Two weeks ago we all went back to Marty’s home town of Betsy Layne, KY (as far east in Kentucky as you can get before slipping over into West Virginia). Had an incredible weekend from all aspects. Wonderful to see Marty’s hometown again, great services at all 3 churches, and incredible hospitality from our hosts Tim and Dee Dee McCoy. Tim was Marty’s youth minister when he lived there and was there with him (and the youth group) the day he got saved. Special place full of special people.

Having a hard time typing on the bumpy roads full of stop and go traffic….so I’ll sign off for now. Real quick…we were just the recipient of a random act of kindness. Driving down the road here in Connecticut and random driver honked and got Darrell’s attention and told us about a local ordinance prohibiting trailers in the fast lane. Would have been very upset had we gotten pulled over for that…don’t know you dude…but thanks for caring enough to take the time to stop us.

For those who have bought our new Christmas CD…not sure I can completely attest for your sanity as you listen to White Christmas in August…but hey, no complaints here….thank you all from the bottom of our tinsel wrapped hearts. We wondered how it would be received so early and all, but those concerns are vanquished. Will be more appropriate when we hit Gatlinburg in November. Don’t forget to look up the details and book your trip early. Will be great fun as always.

Have an awesome weekend and we’ll catch you all on the flip side…

Von and all the guys at CO4

Spent the evening with “the boys” getting the sound system set up and making sure everything worked just right. Oh…and on the way, I picked up the first lot of the new Christmas CD! Should be in high cotton for this weekend with CD’s….very excited about that. Kind of funny…it’s almost like having puppies or something when a new CD comes out. Hard to explain…

Looking forward to the Homecoming Saturday night (this Saturday August 7th) at McFerrin Missionary Baptist Church in Madison, TN (see address in my previous post). Got calls, texts, emails, and Facebook messages from so many of our dear friends traveling down to be with us. Will be praying for God’s traveling mercy on every one of you guys. If your coming be sure and bring lots of heavy jackets and sweaters because it’s freezing cold here in Nashville right now….NOT!!! It’s only about 150 degrees in the shade. Be ready for the steam bath we call the South…

Not sure if I’ll have time for another update before Saturday. Look forward to seeing you all. Take care and hope you all have an awesome weekend. Got a group of friends leaving on a mission trip to Jamaica…will be praying for God’s grace and protection on you guys. Also got one friend who had to say good-bye to her 17 year old brother after a very intense battle with leukemia. Remind me never to complain about anything ever again…life’s just too short and too precious. God bless you Susan…our love and our prayers are with you in this difficult time…

Von and all the guys at CO4

So…what’s the song list like? Here you go…songs on the new CD. Some you’ll know, others you may not…all favorites of the group for one reason or another. Oh…and though we are a quartet, it just wouldn’t have been right to not have Marty sing a song….so the CD showcases 5 vocalists at various times. First time we’ve done that. Oh yeah…the list…

Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, Mary Did You Know, White Christmas, Go Thee Down, Silent Night, The First Noel (Recitation of the Christmas story), Joy Joy, Tennessee Christmas, Glory To God In The Highest, O Holy Night

If all goes as planned, Marty will be uploading clips of the songs VERY soon. Had a few slight technical difficulties with the upload process on the internet provider end. Working through those as we speak (err…type). When you get a CD, be sure and check out the pics. We had an absolute blast taking them, but sweated like a bunch of pigs. You’ll see what I mean (not the sweat, but why we sweated…remember, it was 100 degrees the day we took those pics).

Did I mention the Homecoming this weekend?? Yes sir…it’s that wonderful time again. Same bat time, same bat channel. McFerrin Missionary Baptist Church in Madison, TN (431 West Old Hickory Blvd. Madison, TN 37115 to be exact…better write it down for the GPS just in case). By the way…for those who didn’t come to it last year, Madison is a suburb of Nashville…about 11 miles north of downtown, so if you’re trying to wort it out in your mind…it’s like going to Nashville basically. Will start singing around 7pm….but wait, there’s more! This year we are planning to have some finger foods in the downstairs starting around 5:30pm, so come on out and enjoy a little fellowship with us and our families! Another plan we have right now is to all dump our pics through the years (cell phone pics, camera pics, professional pics never used…the whole nine yards) onto a computer hard drive and have a slide show running either downstairs at the church (where the finger foods will be) or upstairs on a screen. Either way…I’ve seen mine, and some are worth the effort to come early. You’ll ask probing questions like…has Von really gained that much weight? Has Jess really lost that much weight? Yes…enquiring minds want to know…

