''Priority'' is the 27th studio album by the Christian music group The Imperials, released in late 1980 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 ...

. It is the second album that the group has collaborated with well-known musician/producer

Michael Omartian Michael Omartian (born November 26, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and music producer. He produced number-one records in three consecutive decades. He has earned 11 Grammy Awards nominations and won three. He sp ...

, their first being their previous album '' One More Song for You'' (1979). In 1982, the Imperials won their fourth and, to date, final Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational at the

24th Grammy Awards The 24th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1982, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, and were broadcast live on American television. The event recognized the accomplishments of musicians during the year 1981. Quincy Jones was the ...

and at the

13th GMA Dove Awards The 13th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on 1982 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 1981. The show was held in Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of D ...

, they were named Group of the Year and ''Priority'' was named Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year. Lead singer Russ Taff won his second Dove Award for Male Vocalist of the Year, winning back-to-back. Prior to the award ceremonies, Taff had left the group in 1981 to begin his solo career and started work on his debut album '' Walls of Glass'' (1983) before being replaced by

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 ...

as the new lead singer. ''Priority'' gave the Imperials their second number-one album on ''

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 ...

'' magazine's Top Inspirational Albums chart.

Track listing

All music and lyrics by Michael and

Stormie Omartian Stormie Omartian () is an American Christian author. She is married to Michael Omartian, with whom she recorded five musical albums before she launched her writing career. Early career Omartian aspired to be a singer and actress at a young age ...

, except where noted.

Personnel

The Imperials * Russ Taff – lead vocals * Jim Murray – tenor, vocals * David Will – baritone, vocals * Armond Morales – bass, vocals Musicians *

– keyboards * Marty Walsh – guitars * Abraham Laboriel – bass * Paul Leim – drums * Alex Acuña –

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

s * Kim Hutchcroft – saxophones, sax solos * Jackie Kelso – saxophones * Dick Hyde – trombone * Lew McCreary – trombone *

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 ...

– trumpet * Steve Madaio – trumpet * Assa Drori – concertmaster * Myrna Matthews – additional backing vocals * Marti McCall – additional backing vocals *

– additional backing vocals Production * Michael Omartian – producer, arrangements * John Guess – engineer, remixing * Ken Perry – mastering at Capitol Mastering (Hollywood, California) * Yvonne Garcia – production coordinator * Bob Anderson – layout, photography

Charts

Radio singles

Accolades

Grammy Awards 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 ...

GMA Dove Awards *1982 Group of the Year

References

{{Authority control 1980 albums The Imperials albums Word Records albums Albums produced by Michael Omartian