A new album, This Is My Crowd, from the Marksmen Quartet is due July 31 on Rural Rhythm Christian.
The group is under the direction of Dr. Earle Wheeler, who developed a love for bluegrass Gospel music from his father, a Baptist minister in Georgia. Earle started singing in church as a teen, and was working with local Gospel groups while still a young man. He formed the Marksmen Quartet in 1967, and their catalog includes more than a dozen albums still in print.
The earliest days of the Quartet found them performing and recording more mainstream Southern Gospel, but since the mid-1980s, their sound has reverted back to the bluegrass sound that Wheeler learned as a child.
Today’s group includes Earle’s son Mark on guitar, banjo and vocals, Darrin Chambers on dobro, guitar and bass, Davey Walker on mandolin, and Mark Autry on bass. Earle Wheeler continues to travel with the group as featured vocalist.
This Is My Crowd contains 14 tracks, most of them new songs, along with favorites like Rock Of Ages and Reuben.
Radio programmers can download the music now from Airplay Direct, where fans can listen to the tracks online.
