Gospel music patriarch
Bill Gaither will not only be remembered for the great body of work he blessed the church and the world with, as both a songwriter and as a performer, but as one of the business mavericks who helped elevate the genre to global status. Gospel music is now big business the world over thanks to
Gaither, who, along with his wife,
Gloria, is the driving force behind the arena-sized
Homecoming Friends concert tours and albums, as well as the Gaither Music Group record label. As if he didn't have enough on his plate,
Gaither took the time to re-ignite his Grammy-winning
Gaither Vocal Band in 2009. The resulting reunion was recorded and filmed for release.
Reunion, Vol. 1 features
Gaither and his silver-tongued soul brothers --
Wes Hampton,
David Phelps,
Michael English, and
Mark Lowry -- tearing it up for the Lord in front of a live audience. Joining
Gaither and his current brothers in harmony are past
GVB members such as
Gary McSpadden,
Steve Green, and
Marshall Hall. The glorious group of vocalists channels the holy spirit in stirring performances of "A Few Good Men," "Loving God, Loving Each Other," and "No Other Name But Jesus," all album highlights. Blanketed in sweeping strings and piano,
Gaither and the boys stretch their arms and voices heavenward on the latter as they sing about the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. ~ Todd Sterling, All Music Guide