A local southern gospel group has released its first album, and you could say it’s been in the making for a while.
The Harmoniers formed in 1948 and have seen 22 different members come and go since then. The current lineup has been together since 2008, and includes original members Wilburn Elmore (baritone singer) and Duane Sutton (lead vocals) along with Sandy Stow (alto), Omer Edington (bass singer) and pianist David Gourley.
Their new album, “Singing Through the Ages,” features 10 classics. It was recorded in a studio in Gourley’s home, and mixed and mastered by Elmore’s son, Marty Elmore (who regularly performs and record gospel music with his wife, Patti).
So why – after 67 years – did the Harmoniers finally record some of their work?
“All these years, we said we were going to do it,” Elmore said. “We finally said ‘boy, if we’re going to do it, we better do it now because some of us are getting pretty old.’”
Indeed. Elmore is 88, Sutton is 83 and Edington is 82, while Gourley is 67 and Stow (the group’s first-ever female singer) is 53.
For decades, the Harmoniers became well known while frequently performing at various festivals, events and churches around the region. They also had a weekly radio program that ran on two local stations, and even appeared several times on KY3 TV’s “Ozarks Jubilee.”
Former Harmoniers include the late Ernie Hays, who for 32 years was the organ player for the St. Louis Cardinals. Despite the ages of some of the members, the group still performs several times a month.
“What I think is most amazing is that two of the original members are still going strong like they are, and you have three singers well over 80,” Gourley said. “And they all sing right on pitch.”
In addition to grand piano, Gourley (a cancer survivor who began playing piano for the group when he was 12) used a synthesizer to create the sounds of string instruments and bass guitar on the new album.
“We’re real pleased with the sound on the album,” he said. “It’s very, very good.”
The inside cover of the Harmoniers’ CD includes the words, “While sharing the Gospel in song, their concerts are more than just singing, but are truly a worship experience.”
“This has been such a joy,” Elmore said. “We’ve traveled thousands of miles over the years; we’ve met a lot of great people and ate a lot of great food.”
The travel has at times been memorable.
“I remember one time we sang at Ironton,” Elmore said. “Of course, the road was very curvy, and on the way back it was so foggy that we drove all night just getting to Salem. We had breakfast there.”
Back in the day, the Harmoniers rode around in an old Cadillac limousine purchased from the “Foggy River Boys,” out of Branson.
“They traded in for a new one and we bought the old one,” Elmore said. “It took most of the money we took in to keep the thing running, but we traveled in style.”
Now that some of the Harmoniers’ music is recorded, it might be heard in Russia, of all places, because some friends have a radio station in North Pole, Alaska.
“Their signal goes into Russia,” Gourley said. “They’re going to play songs from the album, so we’ll be heard a little way outside Texas County.”
Rarely has there been a better example of the old saying, “it’s better late than never,” than the Harmoniers’ album.
“When we all sat down and they heard it for the first time, my wife and I sat back and watched the reaction of the original pair – and Omer,” Gourley said. “It was wonderful – I’d call it the culmination of a dream come true after all these years.”
The Harmoniers will present an album premier performance Sunday, April 24, at Northside Baptist Church (on U.S. 63 north of Houston).
“One thing we’ve found over the years is that if you go in and just represent Jesus through your music, you’re all right,” Gourley said. “You don’t go in and try to teach doctrinal points, you just keep it focused on the Lord.”
The Harmoniers’ CD will be available at the group’s performances, and at Elmore’s Men’s and Boys’ Wear on Grand Avenue in downtown Houston. For information (including booking), call 417-260-0072 or 417-967-4571.
“One thing we’ve found over the years is that if you go in and just represent Jesus through your music, you’re all right.”
– DAVID GOURLEY