Heading to the “Show-Me-State” and news on Called Out Quartet’s next project in this week’s update…|Before I go too far, got to thank the nice folks up in Edmonton, KY for the service we all shared in this past Sunday evening. We found ourselves at Grace Union Baptist Church just a few miles outside of town in the hills of central Kentucky. Great crowd and a bunch of familiar faces from the greater Glasgow area made it a fun night. Met allot of new friends as well….so in our book, that’s a success.

I know I promised details about the trip to Missouri this weekend and some other stuff, but unfortunately I have to stop for a moment and remember a dear friend of the quartet who we found out today (Wednesday February 27th) passed away. Billy Barnett of the mixed group The Melody Five (Billy shown at far left) passed away today from complications arising from his recently diagnosed bout with Pancreatic Cancer. His long time piano player, friend, and employee at his very popular country store in northern Alabama, Myra, called Darrell tonight to break the difficult news. Back 5 years ago when Called Out Quartet first was organized, one of the first “dates” we sang out at was Rayon City Missionary Baptist Church’s Homecoming in April…and Billy and his crew were there as well. I hate to say this…but sometimes you sing with folks, even in Southern Gospel, and it takes on the feel of a competition. Who can sing the “best songs”…or maybe who is the “best this” or “best that” in a group…but not with Billy. He immediately took us under his wings and within a few days of us having sang there with them he had us booked in a bunch of churches in and around middle Tennessee and northern Alabama (where he was from)…and he booked us solely on his word that we were okay for folks to take into each respective church. Basically, I guess I’m saying Billy stuck his neck WAY out for us. He also on more than one occasion had a church give 100% of the offering to us even when we were sharing the service with he and his crew…not a greedy bone in his body. We have never forgotten his boost and to this day often speak of what an impact he and The Melody Five folks had on our ministry very early on. Billy was funny, serious, hard working, and dedicated…something that as Christians we should all strive diligently for. We’ll miss you Billy and our prayers go out tonight to the remaining members of The Melody Five, his family, and his innumerable list of friends…God bless and Godspeed.

This weekend finds us returning to one of our favorite haunts (can you refer to an area as a haunt?) Bolivar and Springfield, Missouri. We’ll be visiting our good friend (and still technically newlywed for a precious few more months) pastor Michael Calhoun at Calvary Missionary Baptist on Saturday evening in Bolivar and then Sunday morning we will be with Pastor Kent Welch at Canaan Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri. Went to Calvary twice last year…once to sing in the spring at their anniversary service and then again when we returned to see Mike and Karaley get married in June (we were at Canaan the following Sunday that trip as well). This time as we pass through on our way there we are going to do our level best to hit (or get hit at) Lambert’s Restaurant…famous for the flying roll and great food. Details from all our journeys next week.

Had a chance to hear our new tenor Scott yet? Hope so….cause you’d love him like we do. Hoping to let you hear even more of him shortly as we soon begin work on his debut CD with the quartet. This one looks to be special as we all get a chance to sing our all-time favorite hymns. No real details to give now other than our music guru Eddie Crook will be preparing the “stuff” we need to get started very soon. Looks like we will be dialing it down a bit from an orchestration standpoint…perhaps simple piano and bass with some acoustic guitar and light drums here and there. Might also get to see our very own Ron Bowman make his grand debut in the studio as well here and there. Should be special all the way around. More on that later…

Did you get the email about the Singing News thing? You know…the push out there for us to be nominated as one of the Horizon Groups of the Year? You didn’t get the email?? Well there is only reason for that…we don’t have your email address! Please make sure you send us a quick email so we can add you to our newsletter list right away. Send it to calledout@calledoutquartet.com and our new techno-buddy Scott Russell will hook you up. Also starting a weekly newsletter “blast” as well….don’t want you to miss it either…so slide on over and shoot us that address. Remember…if you subscribe to the Singing News, don’t forget this month (March) to write in your friends and mine…Called Out Quartet…as one of the 5 candidates for the Horizon Group of the Year. We’d be much obliged if you did!

Hope you all have an awesome rest of the week and weekend coming up. Got some snow today here in Nashville, but it won’t be long until springtime and all the wonderful warm weather associated with it (which to me means popping the top on the Jeep!). Spend time this weekend if it’s cold playing games with the kids inside or maybe enjoying the grandkids while you’ve got them cooped up…before long they’ll be driving and spending less and less time at home. There are blessings at every age….find them and exploit the fool out of them while you can!

Von and all the guys at CO4