''Let the Wind Blow'' is the 31st studio album by Christian music vocal group The Imperials released in 1985. It is their first album on

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 ...

Myrrh Myrrh (; from Semitic, but see '' § Etymology'') is a gum-resin extracted from a number of small, thorny tree species of the genus ''Commiphora''. Myrrh resin has been used throughout history as a perfume, incense and medicine. Myrrh mi ...

label after nearly a decade on

DaySpring 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 19 ...

, another Word affiliated label. The group saw its biggest turnover since

Terry Blackwood Terry Blackwood is a contemporary Christian musician who is best known as lead singer for Christian pop act The Imperials. He was with the group for nearly a decade, joining in 1967 and remaining with them through 1976. At that time, he left the g ...

and

Sherman Andrus Sherman Andrus (born June 23, 1942) is an American gospel singer, who is probably best known as the man who broke the "color barrier" by becoming the first African-American lead singer of a mainstream Christian music group (The Imperials). He ha ...

' departure when both

Paul Smith Paul Smith or Paul Smith's may refer to: Music * Paul Smith (composer) (1906–1985), American film music composer * Paul Smith (pianist) (1922–2013), Los Angeles jazz pianist * Paul Smith (rock vocalist) (born 1979), vocalist and songwriter of ...

and long-time tenor Jim Murray left the group. Smith opted for a solo CCM career while Murray sought to perform more traditionally styled gospel music again. Smith was replaced by Danny Ward on tour to promote ''Let the Wind Blow'', but he left before recording an album with the group. New members Jimmie Lee Sloas and Ron Hemby joined veteran members Armond Morales and David Will in 1986 to record their next album ''

This Year's Model ''This Year's Model'' is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, released on 17March 1978 through Radar Records. After being backed by Clover for his debut album ''My Aim Is True'' (1977), Costello formed the ...

'' (1987). The group was nominated for a

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 by a Duo or Group at the

28th Grammy Awards The 28th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1986, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year, 1985. The night's big winner was USA For Africa's "We Are The World", which won ...

. The album peaked at number 4 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Top Inspirational Albums chart.

Track listing

Personnel

The Imperials *

– lead vocals * Jim Murray – tenor, vocals * David Will – baritone, vocals * Armond Morales – bass, vocals Musicians * Robbie Buchanan – synthesizers (1-3, 5-7),

Rhodes electric piano The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

(2, 3, 5, 6, 8), synth bass (2) * Shane Keister – additional synthesizers (3, 9) * Michael W. Smith – keyboards (4), acoustic piano (10), Fairlight CMI (10) * Keith Thomas – acoustic piano (6, 8), synthesizers (6), keyboards (9) * Bill Purse – keyboards (7) * John Andrew Schreiner – additional synthesizers (9) *

Rhett Lawrence James Everett "Rhett" Lawrence is an American record producer and songwriter. He has produced, mentored, and helped launch the career of 5 artists amongst the top 200 artists to be featured on Billboard magazine's top charts from 1955-2012, who ...

– Fairlight programming (10) * Dann Huff – guitars (1-9), guitar solo (4) *

Nathan East Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass player and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degr ...

– bass (1-3, 5, 6, 8, 9) *

Mike Brignardello Giant is an American melodic rock band that was formed in 1987. The band originally consisted of founding members Dann Huff (lead vocals and guitar) and Alan Pasqua (keyboard), and had Dann's brother David Huff on drums and Mike Brignardello on ...

– bass (4, 7) *

Paul Leim Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

– drums (1-9) * Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1, 2, 4, 6, 8) * Doug Dana – horns (1, 8) *

Larry Williams Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...

– horns (1, 8) * Berwyn Linton – horns (1, 8) * Bill Reichenbach Jr. – horns (1, 8) *

Chuck Findley Charles B. Findley (born December 13, 1947 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania) is an American trumpet player known for his diverse work as a session musician. He also plays other brass instruments such as flugelhorn and trombone. His technical abilities ...

– horns (1, 8) * Gary Grant – horns (1, 8) * Jerry Hey – horns (1, 8), horn arrangements (1, 8) Production * Michael Blanton – executive producer, album concept * Dan Harrell – executive producer * Brown Bannister – producer, vocal arrangements * The Imperials – vocal arrangements *

Jack Joseph Puig Jack Joseph Puig is an American audio engineer, A&R executive, and record producer. He has worked with Tonic, Hole, Jellyfish, The Black Crowes, John Mayer, Weezer, Fiona Apple, Roger Hodgson, Taxiride, Green Day, Counting Crows, No Doubt, Klaxo ...

– engineer, mixing * Steve Ford – assistant engineer * Dan Garcia – assistant engineer * Alan Henry – assistant engineer * Clark Schleicher – assistant engineer * The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California) – mastering location * Bob Golden – album concept * Michael Halvig – album concept * Kent Hunter – album concept, art direction, design * Dan Johnson – album concept * Roger Sanders – album concept * Mark Tucker – album concept, photography * Ken Wolgemuth – album concept * Thomas Ryan Design – art direction, design * Daniel Buehler – computer imagery * Dr. Frank Marks –

Doppler weather radar Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar (WSR) and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation (meteorology), precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, hail etc.). Modern wea ...

image

Critical reception

Evan Cater of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

has said that the "arrangements are loaded with the tinny, cheap-sounding keyboards that dominated pop in the '80s, although 'Miracles' features an almost -- can this word really be applied to the Imperials? -- funky bass intro. If you happen to come across a dust-covered copy in your church basement, you might consider throwing this one on."

Charts

Radio singles

References

{{Authority control 1985 albums The Imperials albums Myrrh Records albums Word Records albums