THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 25, 1994 TAG: 9409230260
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 133 lines
Professionally they are a diverse group.
Ken Channell, 66, of Deep Creek is a retired contractor; Barry Dail, 54, of Sterling Point is a phone and equipment installer for Western Electric; Ricky Lawrence, 39, of Bowers Hill demonstrates and sells pianos and keyboard instruments; Randy Radford, 38, of Suffolk is a truck driver; and Sonny Morgan of Indian River is a draftsman for a Suffolk architectural firm.
But when it comes to faith and music they are one.
They are the Chesapeake-based Galileans, one of the best known Southern gospel groups in Hampton Roads, now celebrating 40 years of continuous musical ministry.
In performances at area churches, festivals and special events their voices blend to produce the sweet, close harmony of traditional Southern gospel music anchored by Channell's rich baritone voice.
All five members hold the same strong Christian faith. They spend most Thursday evenings rehearsing their vocal harmonies and spend most weekends throughout the year lifting their voices as witness to the glory of God.
``We had no idea it would last this long,'' said founding member Channell. ``We figured we'd sing at our church and on an occasional Sunday night. For about a year after we formed, we sort of stumbled along, but then we finally realized this was what the Lord had in mind for us.''
THE GROUP FORMED in September 1954 at the urging of a minister and received its inspiration from another man of the cloth.
``This preacher at the Fairview Baptist Church in Portsmouth asked us to form a quartet to sing at his church,'' Channell said. ``During our first year, Damon Wyatt, who was pastor of the West Norfolk Baptist Church, kept giving us encouragement to go on. He kept inviting us back to his church to sing. After a while we all thought we'd keep this thing going.''
Initially they called themselves The Brotherhood Quartet. Soon they added another member and changed their name to the Kingsmen. But that name presented problems.
``We were on this program one night and we noticed there were three sets of Kingsmen on the bill,'' Channell said chuckling. ``Later, my sister said she'd pick out a name for us. She leafed through the Bible and finally picked Galileans. We've been that ever since.''
The original Galileans featured Channell and Dail along with James Maynard, Richard Martin and George Eavey.
Maynard and Martin are now retired and live in Florida. Eavey, who was the group's piano player, moved to Chicago and plays organ for his church.
``About 15 other singers and musicians have been with the group,'' Channell said. ``Those personnel changes took place during the first five to 10 years of the group. The current lineup has been together for over 20 years.''
A few top former Galileans include:
Rodney Griffin, now with the Nashville-based professional gospel group Greater Vision. ``They're considered one of the best groups in the country,'' Lawrence said.
David Hill, who sings with the Nashville-based Gold City Quartet. ``He has been voted No. 1 in gospel music,'' Channell said.
Ray Rawls, who sings with the Goldsboro, N.C.-based group Movin' Up, who performed with the Galileans at their recent 40th anniversary concert. ``We trained him from scratch,'' Channell said. ``Before us, he had never sung with anyone else before. He was just a punk,'' Lawrence said with a laugh.
As singers and musicians came and went, Channell and Dail kept the group singing until it arrived at its present and most stable lineup.
LAWRENCE AND CHANNELL insist the Galileans will never drop out. They'll keep on singing as long as they can effectively blend their voices, hit the right notes and inspire people to follow the Lord.
``People expect us to be there,'' Channell said. ``If the Galileans weren't at a concert, the next day there'd be too many questions we couldn't answer. I've been singing all my life, I reckon. My wife once told me I'd be singing until I passed out on the stage.''
CURRENTLY, THE GROUP has about 40 songs in its repertoire and changes its program about every eight to 10 months. New songs are picked from the top gospel hits of the day mixed with many classic songs and older obscure tunes.
``The new stuff keeps us on our toes,'' Channell said. ``And learning all those new lyrics keeps our minds sharp.''
Channell, who handles the group's bookings and finances, said their calendar for the year is usually filled up by February, and bookings for the following year usually start coming in by July.
The group performs every weekend except for December, when they take time off to be with family and friends for the holidays. Members usually take family vacations at the same time of the year in order to avoid scheduling problems.
The only money they'll accept is for expenses and the upkeep on instruments, equipment and public address system. No member receives any money for profit from the group. Even money from sales of its two recent cassette tapes go back into the group's general operating fund.
AFTER BUILDING UP a 40-year reputation, perfecting a unique vocal harmony and making 10 professional recordings, has the group ever contemplated turning professional?
``It's something we chose not to do because of our families,'' Lawrence said. ``We always look forward to being back in our beds on Sunday night.''
``When I was 52 I had the opportunity to tour with a professional group from Harrisonburg, called The Crestmen,'' Channell said. ``But if I did that I'd probably have had to sign a divorce decree. But seriously, we've sung enough on weekends to know that life on the road is hard and full of temptations. We like it this way.''
The group works hard at weekly rehearsals and spends most weekends on the road performing for no financial reward.
``We're not looking for earthly rewards,'' Lawrence said. ``It costs us all money, time away from our families and sometimes our jobs. The satisfaction comes from using our talent for the Lord. We look at it in the sense of long-term eternal rewards.''
``This has been a life thing for all of us,'' Channell said. ``We're doing work for the Lord. The payoff is when you see someone walk down that aisle to accept God. In the end, when I stand before Him in His Kingdom, I want the Lord to say, `Hey, well done!' '' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MICHAEL KESTNER
The five members of the Galileans - Barry Dail, left, Ken Channell,
Randy Radford, Rick Lawrence (on piano) and Sonny Morgan (on bass)
gather at Community Baptist Church in Suffolk for a recent
rehearsal. ``These guys are my best friends,'' said Lawrence.
Pianist Rick Lawrence talks about some changes in a tune while bass
guitarist Sonny Morgan gives it a try.
Pianist Rick Lawrence talks about some changes in a tune while bass
guitarist Sonny Morgan gives it a try.
GALILEANS ON THE ROAD
[Performance Schedule]
For a copy, see microfilm
by CNB