Prior to their long, prosperous career on the Canaan record label, the Happy Goodman family released several records on another label.

What was the name of this label?

What other prominent gospel quartet also recorded both gospel and secular songs on this label?

© CMG SGMRadio.com 2007

Was it the SIMS label?

I am going to guess that it was the Wills Family.........not sure the actual name of the group.........that also recorded on that label.

Great trivia, John. Sims is the other label. I'll let someone else name the quartet!

Am I early enough to answer this? :blink:

The Plainsmen Quartet recorded on the Sims label. One gospel album had 3 different covers. And I think Lonely Street was a Sims album.

Now a question for Ben (or anyone else).

On Gospel Songs for Country Folks (a 1965 release of several prior recordings), there is a song called "On the Cross".

I think Erman is on that song. Is it Erman or Howard? If its Erman, I think it is one of the greatest recordings showing their incredible range and similarity in voice patterns for identical twins. I get glory bumps everytime I hear it.

Its a great song and Thurman sounds incredible. Hard to imagine anyone hearing his break on that song and not thinking he belongs in the top 5 tenors of all time.

It has a goofy sounding instrumental break in it but other than that, its just a great recording of a great song.

Wow, John finally ask a question about the greateast southern gospel group of all time and I show up late to the party! LOL!

Label-Sims

Group that recorded both gospel and secular for that label-Carter Family

I do like to mention the Plainsmen from time to time, stevenson. Glad you also think they were one of the greatest southern gospel groups of all time!

:D

What's the difference between passionate and obsessed?

I thought you would answer this, Ben . . . since you're such a big Goodman fan!

:rollinglaughing:

. . . and of course, the answer to the second part of the question was the Plainsmen.

Mark, I haven't listened to the "On the Cross" cut in awhile but I had always believed it was Howard. Thurman was one of the greatest quartet tenors ever. "On the Cross" is one of many songs that prove it.
Sims was a great label with lots of interesting albums. I wish everyone could hear the "Lonely Street" album. It's still ahead of its time!

It's amazing how many great tenors were in the Plainsmen Quartet. What's more amazing is that many of those great tenor singers often filled the baritone role with the quartet.

Can someone please tell me when Sherrill Nielsen sang with the Plainsmen and whether he made any recordings with them. Thanks.

As for the Sims label, it was started mainly as a country label by Russell Sims. It's biggest hit, I believe, was "The Lumberjack" by Canadian Hal Willis. it reached #5 on the Billboard Country charts in 1964.

A discography of 45s released on the label is at globaldogproductions.info/sims.html. I couldn't find an album discography. Plainsmen had country singles released on the label. I didn't see any singles by the Goodmans.

Sherrill sang with the Plainsmen for a short while in 1967. No recordings. They had no bass singer during most of that time. Sherrill, Howard Welborn, Jack Mainord were the singers and Eddie Crook on piano. All 3 singers had about the same range!!

Norm, I don't think Sherrill ever recorded with the Plainsmen. Ben told me that he saw him sing with the Plainsmen, so I'll let him answer that part of your question.

As far as I know, the Goodmans only released one single on SIMS, and that was an extended play recording from the LP "The Best of the Happy Goodmans"

Sims EP 101 I'm Too Near Home, Born to Serve the Lord, I Wouldn't Take Nothin' For My Journey, Happy Goodman Family Story

Looks like Ben and I were posting at the same time!

Ben, didn't Sherrill also play the piano for the Plainsmen?

Amen to that, Ben! The vocal arrangements on that album are superb. It is one of my favoirite albums to listen to.

Concern record labels, I know the Florida Boys recorded on Sword records. A few of the early Tommy Atwood era albums were recorded on that label. The label on the album is red like that of the Canaan ones. I also think Sword records was based in Waco, TX just like Canaan. Was word a precursor to Canaan?

Thanks for the information on Sherrill and the Plainsmen.

As for Sword records, Wikipedia has an entry which says:

"Sword Records was the name of at least two different record labels.

The first one was operated from 1964 until 1967 as a budget subsidiary of Word Records to reissue the Word and Canaan albums.

A second Sword Records was started in 1970 as a subsidiary of Mark Five Records."

Ben & John,

Listen to it again. I think "On the Cross" was recorded at the same time as the Red Album with the same singers (Thurman, Erman, Jack and Rusty), and just didn't make the cut.

Probably because of that somewhat "funky" (at least for a gospel album at that time), instrumental break.

I think it was finally "released" as part of the Gospel Songs for Country Folks album that had cuts from the Sims album with the 3 different covers.

If so, it makes me wonder what else might have been recorded that never made onto the Red Album.

Confused yet? :blink:

Your so funny! LOL!

Not much in my book! LOL!

Seriously, I was 4 years old when I first heard Rusty sing "the Lighthouse" and that's all it took. I didn't know what it meant but it sure sounded good. And I have been a Goodman fan ever since.

The Sword records that I have of the Florida Boys would have been from the mid to late 60s. This version of the label must have been what Vista was to Heartwarming.

I checked the Sword discography and almost all the Word-Canaan re-releases were of what I'd call sacred mustic. The only SGM re-release listed was "Golden Favorities with the Florida Boys" which the site says was originally released on Word or Canaan in 1967.

The disography was not complete as I saw another Florida Boys album on the same Sword label called "Gospel Standards with the Florida Boys." Both were re-released around the same time.

I have Gospel Favorites and Gospel Standards. I think both were released in 1968.

I'm playing "On the Cross" as I type. It was originally released on the Mercury album "Someone's Watching Over You" and then reissued on the Wing LP "Gospel Songs For Country Folks". "Wing" was a budget label of Mercury. If I'm not mistaken (and I don't have the LP in front of me), but I think all of the songs on "Gospel Songs for Country Folks" were taken from their Mercury recordings.

Several Mercury songs were originally released on the Red Album, but they were re-recorded for the Mercury recordings. I just can't imagine them having "On the Cross" in the can so to speak and later releasing them on Mercury.

That being said, I can certainly hear the vocal similarities that Mark mentioned. It wouldn't be the first time I've mistaken Howard Welborn for one of the Bunch twins.

Thanks for checking JC.

I can usually tell the difference, but that one truly has me stumped. I just cannot tell if its Howard or Erman and being obsessed with those kinds of things, it will probably drive me crazy until I die.

I also didn't know that song was also on the Mercury album. I thought the only album it was on was the Country Songs. Maybe one reason I thought it might have come out of the "can". I knew the rest were re-releases.

My response wasn't something that I took lightly, Mark. Ben and I discussed it. I know that I'm not the "all seeing and all knowing" guru of gospel music and I don't proclaim to know it all.

You and Ben know much more about the Plainsmen than I do and I readily admit it.

I truly wish there was someone alive that could answer our questions.

Speaking of the Sims albums. I have an album by Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters on the Sims label as well as one by The Sego Brothers and Naomi. So those two groups must have recorded one album for Sims. Just thought I would add that to the discussion.

[QUOTE]My response wasn't something that I took lightly, Mark. Ben and I discussed it. I know that I'm not the "all seeing and all knowing" guru of gospel music and I don't proclaim to know it all.[/QUOTE]

Your the closest thing we got!! :lol:

[QUOTE]You and Ben know much more about the Plainsmen than I do[/QUOTE]

Ben's forgot more about them than I will ever know. I wish he would write a book ... uhm, well ... scratch that idea Ben ... just send me a private memo!!

[QUOTE]I truly wish there was someone alive that could answer our questions. [/QUOTE]

Amen to that.

Another reason why the work you and others have done with remembering and working to preserve information through the GOGR and other activities, is so important.