The Happy Goodman Family is a
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 ...
group that was founded in the 1940s by
Howard "Happy" Goodman and performed together for several decades. The Happy Goodmans achieved significant popularity in the 1960s. In 1968, they won the first
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
to be awarded for a gospel album by a gospel group.
History
The Happy Goodman Family began around 1938. Howard Goodman (eldest of eight children) had been traveling as an evangelist and gradually began to form his seven siblings into a gospel singing group. Until the late 1950s there were various combinations of all eight brothers and sisters, always including Howard, and after 1949 his wife Vestal. Eventually the Goodman sisters (Gussie Mae, Stella, Eloise, and Helen Ruth) left the group to get married. During this period brothers Sam, Charles (Rusty) and Bobby Ray all had various careers as well. Sam served in the United States Air Force, Rusty was in the United States Army and later sang with The Plainsmen and Martha Carson. Bobby drove a truck and played in a rock and roll band.
Howard
Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...
and
Vestal became
evangelists
Evangelists may refer to:
* Evangelists (Christianity), Christians who specialize in evangelism
* Four Evangelists, the authors of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament
* ''The Evangelists
''The Evangelists'' (''Evangheliştii'' in Roma ...
. Gussie Mae's daughter LaBreeska Rogers Hemphill traveled with them off and on during this period.
In the early 60s Howard and Vestal moved to Madisonville, Kentucky and started a church named Life Temple. Sam and his family soon joined Howard and Vestal in Madisonville at the church. Howard, Vestal, and Sam did some singing in the area. In 1962 Rusty left the Plainsmen and moved to Madisonville as well. Before long Bobby joined the group again playing
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
. It was during this time period that the group began to travel more widely and become more well-known on the gospel music circuit.
In the 1963, the group released their first full-length recording "I'm Too Near Home" on the Sims label. It was later re-released on
Canaan
Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...
/
Word Records
Word Records is a Christian faith-based entertainment company based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Curb Records, and is a part of Word Entertainment. It is distributed by Warner Records (the former Warner Bros. Records).
History
In 1 ...
in 1965.
Appearances at the
National Quartet Convention
The National Quartet Convention (NQC) is an annual gathering of Southern Gospel quartets and musicians. It is held at the Leconte Center in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, United States.
History
The first National Quartet Convention was held in 1957. J. ...
got them in front of promoters who in turn booked them across the country. In 1964, they were asked to become one of the flagship groups for a new Southern Gospel program called ''
The Gospel Singing Jubilee'' along with
The Florida Boys
The Florida Boys were a male vocal quartet in Southern gospel music. The group was founded in 1946 by J. G. Whitfield. Originally named The Gospel Melody Quartet, the group was renamed in 1954. From the 1950s until 2007, the group was led by L ...
,
Dixie Echoes, and
The Couriers Quartet
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
. This program soon became one of the most popular gospel music programs and would run for over twenty years. The Goodmans would soon become one of the most popular groups on the program, and would remain so for ten years till they left to start their own TV program, ''The Happy Goodman Family Hour''. The Goodmans also had a short-lived program called ''Down Home with The Happy Goodman Family''. The weekly TV exposure allowed The Happy Goodman Family to take the nation by storm. They quickly became America's favorite singing family. Ranker list the Happy Goodmans as the 3rd all-time Best Southern Gospel Bands/Artists.
The Goodmans had a long list of hit songs. Many of the songs they introduced to gospel music are now considered classics. Songs such as "I Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now", "Who Am I?", "God Walks the Dark Hills", "Had It Not Been", "What a Beautiful Day", and many others will forever be part of gospel music and synonymous with the Happy Goodman Family.
The Goodmans broke new ground in gospel music during the 1950s by incorporating drummer Jake Hand as well as accordion and various guitars. When the group began traveling again in the 1960s their instrumentation consisted of Howard at the piano and Bobby playing bass guitar. Rusty and Sam would occasionally play guitars as well. During the late 1960s and 1970s they began adding more musicians including pianist Eddie Crook, drummer Ricky Goodman (son of Howard and Vestal) and various guitarists and bass players. It was during these years that they developed their now classic "grab a note and hang on" endings. Sam's humorous emcee work, Howard's showmanship at the piano, Rusty's songwriting, and Vestal's hairdos, white handkerchiefs, and powerful singing voice all rose to a new prominence. Tenor
Johnny Cook joined the group for a while in 1974 and Rusty's daughter Tanya was added in 1976.
