Southern Gospel Record Labels – Part V
In our final installment of this series, we’ll discuss some companies that came on to the southern gospel scene in the 1980s.
WindChime Records
Around 1980, not too long after the launch of the Eddie Crook Company (which we discussed at length last month), another ‘development label’ was organized: WindChime Records. Headed by Wayne Gaskin, WindChime, just like the Eddie Crook Company, sought to give a ‘leg up’ to groups that were perhaps being overlooked by the ‘big two’ companies, Canaan and HeartWarming.
Many – if not, all – of the groups that signed with WindChime had songwriters within the groups themselves. For instance, the first group signed to WindChime was a trio by the name of Heaven Bound. Baritone Jeff Gibson of the group wrote virtually all of their songs. One song, “Canaanland Is Just in Sight”, was voted Song of the Year at the 1982 Singing News Fan Awards. This ultimately proved that a development company, whether Crook or WindChime, could produce material that could easily compete at the same level as the ‘big two’.
Another group signed to WindChime was the Paynes. Like Heaven Bound, the Paynes had an ‘in-house’ songwriter, Mike Payne. Songs like “Ready Or Not” and “I’m A Jesus Fan” easily landed in the top ten on the charts, while “Out Of This World” became the Paynes first number-one song.
WindChime was also home to the Primitive Quartet, the Singing Echoes, and, in later years, the Sego Brothers & Naomi. WindChime seems to have all but disappeared from the southern gospel scene by 1987/1988.
Eagle One Records
Much of the intrigue surrounding Eagle One is just how little information seems to exist, but at the same time, the records they released were of superb quality.
Eagle One was based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and came about around 1986. It was owned by Randy Looper; Steven Bock served as Executive Vice President and General Manager. The first album released on Eagle One was from a then brand-new group called ‘The Sound’, based in Houston, Texas. That album, entitled The World Needs To Hear, is considered by many southern gospel historians to be a ‘game changer’ in the industry, mixing traditional southern gospel harmonies with newer arrangements, creating a sound that many consider ‘timeless’. Southern gospel fans may recall a few songs from this album, namely “Here Comes The Bride” and “Mender Of Broken Wings”.
Eagle One also became home to the Paynes (after they left WindChime), the Lesters, the Dixie Echoes, and the Greenes (recording their hit song “There’s A Miracle In Me” on the Eagle One label), among others. In 1988, the company was sold to Benwood Enterprises and renamed Journey Records. Roger Bennett assumed command of the company. Bennett, at the time, had stepped away from his pianist role with the Cathedrals to work with the company, serving as Executive Producer for many albums on the label. Bennett later rejoined the Cathedrals, and the Journey Records name all but disappears from the scene around 1990.
Eagle One/Journey Records had a lot of potential, but sadly, the venture did not last long. The albums were fantastic, the artist roster was stellar, and the marketing was effective. One interesting note, my research has concluded that Eagle One never produced 45rpm singles for radio. Instead, radio stations would receive 12” singles (better quality) packaged in full-color sleeves with additional (and highly collectible) promotional material.
Homeland Records
Finally, let’s discuss Homeland Records. Recall that the ‘big two’, Canaan and HeartWarming Records, were both part of larger companies. Those parent companies, Word and Benson, respectively, also had labels that catered to inspirational and contemporary Christian artists. As the 1980s progressed, and the contemporary market began to take off, some were seeking a company that was exclusively for southern gospel artists. And thus, in 1988, Bill Traylor (who had worked for the Benson company) launched Homeland Records.
Within its first year, Homeland became home to the Cathedrals, Speers, Singing Americans, Lesters, Rusty Goodman, Hemphills, and singer/songwriter Walt Mills. The roster continued to expand throughout the early 1990s, with Homeland Records being a leader in the southern gospel market well into the 2000s.
Availability of WindChime / Eagle One / Homeland Releases
Today, the status of the WindChime library is unknown. Like the Eddie Crook Company, WindChime often times allowed groups to purchase the master tapes themselves. Therefore, you can find some WindChime material directly from the artists, namely the Primitive Quartet and Paynes.
As for Eagle One, the status of this library is entirely unknown. This is rather unfortunate as a good number of albums on the Eagle One label were highly popular. Also, Eagle One faded just as CDs were becoming commonplace, so all Eagle One/Journey Records releases exist only in LP and cassette format.
Homeland is a much different story. Many of the releases have found their way onto digital streaming platforms, including many releases by the Cathedrals, Speers, and Walt Mills.
A good many southern gospel fans are often frustrated that they cannot obtain/stream ‘classic’ recordings from ‘big name’ groups of days gone by. Hopefully, through these articles, you’ve seen just why this is the case. It always comes down to who currently holds the master tapes, and as we’ve discovered, that question is many times difficult – if not impossible – to answer. Sadly, this is why many classic recordings are deemed ‘lost’, and why collectors, like myself, do all they can to obtain these recordings, either on LP, CD, or cassette, and preserve them for future generations.
