Beginnings The Gaither Vocal Band is named after gospel leader
Bill Gaither. It was the successor of the
Bill Gaither Trio. By the 1980s, Bill Gaither, along with wife
Gloria Gaither, were both very successful
songwriters. For example, their song "
He Touched Me" was covered by
Elvis Presley, after which he named his album
He Touched Me. Presley won a Grammy for the album. Bill Gaither felt that his trio had reached its peak in the mid-1980s, but his desire to make another gospel hit kept the trio going. Their debut album, the self-titled
The New Gaither Vocal Band, debuted in 1981. According to the liner notes of the CD compilation
The Best of the GVB, the term "vocal band" was used instead of "quartet" because it did not limit Gaither in terms of sound or number of group members. Lee Young left the group in 1982, and Jon Mohr was hired as the new bass singer. They then recorded the album ''Passin' the Faith Along
. Later, tenor Steve Green left and Larnelle Harris was hired. This group cut the New Point Of View'' album before Jon Mohr left.
Widespread popularity Michael English was hired as the new lead singer, so Gary McSpadden was moved down to baritone, and Bill Gaither dropped to bass. At this point the group dropped the "new" part of their name. Although the previous album (
New Point of View) had been more contemporary than its predecessors, the album with this version of the group (
One X 1) took it even further. After this album, Larnelle Harris left and was replaced by Lemuel Miller. The group did not record an album with Lemuel Miller before he too left. He was replaced by
Imperials alumnus Jim Murray. This lineup cut one album (
Wings) before Gary McSpadden left to start his solo career.
Mark Lowry was convinced to replace him. Their gospel roots project
Homecoming was released in 1991. Jim Murray left and was replaced by
Terry Franklin. The album
Southern Classics was released in 1993 with the hit "I Bowed on My Knees" (co-written by Jeremy Ward). Later Michael English left. He was replaced by Buddy Mullins. Buddy Mullins was only a temporary fill-in, but he was included on the album
Testify. Terry Franklin soon left and was replaced by yet another Imperials alumnus,
Jonathan Pierce (formerly known as Jonathan Hildreth, his first and last name, then changed to his first and middle name). Strengthened by the popularity of the
Homecoming video series, the Vocal Band added
Guy Penrod as lead following the departure of Buddy Mullins. After Jonathan Pierce's departure, Gaither hired
David Phelps as tenor. After Mark Lowry's departure, Imperials alumnus
Russ Taff sang baritone for a couple of years.
Marshall Hall was his replacement.
Wes Hampton succeeded David Phelps in 2005. The group has had three number one songs on the
Singing News chart. "Yes, I Know" held the top position from July to October 1997, as did "I Will Go On" in November 2006. "Greatly Blessed" was their third number one single. The group has routinely performed classic Southern gospel songs including many written by Bill and Gloria Gaither like "He Touched Me", "I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary", and "Sinner Saved By Grace".
Reunion In July 2008, the vocal band recorded a reunion DVD at the Gaither Studios —
The Gaither Vocal Band Reunion, Volumes 1 and 2. Except for
Jonathan Pierce, Terry Franklin, and Lemuel Miller, the former and present members appeared and performed. The two CDs debuted in the top two positions on
Billboards Contemporary Christian Album chart, marking the Gaither Vocal Band's first No. 1 on the Christian Album chart. The DVDs of the same title debuted in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions on the Music Video charts as well. It also garnered a
Grammy Award for Best Southern, Country, Bluegrass Gospel Album.
The quintet In January 2009, Marshall Hall and Guy Penrod left. Gaither brought back some former members:
Michael English as lead vocal,
Mark Lowry as baritone and
David Phelps as tenor. The first album by this five-member version was
Reunited, released in September 2009. It was also the first album of the vocal band to feature only songs written by Bill and Gloria Gaither. A live album called
Better Day was released in January 2010. In August 2010, they released the album
Greatly Blessed, followed by
I Am A Promise, a children's album, released in August 2011. Their next album was
Pure and Simple, released in September 2012. In October 2013, it was announced that Mark Lowry and Michael English would once again be leaving the group to devote more time to their solo careers. Michael English's departure was immediate whereas Mark Lowry stayed on until they could find another baritone to replace him. Their last album as members,
Hymns, was released in March 2014 and was nominated for a
Grammy Award the following December. After their departure, several guests filled in until two new members could be found. In January 2014, it was announced that Adam Crabb (of
The Crabb Family) would join the group as the fourth member and lead singer. Todd Suttles joined the group as the baritone singer one month later. Following their formation, the new quintet released a limited-edition album,
The New Edition, which could only be purchased at concert performances. In October 2014, the group released their first album together, entitled
Sometimes it Takes a Mountain. Five months later, that album was followed by a two-DVD live performance release and the release of their second album (a live performance album),
Happy Rhythm. Upon release, the DVDs debuted at the top of
Billboards Music Video chart (
Sometimes it Takes a Mountain at #1 and
Happy Rhythm at #2). In August 2016, the group's album
Better Together was released. In March 2017, it was announced that David Phelps would be once again leaving the group on April 1, and Reggie Smith would join the group as tenor. In October of the following year, this lineup released their first studio album, entitled
We Have This Moment. The group stayed on this lineup as of 2025. In October 2018, there was another Gaither Vocal Band Reunion. It was a two-day concert, recorded live. Except for Steve Green, all of the past and present members who were at the first reunion performed. A
live album for these concerts titled
Reunion Live was released the following year. In April 2020, Gary McSpadden died in Tulsa, Oklahoma, while recovering from
pancreatic cancer, since earlier that year. Later, that same year in May, Jonathan Pierce died, while recovering from
heart surgery. Another live album for the 2018 reunion concerts, titled
Reunited Live, was released in 2020, which was also a tribute to McSpadden. In May 2025, the Vocal Band celebrated with Wes Hampton in 20 years of the Gaither Vocal Band on Family Fest 2025. ==Members==