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Guy Penrod | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | July 2, 1963 Texas, U.S. |
| Origin | Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Genres | Christian, Southern gospel |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Member of | Gaither Vocal Band |
| Website | guypenrod |
Guy Penrod (born July 2, 1963) is an American gospel singer. He is known for his work as the lead singer of the Gaither Vocal Band, a position he held from 1995 to 2009.
Penrod is a graduate of Liberty University. Starting in the 1980s, he worked as a studio singer, backing up voices such as Carman, Steve Green, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, James Ingram, and Phillips, Craig & Dean. [1] He was also a member of the Christ Church Choir (as was another future Gaither Vocal Band member, Jonathan Pierce). During his years in the studio, he met Bill Gaither for the first time. He also made regular appearances on TNN's Music City Tonight as a background singer in the mid-1990s. In 1989 Penrod contributed a couple of tracks as lead vocal on a Brentwood cassette (C-5103N) titled "Following The Sun – Island Music For Believers".
Penrod also performed briefly with the Stamps Quartet in 1987, while employed at Opryland. [2]
After accepting the position with the Gaither Vocal Band in 1994, Penrod became internationally known for his powerful vocals and broad singing range. He has performed in Gaither Homecoming concerts all over the U.S. and Canada, as well as in Europe, Australia, and Africa. In 1999, he performed a duet with the Cathedral Quartet's lead singer Glen Payne on their Farewell Celebration video.
Penrod performed for the grand opening of Jerry Falwell's new Thomas Road Baptist Church new 6,000 seat sanctuary.
His album, The Best of Guy Penrod, reached No. 92 on the Billboard 200 on August 6, 2005. The DVD release was certified platinum by the RIAA. [3]
The Gaither Vocal Band's 2006 release was entitled Give It Away, followed by Lovin' Life in 2008. Penrod won a Grammy Award for his work on the "Lovin Life" project.
In a press release on January 13, 2009, Bill Gaither announced that Penrod would be leaving the Gaither Vocal Band and starting a solo career. [4]
In August 2009, Penrod released his debut solo album, Breathe Deep, on the Servant Records label. Produced by veteran country music producer and studio musician Brent Rowan, the album consists of positive country music with Christian undertones.
Penrod was inducted into the Texas Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2011. [3]
Penrod's sophomore solo album Hymns debuted at No. 1 on the Nielsen SoundScan Southern Gospel retail chart and became the top-selling southern gospel album of 2012. Hymns sold over 100,000 units. [5]
In 2012, Penrod became the new host of Gospel Music Showcase, a popular Daystar Television Network program that focuses on southern gospel music. It can be seen every Saturday. [6] The show has been awarded an Emmy. [7]
Penrod won "Soloist of the Year" from the National Quartet Convention in 2013. [8]
Penrod released his third solo project titled Worship in May 2014. In September 2014, Penrod released his first solo Christmas project entitled "Christmas." It became the No. 2 album in Cracker Barrel stores with 30,000 units sold, second only to Blake Shelton. [9] Also in 2014, Penrod was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame alongside the Gaither Vocal Band. [3]
Penrod released his first solo DVD entitled Live: Hymns & Worship in January 2016. The Project was filmed at Thomas Road Baptist Church. The release debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart for music videos sold upon its release. [10] The album debuted at #2 on the "Billboard" chart for contemporary Christian music. [11]
Penrod was a featured performer at the Faith Freedom & Future Inaugural Ball hosted by the Family Research Council, following the January 2017 inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, DC. [12]
In March 2017, Penrod returned with an album entitled Classics. The album was a new solo recording of popular songs he performed during his tenure with the Gaither Vocal Band. [13]
Penrod has often appeared on the stage of the "Grand Ole Opry" as a guest artist. [3]
Penrod reached back into the well of beloved hymns with his 7th solo release. Blessed Assurance was released in February 2018. The album includes Penrod singing twelve newly recorded hymns featuring his signature country sound.
Penrod and his wife, Angie (Clark), have eight children—seven boys and a girl. All of their children are home schooled. [14]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Christian | US | US Country | ||
| The Best of Guy Penrod |
| 4 | 92 | — |
| Breathe Deep |
| 7 | 108 | 41 |
| Hymns |
| 5 | 85 | — |
| Worship |
| 11 | 197 | — |
| Christmas |
| 13 | — | — |
| Live: Hymns & Worship |
| 2 | 167 | — |
| Classics |
| — | — | — |
| Blessed Assurance |
| 24 | — | — |
| "—" denotes unknown or no chart status | ||||
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Knowing What I Know About Heaven" | Breathe Deep |
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Knowing What I Know About Heaven" | Steven Goldmann |
William James Gaither is an American singer and songwriter of Southern gospel and contemporary Christian music. He has written numerous popular Christian songs with his wife Gloria; he is also known for performing as part of the Bill Gaither Trio and the Gaither Vocal Band. In the 1990s, his career gained a resurgence, as popularity grew for the Gaither Homecoming series. In 2023 he released a secular music album with the Gaither Vocal Band entitled “Love Songs”.
