It is always a blessing to hear when some of the greats within any industry are to be honored by their induction in the Hall of Fame of their respective genre or trade.

Last week my friends at the Southern Gospel Music Association announced its Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductees for 2009 and they will be honored Oct. 7 at SGMA Day at Dollywood. The day generally features a fun-filled day of concerts, dinner and the induction of the 2009 Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame newest members.

The 2009 SGMA class of inductees are Neil Enloe, Ed Hill, Harold Lane, Don Light, Bill Lyles, Elizabeth “Lady” Mull, Billy Todd and Charlie Waller.

“We are honored to add these great musical servants to a very elite group of people who have made Southern Gospel music known around the world,” said Dr. Jim Goff, SGMA Induction Committee chairman. “Without their contributions it is safe to say our music would have reached fewer ears and affected fewer hearts and lives. Without them our industry would have been much smaller in its reach.”

For those of you who might not know their achievements by the simple mention of their names, let me highlight a few of their successes.

Performer and songwriter Neil Enloe become influential through his more than 40 years singing lead and playing piano with the Couriers Quartet based in Harrisburg, Pa. One of the first regular groups on the “Gospel Singing Jubilee,” they pioneered Southern gospel in the urban centers of the east and Canada Several of his songs have become standards, most notably “Statue of Liberty,” the Dove Award winning song from 1976.

Baritone singer Ed Hill currently performs with the Stamps Quartet. The minister’s son started singing at 15 with Humble Hearts, and later the Prophets Quartet. Ed and The Prophets become regulars on the “Gospel Singing Caravan” television series. After Ed retired The Prophets, he joined Hovie Lister and The Statesmen and later with J.D. Sumner of the Stamps Quartet. Ed, along with The Stamps were permanent members of the Elvis Presley Show until Presley’s death in 1977.

Harold Lane is a singer, songwriter, musician and arranger whose career in, and contributions to, Gospel Music have spanned the past 55 years. Lane formed the Gospel Harmony Boys, a professional group that continues to minister today. That quartet began one of America’s first Gospel Music TV shows in 1953 that played every Sunday for over 17 years. The Gospel Harmony Boys became the very first quartet to ever appear on “The Today Show” with Dave Garroway in 1956. He joined the Speer Family in 1967 replacing Dad Speer. The Speer’s recording of Harold’s best-known composition; “I’m Standing on the Solid Rock” holds the record for being the Singing News #1 song for the longest period of time.

Don Light began his career as a Grand Ole Opry drummer and general manager of Billboard Magazine’s Nashville office. He secured his place in gospel music history by launching the first booking agency for gospel music artists. Don Light Talent launched with the Happy Goodman Family and the Oak Ridge Boys in 1965, soon adding to the roster the Chuck Wagon Gang, Governor Jimmie Davis, The Florida Boys, the Lewis Family, the Rex Nelon Singers, the Cathedral Quartet, the Singing Rambos, Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters, the Thrasher Brothers and others.

Bass vocalist Bill Lyles (1920-1954) is considered one of the industry’s greatest voices. He performed with the Hamilton County Quartet near Chattanooga, Tenn., and the famous Swanee River Boys. He rose to national prominence as the bass singer for the Blackwood Brothers Quartet reaching new heights of popularity starring on national television, charting in Billboard magazine, and recording exclusively on the RCA label. Lyles was killed when a plane piloted by fellow quartet member R.W. Blackwood crashed in Clanton, Ala., on June 30, 1954.

Elizabeth “Lady” Mull is best known as “Mizz Mull” or “Lady Mull” to listeners of the “Mull Singing Convention.” The wife of the late Rev. J. Bazzel Mull co-hosted the landmark television broadcasts. She and her husband appeared on radio stations throughout the country and owned numerous stations including WJBZ, Praise 96.3, in Knoxville. The couple promoted gospel music concerts throughout the Southeast and published a successful church songbook series. Mull fulfilled an integral part of the “Mull Singing Convention of the Air” being her late husband eyes who was blinded at 11 months old. They were inseparable for more than 60 years.

Bass singer Billy Todd performed 12 years with the Dixie Echoes of Pensacola, Fla. After returning to his singing career after serving as principal at Berean Christian School in Pensacola. Todd came to that job after leaving an illustrious gospel music career behind as a member of The Florida Boys from the 1958-1972. He sang with his family at the age of 8, the Freewill Four, Sylacauga Melody Boys and even in a barbershop quartet along with Jim Nabors, “Gomer Pyle” from “The Andy Griffith Show.”

Charlie Waller is a colorful concert promoter, singer, and producer who works tirelessly to preserve and promote Southern Gospel Music. He currently serves as the Southern Gospel Music Association executive director at Dollywood. His Grand Ole Gospel Reunion, held each year in Greenville, S.C., was created to be a showcase for traditional Southern Gospel Music and has become a mega-event. As a part of this event, Waller was the first to do a “Reunion” style video. He promoted his first Southern Gospel concert in 1971, in of all places, New Orleans, La. He formed the Southern Gospel Music Association of Georgia, which eventually became the Southern Gospel Music Guild. Waller has done much to bring the legends of gospel music before a new, younger audience.

It is sure that with this caliber of inductees this year’s induction will be outstanding. To be part of it find more information by calling 865-908-4040.

The Southern Gospel Music Association is a non-profit organization that maintains the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame, the only facility honoring this genre of music, for the historic preservation of the accomplishments of the music and its people. Museum hours match those of Dollywood. Donations are tax-deductible. For more information about the museum or its inductees, visit www.sgma.org.

Randall Franks is an award-winning musician, singer and actor. He is best known for his role as “Officer Randy Goode” on TV’s “In the Heat of the Night” now on WGN America. He is a syndicated columnist and can be reached at rfrankscatoosa@gmail.com. This column is distributed by Peach Picked Publishing in association with the Share America Foundation Inc.

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