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Terry Blackwood History

Christmas is the Most Wonderful Time

Christmas is the Most Wonderful Time

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A little girl jumped up into Santa’s lap. Santa asked the usual question. “And what would you like for Christmas?”, asked Santa.  The child stared at him open mouthed and shocked for a minute, then gasped, “Didn’t you get my email?”

 

The store’s Santa Claus gave little Jeanie a candy cane. Her mother said, “What do you say, Jeanie?” Jeanie looked up at Santa and said, “Charge it!”

We are experiencing Christmas in Vienna, and it’s beautiful here. Our good friend, Dennis Jale has brought the Imperials here for nine years now for his Christmas shows. We started out in Zurich, Switzerland and now will end up here in Vienna Friday and Saturday at two Cathedrals. We sing our songs, back him on his Christmas songs and make new friends. The Austrian people are so welcoming to us “southern boys” who talk funny and can’t speak a word of German except Schnitzel. If it’s about food, we KNOW! I have learned to say, Danke, which means thank you, after I get the Schnitzel. We are staying at the wonderful Intercontinental Hotel and the hotel staff is so helpful. The breakfasts are the BEST. You can special order omelets or eggs any way you like them.

I was thinking last night as we finished the show, we sing Silent Night acapella to the audience and they, in turn, sing it back to us in German. What a beautiful way to end a Christmas show! I miss Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Oh Holy Night, Joy To the World, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Oh Little Town of Bethlehem, and so many of the carols I sang in church many years ago. Don’t you? Silent Night, Holy night. All is calm, all is bright. Round yon virgin mother and child, holy infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace. What a beautiful message of peace and goodwill in a chaotic world of fighting and arguing.

 

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year when we renew our relationships with family whom we love so much, share time and love with them, and show our love by exchanging gifts. However, were it not for the gift of the Christ child, Christmas would not exist. He came into our world to make us part of His forever world. It’s wonderful to know that God loved us so much, He gave His only son to die for a lost world. The greatest gift ever given inspires us to give back what we have to Him who gave his all for us.

A Thanksgiving Prayer

A Thanksgiving Prayer

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Bless the Lord, oh my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, oh my soul and forget not all of his benefits: who forgives all my sins, who heals all my diseases, who redeems my life from destruction, and who satisfies my life with good things so that my youth is renewed like the Eagles. (Ps 103:1-5).  

I have so much to be thankful for and am reminded of just how blessed I am at this special time of the year. I have a wonderful family, all of whom are healthy and growing in grace. The responsibilities given me to lead this family are many and requires my constant attention and devotion. There’s nothing more important than my devotion to Jesus Christ, God’s son, and to follow in His steps wherever they take me. My wife, Tina, has been such a strength to me and for that I’m grateful. My children were a gift from God. When the doctor told us we would never have children, God had a different plan. We knew a couple who had connections to a Christian adoption agency in CA so we called, put together a resume, and sent it to them. Without much hope of success, we did what we could and God did the rest. 

Within a month, a young woman, who had been residing in that home, was praying for a suitable couple to raise her soon to be born soon, and her two requests were this: being short, herself, she desired at least one parent to be short in stature. Tina is around 5 ft, 2 in. Her second request involved her love for music and she wanted her son to be raised in a musical home. When she saw our resume, the spirit of God told her that we were to raise her son. On June 1, 1997, we flew to CA and were there for the birth of our son on June 4, and we named him, Luke. Three days later, the agency had a service for all of us. The birth mother, Brianna, officially said goodbye to her son and we took him with us back home. 

Two years later, Tina got pregnant! That miracle brought us our second son whom we named Jesse, born February 19, 2000. He was a difficult delivery but he has been a blessing. On November 10, 2001, Tina delivered our third baby we named Leah. Our family was complete!

Ask for YOUR blessing and expect God to answer. At this Thanksgiving season, be thankful for what you have. God will honor your gratitude and will give you what you need. Be blessed!

Labradoodle

Your Relationship With Christ

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I am back home enjoying the peace and quiet of home. We’ve had one little change since I got back. I bought a nine week old Labradoodle puppy, and he’s turned our world around. I wasn’t sure we would even keep him as my daughter wasn’t on board with this and my middle son wasn’t either. I will say, after two days, I thought maybe I would sell him, as we leave for Florida vacation next Monday for a week and we can’t take him with us. Then, December 2, the Imperials fly to Switzerland to begin our Christmas tour. What to do with this sweet puppy?  I ran an ad on Craigslist and got one sweet lady who wanted him desperately. Now I’m not sure I have the heart to sell him. He’s brought such joy and life to our home. My wife, Tina, has been battling pneumonia and thrush for two weeks but has finally turned the corner, thanks to many prayers offered up for her and the medicine. I’ve never seen her this sick before. I’m thankful for doctors as they do marvelous work, but I’ve heard it said that doctors don’t heal; they just remove the impediments to God’s healing that always works. I believe that. All healing is God ordained and inspired. Doctors are a great help in that process, and for that I’m grateful.  I will keep you posted.

