Brock Speer (December 28, 1920 – March 29, 1999) sang bass for the

Speer Family The Speer Family was a Southern gospel family musical group. It was founded in 1921 by George Thomas ("Dad") Speer (1891–1966), his wife, Lena Darling ("Mom") Speer (née Brock; 1899–1967), and his sister and brother-in-law, Pearl Claborn (1 ...

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 ...

musical group and was a leader in

music. One might say that

music was Speer's life. David Liverett's book, ''This Is My Story: 145 of the World's Greatest Gospel Singers'', includes the following comments written by Speer's nephew, Steve Speer, and printed in the program distributed at Brock's funeral:

Jackson Brock Speer was born in Winston County, Alabama, just two months before his father and mother began a singing group called the Speer Quartet. For the remaining seventy-eight years of his life, he was inextricably intertwined with that group. With only one exception -- World War II -- he sang with his family his entire life.

Achievements and recognition

Speer's academic accomplishments included a bachelor's degree in theology from Trevecca Nazarene University in 1950 and a master of divinity degree from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

Trevecca Trefeca (also Trefecca, Trevecca, and Trevecka), located between Talgarth and Llangorse Lake in what is now south Powys in Wales, was the birthplace and home of the 18th-century Methodist leader Howell Harris ( cy, Hywel Harris, italic=no). It wa ...

also awarded him an honorary doctor of music degree in 1997.Price, Deborah Evans. ''Billboard''. (April 10, 1999). "Gospel's Brock Speer Dies". P. 8. In addition to singing with and managing the

, Speer actively promoted

music through his work with 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 ...

. His service to GMA included being chairman of the board of directors and president of the organization. He was 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 1975. Although Speer's efforts were focused on music, he was also a licensed minister.

Family

Speer's parents were G.T. and Lena Speer (often referred to as "Dad" and "Mom" Speer). He had three siblings:

Ben Speer Ben Lacy Speer (June 26, 1930 – April 7, 2017) was a singer, musician, music publisher, and record company executive. He sang for The Speer Family for most of his career. Speer later became the music director of the Gaither Homecoming programs ...

, Mary Tom Speer Reid, and Rosa Nell Speer Powell. Speer was married to Faye Ihrig Speer for 50 years. They had three children: Suzan Speer, Marc Speer, and Brian Speer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Speer, Brock 1920 births 1999 deaths American gospel singers Southern gospel performers 20th-century American singers