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. To date, the Gaither Homecoming title is applied to more than 60 videos, dozens of music recordings, and an annual concert tour that drew more than half a million fans in 2004, the most recent year for which statistics are available.

Beginnings

The very first Gaither Homecoming was barely planned and mostly improvised. In 1991, the Gaither Vocal Band had just wrapped up a recording session in a Nashville, Tennessee studio, working on an album which featured many of the great voices of Southern Gospel music. After the session, the artists stayed around to chat, swap stories and sing old standards around the piano. Gaither recorded the impromptu session and later published it. The recording was so well received that Gaither began a series of professionally-produced videos with larger gatherings of gospel musicians.

Format

The format for almost all of the videos in the series is very similar. A studio set or theater stage is home to a group of several dozen singers, with the front row featuring artists with longstanding and legendary careers in Southern Gospel music. They would be joined by younger artists, some of them up-and-coming acts in the Gaither Music Group publishing stable. Gaither would lead the group in several songs, with soloists and groups featured in additional songs. Comments by veteran singers, who would reminisce about their careers, are a staple of the series. In later videos, the inevitability of death found its way into the videos, as segments remembering artists who had died since the previous taping were featured.

Most videos also have accompanying compact discs.

The videos and CDs regularly top sales charts, even many years after the series' inception and after the death of many favorite artists. The most recent videos, "Gaither Homecoming Tour: Live From Toronto" and "Canadian Homecoming," were first and third, respectively, on Billboard's music video chart, and the companion CDs also hit the CCM charts. [http://www.lobelinepr.com/gaither/press.html] Even more recent, the 2007 recording of "How Great Thou Art" was nominated for a Dove Award.

Concert series

In 1996, the video series gave birth to a concert tour, with a format similar to the videos but usually performed in the round in arenas. The concert dates are normally on Fridays and Saturdays, usually in separate cities. Contrary to stereotypes that Southern Gospel is most popular in southern cities, the tour consistently draws large crowds in many northern and western cities, and even in Canada.

In 2004, the Gaither Homecoming concert tour ranked 16th in Pollstar rankings of all tours, beating out pop music heavyweights such as Elton John, Fleetwood Mac and Rod Stewart. [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2005_Jan_19/ai_n8699874]

Television series

The video series has been repackaged into a series of hour long and half-hour long television shows. Most of these shows have appeared on religious-oriented cable television channels such as TBN, sometimes in the form of an infomercial used to sell the videos. Since 2004, the series has also appeared on many public television stations, without commercials promoting the videos.

Cruises

The Gaither Homecoming series has branched out into twice-yearly cruises. One cruise normally sails to Alaska in September, and the other to tropical ports in February. It was on one of these cruises where one of Christian music's most tragic events happened. In 2006, pianist Anthony Burger, a longtime favorite of the Homecoming series, collapsed on-stage as a result of a heart attack while accompanying Gaither, his wife Gloria and the Homecoming singers.

Homecoming Artists

*Aaron Wilburn
*Alicia Williamson
*Allison Durham Speer
*Amy Lambert
*Andre Crouch
*Angela Primm
*Ann Downing
*Anthony Burger
*Audrey Mieir
*Avalon
*Babbie Mason
*Ben Speer
*Bill Gaither
*Billy Blackwood
*Bob Cain
*Bob Johnson
*Brian Free & Assurance
*Brock Speer
*Buddy Greene
*Buddy Mullins
*Calvin Newton
*Candy Hemphill Christmas
*CeCe Winans
*Charles Johnson & The Revivers
*Charlotte Penhollow-Ritchie
*Chonda Pierce
*Connie Smith
*CrossWay
*Cynthia Clawson
*Dallas Holm
*Danny Gaither
*Dave Ponder
*David Phelps
*Donna Blackwood
*Donnie Sumner
*Doris Akers
*Dottie Rambo
*Doug Riley
*Doug Young
*Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
*Earl Weatherford
*Earl Weatherford
*Eldridge Fox
*Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
*Eva Mae LeFevre
*Faye Speer
*Gary McSpadden
*Gatlin Brothers
*Gayle Mayes West
*Gene McDonald
*George Beverly Shea
*George Younce
*Geron Davis
*Ginger Laxon
*Glen Payne
*Gloria Gaither
*Gold City
*Gordon Jensen
*Gordon Mote
*Gordon Stoker
*Greater Vision
*Guy Penrod
*Hazel Slaughter
*Henry Slaughter
*Hovie Lister
*Howard Goodman
*Ira Stanphill
*Ivan Parker
*J. D. Sumner
*Jack Toney
*Jake Hess
*James Blackwood
*Janet Paschal
*Jeanne Johnson
*Jeff & Sheri Easter
*Jeff Allen
*Jessy Dixon
*Jim Hamill
*Jim Hill
*Jimmy Blackwood
*Jimmy Jones
*Joel & Labreeska Hemphill
*Johnny Cook
*Johnny Minick
*Joy Gardner
*Judy Jacobs
*Karen Peck and New River
*Karen Wheaton
*Kathy Troccoli
*Kelly Nelon
*Kenny Hinson
*Kevin Williams
*Kirk Talley
*Larnelle Harris
*Larry Ford
*Legacy Five
*Les Beasley
*Lillie Knauls
*Lily Fern Weatherford
*Lisa Daggs
*Lulu Roman
*Lynda Randle
*Mark Lowry
*Marty Stuart
*Mary Tom Speer Reid
*Mary, Mary
*Michael & Tanya Goodman Sykes
*Michael English
*Michael W. Smith
*Mike Allen
*Mosie Lister
*Mylon LeFevre
*Naomi Sego
*Nicole Watts Jenkins
*Oak Ridge Boys
*Paul Downing
*R. W. Blackwood, Jr.
*Rabbit Easter
*Randy Travis
*Ray Dean Reese
*Reba Rambo-McGuire
*Reggie & Ladye Love Smith
*Rex Nelon
*Ricky Skaggs
*Robbie Hiner
*Roger Bennett
*Rosa Nell Speer
*Rosie Rozell
*Russ Taff
*Sandi Patty
*Sarah DeLane
*Shane Dunlap
*Squire Parsons
*Stan Whitmire
*Stephen Hill
*Steve Weatherford
*Sue Dodge
*Taylor Mason
*Terri Gibbs
*Terry Blackwood
*Terry McMillan
*The Bishops
*The Booth Brothers
*The Cathedrals
*The Crabb Family
*The Fairfield Four
*The Florida Boys
*The Gaither Vocal Band
*The Greenes
*The Hayes Family
*The Hoppers
*The Isaacs
*The Katinas
*The Kingsmen
*The Lesters
*The Lewis Family
*The Martins
*The Nelons
*The Oak Ridge Boys
*The Pfeifers
*The Reggie Saddler Family
*The Ruppes
*The Stamps
*The Talley Trio
*Tim Parton
*Tim Riley
*Vestal Goodman
*Wally Laxon
*Wally Varner
*Wesley Pritchard
*Wintley Phipps
*Woody Wright