All kidding aside…come on out. Won’t be taping this year’s event for a live CD like we did last year, so we will likely be MUCH more relaxed. Will try and pull out some songs we haven’t sang in a while, and might turn the air conditioning up real high and get everyone in the spirit to hear a Christmas song or two from the new CD. Should be interesting…haven’t had a chance to practice any of them since we did them in the studio several months ago. Would now be a good time to schedule a practice…or two for this week guys? Might even take a request or two…who knows. We don’t plan too much anymore…feel like it’s better if we just let the Lord orchestrate what He wants. He knows what’s best anyway…

Will also be explaining all the changes to the Gatlinburg deal this year. Just a hint…the price has dropped, and we’ve got more options for folks who like to maybe camp, rent a chalet, or stay in Pigeon Forge. Enough said there…come on out and I’ll whip out my best Billy Mays. If I knew us like I do (and I do know us like I think I do)…I bet we’ll be offering a special deal for those attending the Homecoming and putting down a deposit on Gatlinburg…seems like the kind of thing we might do…

Have a great week and look for another update as the weekend approaches. Will be confirming whether or not the Christmas CD will be available (won’t be for lack of trying VERY hard by everyone in the group to make it happen). Oh…and come back often and see if we end up getting those teaser clips from the CD loaded. If I know Marty the web guru like I do…this thing will be squared up in no time flat…

Von and all the guys at CO4

Dogtown…got some very sad news from Bro. Bob Pollard and from his daughter Shannon Pulley just a few minutes ago. One of Bro. Pollard’s nephews passed away unexpectedly yesterday and they are now dealing with not only the loss of a dear family member, but are having to sort through the visitation and service on their church’s homecoming weekend. Due to those unfortunate circumstances, Marshall Ferry (Dogtown) has canceled their singing for Sunday July 18th. It will be rescheduled at a later date, but for now…pray for the Pollard family and love on your own family while you’ve got them around. Life is awesome, but it is at best fragile and each day is a gift from the Lord.

Will hit you guys back again soon, but remember the Homecoming August 7th in Nashville, TN and Gatlinburg in November. If all goes as planned, we will have our new Christmas CD at the Homecoming…might even turn the A/C up a bit and sing one for fun.

Hope you guys all have a great weekend…..come see us at Fares Avenue this Saturday night at 7:00pm (July 17th)…and remember, no service at Dogtown Sunday July 18th. Will be rescheduled once the family has had time to deal with their circumstances….

Von and all the guys at CO4

Marty and all the guys at CO4

Also, in case Von doesn’t get a chance to get an update out this week…please make sure you check out the schedule for this coming Satuday (June 19th). We will be singing a benefit at Victory Missionary Baptist Church for a little guy named Hunter Tucker. Hunter was diagnosed on Monday, June 30, 2008 with acute lymphocytic leukemia, or (ALL). On April 15, 2010 Hunter was re-diagnosed with CNS (central nervous system) leukemia and is now fighting a tougher battle and will endure 2 more years of intense treatment. To read more about Hunter click here. If you can’t make it to the benefit singing/dinner, you can also make donations in the Hunter Tucker Leukemia Fund at any Regions Bank. There will be BBQ served from 11:00am - 7:00pm, and Called Out will be sing at 1:00pm and 5:00pm…hope to see you there!

Marty and all the guys at CO4

Von and all the guys at CO4

What’s up folks!! First…for those watching the National News and wondering about our hometown of Nashville, TN…it is not completely underwater…it just looks that way! We in the quartet are all fine, but all know of folks who have been displaced by the flood. Gave me just a slight taste of what the townspeople around Noah must have been thinking as the rains came in the very beginning. Of course 2 days worth of non-stop rain is a far cry from 40 days…but I can see how the despair probably started early and worked on them for days before they realized truly what was to come. As in any disaster situation, pray for the affected and be thankful for those who were unscathed. Lisa, Savannah, and I were talking yesterday (Sunday May 2) how truly blessed we were. The flood waters are all around, but our neighborhood was just wet. God’s good….and He is good all the time. And how is this for weird timing…last week our dear friend Eddie Crook, who recently started a new record label, sent out a radio disk that included a song of ours from a previous CD…you guessed it…”And The Rains Came”…