On a darker note, I was saddened by the loss of a friend who sang with me years ago in Andrus, Blackwood, and Co. David Hassell was a vital part of our group for two years, playing keyboards and singing harmonies. After he left us, he went to work for Lifeway, the Southern Baptist organization in Nashville and his creativity flourished there. Unfortunately, they cut back on personnel and he had to leave. Since then he’s taken several different jobs, got married and had two beautiful children, Mamie and Jude. He died of complications from breaking his ankle and from that, developed a blood clot that went to his heart and took his life last week. Please pray for his children. We know David is in heaven, as he worked his entire life to share the love of Christ with those around him. We will miss you, David, but God had different plans for you. Now you are enjoying the bliss of heaven and can be sure your two children are in the watchful eyes of our loving Father.

Life is unpredictable. You never know how long you have. Be sure you have your heart right with God and are ready for eternity should your time come. Your relationship with Christ is the only thing that really matters.

A Whirlwind Tour of Rome

A Whirlwind Tour of Rome

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I know I missed last week’s blog. I was on a slow boat to Rome, Italy from a start in Barcelona, Spain, ending back in Barcelona, and had no internet. You can imagine how frustrated I was not being able to write and get it published in time. The cruise was the TCB Cruise with Dennis Jale as host. Priscilla Presley was on board, Jerry Schilling and his wife, Cindy, were there. James and Louise Burton, Ronnie and Donna Tutt, Glen D Hardin and were included in that lineup. We flew to Barcelona, Spain and did a concert there the first night. The next day, we boarded the ship and set sail for Naples, Italy as our first stop. We arrived there the next morning where we exited the ship and took a taxi to visit Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius. That was an amazing story. The city was hit with an earthquake in 62 AD and it did much damage to the city. As they were in the process of recovery, Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD and the eruption was so quick and complete that people were actually buried in volcanic ash before they had a chance to escape. There are actual corpses there to prove that. History records that the city had become very carnal and wicked and though they don’t link it to God’s judgment, for those of us who are Christians, it’s a distinct possibility this was from the hand of God. He’s slow to anger but if He is provoked long enough, He will act. Human nature without God in their plans always devolves to a lower state of moral depravity.  It seems Pompeii was just one more example of that. From the ruins of Pompeii, we took the cab back to Naples where we found a little pizza shop and got online for about an hour. I had so many emails I couldn’t even get to them all. And the pizza wasn’t even that good!

The next day we had a whirlwind tour of Rome. We took a bus to the train for an hour’s ride into Rome. From there we took a guided two-hour tour of the city. We passed the Vatican so quickly I didn’t even have time to say hello to the pope. The tour had to be fast as we had two shows to do that night so we had to get back on the train, and the bus back to the ship. Two shows that night and weary from a long day, we fell into bed that night. It seems the wind from the open touring bus caused problems for my sinuses and I got a very bad cold the next day. I was so sick I didn’t get to explore the next stop in Cannes, France. Tina got off and said it was the most beautiful spot of the tour. It must have been as she came back with several purchases.

The next stop was Palma de Mallorca, Spain. By this time I was better so Tina and I debarked and visited the shops. This town is known for its pearls and so we purchased a necklace for Tina and earrings for Leah, our daughter. We had to get back to the ship as that night was the gospel concert night for us. Priscilla came, Jerry Schilling was there, and James and Louise Burton were there. It was a great night.

Finally, after six days at sea, we arrived back in Barcelona, where we had to get off the boat at 6 am for the trip to the airport. We left Barcelona for JFK airport at 10 am and arrived in NYC just in time to miss our connecting flight home. AA rerouted us to Dulles in Washington and then we got to our final destination around 9 pm. After the luggage was retrieved, we arrived home about 11:30 pm. That meant, counting the time changes,  we had been up for 24 hours straight with no sleep! So how was YOUR week?

