During the week of the National Quartet Convention, the Southern Gospel Music Association was pleased to induct two new members into the SGMA Hall of Fame.
On Thursday, October 1st, James “Ed†Sprouse was posthumously inducted. He was born in Vernon, Alabama, September 20, 1923, and sang with many other quartets
before his call to join The Blue Ridge Quartet in 1950. He sang tenor with them until he retired in 1965. He joined fellow members of The Blue Ridge Quartet who
are in the SGMA Hall of Fame, Elmo Fagg, Fred Daniel, Kenny Gates, Jim Hamil, George Younce and David Reece. Mr. Sprouse passed away last year on September 21st one day after his 91st birthday. His son, Phil Sprouse, was present to accept the award and spoke of his father’s impact on his life.
On Saturday, October 3rd, James Lewis “Big Lew†Garrison was also posthumously inducted. He was born in Carter County, Tennessee, on August 30, 1933. “Big Lewâ€,
as he was affectionately known, sang tenor with The Prophets Quartet from 1959 to 1971. He was known for his powerful falsetto voice, and how he closed each program
with “Just A Rose Will Do.”  He retired in 1971 to his hometown of Elizabethton, Tennessee. He suffered a stroke on August 28, 1994, and passed away one day after his 61st birthday on August 31, 1994. He joined fellow members of the Prophets Quartet, Ed Hill, Jack Toney, “Smiling Joe†Roper, and Eddie Crook in the Southern Gospel Music Association Hall Of Fame. SGMA President, Arthur Rice, accepted the award in his honor.
There are now one-hundred, sixty-five members of the SGMA Hall of Fame, the pioneers of Southern Gospel music today. The SGMA museum is located inside Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and we need your support to help preserve it for future generations. For more information, visit us at www.sgma.org.
Make your plans to visit the SGMA Hall of Fame during the 2015 Creekside Gospel Music Convention, Nov 2-5, Pigeon Forge TN. More information Here. Free Tickets!
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