The Chuck Wagon Gang is a

Country gospel Christian country music (sometimes marketed as country gospel, gospel country, positive country or inspirational country) is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as (in terms of t ...

musical group, formed in 1935 by David P. ("Dad") Carter, oldest son Ernest ("Jim") along with daughters Lola ("Rose") and Effie ("Anna"). The group got their first radio break as sponsored singers for Bewley Flour in 1936. The "Gang" signed with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

and remained with them for 39 years, a world record that lasted until 2000, when

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

' overall time with the same label (combining his signing in 1957 and re-signing in 1968) entered its 40th year. At one point they were Columbia's number one group with over 39 million in record sales.The Chuck Wagon Gang's Start The Chuck Wagon Gang has performed at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...

, the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

, and the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a div ...

. The group has been 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 ...

and the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...

's classic American recordings.

1930s to 1970s

The group was founded in 1935 broadcasting from radio station KFYO in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the nort ...

, and took the name in 1936 when they moved to WBAP in

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

. The original members sang together all the way to 1955 when Dad Carter retired, later passing away in 1963, followed by Jim in 1971. Sons Eddie and Roy Carter stepped in to sing tenor and bass, respectively, which began the tradition of Carter siblings, children and eventually grandchildren joining the Gang. By the mid-1970s, the group was still touring part-time but felt a lack of support from the label they had recorded for during the previous three decades. Columbia had stopped servicing their songs to radio; thus airplay had become non-existent. The decision was eventually made to move on from Columbia in the interest of rebuilding the group to a position akin to what it had enjoyed in years past. To that end, in 1979 they began recording for Copperfield Records and remained with that label for several years.

1980s to Present Day

After its relationship with Copperfield Records ended, the Chuck Wagon Gang began recording for Associated Artists. It was during this era that the group took advantage of its renewed popularity and, in keeping with the gospel sounds of the time, added a piano player to the lineup for live concerts. Fans responded positively to this sound, eventually culminating in the Gang receiving the "Best Gospel Group in Country Music" award at the Music City News Awards in 1988. Bob Terrell ''The Chuck Wagon Gang: A Legend Lives On'' 1990 Roy approached Anna's granddaughter Shaye in 1993, asking her to assume the responsibility of singing soprano upon the retirement of member Debbie Trusty. Shaye accepted Roy's offer and sang soprano with the Gang until the retirement of alto singer Ruth Ellen Carter Yates a few years later, when she moved to her current position of alto singer. Roy subsequently retired, bringing about a new era for the Gang in which none of Dad Carter's children were members. As the 21st century dawned, the Gang sought to return to its origins, paring its sound back to the beautiful simplicity of four-part harmony accompanied by a single guitar. Once again, fans responded positively. As of 2021, the Gang records for the Crossroads Music label. (Source: )

Members

*Shaye Smith – alto, manager/owner (1994–2007, 2010–) (granddaughter of original alto Anna Carter Gordon Davis) *Melissa Kemper – soprano (2001–2006, 2015–) *Josh Garner - tenor (2021–) *Darrell Morris – bass and guitar (2021–) *Scotty Owenby – upright bass (2021–)

Former members

Original members: * David P. (Dad) Carter – tenor, mandolin (1936–1955) * Rose (Lola) Carter Karnes – soprano (1936–1975) * Anna (Effie) Carter Gordon Davis – alto (1936–1975, 1978) (Married to former

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Jimmie Davis James Houston Davis (September 11, 1899 – November 5, 2000) was an American politician, singer and songwriter of both sacred and popular songs. Davis was elected for two nonconsecutive terms from 1944 to 1948 and from 1960 to 1964 as the ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

from 1968 - 2000) * Jim (Ernest) Carter – bass, guitar (1936–1953, 1968–1970) * Roy Carter - Bass, Manager (1952 - 1997) Others *Louise Clark Porterfield *Jim Waits *Haskel "Hi-Pockets" Mitchell *Eddie Carter *Howard Gordon *Ronnie Crittenden *Pat McKeehan *Greg Gordon (Son of Anna) see Billboard Feb 3 1968. *Vicki Gordon (Owens) (Daughter of Anna) *Ronnie Page *Bettye Carter Goodwin *Ruth Ellen Carter Yates *Shirley Carter *Patricia Neighbors *Harold Timmons *Debby Trusty *Anita Saylor *Kathy Watson *Renee' Martin *Jim Wesson *Rick Karnes *Ronnie Page *Allen Thompkins *Penny Greene Shelnut *Kelly Jennings *Dave Emery *Julie Hudson *Jeremy Stephens *Kasey Owens *Grant Owens *Stan Hill *Wyatt Austin * Source 'CWG 70th Ann. CD Cover'

Partial discography

*''Joy to the World'' (1954) *''Perfect Joy'' (1960) *''God's Gentle People'' (1962) *''He Walks With Me'' (1963) *''That Old Time Religion'' (1964) *''Joy Bells Ringing in My Soul'' (1965) *''Christmas with the Chuck Wagon Gang'' (1965; reissue of ''Joy to the World'' with two additional songs) *''Lord, Lead Me On'' (1966) *''Move Up to Heaven'' (1967) *''Songs of Faith & Glory'' (1967) *''The Glory Land Way'' (1967) *''Revival Time'' (1968) *''Rejoice'' (1969) *''Standing on the Rock'' (1969) *''The Chuck Wagon Gang's Greatest Hits'' (1969) *''Thank the Lord'' (1970) *''Going Home for Christmas'' (1970) *''Oh What a Happy Day'' (1973) *''Camp Meetin' Time'' (1974) *''Greatest Hits - Volume 1 (1990) *'' Keep On Keepin' On'' (1993) *''Gathered Together'' (2002) *''The Acoustic Sound of the Chuck Wagon Gang'' (2003) *''Live at Renfro Valey'' (2003) *''Live in Branson'' (2004) *''Clinging to a Saving Hand'' (2005) *''Timeless Hymns'' (2006) *''70th Anniversary CD'' (with Various Artists) (2006) *''Remembering the Old Songs'' (2007) *''Reminiscing'' (2008) *''Country Gospel Treasures'' (2009) *''The Best Is Yet to Be'' (2011) *''The Chuck Wagon Gang Complete Recordings 1936–1955'' (2014) *''Meeting in Heaven – The Chuck Wagon Gang Sings the Songs of Marty Stuart'' (2014)

Awards

*1955: Disc Jockey Association Award- #1 Gospel Group in America *1985: Dad Carter was Inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame *1986: SESAC Award- 50 Years of Recorded Gospel Music *1987: SESAC Award- Lifetime Achievement Award *1988, 1989: TNN/Music City News Award- Country Gospel Group of the Year *1989: Marvin Norcross Award *1991, 1992: TNN/Music City News Award- Country Gospel Group of the Year *1998: Rose and Anna Inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame *2011: Roy Carter Inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame

References

External links

*
Former Record Label For Chuck Wagon Gang and additional info/product
* (http://www.chuckwagongang.com/) Historical Page For Chuck Wagon Gang {{DEFAULTSORT:Chuck Wagon Gang, The American Christian musical groups Columbia Records artists Gospel quartets Musical groups established in 1935 Southern gospel performers