eMusic

Start Your Trial

The Statesmen

The Statesmen

Rate it!

Avg: 5.0 (1 rating)

Biography

One of Southern gospel's longest-running groups, the Statesmen was also one of the most influential -- their flair for showmanship and jazzy piano accompaniment pointed the way toward the crowd-pleasing CCM of the present. Formed in 1948 by pianist Hovie Lister, the original group also included lead Mosie Lister (no relation), tenor Bobby Strickland, baritone Bervin Kendrick and bass Gordon Hill. Although the Statesmen endured countless lineup changes over the years -- alumni included the great Jake Hess -- perhaps the most pivotal member (as well as its longest-lived) was pianist Lister; not only was the group among the first Southern gospel quartets to introduce piano into their music, but Lister's soulful, ragtime-influenced style heralded a major shift away from the rigid accompaniment of the past -- though an ordained minister, he understood the necessity of updating gospel to appeal to post-war audiences, particularly young people. Throughout the decades to follow, the Statesmen recorded over 100 releases for RCA; at various times, their lineup featured singers including Rozie Rozell, Doy Ott, Buddy Burton, Jim Wetherington, Tommy Thompson and Denver Crumpler, with Lister remaining a roster staple into the 21st century.
— Jason Ankeny , All Music Guide

Related Artists Ancestors, Peers and Acolytes

Similar Artists:

The Speer Family, The Cathedrals, The Blackwood Brothers

Followers:

Bill Gaither Trio

“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”


Rolling Stone
Start Your Trial

Recently Viewed

Back
Forward

© 1998-2009 eMusic.com Inc. eMusic and the eMusic logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks in the USA or other countries. All rights reserved.

All Music Guide © 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC
Portions of content provided by All Music Guide, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC

Facebook®, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia® are registered trademarks of their respective owners, Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. and Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Neither Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. nor Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. are partners or sponsors of eMusic. eMusic uses the Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia API but is not endorsed or certified by Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia. eMusic does not pre-screen, monitor, endorse nor assume any liability for websites, contents, products, services or claims made by Facebook, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia®.

Legal or copyright question regarding Facebook, YouTube, Flickr or Wikipedia content on eMusic? Please email us.