So….what’s been going on with Called Out Quartet?? Plenty! The 5 of us have been diligently working in the studio on our Christmas CD (as of yet untitled) that we plan to have out sometime in August. I know…August?? Well…here’s the deal. Christmas CD’s are just as expensive to produce as any other CD and we are hoping that by “releasing it” early we can quickly offset the expenses incurred to produce it. There are some folks out there I have to thank…but I can’t tell you who they are…but they know. Without their “involvement” the dream of a Christmas CD would never have been possible. We have wanted to do this since the beginning, but it’s just never been the right time. It’s finally here and we are loving the process…hope you guys enjoy it half as much as we have putting it together. Will get you a list of songs soon. Still got a few more sessions in the studio to wrap it up and we want to make sure we’ve got the right songs when it is all said and done.

Now…speaking of Christmas songs…we are in the process of getting some dates together after the 1st of November where we plan to sing mainly Christmas songs. Call it a “Christmas Tour” if you like (though Southern Gospel groups typically don’t call what they do a “tour”). We have some holes we will be trying to fill as we go from place to place on Saturdays and Sundays in November and December so if anyone is interested let us know. Can’t make any promises because lots of churches got the word through the grapevine and have already stepped up to the plate for dates…but some of those will need to be “filled in” around and others will undoubtedly fall through for one reason or another. So if you’d like us to come sing some Christmas stuff…let us know by email ( calledout@calledoutquartet.com ) or phone (615/332-5500). Will be putting some of those dates up on the schedule very soon.

And speaking of Christmas…we have the one weekend in November already booked that everyone is invited to come to…our Gatlinburg thing! I guess I should call it by its official name, if only I could remember it. We’ve called it a “Harvest Celebration” a time or two (we quit decorating the stage area with dried corn stalks and hay bales when my allergies went ballistic the first year…so the “harvest” theme kind of tapered off). I think we’ve also called it “Christmas in the Smokies” some…but for sure….this year will be VERY much Christmas with the release of our new Christmas CD. Last year we did a Christmas set, but this year I think we will be doing more of a Christmas night on Saturday. Oh sure…we might sample some Christmas Friday night, but will mainly focus on Southern Gospel stuff. Same deal as always…Friday night singing, Saturday morning breakfast, Saturday night singing, and Sunday morning devotional (come as you are before you head out as always). Still very much in the planning stage…but be looking for details on changes to the way we will book it. We are going to be giving folks more options this year for ways to come and enjoy and stay at other places if you like. More to come soon on that…but please make plans to be there November 19th, 20th, and 21st.

Earlier I mentioned going into the studio with five folks…I guess it’s about time I made it “official”. Though we have been traveling with the same 5 people since August of 2009…we haven’t really made any announcements as to how we plan to travel from here on out. Well Darrell Collier (baritone) and Marty Harris (previously our tenor, now our piano player and part-time vocalist) have returned to the group full time. I can’t tell you what a prayer answered that was for all of us. We enjoyed getting to know the other guys who helped us out during the transition period and could never have made it without them…but having the original members of Called Out Quartet back is just…well… awesome. The rest are the same as always…me (Von, bass), Jess (lead), and Scott (tenor). Oh…and one more exciting addition…for those who have seen us in 2010 you might be asking where the 6th guy fits into the equation you’ve seen on stage here and there. For years we have wanted to get a bass guitar guy back (we had one briefly in Brandon before he got hitched and moved to South Carolina) and now have done so…on a part-time, will-see-how-my-schedule-goes basis. Kent Collier (Darrell’s brother) has been going with us as his schedule allows since January…and I have to brag on him. Kent can play bass…that’s great, but there has been a side benefit I didn’t see coming. When we got started 7 years ago we were all so excited at everything that happened. Each weekend was like a new adventure and we were as green as the day is long at everything we tried to do….but had fun trying to do it. Kent has brought that back to the van as we travel and it is such a blast to relive. The places are all new…the services are all exciting…it’s just neat to experience again. Another thing Kent brings is his spirituality. For years we have enjoyed talking with each other about “all things God” as the tires rolled for hours and hours. We’ve discussed current stuff, heavy stuff, light stuff, and everything in between for hours and sometimes days on end. With Kent we are getting to go back and talk about allot of that stuff again…breaking our Bibles out and sharing thoughts and opinions. Blesses us all and makes the miles go by like lightning. Anyway…enjoying whatever time God has given us together and look forward to all the travels we have left together for 2010…hope to see all you out there somewhere!

