and we were at one of my favorite places called Casey Jones. It is a historic place that tells about Casey Jones and the railroad. It has the Casey Jones house and museum to tour as well as a locomotive that sets in the parking lot. It has a few shops that you ca
n look through and then there is the Old Country Store Restaurant where we eat at. My favorite part of the place is the old fashioned ice cream parlor. I usually get a chocolate shake there. I know you might say now how can you keep your weight of if you have a shake? Well one won't hurt ya but one "everyday" now that might do something! Ha Ha! So we ate a very good meal there after we showered at the Casey Jones Motel. They have actual train cars that you can sleep in as well. Now that's cool! So I walked around and saw the sites and then it was time to go set up. So we arrived at Englewood Baptist Church and set up for tonights concert. Then after sound check I walked around the premises I little and took some pics. They have this great facility called The Warehouse for the youth there. It is a place where they can hang out, play games, sports and eat. It has to BBQ pits on each side for cookouts to! Now that's a great place! So that is it for now. Gotta get ready to sing. Enjoy the pics!
Thursday night we headed to our first stop of the week. We were in Savannah Georgia at the 1st Assembly of God and we had a great time that night. I love to see historic cities and while leaving the concert, I got to see some of the most beautiful colonial style homes with the huge trees that shaded the whole road on both sides. It had moss that hung down on them which gave it a really hauntingly beautiful look if you can imagine that! HaHa! Also earlier that day I found myself waking up at a Wal-Mart. There were a few places to eat like Arby's, McDonalds, Chic-Fil-A and this other place that served barbeque and seafood. Go figure... So I had a hamburger steak plate. HaHa! It was great but the best thing I ate there was a cup of crab stew! It was delicious! I could have just had that and been satisfied. So if you are ever in Savannah Georgia and you find a place called Carey Hilliards Restaurant, then stop on in and order you a bowl of their crab stew! It is really great!
The place I picked out to eat today was a Japanese Restaurant called Stix. Those who know me know that I love Japanese food. It is so good the way they season and prepared the food. McCray told me about the place as he was out and about earlier today. So I walked over to Stix and I ate. I ordered Steak and Shrimp with fried rice and veggies. I also had a salad with ginger dressing. It was very good to me. It was an excellent choice as the food was delightfully delicious! I ate and then started to walk around. I walked on over to the mall with the pavillion in it. It was so quaint and peaceful there. The square had little bronze statues of children playing in all areas of the shops. There was a nice fountain in the middle as well. So I walked around enjoying my day off the bus. I sat down on a bench and watched the people do their shopping and go about their day. 
To cap the afternoon off I found a Marble Slab Creamery! I know.... bad for ya huh? Well it's ok to treat yourself every once and awhile. So I did! I ordered me a Swiss Chocolate shake. It was mmm mmm good! I sat in the shop and listened to some music that was playing throughout the shop and enjoyed my shake. After that I proceeded to walk back to the bus and wait to pull out to the theater we are playing at tonight. Tonights line up is The Arnolds, the Talleys, Booth Brothers, Jason Crabb, Aaron Wilburn and the Dove Brothers of coarse. So we are looking forward to tonights concert and hope that all that attend will get a blessing.
Hey Everybody! I wanted to share a little bit of what we did last week. Especially this wonderful place we eat at everytime we are in Valley, Alabama! The place is called Milano's. It is an Italian Resturant that has great food! Usually I get the prime rib which is the best I have ever eaten anywhere. But this time I got the lasagne which was equally delicious. They make their salad dressing from scratch which I absolutely love. Our close friend and honorary Dove Brother Charles Story takes us there each time for a great meal and time of fellowship. The staff there really treats us right and we all love going there before or after the concert. Thanks Charles for the wonderful meal! If you are ever in Valley Alabama, stop in and see the folks at Milano's Italian Resturant! Tell them I sent ya! Take a look at the menu below for the address and phone number. You will be so glad you stopped by to eat.
