June 1995 – A Look Back
For this month’s “look back” at some southern gospel history, let’s turn back the clock 30 years to June of 1995. We’ll take a look at that month through the “lens “of Singing News Magazine…
Gracing the cover of the magazine that month were the Greenes from Boone, North Carolina: brothers Tim and Tony Greene, joined by newcomers Milena Parks (soprano) and Chris Bollinger (piano). “Sharing 3 ‘Heart’ Harmony” was the title of their featured article that month, which largely centered around their latest song “Jesus’ Rocking Chair” – a song that had spent two months at number-one on the Singing News Southern Gospel Top 80 Chart in April and May of 1995.
“Jesus’ Rocking Chair”, written by Tim Greene of the group, is a song that brings comfort to parents who have lost a child. The chorus speaks of how Jesus, “Takes the place of mom and dad, He’s the greatest parent a child could have.”
The Greenes noted how the song was gaining airplay on a number of secular radio stations, including a top-rated rock station in Greensboro, North Carolina. Around this time, news broke of the deaths of two boys from Union, South Carolina – Michael and Alex Smith. Their mother, Susan Smith, admitted to drowning them. Upon hearing this news, a listener sent the Greene’s song to that rock station. The DJ, Jack Murphy, played the song. It wasn’t long before the phones at the Greene’s office in Boone began “ringing off the hook” with requests for the song. The response was simply overwhelming, and the song still continues to touch many hearts even some 30 years later.
Milena Parks was the newest – and youngest – member of the Greenes. The 22-year-old from Cumming, Georgia, was fulfilling a lifelong dream of singing gospel music. Milena, who sang soprano, replaced Amy Lambert, who had recently embarked on a solo career.
Another 22-year-old soprano singer, Nicole Watts, was the focus of that month’s “Youth In Gospel” feature, written by Greg Bentley. Nicole was also fulfilling a lifelong dream – she got the call in late 1993 to join the Perrys full-time. Nicole noted that her least favorite part of the job was cleaning the bus (each group member had a day when it was their turn). She recalled the first week she ever cleaned the bus: while dusting, she accidentally tripped a switch that, in turn, “dumped the bathroom on the parking lot!”
Since we’re on a rather humorous note, now’s the perfect time to talk about the June 1995 “Top 10” list, written by Roy “Biff-Meister” Sumner. This feature is one of my personal favorites, and ran in Singing News throughout much of the 1990s. This list was in the style of David Letterman’s famous nighttime television feature, and this month it was: “Top 10 Lists They Wouldn’t Let Me Print”. These included, “Top 10 Ugliest Hairpieces at last year’s National Quartet Convention” (#10), “Top 10 Favorite female singers in order of weight and age” (#7), “Top 10 Commandments broken by J.D. Sumner” (#2), and, at #1 – “Top 10 Lists they wouldn’t let me print (first draft)”.
I’ve mentioned in previous articles the Singing News Trading (or, “baseball”) Cards that were offered around 1991. These collectible cards featured trivia and fun facts about many southern gospel singers. Although the trading cards had been discontinued here in 1995, Singing News was now offering “FlashBack” Cards – A Southern Gospel Trivia Game. These cards contained trivia questions going as far back as the 1920s. The full-page ad in the magazine gives a few “sample” questions which, I’ll admit, are rather difficult, even for many “hardcore” southern gospel fans.
I’ll leave you with one of those questions: “Which Gold City song did not reach #1 on the Singing News Top 40 Chart”. Was it: (1) “I Think I’ll Read It Again”, (2) “John Saw”, (3) “When I Get Carried Away”, (4) “Midnight Cry”, (5) “There Rose A Lamb”, or (6) “One Scarred Hand”. The answer is (5) “There Rose A Lamb”. This is was tricky, because “There Rose A Lamb” only reached #2, but was voted “Song of the Year” for 1993, and therefore many assumed it was a number-one song.
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