/09/2008 # Christmas Gaither Vocal Band Style
at:08/09/2009 # Reunited
at:01/07/2010 # Better Day
at:10/08/2010 # Greatly Blessed
at:09/08/2011 # I Am A Promise
at:11/09/2012 # Pure and Simple
at:04/03/2014 # Hymns
at:14/10/2014 # Sometimes it Takes a Mountain
at:17/03/2015 # Happy Rhythm
at:09/10/2015 # Christmas Collection
at:26/08/2016 # Better Together
at:13/10/2017 # We Have This Moment
at:01/09/2019 # Good Things Take Time
at:19/03/2021 # That's Gospel, Brother
at:01/10/2021 # All Heaven And Nature Sing
at:18/03/2022 # Let's Just Praise The Lord
at:11/08/2023 # Shine: The Darker The Night The Brighter The Light
at:11/10/2024 # New Star Shining
at:31/01/2025 # How Sweet It Is
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bar:McSpadden from:01/07/1985 till:01/07/1988 color:baritone
bar:English from:01/07/1985 till:01/04/1994 color:lead
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bar:Gaither from:01/01/2014 till:end color:baritone width: 3
bar:Lowry from:01/07/1988 till:01/07/2001 color:baritone
bar:Taff from:01/07/2001 till:01/07/2004 color:baritone
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bar:Young from:01/01/1980 till:01/07/1982 color:bass
bar:Mohr from:01/07/1982 till:01/07/1985 color:bass
Discography
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
GMA Dove Awards
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaither Vocal Band, The
American Christian musical groups
Grammy Award winners
Musical groups established in 1981
Musical groups from Indiana
Southern gospel performers