Things should be put in its place and not strung out all over the bus. I like a nice, neat and clean bus! Especially when I do my workouts. The floor has to be clean and vacuumed which brings me to my ol buddy Jerry Kelso. #2 as we affectionately call him was doing his usual thing. Getting up and walking about like a bull in a china shop. So he sees how dirt the bus was from tracking in dirt and grass from where we park the bus. So he starts vacuuming the bus when all of a sudden the vacuum clean breaks in half! Yep! Jerry broke the vacuum in half! So now we have no vacuum cleaner for the bus. Not good! haha. I love to laugh and have fun and when #2 is around, you are gonna see something out of the ordinnary on a daily bases. He really does live in a different world. haha! He is pretty strong for his robust size and he is very heavy handed. Let's see.... so far he has managed to push two of the buttons on the front lounge tv all the way in the tv and they happen to be the volume and channel buttons. Of course the remote is missing to so when they watch tv they have to use something and stick it the holes where the buttons used to be to turn the channel and turn the volume up or down now. haha! He also has broke the air door that goes into the bunk area of the bus and the front door to. He broke a toilet tissue holder at the lodge in Andersonville, GA at the lodge where we shower and rest at. So I am just waiting to see what he breaks next. haha!! So that's enough of Jerry Kelso for now. 
It was called San Marcos. So I went over and walked in. They greeted me as I looked around at the multicolored walls and art. Beautiful place and they were decorated for Christmas with a tree and Santa. So I sat down to order. I usually get a #3 which in most Mexican resturants is the same dish. A Chili Relino, a Burrito and an Enchilada. Sometimes I add a taco to it to for safe measure. So I look on the menu and I found what I usually get and I ordered it. The waiter was very friendly and joked with the customers which I found to be hilarious and it made the meal even more enjoyable. So if you are ever in Clanton, Alabama or you live near there, you need to stop by and eat at San Marcos. You won't be sorry. It was great and I plan on going back everytime I am in Clanton, Alabama.
on the bottom bunk underneath our big closet. So when we were tilted, so was I. Hahaha! Makes you walk funny through the bus to, when its not level. But we were able to get it pulled out without any problems. But we always have a great time at The Barn and it is one of my most favorite places to sing. It is on an old plantation farm and I love to walk around the grounds and look at the old work stations that they had. The people there are great to! It's just a special place and if you haven't experienced The Barn then I invite you to come and be with us when we are there again. It's usually the same time in December so check our schedule and come be with us.
Two Week Trip!
Hey Everyone! I just got back off of a two week trip. I had a great time traveling up North to see some of our great friends. Our first day out, we headed up to Leonard town Maryland to perform for the wonderful people there and we had a great time. Then it was off to Alexandria, Virginia and had a great time of singing and fellowship afterward with our friends there. Then it was off to Brewster Massachusetts where we were about 25 miles away from the Kennedy Complex and Cape Cod. For those who don't really know me, I love to get out in towns and take in the scenery and experience what each town has to offer instead of riding all day on a bus or sitting at a truck stop or someplace all day. it's good to get out and at least see what town you are performing in haha! Unfortunately that wasn't the case this time. Sad to say but we didn't get to see any of that but we did have a terrific meal after the concert at this great little place that served us the most delicious clam chowder! It was very good. Then it was off to Sharon Massachusetts with our friend Joe Fitzgerald. We were fed well at the Fitzgerald's home and had a great time at the concert that night to. We were also fed again after the concert and got to sit and talk a little bit with some of the people that night to. After that, we jumped on the bus and had a travel day. Non stop express for 30 hours that took us to Silver Dollar City in Branson Missouri just in time for the sound check. There again, no time for seeing the park and having a little fun there.