The Gaither Vocal Band is an American southern gospel vocal group, named after its founder and leader Bill Gaither. On March 1, 2017, it was announced that the Gaither Vocal Band lineup consisted of Reggie Smith, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd Suttles, and Bill Gaither. Although the group started out recording contemporary Christian music in the 1980s, it became known for southern gospel after the popularity of the Gaither Homecoming videos.
George Wilson Younce was a Southern gospel bass vocalist, known for performing with Southern gospel quartets, especially The Cathedral Quartet.
Russell Taff is an American gospel singer and songwriter who grew up in Farmersville, California. He has sung a variety of musical styles throughout his career including: pop rock, traditional Southern gospel, contemporary country music, and rhythm and blues. He first gained recognition as lead vocalist for the Imperials (1976–81). One of his best-known performances is the song "Praise the Lord". He has also been a member of the Gaither Vocal Band, and occasionally tours with Bill Gaither in the Gaither Homecoming concerts. As a solo artist and songwriter, Taff is known for the 1980s anthem "We Will Stand". Taff has received various Dove and Grammy awards either as a solo artist or part of a larger musical group, most notably the Imperials.
The Cathedral Quartet, also known as the Cathedrals, was an American southern gospel quartet who performed from 1964 to December 1999. The group's final lineup consisted of Glen Payne (lead), George Younce (bass), Ernie Haase (tenor), Scott Fowler, and Roger Bennett.
Anthony John Burger was an American pianist and singer, most closely associated with Southern gospel music.
Ernie Haase & Signature Sound is an American Southern Gospel quartet founded in 2002 by Ernie Haase, former Cathedral Quartet tenor and Garry Jones, former Gold City pianist. As of June 2024, the group consists of Ernie Haase (tenor), Doug Anderson (baritone), Dustin Doyle (lead), Christopher Taylor (bass) and Tyler Vestal (piano). The group has released 33 albums and 16 DVDs, many of which feature other Christian and Gospel artists.
Gaither Homecoming is the name applied to a series of videos, music recordings and concerts, which are organized, promoted and usually presented by Christian music songwriter and impresario Bill Gaither.
Michael English is an American Christian singer and record producer. Initially, he was a member of his family's singing group, and later a member of The Gaither Vocal Band. During his solo career, he recorded eight studio albums. English's highest-charting solo single was "Your Love Amazes Me", which reached No. 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1996.
The Crabb Family is a southern gospel group originally from Beaver Dam, Kentucky. They have had sixteen No. 1 songs on the national radio charts.
Jason Crabb is a 2-time GRAMMY® Award-Winning Christian music singer and musician. He was previously the lead vocalist for the group The Crabb Family.
Janet Paschal is an inspirational gospel vocalist. She has released numerous albums in that genre and has received multiple fan awards and Grammy and Dove Award nominations. She is also a songwriter and published author. In May 2019, she was inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. Paschal was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in October 2022.
"Why Me" is an American country and gospel song written and recorded by American country music singer and songwriter Kris Kristofferson.
Mark Alan Lowry is an American singer, comedian, minister and songwriter. He is best known for co-writing the song "Mary, Did You Know?" and being a member of the Gaither Vocal Band from 1988 to 2001, and 2009 to 2013, along with Michael English, Guy Penrod, David Phelps and Bill Gaither. Lowry has recorded twelve albums, both music and comedy.
Terry Blackwood is a contemporary Christian musician who is best known as lead singer for Christian pop act The Imperials. He was with the group for nearly a decade, joining in 1967 and remaining with them through 1976. At that time, he left the group along with fellow Imperial Sherman Andrus to form Andrus, Blackwood and Company, one of the only racially integrated groups in contemporary Christian music at the time. They recorded 6 albums together between 1977 and 1986.
Jonathan Pierce Hildreth, known professionally as Jonathan Pierce, was an American CCM, gospel singer from Odessa, Texas and an interior designer in Nashville. Pierce used his first and middle name while omitting his last name for career purposes.
Marshall Hall is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. He is best known for his time as a member of the Gaither Vocal Band, his appearances on the Bill Gaither Homecoming tours, and Gaither Homecoming video series.
Wesley Adam Hampton is a Christian music singer. He is a tenor for The Gaither Vocal Band. Hampton sang first tenor for the group from 2005 to 2009, then when it went from a quartet to a quintet, he became the second tenor. He also performs solo concerts. His first solo album was titled "A Man Like Me." Wes also appears and performs in the Gaither Homecoming video concert series, television series and cruises. Hampton's nineteen-year tenure ranks him the longest-serving member of the Gaither Vocal Band besides Bill Gaither himself.
The song known as both "Gospel Boogie" and "A Wonderful Time Up There" was written by Lee Roy Abernathy, and first recorded by him in 1947 under the former name. This release, for the label White Church Record, credits the performance with variant spelling to "Leroy Abernathy Homeland Harmony Quartet".
Stir It Up is a 1992 studio album by Christian music vocal group The Imperials. It is the group's third album on Star Song Records.
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