Separate paths
Around 1980, creative differences about musical style caused a division in the family. The musical landscape of Christian music was expanding considerably at this time, and Howard and Vestal wanted to maintain their traditional sound. Rusty, Sam, and Tanya wanted to take the group in a more contemporary direction. Ultimately, Howard and Vestal decided to leave the group, after making what would become one of their best albums. Rusty, Sam, and Tanya carried on with Johnny Cook returning at tenor.
Michael English joined them a couple of years later singing lead. Michael left The Goodmans, a short time after joining, to sing with The
Singing Americans
The Singing Americans were a Southern Gospel group based in Maiden, North Carolina. They are best known for being a stepping stone to popular singers, such as Mark Flaker (Florida Boys) Ivan Parker (Gold City), Danny Funderburk (the Cathedrals) ...
.
Reunion
Aside from a one-time performance at the 1984 National Quartet Convention by Sam, Rusty, Howard, and Vestal, the Happy Goodmans did not sing together from 1984 to 1990. Shortly after the breakup, a compilation album, ''The Goodmans Greatest Hits'' was released in 1985, with the quartet pictured on the cover. It has more recently been re-mastered and re-released on Compact Disc. In 1990, news that Rusty had been diagnosed with cancer prompted the family to record a project together called "The Reunion". Although they initially planned to tour in support of the project, Rusty's health deteriorated rapidly. He died in November 1990. Sam followed his brother in death the next year. This album features the last song Rusty wrote, ''Standing in the Presence of the King'', a fitting end to his songwriting career.
Howard and Vestal's Final Stand with Johnny Minick
In 1993, Howard and Vestal were joined on vocals by former Happy Goodman band member
Johnny Minick
Johnny Minick (born July 8, 1955) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, recording artist, record producer, and pastor.
Biography
Johnny Minick was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He grew up in a musical family where much of his c ...
. As a trio, they brought back the Happy Goodman name to the delight of fans. Several projects were released over the next five years and they were regular fixtures at
Gaither Homecoming
''Gaither Homecoming'' is the name applied to a series of videos, music recordings and concerts, which are organized, promoted and usually presented by Christian music songwriter and impresario Bill Gaither. To date, the ''Gaither Homecoming'' t ...
events. Their last project was appropriately titled "The Final Stand (2001)". In 2002, a biographical video titled ''More Than The Music...Life Story'' chronicled the history of the Happy Goodmans. It is preceded by ''O Happy Day'', a biography written by Jamie Buckingham (1973). ''O Happy Day'' is an early telling of the Happy Goodman Family in stories recalled by Howard. Vestal wrote her autobiography titled "Vestal! Lord I Wouldn't Take Nothin' for My Journey Now"(1999) and released a number of solo projects before her death in 2003, including two "Vestal and Friends" CDs featuring duets with a diverse array of vocalists, including
George Jones
George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...
,
Sandi Patty
Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty (born July 12, 1956) is an American Christian music singer, known for her wide soprano vocal range and expressive flexibility.
Biography
Early life
Patty was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, into a family of musician ...
,
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
,
Andraé Crouch
Andraé Edward Crouch (July 1, 1942 – January 8, 2015) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, record producer and pastor. Referred to as "the father of modern gospel music" by contemporary Christian and gospel music profess ...
,
Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Ellen Judd or simply Wynonna ( ; born Christina Claire Ciminella; May 30, 1964) is an American country music singer. She is one of the most widely recognized and awarded female country singers. In all, she has had 19 No. 1 singles, incl ...
,
Bill and Gloria Gaither
William James Gaither (born March 28, 1936) is an American singer and songwriter of Southern gospel and contemporary Christian music. He has written numerous popular Christian songs with his wife Gloria; he is also known for performing as part o ...
,
Newsboys
Newsboys (sometimes stylised as newsboys) are a Christian rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia, by Peter Furler and George Perdikis. Now based in Nashville, Tennessee, the band has released 17 studio albums, 6 of which ...
and the love of her life, Howard Goodman. In her final years, she also appeared regularly on
Bill Gaither's
''Precious Memories'' television series.
The group recorded 15 number-one singles and played over 3,500 shows. They were inducted into the
Gospel Music Hall of Fame
The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, created in 1972 by the Gospel Music Association, is a Hall of Fame dedicated exclusively to recognizing meaningful contributions by individuals and groups in all forms of gospel music.