 We performed with our friends Legacy 5 at Echo Hollow and had a great time that night. Then the next concert we did was the next morning at 10:30am, 11:30am & 12:30pm. Our sound check was around 9:00am I think. I could be wrong since I was at sound check but sleeping though it holding the microphone hahaha! TO EARLY FOR SINGING! Afterward, we headed to Shalotte North Carolina close to our home town. We had another 24 hr drive ahead of us so what did I do on the bus? I played video games of course! haha! I did some website maintenance and checked the emails to. We performed for the Woodman of the World and had a dinner there as well. We had a good time there to. Then it was off to one of my most favorite concerts and that is when we perform and help the Lighthouse Childrens Home. This particular concert was in Thomasville, Georgia along with our good friends the Perry's and the Dixie Melody Boys. The LCH girls sang and did an outstanding job that night. I look forward to when we go to the home December 3rd in Tallahassee Florida. After the concert went to Gatlinburg Tennessee for the Gatlinburg Gathering concert. There I got to see a little bit of the town even with the rain that day. But the thing that I remember most was seeing our piano player Jerry Kelso sporting his new excersize outfit. Yeah I said it....excersize outfit.... What? Don't believe me? Hmmm well I thought you might not so I have provided the proof! Here is Kelso striking a couple of poses for you. Enjoy!   I think it's great that he is trying to get back in shape. He has been walking some which is a start. Now if I can get him to start working out regularly with me, we might have a chance haha! Just kidding..... Ok where was I..... oh yeah the concert. It was a great concert and I really enjoyed seeing my friends perform and I especially liked the Shaffers. What nice people they are. If you ever get a chance to go hear them then please do! So after the concert i went to get me a burger before leaving. David ate earlier at the Convention Center and payed $6.50 for two plain hotdogs.... I said to myself... self, we won't be paying that much for a hotdog so I went across the road and got me a cheeseburger and some of the nice people from the concert that night were there and gave me a free chicken sandwhich and fries. So THANK YOU and it was good! I then got on the bus and woke up close to the big city of Bladenboro North Carolina the next day. So here I am now getting everything ready to head out for another two weeks. Here is where we will be for the next week or so..... Fri, September 11, 2009 (My Birthday!) Whoohoo! First PH Church of LIfe Center 1100 N Haughton St Williamston NC 7:00pm Sat, September 12, 2009 Cambridge S Dorchester High School Cambridge MD 7:00pm Sun, September 13, 2009 Town Baptist Church Joppa, MD 8:30am & 11:00am Mon, September 14 - 19, 2009 National Quartet Convention Louisville, KY Performance times: Monday - 8:52pm, Wednesday - 10:25pm, Friday - 8:43pm Ok so that was a run down of the next couple of weeks. I hope to see you soon at one of these and if not then maybe when we are closer to you! Keep watch on our schedule and come out and join us! I'm Back!
Hey everyone!
Sorry for the Missing In Action on the blog thing here. I have been very busy since getting back on the road since my surgery. I have been trying slowly and cautiously to get back into my workout routine. It's going good so far. Still, I haven't pushed it with the situps yet. I did however find a great product that is all natural and healthy that works as a detox for your body as well as takes the inches off of you! I know first hand how hard it is losing weight and keeping it off. Not to mention throwing in a surgery that leaves you flat on your back for a few months. This product really works and it's results are lasting as well. Wanna know my secret? Then ask me at a concert! I will be sure to share with you what I have found that really works. I will say that the first time I tried it, I lost 6 1/2 inches from around my waist and hips. I lost another 3 1/2 inches just this week. Mix my secret in with healthy eating habbits and excersize... yes I said the ugly word EXCERSIZE haha and you will see results like I have and with just getting back into my workout routine, this really does work! Like I said before when I lost 50 pounds.... I will be glad to sit down with anyone who is determined to lose the weight and maintain a more healthier life. So how was that for suspense! Haha! I have been asked how I have been doing since my surgery and getting back on the road. Well, here is the update. I am doing better each day. I still do not push it vocally as I am still recovering. I do not lift heavy things anymore. I let McCray, David and Kelso do that but you will find me packing everything up after a concert so they can roll it out and pack it in the bus. The guys have been understanding in that and I appreciate them doing so. Since my hernia surgery I have had alot of people come up to me and ask how I am and some have even shared there own hernia stories with me and know what I have been through and still go through. So I appreciate all of your prayers and always asking how I am progressing along. Still keep me in your prayers as I continue to recover. I have been busy in the studio with background vocal sessions again and that is something that I love to do. To me, it is so much fun to be able to help out a new artist or enhance something that they have really put alot of time and effort into and turn out to be something that they are excited about and proud of. So with that said I am ready to start on another session soon. Many people probably don't know that I am the RA Director (Royal Ambassadors) for my church, West Bladenboro Baptist Church. I love working with kids and teaching them about missions and missionaries throughout the world. It is a blessing to me to see them learn and get excited about what they learn. Usually every Wed night you will find me teaching around 12 young boys through the RA program and when I am not there because of our hectic schedule, I have some of the greatest guys that help me and teach when I can't be there. I look forward to seeing them and getting to do mission work as well as campouts, building things and having sports related things for them to do is fun and watching them have a blast is very rewarding. Ok that's enough rambling for now. I have to study my lesson and go eat some catfish that I caught yesterday evening! Whoohoo! Good eating! Until next time....... Jerry Doctor's Check Up
Hello Everybody!
