This month, we conclude our look at one of southern gospel’s popular family groups, especially in the 1980s and 1990s – the Greenes, from Boone, North Carolina. The group originally consisted of siblings Tim, Tony, and Kim Greene, along with their father, Everette. By 1989, Everette had stepped away from the group, and Kim, having married Dean Hopper, left to join the Hoppers. The Greenes welcomed Amy Lambert that same year; Amy departed in 1994, replaced by Milena Parks.
We continue now in late 1997; Milena Parks announces her departure from the group. Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Greenes welcome a new member, 18-year-old TaRanda Kiser from St. Petersburg, Florida.
While on-stage at the 2000 National Quartet Convention, Tony Greene revealed that he and TaRanda had been dating for a little over a year. That same night, in front of thousands of southern gospel fans gathered at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, he proposed marriage – and TaRanda accepted. “Buck” and “Daisy” (the nicknames they had given each other) were married just a few months later, on February 13, 2001.
Their marriage came during a time when Tony’s brother, Tim Greene, was battling a mysterious illness that forced him off the road. In time, it was discovered that he had mold poisoning. He told Singing News Magazine in 2003 that, “My car was leaking water into the floorboard and I didn’t know it. This caused mold to form and because I was exposed to this, it got into my body. The medical term is aspergillis”. Thankfully, Tim recovered, and returned to traveling, preaching, and producing.
The Greenes continued to enjoy radio success around this time, with songs like “I’m So Happy”, “Some Sweet Day”, “In The Morning Light”, and “Glorious City Of God” (which reached #2 on the national charts in May of 2000).
By the mid-2000s, Tim was once again struggling with his aspergillis, and so, Tony and TaRanda welcomed new members to the group, including Brad Hudson, Paul Lancaster, and Jeff Snyder. At the same time, TaRanda’s solo career was taking off. Most notably, a song of hers entitled “Sky Full Of Angels” reached #1 on the national charts in September of 2006.
Health challenges would also arise for Tony. He had been living with one functioning kidney for quite some time. Then, in 2007, it was discovered that that kidney was only working at a very low rate. TaRanda was discovered to be a suitable donor. On August 25, 2009, Tony underwent a successful kidney transplant. This occurred not long after the birth of their second child, Josie, on April 2, 2008. (Their first child, Isabella Faith, was born July 15, 2004).
Still, Tony continued with health challenges. He was hospitalized on September 21, 2010. At first, it was thought that the transplanted kidney had been rejected by his body; however, he was able to keep his kidney. Then, he suffered a collapsed lung and was placed in the ICU. On September 28, 2010, Tony Greene passed away at the age of 41.
Tony’s homecoming service was held on October 4, 2010, in Indian Trail, North Carolina, featuring performances by Triumphant Quartet, Greater Vision, and Janet Paschal. It was mentioned that Tony was a big fan of the Oak Ridge Boys – while the Oaks could not be there for the service, they sent in their condolences via video, and introduced the final song of the service (which Tony had selected quite some time before) – “Elvira”, performed by Triumphant. (It’s worth noting that Tony was known for his sense of humor – comedy was a major part of his emcee work. In fact, Tony released a comedy project years before entitled Life’s Too Short Not To Laugh).
Following Tony’s death, the group disbanded, with TaRanda continuing her successful solo career. It should be noted that Tim Greene organized a new group just a short time thereafter, the Tim Greene Trio. By 2012, this trio was releasing projects under the name of “The Greenes”.
I thoroughly enjoy sharing music by the Greenes at least every other day on WBTX – their songs have a ‘timeless’ quality (and message) that pairs along nicely with many of today’s top groups. Furthermore, each ‘era’ of the Greenes (in other words, each different soprano), brought about their own unique style.
Unlike so many other groups, I am pleased to report that much of the Greenes music is available on streaming platforms (YouTube Music, Spotify, iTunes), including many releases from the 80s and 90s. Check it out!
