As I stated yesterday (Thursday July 16th) Scott’s grandmother, Dorothy Brown, succumbed to her long hard battle with many illnesses. I told you guys I would post info here…so here are the details for those here in and around the Nashville area. Visitation will be at Forest Lawn Funeral Home on Dickerson Road in Goodlettsville, TN on Friday (today July 17th) from 5:00pm until 9:00pm. Visitation will also be held tomorrow (Saturday July 18th) at McFerrin Missionary Baptist Church from 10:00am until 12:00pm, with the funeral being held there at church at noon. Please continue to keep Scott’s family in your prayers. The rest of this update is the one entitled “Moo” from earlier this week….

Hey folks! Hope you all had an awesome weekend. We got to go to The Barn up in Pana, IL and made some new friends while there, but  I’ll get to all that shortly. I wanted to start out by talking to you guys a little about the Homecoming and Gatlinburg. First the Homecoming…if you haven’t already heard, we are having our very first Homecoming on August the 8th at 7:00pm at McFerrin Missionary Baptist Church in Madison, TN (less than 10 miles north of downtown Nashville). For those of you operating (like us) with a GPS…the address is 431 West Old Hickory Blvd. in Madison, TN. For those not using GPS…the church is very close once you get off of I-65 north of Nashville at the Old Hickory Blvd./Madison exit (up on the right about 2 miles). This is going to be a very special deal since we will be having all the regular guys (Scott, Jess, and Von) along with former members Marty Harris, Darrell Collier, and Ron Bowman. The current plan is to tape the night for a live CD to be available sometime in September. We will probably put a set together of old songs we used to sing but never recorded (and probably should have) sprinkled with songs from our 4 CD’s that we love. Then we will do a set of the more familiar songs and even figure out a way to get in some requests. Whatever the case…plan for a great night with all the guys from the group. Jess is even working on gathering pictures we have collected through the years so we can do a slideshow of sorts…truly can’t wait to see them all…I’m sure the memories will flow. We’re talking to area hotels, but I suggest if you want to go ahead and make reservations that you look in the Goodlettsville, TN area (two exits north of the church on I-65) and specifically at the Long Hollow Pike exit. It’s a nice clean area with gas stations, restaurants (including Cracker Barrel), and even shopping. There are numerous hotels including a Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, and Quality Inn. If you have any special needs just email or call us and we will see what we can find out for you. Whatever the case….don’t miss it!

While we’re at it….don’t forget our celebration up in Gatlinburg. For those who have been, you know how gorgeous the mountains are in late November. Last year we were even blessed with waking up every day to see the snow caps in the higher elevations. For our family, it’s been just what we needed to get into the holiday spirit right before Thanksgiving. There’s lots of shopping nearby in Pigeon Forge, but if any of you are like me and my family…we’ve enjoyed a trip to Gatlinburg where we don’t get the vehicle back out once we parked at the hotel. Everything on the Gatlinburg strip is right there at our disposal…so we just walk to eat, shop, and take in the sites. I think it has become an annual event for a group to trek up to Ober Gatlinburg for the tram ride and ice skating in their huge indoor rink. Hope you all can make plans to be there November 20, 21, and 22nd….by that time our own Scott Russell will be a married man and Mrs. Ashley Russell will be able to join in on the fun. As always…we start with a concert on Friday night at the hotel, then have breakfast on Saturday morning (catered in by Shoney’s…so it’s a huge buffet), Saturday night we have another concert, and then wrap up Sunday morning by having a brief devotional service with congregational singing along with a song or two by the quartet, then a message brought by Dewayne Greer (evangelist and cousin to Jess). The last two years have been awesome and I have no reason to believe this year won’t be that and even more. Rooms are starting to book up as folks consider plans for the fall, so if you’re thinking about joining us…shoot an email or call. All it takes now is a deposit of $50 to get the ball rolling. Basically it’s $149 per person or (the best deal) $399 per room with up to 4 folks. So…if you get you and 3 of your buds to split the room, the weekend is $100 per person (saving you about $50 per person). That includes the room for two nights (Friday night and Saturday night), breakfast Saturday morning, the two concerts, and the devotional. If you’ve been….we look forward to seeing you back. If you haven’t been…give it a shot! I promise you’ll have a good time.

Okay…why name the post “Moo”? Well first…for those of you who never visit the website and only get this update via Scott’s email blast and are asking “what’s he talking about…naming the post”, this newsletter/email blast/update is on the homepage of our website and includes a blog-like title…and this week it is “Moo”. It’s in reference to the fact that this past Saturday night was spent with Joanne Clark up in Pana, IL at “The Barn”…and yes, it is a true pole barn converted from housing horses and other livestock to a great facility for southern gospel music. Air conditioning, indoor plumbing, and all the comforts of home with a stage and lighting (thanks to her husband Bob) along with theater style seats and a concession stand for snacks at intermission. Had a blast as always, but in particular this year as we met some new friends…The Lesters. Great family group led by the 3rd generation of the bunch Brian Lester. For some reason I was surprised by their sound…kind of cutting edge southern gospel that meets contemporary at times. With a name like “Lester” I was imagining banjos and mandolins for some reason. I think I was harking back to names like Lester Flatt (sang the Beverly Hillbillies theme song) when I conjured up the image. They were awesome and if you’re out and about and see a church sign with “The Lesters in Concert”, stop in and “have a heaping helping of their hospitality”….

Sunday found us (after a 6 hour drive the night before getting us all home about 4:00am) back home outside of Nashville at Mt. Juliet Missionary Baptist Church. It was (I think) our 4th or 5th Homecoming for them in a row. Great people and love their pastor Ricky Oliver. Ricky and I were church members together for a few years before he was called to the ministry and during his early ministry years. Appreciated them having us back again and appreciated all the good folks who came out. A particular thanks to Scott’s future wife’s family (mom, dad, brother, grandmother, and grandfather) for all coming out to hear us. It was the first time I had met the bunch and Scott has lucked up with not only a keeper for a wife to be, but a keeper for the crew that comes along with her. Quick word of thanks to our dear friend Darrell Collier (our former baritone) who came and filled in with us. Appreciate D taking the time and appreciate his wife Tammie and daughter Kenzie for sharing him for a while. Love you guys….

Hope you all have a great week and an even better weekend. Working on some new dates this week, so check our schedule periodically for new spots. Sorry this week is so long…just wanted to get all the info I could out there on the upcoming events…if I left any details out you need to know…don’t hesitate to shoot us an email at calledout@calledoutquartet and we will get back right away.

One last quick hit…please remember Scott Russell’s grandmother Dorothy Brown. She hasn’t been well in a while and she is now in Hospice care. It appears her time here is drawing to an end, and though it’s a wonderful day when a Christian gets to go home and see Jesus, it leaves a void here for her family. Remember Scott’s mom, remember Scott, and especially remember Dorothy’s husband of many wonderful years Eugene Brown. Bro. Brown was my first pastor after I got saved…he baptized me and fed me spiritual milk as I grew in faith. He’s been a missionary to foreign lands and pastored churches far and wide…and his bride Dorothy was there by his side every single step of the way. Her crown will no doubt be adorned with many jewels from her service to God’s work through the long years, and like a good servant she will be anxious to place it at her Jesus’ feet.

Von and all the guys at CO4