I hope you are all having a great day! Just a brief update on my check up. Friday I went to the doctor for my check up and he said that I was recovering well. He still wants me to take some time off and let me recover more before stepping back on the bus. So I am taking another week off to do just that. The better I recover then the better I will be once I step back on stage with the guys. So next week, my friend Dan Keaton will be filling in as he has done in the past for me. Then hopefully I will step back on the bus "slowly" haha and go from there. Still the doctor doesn't want me to push myself in anyway so there will be no lifting or featured solo's until I am fully healed. So that is the bottom line on that. Now I will sit back and enjoy the beautiful day that God has given us. Until next time.......... Jerry Rainy Days....
Hey Everybody!
Yesterday and today we have had rainy days. I haven't felt very good the past couple of days. Just had the blahhhs I guess. I feel better today though and still it is a long road to recovering from this surgery. It is nice to see the rain and hear it pour down outside my window. It makes for really good sleeping weather! haha... So I have been walking around the house some and I managed to go down the stairs today and sit for just a minute. Then it was time to get back to bed and rest. I want to thank everyone who has called and sent emails to me. I really appreciate that so much. I have been getting visits also and that has been nice also. I will go back to the doctor for my first check up on Friday and then we will see where we go from there. So keep me in your prayers as I continue to recover fully. Until next time......... Jerry Day 4 RecoveryHello Everybody! Day 3 of Recovery
Hey Everyone!
This is day 3 of my recovery and today I have tried to walk some and I have been surfing the net some as I dozed off and on t  hroughout the day. I have received lots of phone calls asking how I was doing. I am still in some pain and then there is the swelling that goes along with it as well. So I have been laying around in the bed and resting. I have also been playing my XBOX 360 some to. I wanted to try out the SmackDown vs Raw 2009 game on XBOX Live. So I did and I whooped somebody good fashioned! haha! So I won my very first wrestling match on the XBOX Live thing. It was alot of fun and I might just do that again with a few other games of mine. I am hoping to get the latest wrestling game called "Legends of Wrestlemania". The game is out now so hopefully I will get it this weekend. I haven't attempted to go downstairs yet and probably won't until next week sometime. It has been a beautiful day here from what I can tell. The birds are singing and I have a couple of windows open to feel the cool breeze and here Sassy bark at what ever. Well that's enough for now. I am gonna rest a little bit more. I will write back as soon as I feel up to it.Until next time........... Jerry My Surgery
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| Before at 205lbs | After at 160lbs |
That's it! That is what I do and I feel so much better and healthier. I don't count calories... I just eat sensible!
Here's a little advice... when you don't feel like doing you excersizing for the day... DO IT ANYWAY!! It will payoff! This is what has worked for me and I did it on my own and my own way. I went from a size 44 coat and a 38 pants to a 40 coat and a 30 pants! It can be done but you have to make up your mind and stick with it. It's okay to reward yourself every now and then but don't go overboard! haha The old saying is true "Eat to live NOT live to eat!" So for anyone out there who desires to lose the weight, I am living proof that it can be done. I have went from 205lbs. to 158lbs. Now it's maintaining what you lose by proper eating habits and excersize. No diets but a lifestyle change for the better! I have had numerous people come up to me and say that I have inspired them to get back in shape and to get active again. For that I am grateful and I wish you all the success! If anyone ever wants to talk about these things, you can always send me an email and let me know. Some may say that they have gained weight because of an injury or some sort. Yeah, I have back trouble and I still do but it's better than it used to be. So stay focused and determined to reach your goals no matter how far they may seem away. You can do it!
Until next time....
Jerry
2008 Bus Trouble
Hey Everyone!
I am writing from home. I got in about 7:00am this morning (Monday) and hadn't had any sleep. Let me explain. The last blog I wrote I was recapping the year of 2007 and I was writing from the bus as we were traveling home. We were in Yukon, Oklahoma Saturday night and we were heading straight home which would have taken us over 24hrs if the bus hadn't broken down. We were expecting to arrive home around midnight Sunday or would it be Monday? Hmmmmm. Anyway, we got to Hickory North Carolina, which is about 4 hours away from the East coast where we live. Then all of a sudden the transmission stopped pulling the bus. So we pulled the bus over and let it cool down from climbing the mountains the we just went across. We started back and it would go for a very short distance and then stop pulling again. Well, this was about 10:30pm and of course everything is closed.
