October 2016 Newsletter
Greetings everyone! What a summer 2016 has been. So much going on to talk about it…let’s get going!!
June got off to a roaring start with our annual trip to New York followed by Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. But the highlight of the month…maybe the year was our 53rd Annual Homecoming in Inman, SC…our hometown! It could not have gone better. First let me thank our Home Church, First Baptist of Inman, for their graciousness in allowing the event to occur there; great facilities, wonderful staff and members, and the church family supported us with their attendance too! Love Inman FBC! Everyone on the program did a fantastic job. Hearts Afire led things off followed by The Burtons. Then The Sheltons did their usual fine performance of close, family harmony. After a short break, the Pine Ridge Boys sang. We even had Buddy Burton sing a song with us. He did a fine job too. Then the long awaited reunion of The Singing Americans 90’s Edition was next…what a blessing these guys were. I have to admit they had me crying and praising the Lord. I really think these guys are better than they were “back in day”. Put them on a bus and book them, and they would be a Top 5 group today! Thank you Larry Stewart, David Sutton, Buddy Burton, Dale Forbes, Joe Lane, Taylor Barnes and Colonel Shuford for making this wonderful event possible.
July ushered in a new era for The Pine Ridge Boys. As has been published before, we have a new member. Jonathan Thompson is now singing lead for us and doing an outstanding job. We were mostly close to home in July, but August brought more traveling. The trip to New Jersey was a blast! Did you see the photo of our bus at Salem County Fair with “the bombs bursting in air”? It has to be one of my favorite photos. That trip was followed by our first trip into Kentucky and Illinois in many years. The Pine Ridge Boys would like to thank the two people responsible, JD Cruce and Annette Bingaman. Thanks for your hard work promoting the singings. And we finished the month by recording our new radio single…”I’ve Got A New Song To Sing”. It has already been sent to radio stations by our great media guru, Vonda Easley of "Hey Y’all Media". Please take the time to listen to it and bombard your radio outlets to play this song. It is a new, different sound and style for us, but from the responses we are having in concerts, you seem to love it. “The Blood Still Flows” did quite well this summer and we are praying and trusting the Lord for success with the new song. Again, please help us out by requesting it! On an odd note, we have recently been notified by Christian Voice Magazine that a song of ours from a year and half ago has been on their Country Gospel chart for 3 months! Praise The Lord!! “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” is #46 for this month…God works in mysterious ways, his glory to behold.
What a month September was, so much going on. We started the month singing for some of our favorite places in North Carolina, followed by Maryland, Delaware, and Ohio. Thanks to the people at The Great Smokey Mountain RV Camp and Resort in Whittier, NC (especially Carlene and Wayne). The Holiday Park Campground in Greensboro, Maryland and to one of the biggest supporters of Pine Ridge Boys, Rev. Steve Peterman of Cedar Neck Church in Milford, DE. I would like to say a special thanks to the people of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Canton, OH. We were honored to spend a couple of days with these folks singing for their gospel singing/revival at The Ron Howard Building for Gospel Singing. The new pastor has come from Texas and he is ON FIRE. You go Pastor Allen Little! He preaches “old school” and we loved it and can’t wait to go back and hear more! And as we were leaving, the church made a much needed contribution to our ministry. God is good…and always supplies our needs!! Other great happenings were singing at Harvest Day in our hometown of Inman, and for me, sharing time and song with my friends and family in Hartsville, SC.
There were a couple of highlights, media wise, I did not mention earlier. On one of our trips to New Jersey, we slipped in an interview with legendary radio personality, Paul Heil. The week of September 10th, Pine Ridge Boys was the feature group on his syndicated radio program “Paul Heil presents The Gospel Greats”. What an honor it was to be asked to be a part of this program. And I would be remiss not to mention his wife Sheila. This has to be one of the hardest working and humble woman in the business. Also, the Pine Ridge Boys were invited to tape shows for Gospel Music USA hosted by Danny Jones, Karen Peck, and Mike Lefevre in Atlanta. As we were finishing up, the Booth Brothers arrived. We enjoyed a few minutes of fellowship before we had to move on.
Now for more exciting news…the Pine Ridge Boys are going in the studio this week to work on our new CD!! We should have it completed in a few weeks. Be on the lookout for an announcement. The songs are all selected; one is already complete. The new project will be a mixture of new songs (two by Jonathan), rarely sung songs we are bringing back, and a couple of songs you have requested. Something for everyone!
Let me close by reminding everyone to plan on attending Creekside Gospel Music Convention in Pigeon Forge, TN. This event just keeps getting better every year. The dates are October 31st - November 3rd, and the best part is…the tickets are FREE! If you are interested in attending, talk to one of us or go to www.sgnscoops.com and get more details and order your FREE TICKETS! The Pine Ridge Boys have been nominated as Traditional Quartet of the Year. We would love for you to join us for this great event and who knows, you might even get to hear them call our name.
Thanks as always for your prayers and support. Hope to see you at an event soon.
Ivory, Jonathan, Wayne, Larry and Mark