Squire Enos Parsons Jr. (born April 4, 1948), 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 ...

singer and songwriter. He was born in Newton, West Virginia, to Squire and Maysel Parsons, and was introduced to music by his father, who was a choir director and deacon at Newton

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

Church. Squire's father taught him to sing using shaped notes.

Musical career

In 1970, Parsons earned a Bachelor of Science in music from West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery, where he was trained on the piano and

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuos ...

. Following graduation, he accepted a teaching position at Hannan High School in Mason county, West Virginia, and served as music directors of various churches."Bassonist Turns Baritone"
. Southern Gospel News; retrieved May 5, 2007 During this period he wrote "Sweet Beulah Land", his signature song. He joined the Kingsmen Quartet as a

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

in 1975 and toured with them for four years before embarking on a solo career. In 1975, Parsons was ordained as a minister at Trinity Baptist Church in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

. Among his most popular compositions are "The Master of the Sea", "Walk On", "He Came to Me", "I Call it Home", "I Sing Because", "I'm Not Giving Up" and "Sweet Beulah Land". He appeared in the

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

Crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were ...

with

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

and performed with the Gaither Homecoming Choir. He currently performs as the lead singer of The Squire Parsons Trio, and lives in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

, North Carolina, with his wife Linda. His songs have been recorded by

Brian Free Brian Free & Assurance is a Southern Gospel group. Brian Free formed the group in 1993 after performing with the Gold City Quartet from 1982-1994. Since being formed, the group has released multiple albums. Band members * Brian Free - Tenor * Bi ...

Gaither Vocal Band The Gaither Vocal Band is an American southern gospel vocal group, named after its founder and leader Bill Gaither. On March 1, 2017, it was announced that the Gaither Vocal Band lineup consisted of Reggie Smith, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd ...

Gold City Gold City is an American southern gospel quartet based in Gadsden, Alabama. Formed in 1980, the group was one of the most successful quartets through the 1980s and 1990s, charting ten number one hits in Singing News magazine and being host to ...

Ivan Parker Ivan Ray Parker (born December 21, 1957) is an American Southern Gospel singer. Musical career Ivan Parker was raised in Sanford, North Carolina, where his father was a pastor in a Pentecostal church.Kingdom Heirs The Kingdom Heirs Quartet is a Southern gospel quartet based at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. History The Kingdom Heirs formed in 1971 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Original members included Patty Wilson (alto), Jim Bluford (tenor), Gene M ...

the Blackwood Brothers The Blackwood Brothers are an American southern gospel quartet. Pioneers of the Christian music industry, they are 8-time Grammy Award winners in addition to winning 7 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards. They are also members of the Memphi ...

The Cathedrals The Cathedral Quartet, also known as the Cathedrals, was an American southern gospel quartet who performed from 1964 to December 1999. The group's final lineup consisted of Glen Payne (lead), George Younce (bass), Ernie Haase (tenor), Scott F ...

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 Les ...

The Greenes The Greenes are an American Southern gospel trio from the Boone, North Carolina, and they started making music together in 1978. They have released numerous studio albums with various labels. Background The trio formed Boone, North Carolina duri ...

The Hoppers The Hoppers (until 1981: Hopper Brothers and Connie) are a multi award-winning Southern Gospel group from North Carolina. They have performed together for several decades and have achieved significant popularity due to widening the playing field i ...

The Kingsmen The Kingsmen are a 1960s rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. They are best known for their 1963 recording of R&B singer Richard Berry's " Louie Louie", which held the No. 2 spot on the '' Billboard'' charts for six weeks an ...

The McKameys The McKameys are a professional Southern gospel group based in Clinton, Tennessee. Current members are Ruben and Peg Bean, Sheryl Farris, Connie Fortner, Roger Fortner, and Eli Fortner. On November 23, 2019 the McKameys played their last conce ...

, Statesmen, Marty Raybon, Casting Crowns, The Sugar Creek Quartet, among others. In April 2019, Parsons announced his retirement from touring, and possibly all public appearances, due to declining health after "life-saving surgery."

Awards

Parsons was nominated for a

Dove Award 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 Awar ...

in 1999 for contributing to tribute album to

Dottie Rambo Dottie Rambo (March 2, 1934 – May 11, 2008) was an American gospel singer and songwriter. She was a Grammy winning solo artist and multiple Dove award-winning artist. Along with ex-husband Buck and daughter Reba, she formed the award-winnin ...

. He has won the ''Singing News'' Fan Award for favorite male singer in 1988. He won a ''Singing News'' Fan Award for Favorite Songwriter in 1986, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995. He won the ''Singing News'' Fan Award for Favorite Baritone in 1986 and 1987. "Sweet Beulah Land" won the ''Singing News'' Fan Awards for song of the year in 1981. In 1999, Parsons was awarded an honorary doctorate from his ''alma mater'', West Virginia Institute of Technology."Biography"
from Squireparsons.com. Retrieved December 10, 2017 He makes public appearances at churches across the country, both large and small.

Selected discography

*''Sweet Beulah Land'' (Dawn, 1979)Southern Gospel history
/ref> *''He Came to Me'' (1980) *''Family Reunion'' (1981) *''Gloryland'' (1981) *''The Broken Rose'' (1982) *''He Redeemed Me'' (1983) *''Heavenly Country'' (1990) *''Christmas at Calvary: Christmas With Squire Parsons'' (1991) *''One Voice in the Wilderness'' (1992) *''High Country'' (1993) *''The Horizon Collection: Volume I'' (1993) *''20 Favorites'' (1995) *''Dancing Shoes'' (1995) *''Come Let Us Worship'' *''He Found Me'' (1999) *''Silver Anniversary Collection'' (1999) *''Southern Gospel Soloists'' (1999) *''We Shall Get Home'' (2000) *''I'll Have A New Song''

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Squire 1948 births American baritones American performers of Christian music American male singer-songwriters Baptists from North Carolina Gospel music composers Living people Musicians from Asheville, North Carolina People from Roane County, West Virginia Southern gospel performers West Virginia University Institute of Technology alumni Singer-songwriters from West Virginia Singer-songwriters from North Carolina