So we called a few of our friends and one of them told us to get it to the nearest bus place, which would be in Greensboro, NC 70 miles away. We knew we had to get it towed and I think I am in the wrong business. The wrecker guy charges $200.00 per hour. Let's just say he road out of there with a months worth of pay! Ouch!!! Anyway, we had to get home so we called around and a good friend of mine, Glenn West, who I traveled and sang with for 3 years as apart of the Lumber River Quartet was home and said that he would come and get us in his bus. Glenn got there just as we were getting towed to the place. So we will be using their bus this coming up week to do our concerts. Thanks a bunch Glenn! Fortunately, they were taking this week off. So it worked out great!
McCray and Rayburn were still with the bus making sure it was to be fixed. It is going to cost over $12,000.00 dollars to get it fixed. We can't complain though. It has been a great bus with very little major problems. The transmission was a good one but it was time for a new one I guess. When you put as many miles as we do on a bus, somethings bound to go out! But we were fortunate that we were closer to home than being stuck so far away.
So now after a few hours of sleep, I will be ready to start my evening! lol!
Until next time.....
Jerry
I am writing from home. I got in about 7:00am this morning (Monday) and hadn't had any sleep. Let me explain. The last blog I wrote I was recapping the year of 2007 and I was writing from the bus as we were traveling home. We were in Yukon, Oklahoma Saturday night and we were heading straight home which would have taken us over 24hrs if the bus hadn't broken down. We were expecting to arrive home around midnight Sunday or would it be Monday? Hmmmmm. Anyway, we got to Hickory North Carolina, which is about 4 hours away from the East coast where we live. Then all of a sudden the transmission stopped pulling the bus. So we pulled the bus over and let it cool down from climbing the mountains the we just went across. We started back and it would go for a very short distance and then stop pulling again. Well, this was about 10:30pm and of course everything is closed.
So we called a few of our friends and one of them told us to get it to the nearest bus place, which would be in Greensboro, NC 70 miles away. We knew we had to get it towed and I think I am in the wrong business. The wrecker guy charges $200.00 per hour. Let's just say he road out of there with a months worth of pay! Ouch!!! Anyway, we had to get home so we called around and a good friend of mine, Glenn West, who I traveled and sang with for 3 years as apart of the Lumber River Quartet was home and said that he would come and get us in his bus. Glenn got there just as we were getting towed to the place. So we will be using their bus this coming up week to do our concerts. Thanks a bunch Glenn! Fortunately, they were taking this week off. So it worked out great!
McCray and Rayburn were still with the bus making sure it was to be fixed. It is going to cost over $12,000.00 dollars to get it fixed. We can't complain though. It has been a great bus with very little major problems. The transmission was a good one but it was time for a new one I guess. When you put as many miles as we do on a bus, somethings bound to go out! But we were fortunate that we were closer to home than being stuck so far away.
So now after a few hours of sleep, I will be ready to start my evening! lol!
Until next time.....
Jerry
2007 Revisited!
Hello Everyone!
Well, the year 2007 has came and went and there were alot of great things that have happened for us during the year 2007. Let's see.....
We had our very first #1 song "I Can Pray". It broke and set records in the SoGospelNews Charts as being the #1 song for the longest time. 12 weeks it was #1 on their chart! It was used as the theme song for the National Day of Prayer across the country, It was #1 for 2 months on the Singing News Charts as well as many other charts that I usually forget. Sorry!
With that came the next #1 song on the SoGospelNews Chart "I'm Gonna Make It" pinned by Ray Scarbrough. He is one of my most favorite writers. He also wrote "I Will Lay Them At His Feet" and "No Time". The song is currently #7 on the Singing News Charts and has appeared to be #1 on other charts as well. That's the ones I can't seem to remember.
The Never The Same recording was the biggest selling cd for us so far and we are so proud of that and excited about the next recording called LIFE, which should be out in April. I put a sneak peak on our sitewide player for all to listen to.
We just found out that "I Can Pray is the #1 song of the year 2007" by the Singing News! That's cool! We were very pleased to find out that "I Can Pray" was the #1 selling soundtrack which surpassed Bealuah Land which was the #1 seller in the history of sound tracks. God sure has blessed alot of people through the song "I Can Pray" during it's short time on the radio. Thanks Nathan for writing such a powerful song!