Inductees
This is an incompl ...
in 1998.
Awards
In 1968, The Goodmans won the
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for Best Gospel Performance for the 1967 album ''The Happy Gospel of the Happy Goodmans''. It was the first Grammy awarded for a gospel album by a gospel group. The Goodmans also won the same award in 1978 (only then called Best Gospel Performance, Traditional) for ''Refreshing''. In 1969, with the founding of the
Gospel Music Association
The Gospel Music Association (GMA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of gospel music. As of 2011, there are about 4,000 members worldwide. The GMA's membership co ...
and the GMA's
Dove Awards
A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Award ...
, the Goodmans were honored that year too. Vestal was the first
Female Vocalist of the Year for the
1969 Dove Awards. The Goodmans were remembered year after year when it came time to nominate for awards.
Discography
Compilations
Complete list of group members
Timeline
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at:01/01/1968
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at:01/01/1970
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at:01/01/1972
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bar:Sykes text:"Tanya Goodman Sykes"
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bar:Crook text:"Eddie Crook"
bar:Minick text:"Johnny Minick"
bar:Friend text:"Dwayne Friend"
bar:Maxwell text:"Ernie Maxwell"
bar:Dumas text:"Jim "Duke" Dumas"
bar:Chambers text:"Jeff Chambers"
bar:Wilburn text:"Aaron Wilburn"
bar:BGoodman text:"Bobby Goodman"
bar:Strzelecki text:"Larry Strzelecki"
bar:JMaxwell text:"Joey Maxwell"
bar:Moore text:"Keith Moore"
bar:Ross text:"Jefferson Ross"
bar:Freeze text:"James Gordon Freeze"
bar:Smith text:"Jack Smith"
bar:Dee text:"Gary Dee"
bar:Easter text:"Steve Easter"
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bar:MSykes text:"Michael Sykes"
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bar:Johnson from:01/01/1980 till:01/01/1981 color:SteelGuitar
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bar:Droit from:01/01/1980 till:01/01/1982 color:Drums
width:2.5 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:HGoodman from:01/01/1963 till:01/01/1971 color:Piano
bar:Minick from:01/01/1996 till:01/01/2002 color:Piano
Band members
*
Howard Goodman
Howard "Happy" Goodman (November 7, 1921 – November 30, 2002) was an American gospel singer. In 1949, he founded the vocal group The Happy Goodman Family which included combinations of all eight Happy Goodman Family, Goodman siblings and his ...
1963–1971 (pianist, vocalist)
*Eddie Crook 1971–1975, 1978–1982 (pianist)
*
Johnny Minick
Johnny Minick (born July 8, 1955) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, arranger, recording artist, record producer, and pastor.
Biography
Johnny Minick was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He grew up in a musical family where much of his c ...
1975–1977 (pianist)
*Aaron Wilburn 1972–1974 (rhythm guitar, soloist)
*Jack Smith 1971–1974 (steel guitar)
*Gary Dee 1975–1976 (steel guitar)
*Steve "Rabbit" Easter 1977–1979, 1981–1982 (steel guitar, banjo, dobro)
*Benny Johnson 1980 (steel guitar)
*Ricky Goodman 1970s–1980 (drummer)
*Bruce Droit 1980–1982 (drummer)
*Dwayne Friend 1965 (guitarist)
*Ernie Maxwell 1966–1970 (guitarist)
*Jim "Duke" Dumas 1972–1974 (guitarist)
*Jeff Chambers 1975–1977 (guitarist)
*Bobby Goodman 1965–1971 (bass guitar, soloist)
*Larry Strzelecki 1972–1977 (bass guitar)
*Joey Maxwell 1977–1978 (bass guitar)
*Keith Moore 1978 (bass guitar)
*Jefferson Ross 1980 (bass guitar)
*James Gordon Freeze 1980–1982 (bass guitar)
References
* Happy Goodman Family Album Cover Credits and Liner notes
* Resource Publications, "The Christian Music Directories" formerly "The Recording Locator" - https://web.archive.org/web/20101006063310/http://www.rpinet.com/cmd.html
Happy Goodmans History and Discography with Art WorkWord DistributionNew Haven Records "Goodman" Products
{{DEFAULTSORT:Happy Goodman Family
Family musical groups
Grammy Award winners
Musical groups from Alabama
Southern gospel performers
American gospel musical groups