And speaking of seeing all you guys…let’s not forget another of our favorite dates each year…the Called Out Quartet Homecoming! This year it will be Saturday August 7th at 7:00pm at McFerrin Missionary Baptist Church in Madison, TN (same location as last year). This year we don’t plan to record it…so we will likely be a bit more relaxed and loose with our song selections. Last year was awesome (which even if you weren’t there you can experience some of it with the “Live in Nashville” CD….and yes, we know we were in Madison…but Madison is a suburb of Nashville, so technically it’s right). Please make plans to be there…the first year was great, but we want this year to be incredible…and it will only be that way if you come. Yes…I’m talking about you…the one reading your email, and you too visiting the website…and hey, I’m also talking to you in the back there looking at this on your Crackberry…

Hope you all have an awesome week…we’ll be drying out here as best as the area can. Will be home this weekend (happy Mother’s day to all the wonderful mom’s out there…including mine of course), but will be traveling to Indianapolis and Louisville the next weekend (May 15th and 16th). Hope to see some of you guys there!!

Von and all the guys at CO4

Enjoy the upcoming weekend…enjoy the Road to the Final Four in NCAA basketball…get ready for my favorite sport baseball…and thank the good Lord for all your blessings…talk back at ya soon…

Von and all the guys with CO4

Okay back to where we’ve been…had a great weekend in the Evansville, IN area which started with singing at Fares Avenue on Saturday night…pizza at Mr. B’s with the Carter’s Chapel folks from Madisonville, KY…and then crashed at Bob Pollard’s new house in Carmi, IL (new to he and Sharon anyway). We got to Bro. Bob’s house at like midnight thinking they would be asleep…no way, we all stayed up talking and watching the Olympics until like 2am. Had a great day on Sunday with two singings in the Carmi area before heading home late that night. We were all dragging Monday…especially Snake (really…we were all about the same, I just wanted to say “Snake” again). The next weekend we got Scott and Ashley Russell moved into their home. You all will remember they got married back in the fall, well they’ve been renting a home while looking and stumbled upon an awesome deal about 5 miles from my house. The good Lord supplied a bright sunny day and with very few paint scratches and just a handful of bloody knuckles we got them settled in to the Russell household.

I think the weekend Scott and Ashley moved I watched the end of the Winter Olympics…don’t know why I was so sad. You’d think I was a big winter sports fan…like the kind that kinds it on TV the rest of the season. Well…not exactly, but there’s just something about watching our country’s team compete that makes me feel extra patriotic…and that was cool for a while. Guess I’ll just have to sooth my soul with…March Madness! You got it…the quartet van is all a flutter with talk of Kentucky having a great run and the Vanderbilt Commodores having the season of a lifetime. Jess’ Alabama Crimson Tide is having a bit of a down year…will just have to see what happens in the SEC tournament. The Tennessee Vols have good days and bad days…we’ll just have to see what the next few days hold. Whatever will I do when March Madness is over…oh wait…I’ve got it….BASEBALL!!! My favorite of all sports…and it’s just around the corner. So glad winter is wrapping up and we can pop the top on the Jeep and listen to play by play baseball once again.

Sorry…as preachers often say, I chased a rabbit there. Get me talking sports or flying and my eyes just glaze over. This past weekend…oh yeah, we were in Missouri! Had an awesome weekend starting with “thrown rolls” at Lambert’s in Springfield, MO (technically Ozark, MO) and a very special announcement by the pastor of Calvary and his wife….Mike and Karaley Calhoun are expecting their first baby! Awesome news. Met them and got to share in the excitement, then headed up to his church in Bolivar, MO for a great service that evening. The next morning we headed back down to Springfield to Canaan before heading home. Got to see one of my past pastors Bro. Paul Cofer who now lives in that area. Got to see a bunch of great folks we’ve come to know and love as well…great service and great day.

Got this weekend off for my daughter’s Spring Break at school…I think we all are looking forward to lounging around and soaking up tournament basketball. Oh…real quick, our good friend Dave Culbreath (web guy and former flight student of mine) and his wife Lindsay had their first baby today (Wednesday March 10, 2010) Jaxsen Culbreath was 7.14 pounds, 19.5″ long and both mom and baby are wonderful. Dave texted me the news and exclaimed “God is Good!!”….and truly He is, all the time.

Have a great week and we’ll catch up next week with all the happenings. Go Wildcats, Commodores, Crimson Tide, and Vols in the tournament…and whoever you guys might be for…

Von and all the guys at CO4