Let's see... what else has happened during 2007 for us? Oh, the BBC Channel did a documentary of Southern Gospel Music and we were the featured group on that. That was very exciting! We enjoyed working with the BBC crew. That should be airing soon and hopefully we will get a copy to play on our website!
I want to thank Dan Keaton (former tenor of the Dixie melody Boys) for filling in for me while I was taking care of my wife Teresa who had surgery. Dan did an outstanding job filling in and I do appreciate that! Thanks for all of your cards and emails asking how Teresa is doing. She is back on her feet and is recovering very well. Still keep us in your prayers as she fully recovers!
Most of you know that I have a niece that has leukemia. Her name is Marisa and she is 5 years old now. She is a very special little girl who is an inspiration to me and all who meets her. She is a fighter and loves the Lord! We were able to raise over $10,000 dollars for her medical needs. That may sound like alot of money but when it comes to children with cancer or anybody who has cancer, the bills pile up! Marisa and her family still need financial help! Marisa will have another year of treatments and they need all of the help you can give by your prayers and donations to the family. You can still give by sending them a check to:
Amy Rosa
713 S. Main Street
Bladenboro, NC 28320
It will go through our office and we will see that they get everything.
Well, while 2007 was winding down, I was off the road for an extra week and during that week, David (our bass singer) fell of of his roof! No, he wasn't hanging Christmas lights. He was setting roof trusses for his carport that he was building. He's a great carpenter but he just can't stay on the roof! He broke his left collar bone and has been in a sling for over a month now. That hasn't effected his voice though. He is singing great!
As I write this, everthing is quite on the bus. We are heading back home today. We were in Oklahoma Saturday night and it will take us 24hrs to get back to the big city of Bladenboro, NC. To my right laying on the couch is McCray sleeping with a pillow over his face. In front of me is Kelso reading the Bible and sometimes falling asleep. David is in his bunk taking a nap and Eric is in the back lounge playing the new Smackdown vs Raw 2008 video game. All is quite and peaceful. It's a good time to reflect back on everything God has blessed us with. A great family that we love so dearly, and lots of wonderful friends that love and support us and we love you to!
Until next time....
Jerry
Well, the year 2007 has came and went and there were alot of great things that have happened for us during the year 2007. Let's see.....
We had our very first #1 song "I Can Pray". It broke and set records in the SoGospelNews Charts as being the #1 song for the longest time. 12 weeks it was #1 on their chart! It was used as the theme song for the National Day of Prayer across the country, It was #1 for 2 months on the Singing News Charts as well as many other charts that I usually forget. Sorry!
With that came the next #1 song on the SoGospelNews Chart "I'm Gonna Make It" pinned by Ray Scarbrough. He is one of my most favorite writers. He also wrote "I Will Lay Them At His Feet" and "No Time". The song is currently #7 on the Singing News Charts and has appeared to be #1 on other charts as well. That's the ones I can't seem to remember.
The Never The Same recording was the biggest selling cd for us so far and we are so proud of that and excited about the next recording called LIFE, which should be out in April. I put a sneak peak on our sitewide player for all to listen to.
We just found out that "I Can Pray is the #1 song of the year 2007" by the Singing News! That's cool! We were very pleased to find out that "I Can Pray" was the #1 selling soundtrack which surpassed Bealuah Land which was the #1 seller in the history of sound tracks. God sure has blessed alot of people through the song "I Can Pray" during it's short time on the radio. Thanks Nathan for writing such a powerful song!
Let's see... what else has happened during 2007 for us? Oh, the BBC Channel did a documentary of Southern Gospel Music and we were the featured group on that. That was very exciting! We enjoyed working with the BBC crew. That should be airing soon and hopefully we will get a copy to play on our website!
I want to thank Dan Keaton (former tenor of the Dixie melody Boys) for filling in for me while I was taking care of my wife Teresa who had surgery. Dan did an outstanding job filling in and I do appreciate that! Thanks for all of your cards and emails asking how Teresa is doing. She is back on her feet and is recovering very well. Still keep us in your prayers as she fully recovers!
