Raymond Ernest "Ernie" Haase III (born December 12, 1964) is an American

Southern gospel Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as ...

singer. He is best known as the tenor vocalist and founder of Ernie Haase and Signature Sound since 2002, as well as being a former tenor vocalist of the Cathedrals Quartet from 1990 until their retirement in 1999.

Career

The Cathedrals' bass vocalist, George Younce witnessed Haase's performance many times and marked his fast growth as a vocalist and communicator. In April 1990, Younce and co-founder

Glen Payne Glen Payne (October 20, 1926 – October 15, 1999) served for fifty-five years as a Southern gospel music singer. He is known for being the lead singer of The Cathedral Quartet. Early years Payne was a child of the Great Depression. His paren ...

invited him to join the Cathedrals as their tenor. After the Cathedral Quartet retired in 1999, Haase embarked upon a solo career for a few years. In addition to his solo concerts, he performed from 2001 through 2003 with Jake Hess,

Wesley Pritchard K. Wesley Pritchard sang with the Old Friends Quartet from 2000 through 2002. He filled in for Ernie Haase & Signature Sound in 2003, while they were seeking a new lead singer. He has traveled extensively with "Bill Gaither's Homecoming Friends" ...

, and

George Younce George Wilson Younce (February 22, 1930 – April 11, 2005) was an American bass singer, known for performing with Southern gospel quartets, especially The Cathedrals. Biography Born in Patterson, North Carolina, Younce ( ) was the youngest ...

in the

Old Friends Quartet The Old Friends Quartet was a vocal group that sang Southern gospel music. They released all their albums with Spring House Productions. In 2002, their DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is ...

. After the Old Friends Quartet disbanded due to the ill health of Younce and Hess, Haase founded the Signature Sound Quartet, Inc. The group was rebranded by their record label, Gaither Music, to "Ernie Haase and Signature Sound", to take advantage of the platform of the Cathedral Quartet and Haase's popularity as their final tenor. The group received their third "Best Roots Gospel Album" Grammy nomination for ''Something Beautiful'', an homage to the Bill and Gloria Gaither song of the same name.

Personal life

Haase married

's third daughter, Lisa Younce, in 1990 after a brief courtship.

References

External links

* Southern gospel performers 1964 births Living people American male singers American tenors Oakland City University alumni People from Newburgh, Indiana Singers from Indiana {{US-southern-gospel-stub