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For
three decades, the Golden Wings made the most
of its regional reputation as purveyors of traditional
gospel quartet singing. The group’s fortunes
changed in 2002 when the National Association
of Gospel Promoters & Managers in Atlanta
named them the New Gospel Quartet Artist of
the Year.
Tupelo,
Mississippi, may be better known as the birthplace
of Elvis Presley and the home of quartet star
Lee Williams, but it is also the birthplace
of the Golden Wings Quartet. The group was organized
there in 1970 by James Parks, Tyrone Parks and
Toby Coker.
For
three decades, the Golden Wings made the most
of its regional reputation as purveyors of traditional
gospel quartet singing. The group’s fortunes
changed in 2002 when the National Association
of Gospel Promoters & Managers in Atlanta
named them the New Gospel Quartet Artist of
the Year.
Two
years later, the Golden Wings entered Tupelo’s
Temple of Compassion and Deliverance to record
You’ve Got to Leave It Here!, which was
released as a CD and DVD on the independent
MARS label. With its memorable line, “I’ve
never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul on its
way to church,” the title track became
a fan favorite. By 2008, the Golden Wings had
achieved such significant national visibility
that they were invited to appear on BET’s
Bobby Jones Gospel television program.
In
2009, the group self-produced another live CD
and companion DVD called Put Your Time In—Payday
Is Coming: Live from Muskegon Heights, Michigan.
For this album, James and Tyrone Parks, Toby
Coker, Alton Hollis, Cornelius Redman and Michael
Penson reprised their audience-pleasing stagecraft,
especially on the single Keep Blessing Me and
the rousing Keep Your Arm Around Me. In particular,
the opposing performance techniques of the group’s
main lead singers—the easygoing James Parks
and the wiry, animated, high-kicking Coker—make
for an aural and visual treat.
When
the Golden Wings signed with Malaco Records,
the label reissued the Live from Muskegon Heights,
Michigan CD and DVD on its 4 Winds imprint as
Keep Blessing Me. The quartet received a Stellar
Award nomination for Quartet of the Year in
2011.
The
year 2013 saw the release of yet another Golden
Wings Quartet live CD and DVD on 4 Winds: Redeemed—Live
in Richmond, Virginia. Recorded at the Richmond
Christian Center, the album includes a new version
of You’ve Got to Leave It Here (as Leave
It Here) and the hit title track.
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