Most of you know that I have a niece that has leukemia. Her name is Marisa and she is 5 years old now. She is a very special little girl who is an inspiration to me and all who meets her. She is a fighter and loves the Lord! We were able to raise over $10,000 dollars for her medical needs. That may sound like alot of money but when it comes to children with cancer or anybody who has cancer, the bills pile up! Marisa and her family still need financial help! Marisa will have another year of treatments and they need all of the help you can give by your prayers and donations to the family. You can still give by sending them a check to:
Amy Rosa
713 S. Main Street
Bladenboro, NC 28320
It will go through our office and we will see that they get everything.
Well, while 2007 was winding down, I was off the road for an extra week and during that week, David (our bass singer) fell of of his roof! No, he wasn't hanging Christmas lights. He was setting roof trusses for his carport that he was building. He's a great carpenter but he just can't stay on the roof! He broke his left collar bone and has been in a sling for over a month now. That hasn't effected his voice though. He is singing great!
As I write this, everthing is quite on the bus. We are heading back home today. We were in Oklahoma Saturday night and it will take us 24hrs to get back to the big city of Bladenboro, NC. To my right laying on the couch is McCray sleeping with a pillow over his face. In front of me is Kelso reading the Bible and sometimes falling asleep. David is in his bunk taking a nap and Eric is in the back lounge playing the new Smackdown vs Raw 2008 video game. All is quite and peaceful. It's a good time to reflect back on everything God has blessed us with. A great family that we love so dearly, and lots of wonderful friends that love and support us and we love you to!
Until next time....
Jerry
Never Home
Hello Everyone! Welcome to another edition of On The Road!
I must apologize for not updating as often but we have been so busy this summer that I feel like I haven't been home in months! Wait! I haven't been home! We have been everywhere it seems. Except home.....
But if we weren't on the road, then we couldn't see you, our friends and share the love of our music with you. I have been overwhelmed by the response of "I Can Pray" and how it is touching lives everywhere we go. Thank you Nathan Markee for letting God use you and writing what some are calling the Impact Song of the Year!
It has been a hot summer filled with outdoor concerts and plenty of sunshine. But we made it through. If anyone knows me, I sweat in the winter time and I am very hot natured, so summer is not my favorite time of the year because of the heat. I tend to like fall and spring when it is still a little bit brisk in the air. So it is starting to get that way now and I am so glad! Football season has kicked off and of coarse Wrestling is a year around event for me. I was able to go to a WWE show in Fayetteville, NC on a Monday night and that was so cool! Also, fall is the time when the grass cutting slows down. Yeah!!! I can hardly wait for the leaves to start turning their beautiful colors!
Let's see, what else has happened on the road....
Oh yeah, Eric made a full recovery from sowing his finger up and it hasn't fell off yet! Amazing what superglue and a needle and thread can do. Eric and I bought and Xbox 360 together and we have been playing the new Tiger Woods 2008 golf game. Eric has mastered it getting his character up to 110% and I am close behind him at 17%. Yeah, that's not right! So I am going to buy me another Xbox 360 with my piggy bank money and then it is on! I still school them in the wrestling games though.
NQC was busy this year for us as it seemed like everyday we had something to do. Either a showcase, chapel service, softball games, award shows, interviews and performing on the main stage. I got to see a lot of my friends that I do not normally get to see during the year. So that was great. Thanks for stopping by our booth and chatting with me!
I was invited to play in the SGMA Celebrity Softball game this year! It helps raise money for the SGMA through purchasing the jerseys that we wear. All of the jerseys are signed by the Artists that played in the game. It was a lot of fun! The team to beat was the Red Team coached by none other than Archie Watkins of the Inspirations. They have always has a very strong team and this year was no exception. I happened to be on the Blue Team, who has never one a game. We had some great hitters on our team this year. My friends Scotty Inman, Bryan Walker, Susan Whisnat, the Chuck Wagon Gang Gang girls, Jerod Stuffle, Dennis Murphy, Cris French and a whole bunch more were on my team. We were coached by none other than the great Buddy Burton who didn't know where the 3rd base line was but we still pulled out a victory by his ingenious coaching and the teams heavy hitting. So for the first time in the Celebrity Softball Game history, our team, the Blue Team, won!!!