Gospel Music Can Change Your Life

Gospel Music Can Change Your Life

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The Imperials Now LP was recorded in 1968 and it contained many great songs, but one of the best was a song called Reach Out to Jesus. The message contained in that song is powerful. The first verse says, “Is your burden heavy as you bear it all alone?  Does the road you travel harbor dangers yet unknown? Are you growing weary in the struggle of it all? Jesus will help you when on his name you call.” The chorus, “He is always there, hearing every prayer, faithful and true. Walking by your side, in his love we hide, all the day through. When you get discouraged, just remember what to do. Reach out to Jesus; he’s reaching out to you”. What a wonderful thought for those who are struggling in their lives. Is that you?  You can Reach Out to Jesus because He’s reaching out to YOU. That is what makes gospel music life-changing. Music can make you smile or it can make you cry. Gospel music can change your life!

Elvis heard this song and included it on his He Touched Me LP that was received so well. It will be the very next song we record and we will make it a part of our new program for 2019.

By the way, you can go to ImperialsLive.com  and find all of our cd’s. They would make a great addition to your library. Every month I have a 3 for $20 special. August special is Friends IV, One Voice, Terry Blackwood Anthology, and Time to Get it Together.  Get your order in before the end of August. You also can go to TerryBlackwood.com.  

Experiencing Growing Pains

Experiencing Growing Pains

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In 1970, the Imperials were experiencing growing pains but also changes in personnel. Roger Wiles, our great baritone, decided he wanted to launch out into a solo ministry/career so he left. We were left scrambling for a replacement. This was not long after we had been to Houston for the big Elvis concert at the Astrodome. During our time there, we saw Larry Gatlin, who was singing at a local supper club and attending the University of Houston. As a replacement was needed quickly, we approached Larry about joining the group on an interim basis. He responded positively as he wanted out of what he was doing. Being raised in a family group that sang gospel music all the time, he was a quick study. He could hear harmonies and he blended right in. We used his services for two or three months. He was with us for a month with Elvis and he sang with us for a month at the Landmark Hotel, across the street from the Hilton the next month, with Jimmy Dean. The month with Jimmy was noteworthy because he had Dottie West as his special guest. She was a great addition to the show and we were sold out every night. It was during that month with Dottie that Larry got to know her and she invited him to move to Nashville to write for her publishing company. So Larry really got his big break after singing with us and following Dottie back to Nashville.

The Imperials with Greg Gordon, far right.

In the meantime, we were able to find a great singer in Greg Gordon. He is the son of Anna Gordon of the Chuck Wagon Gang and she was married to former Governor Jimmy Davis, who wrote You Are My Sunshine, along with many other great songs. Greg was much fun and so unpredictable. He had a thin, soulful voice that fit us very well. You can hear him on our next release we called Time To Get It Together. One song, in particular, that stands out to me was a song written by the producer of many songs on that LP. The song, Jesus Made Me Higher, was a wonderful song that addressed the dilemma that many young people were beginning to deal with, DRUGS! The gist of the song is clear; there is no high as high as the high that Jesus gives and there are no withdrawals! It’s only higher and higher as we follow Christ and the rewards are so much more in this life and especially in the life to come.

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It Still Touches Lives

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By the year 1969, the Imperials had established themselves in both the gospel markets and the secular markets. We were backing Jimmy Dean and had just agreed to work with Elvis. We came to the third album that we called Love Is the Thing. Our orchestra conductor for Jimmy Dean, John Miller, had become our good friend and we decided we wanted him to arrange vocals and orchestrate that record. This album contained some unique arrangements, unlike anything we had done before. This was our first true departure from the southern gospel stylings of the two previous releases.  John didn’t arrange every song but his influence on vocals was profound. A New World, A Quiet Place, Love Is the Thing, Love Like The Sun, For Once In My Life, and lastly, I Looked for Love, were John’s arrangements, vocally and instrumentally. Honestly, they were great on the album but didn’t translate at all to the stage. The other songs on that release became our stage songs. He Touched Me, God Speaking to You, (my arrangement), The Cross Medley, I’ve Got Confidence, Sweet Spirit were all songs that worked well on stage. In fact, Elvis heard this album and knowing he was about to do another gospel album, he asked us to cut He Touched Me with him, as well as I’ve Got Confidence.  He took two songs from our second album, Reach Out To Jesus and A Thing Called Love. That album won a Grammy for him, his third one and all three were his gospel releases. For us, our cut of He Touched Me was a powerful message of God’s reaching down to man and we shared it as many times as we could. Sweet Spirit became a standard on every Elvis show. I will tell you about that wonderful, anointed song, Sweet Spirit, next week. Just know that God was in the selection of that song and He knew it would touch many lives around the world. I’m so glad we chose that song for that album. It still touches lives today.

