Singing Christians

Singing Christians
Genres	Southern gospel
Years active	1973 (1973)–1979 (1979)
Labels	Canaan

The Singing Christians were a Southern gospel music band. They released five albums on the Canaan Records label and charted in the Southern gospel radio markets.

Wayne Christian ^[1] led the band, performing at concert venues and ’All night gospel singings’ across the deep south and the southwestern United States. ^[2] In 1975, the group became a regular headliner on the Wally Fowler Show. The band hosted their own music festival in East Texas, featuring many Southern gospel quartets, drawing thousands of Christian music fans each year. The Singing Christians became the first group to perform and headline on the Kerrville Gospel Jubilee. ^{[3] [4]}

Several former Singing Christians members impacted the music industry beyond the scope of the group. Wayne Christian served as president of the Gospel Music Association. Starting in 1997, Christian served 16 consecutive years representing District 9 in the Texas House Of Representatives. Gary Goss went on to travel with Governor Jimmie Davis. In 1986, Goss became the music and tour director for Country music singer Johnny Rodriguez. ^[5] John Mays played bass guitar for the Speer Family after leaving the Singing Christians. He later served as head of Benson Records and Canaan Records. Emory Atkins became a record producer, singer-songwriter, and audio-recording engineer in Nashville, Tennessee. ^[6]

After the band ended their career as The Singing Christians in 1979, the remaining eight members rebranded themselves as a Christian country music group, changing their name to the Mercy River Boys. ^[1]

In 2015, Wayne Christian, Emory Atkins, Danny Hollis, Ronny Ricks, Gary Goss, and all the band members of the Singing Christians and Mercy River Boys were inducted into the Texas Gospel Music Hall of Fame. ^{[7] [4] [8]}

Members (past and present)

Lineups

1973–1975	1975–1976	1976–1977
Calvin Christian – tenor James Christian – lead, fiddle/violin Wayne Christian – lead Frank Horton – baritone Galen Sawyer – drums	Calvin Christian – tenor James Christian – lead, fiddle/violin Wayne Christian – lead Frank Horton – baritone Rusty Oxford – bass Gary Goss – piano Bill Horton – steel guitar John Mays – bass guitar Johnny Pope – drums	Calvin Christian – tenor James Christian – lead, fiddle/violin Wayne Christian – lead Frank Horton – baritone Rusty Oxford – bass Gary Goss – piano Emory Atkins – bass guitar
1977–1978	1978–1979
Danny B. Smith – tenor James Christian – lead, fiddle/violin Wayne Christian – lead Danny Hollis – baritone, guitar Rusty Oxford – bass Gary Goss – piano Emory Atkins – bass guitar Kevin Bailey – electric guitar Ronny Ricks – drums	Danny B. Smith, tenor Wayne Christian, lead Danny Hollis – baritone, guitar Rusty Oxford – bass Gary Goss – piano Emory Atkins – bass guitar Kevin Bailey – electric guitar Ronny Ricks – drums

Discography

Year	Album	Label
1973	I’d Rather Live in the Sunshine (The Singing Christians)
1974	When I Begin to Live My Life (The Singing Christians)	Canaan Records [9]
1975	Good Times are Coming (The Singing Christians)	Canaan Records
1976	The Promise (The Singing Christians)	Canaan Records [10]
1977	Something For Everyone (Singing Christians)	Canaan Records [11]
1978	Refresh Our Spirit (Singing Christians)	Canaan Records [12]

References

1. "Texas Gospel Music Hall of Fame Inducts The Singing Christians/Mercy River Boys". Shelby County Today. November 25, 2015.
2. "Texas Gospel Music Hall of Fame, 3810 Cavalier Dr, Garland, TX (2020)". www.gluseum.com.
3. "Kerrville Gospel Jubilee". Archived from the original (JPG) on March 27, 2019.
4. "The Singing Christians". www.uniqware.com.
5. "Music Man Shares Career History". www.ktre.com. March 28, 2008.
6. "Southern Gospel History | M / MercyRiverBoys". sghistory.com.
7. "Local musician to be inducted into Gospel Music Hall of Fame". www.dddnews.com.
8. "The Singing Christians/Mercy River Boys in Tx Gospel Music Hall of Fame". East Texas Press. November 26, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2021.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
9. THE SINGING CHRISTIANS - "When I Begin To Live My Life" (1973). YouTube . Archived from the original on December 8, 2021.
10. "Canaan Records". Discogs.
11. "The Singing Christians - Something For Everyone". Discogs. 1977.
12. "Gospel Music Association top ten songs of 1980, Calm this storm for me, Refreshing". www.copyrightencyclopedia.com.