Another SGMA event was the popular Dunking Booth. Artists like Michael Booth (my favorite tenor), Karen Peck, Archie Watkins, Dino, and our very own McCray Dove was apart of this effort to raise money for the SGMA. While others were in tee shirts, wet suits and shorts, McCray Dove was in full Quartet fashion while he dressed in a full suit with a tie, socks and shoes. Well, being a good friend to McCray as I am, I wanted to help him raise some money for the SGMA. So I waited my turn and gave them $20.00! That is 12 throws at the target. Well, let me just say that it was money well spent as I dunked McCray twice!! He is a trooper for doing that for the SGMA and I enjoyed it as well.
Well that is all I can remember right now but I am sure something else will come to mind soon.......maybe!
Oh, and it is good to be home if only for a few days!
Until Next Time!
Jerry
First Aid For Eric
Hello Everybody!
Well, it is that time again. Another entry into the On The Road archives. This just happened not to long ago. I would say about three days ago. Eric was at his house working on a building so he could store some equipment in and things of that nature. Well he worked hard all day on the building and then he started to rewire the building for power. Well that was going ok until he cut his finger about to the bone and I guess you could say that it was time to call it quits! So we all got on the bus about 3:00am Thursday morning heading to West Virginia for the first of this weeks concerts. Eric and I were in the back lounge and he wanted me to help him with his finger. Being the "good friend" that I am, I asked him what he wanted me to do. He showed me his finger, which has a very deep gash in it, which does need stitches, and he said to get the "super glue". So I got the super glue out and proceeded to glue his cut shut. When we got to the church that afternoon, we did our normal routine of setting up the sound and the merchandise table. We started our sound check but Eric was nowhere to be found. So we went ahead, did our check, and then went to the bus to get ready. Eric was working on the bus replacing a drive shaft that would have fallen out if we did not replace it right then. So off he goes crawling under the bus as Rayburn helps him out and Eric fixes the bus. As he gets back on the bus about 10 minutes before we have to sing, he is covered in grease and grime from under the bus and he says to me, "Well, the super glue sure does hold up Dr. Martin". So we sang that evening and the glue is still holding. Tonight we are in Ohio and Eric said that he is in need of a needle and some thread. Are you thinking what I'm thinking...…?
Until next time...
Jerry
Kingsmen Reunion
Hello Everyone!
I know it has been a while since I have wrote but sometimes it's just hard to find the time. I will share some things later on that I will write about but for now I am going to share my thoughts on Monday night’s 50th year reunion with the Kingsmen.
It was a thrill to see some of my hero's that I grew up listening to walk across the stage in Chattanooga. Johnny Parrack, Little Ernie Phillips, Gary Sheppard, Wayne Maynard, Big Ed Crawford, Squire Parsons, Mark Tramell, Tim Surrett and the "Dean" of bass singers Ray Dean Reese just to name a few. I enjoyed every minute of that day and on through the night. Catching up with fellow group members that I traveled with like Randy Miller, Brian Hutson, Andrew Ishee, Nick Succi and Randy Crawford. I had a blast! Most of the members were there in full force that evening. I was in awe of the talent that these great quartet men had then and still have today. One of my favorite performances was Gary Sheppard's songs "He's All I Need" and my personal favorite "The Judgment". I also thought that my buddy Chris Collins did an outstanding job on "Little Is Much". It was an honor to be back on stage with the Kingsmen. The songs I sang were "Joy's Gonna Come In The Morning", "Never Been This Homesick Before", "Come And See The Rising Son" and "Justified". During the break and after the concert, I was able to make my way to the front and visit with some of my friends that came out and I would like to say a special hello and thank you to all of them who came. I can't name all of the names but you know who you are! LOL!!!
Some other folks that I saw behind the stage were Nick Tramell, Libby and Tracy Stuffle of the Perry's was on hand as well as Carol Woodard of the McKameys. I saw my friend and Florida Boys lead singer extraordinaire Josh Garner and his wife at the Kingsmen table. I think he might have been taking some merchandise but I'm not sure Ha Ha! I also saw Eric Phillips and Dustin Sweatman and his wife. Paul and Joyce Sanders were in attendance as well. Paul sings with the Blackwood Quartet and Joyce is with the Martin's. I am sure their were more industry people their that night but I can't remember everyone!
This was a very special night for all who attended and gave their support to a group that has had a lot of success over the past 50 years but have also changed, touched and influenced the lives of many people who they have sang to and those who have been apart of the Kingsmen at one time or another.
I am posting a few of my pictures of that night in the Photo section of the site. Enjoy!
Until Next Time.....
Jerry