Videography

*1991 A Praise Gathering
*1992 Reunion
*1993 Old Friends
*1993 Turn Your Radio On
*1994 Landmark
*1994 A Christmas Homecoming
*1995 All Day Singin' with Dinner on the Ground
*1995 Revival
*1995 Ryman Gospel Reunion [live]
*1995 Holy Ground
*1996 Homecoming Texas Style
*1996 Moments To Remember
*1996 Sing Your Blues Away
*1996 When All God's Singers Get Home
*1997 Joy in the Camp: Gaither Gospel Series
*1998 Down by the Tabernacle
*1998 Hawaiian Homecoming
*1998 Gaither Gospel Series: Marching to Zion
*1998 Atlanta Homecoming [live]
*1998 All Day Singin' at the Dome [live]
*1998 Because He Lives
*1998 Rivers of Joy
*1998 Singin' with the Saints
*1999 Singin' in My Soul
*1999 So Glad! 1999 KENNEDY CENTER
*1999 Mountain Homecoming
*1999 I'll Meet You on the Mountain
*1999 Sweet, Sweet Spirit
*2000 Good News
*2000 Memphis Homecoming
*2000 Oh, My Glory!
*2000 Homecoming Hymns
*2000 Harmony in the Heartland
*2000 Irish Homecoming
*2000 Christmas in the Country
*2000 Whispering Hope
*2001 What a Time!
*2001 God Gave the Song
*2001 London Homecoming
*2001 Christmas... A Time for Joy
*2001 A Billy Graham Music Homecoming, Vol. 1
*2001 A Billy Graham Music Homecoming, Vol. 2
*2002 Freedom Band
*2002 I'll Fly Away
*2002 New Orleans Homecoming
*2002 God Bless America
*2002 Let Freedom Ring
*2003 Going Home
*2003 Heaven
*2003 Southern Convention Songs
*2003 Red Rocks Homecoming
*2003 Rocky Mountain Homecoming
*2004 Build a Bridge
*2004 We Will Stand
*2004 America The Beautiful: Bill Gaither's Favorite Patriotic Songs
*2004 Tribute To Howard & Vestal Goodman
*2004 Tribute to Jake Hess
*2004 He Started the Whole World Singing
*2004 Journey to the Sky
*2004 Passin' the Faith Along
*2005 Church In The Wildwood: Cherished Hymns
*2005 Hymns
*2005 Israel Homecoming
*2005 Jerusalem Homecoming
*2005 A Tribute to George Younce
*2005 The Best of Guy Penrod
*2005 Ernie Haase and Signature Sound
*2006 Canadian Homecoming
*2006 Live from Toronto
*2006 Christmas in South Africa
*2006 Homecoming Christmas
*2007 Together ( Gaither Vocal Band & Signature Sound)
*2007 Amazing Grace
*2007 How Great Thou Art
*2008 A Campfire Homecoming
*2008 Homecoming Picnic
*2008 Rock of Ages
*2008 Country Bluegrass Homecoming, Volume 1
*2008 Country Bluegrass Homecoming, Volume 2

External links

* [http://www.gaithernet.com GaitherNet.com, Gaither Homecoming's official web site]