Sorry for the long delay in posting. The Holidays and then the flu have really been time-consuming...
I wanted to look at some of what has been called "Farm" Groups in Southern Gospel. When I think of these groups, I don't necessarily think of them being the origin for many great SG artists as a bad thing. Although I'm sure the groups themselves hate very much having to replace so many singers/musicians.
Here is my list of the top 3 SG "Farm" Groups:
3) The Dixie Melody Boys. Ed has introduced and nurtured so many young people into SG that he could be called the Dean of the Farmers. Men like Rodney Griffin, McCray Dove, Devin McGlamery, Larry DeLawder, Derrick Selph, Harold Reid, and others all got their "big break" from Ed.
2) The Anchormen. This group has for a number of years now been the most "pulled from" major group around. Much has been
made of and said about the reasons for this and I won't get into that here. The bottom line is that they continue to put out great music and have great singers performing it. Former members include a who's who of current major artists like Jeff Chapman, Aaron McCune, Steve Ladd, Phillip Hughes, Terry Carter, David Hester, and many, many more.
1) The Singing Americans. Well, this group was the "poster boy" for Farm Groups. They are without a doubt the #1 Farm Group of all time, with major Hall of Fame talent coming thru their doors. Just a few of their members were Ivan Parker, Michael English, Danny Funderburk, Rick Strickland, Ed Crawford, Clayton Inman, Scott Whitener, Jeff Easter, David Sutton, Roger Fortner, David Hill, Jerry Kelso, and many others.
What are some other groups you would consider "Farm" Groups?
