Game-Changers: “We Shall Behold The King”
On July 26, just a few days after I submitted my article for the month of August, the southern gospel community was shaken by an unexpected tragedy. One of the industry’s most beloved family groups, the Nelons, were involved in a plane crash that claimed the lives of all seven passengers on board, including Jason and Kelly Nelon Clark, and their oldest daughter, Amber. Their youngest daughter, Autumn, was not on the plane. They were all on their way to Seattle to link up with the Gaither Homecoming Alaskan Cruise.
About a year or two ago, I published a series of articles chronicling the history of the Nelons. In tribute, this month I’d like to focus on one of their albums that many consider a ‘game changer’: their 1983 release We Shall Behold The King.
By the early 1980s, the Nelons – or, rather, the Rex Nelon Singers as they were still known – had made a name for themselves on the southern gospel music scene. A recent number-one song of theirs, “Come Morning”, was voted Song of the Year for 1980. They were becoming known for their versatility, as their albums often contained songs that varied in style, ranging from traditional southern gospel to country to light contemporary and easy listening.
For this 1983 release, the group consisted of Kelly Nelon, Jerry Thompson (her husband at the time), Rex Nelon (her father), Rodney Swain, and newcomer Karen Peck. In fact, this was only Karen’s second mainstream release with the group, and she was just about to celebrate her 23rd birthday.
I’d like to spotlight four of the ten songs from this recording. First up, the opening cut, “When I Receive My Robe And Crown”. This ‘down-home’ southern gospel-style song was written by noted guitar picker George Shuffler. This song is a personal favorite of mine, namely because it is often forgotten…for a rather interesting reason. Despite the fact it was a top-ten hit for the group, it is often overshadowed by another popular song of theirs released just three years prior with a very similar title: “We Shall Wear A Robe And Crown”.
“Walk Right Out Of This Valley” featured a rather unique choice of musical styling…Dixieland jazz. This up-tempo number, spotlighting Karen Peck, remained a concert favorite for years to come. The group would often encore the song three or four times, speeding up the chorus each and every time to where it was almost being sung ‘auctioneer-style’.
The title cut, “We Shall Behold The King”, is a beautiful worship-style ballad that was penned by David Binion. A few other groups recorded the song not too long after the Nelons. Another ‘hidden gem’ of the recording, I would argue, because it is greatly overshadowed by another ‘power ballad’, one that would become perhaps the ‘signature song’ of the Nelons…
“Oh For A Thousand Tongues To Sing”, also written by David Binion, is a soaring worship tune that features Kelly Nelon throughout. Although the song never reached the number-one position on the charts, it was voted Song of the Year for 1984. This standout song, a game-changer in itself, is the ‘crowning jewel’ of the album.
Especially in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it seemed as though southern gospel music was becoming the ‘unwanted child’, so to say, of the growing Christian music industry. Contemporary Christian Music was rapidly growing in popularity, and many southern gospel groups didn’t quite know how to respond. Some, like the Speers, experimented with contemporary worship stylings in a few of their songs, often to the dismay of many of their loyal fans. “Oh For A Thousand Tongues” ushered in the concept of southern gospel worship music. Others would call it the ‘power ballad’. Here were powerful songs that were ‘accepted’ among southern gospel audiences, but could compete with more ‘mainstream’ worship or choral music. The lines had been ‘blurred’, you could say, between southern gospel and what was then considered ‘inspirational’ or ‘middle of the road’ music.
As the 1980s progressed, many more ‘power ballads’ or ‘worship songs’ found their way on to the general Christian music scene: “When He Was On The Cross” (Florida Boys), “We Shall See Jesus” (Cathedrals), “He Is Here” (Talleys), and “Midnight Cry” (Gold City), just to name a few. In fact, is was not uncommon for many of these songs to be picked up by Contemporary Christian artists in later years, and prove wildly successful on the Contemporary charts.
Sadly, despite being a ‘game-changer’, We Shall Behold The King has yet to be released to digital streaming platforms (in fact, it was never issued on CD). A few of the songs, including “Oh For A Thousand Tongues” were issued on some ‘best-of’ projects in later years. It’s also worth noting that the Nelons recently re-recorded the song on their Beautiful CD, marking the 40th anniversary of a song that forever changed the southern gospel music industry.