A Message That Resonated Loudly and Clearly

A Message That Resonated Loudly and Clearly

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By this time in our careers and after the second release, Imperials Now, we had really begun to establish a reputation. That can be good and that can be bad! Fortunately, it was mostly good. Yes, we had long hair and were a bit unconventional in appearance but our music spoke to a wide variety of listeners. With every Imperial release, you didn’t know what you were going to get. I remember well, going to a very conservative Christian college which shall remain nameless. We were warmly welcomed by the students and tentatively accepted by the faculty. While the students loved us and our music, the faculty endured us. Though they didn’t understand the music, they couldn’t argue with the message contained in the songs. I think they couldn’t get past our clothes! No suits, no ties, but a message that resonated loudly and clearly to all the listeners.

We got the call from Colonel Parker’s office in the spring of 1969. We were singing with Jimmy Dean, working in huge venues around the country as a supporting act for Jimmy and getting great reviews. National television was opening up for us and it seemed that God was smiling on us. I think our appearance on the Merv Griffin Show when we got a chance to sing, we chose He Touched Me. We could have chosen a more contemporary song with a watered down message but we decided to go with our heart. It seemed that God smiled on us that night. Unsolicited positive responses from the actress, Greer Garson, only served to enhance our appearance. So, in June of 1969, we flew to LA to begin rehearsals with the TCB band and the Sweet Inspirations at Universal Studios in Hollywood. You can witness some of those rehearsals in Elvis’ movie, “That’s The Way It Is”. We would arrive in the morning and spend two to three hours on vocals and then Elvis would drive up either on his motorcycle or his Mercedes Benz. Elvis always made a statement when he walked in.

We Knew We Had Something Special

We Knew We Had Something Special

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I graduated from the University of Memphis in May of 1967 without a clue of what I would do. My first job was selling shoes in downtown Memphis. I was awful; I lasted two months. You learn very quickly what you’re NOT good at and at that point. If you don’t really enjoy the work, you quit, because it’s much better than getting fired! Then I got the call from the Imperials and they asked me if I was interested. I said yes, I was. They asked me to come to Nashville to sing with them. I did that. It must have gone well as they called me back and offered me the job. It took me a while to decide, as I knew it would change my life forever. I was comfortable at home with family and this would be a whole new world for me. I didn’t realize just how different it would be. After praying about it and dwelling on it I decided it was God’s will for me. I moved my meager belongings to Nashville where Roger Wiles and I decided to settle down together in an apartment on Harding Road. The rent was cheap, but the place was adequate. Roger was from California, where he had sung with his father in a group out there. I came from Memphis, where I had sung with my father. We immediately knew we had something special.

Jake Hess and the Imperials

 

The Imperials were working on a new LP and the songs were already selected. All Roger and I had to do was jump in and sing the parts. That first record became New Dimensions. It was an instant success with the fans and radio. However, the promoters didn’t appreciate not seeing Jake Hess and Gary McSpadden. After all, the group was called Jake Hess and the Imperials. Now, we were just the Imperials. We lost about 50 dates the first year. Even though we had a great sound, there was a time we almost gave up. We got just enough work to pay the bills. We never gave up. Finally, calls started coming in for the new contemporary group with the cute blond lead singer! Ok, I made that part up.

Blog 28: Jimmy Dean & The Lennon Sisters On the Road

Blog 28: Jimmy Dean & The Lennon Sisters On the Road

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After our first month in Las Vegas with Elvis, the Imperials went back on the road to fulfill contracted dates we had established with promoters. Our schedule was full with two months a year with Elvis, our gospel dates, and also our dates with Jimmy Dean. Jimmy was a country singer who had a very successful network show on ABC where he featured famous country music artists who had never made it to network television before. From that very successful show, he also added the very successful song, “Big John”, to his list of successes. He hired us a year after I came with the group and we immediately went on the road with him. This was a year before Elvis called. Our first appearance was a theater in the round in W. Covina, CA with special guests, The Lennon Sisters. They were regularly featured on the Lawrence Welk show weekly and had a huge following. At that time, Jimmy had employed a group of twelve men with doctorates in music who were called the Cimarron Singers. They would sing songs like Maria, Shenandoah, and other songs that were received very well.

Since we were the new kids on the block, we were added to the male chorus. In the middle of the show, the Cimarron Singers would be featured on their songs. After those songs, Jimmy introduced the Imperials and we came out from the group and sang our song. We chose He Touched Me. The response was amazing!  We were instant successes. The local newspaper had a review on the show that was enlightening. The reporter wasn’t used to power voices and he described us as the Imperials, a male quartet with “shotgun voices”! Because of the responses from the audience, on the next tour, the Imperials were the only supporting act for Jimmy Dean. He saved a lot of money on flights and he gained a group that added much to his show.

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