We will be closed from Friday, December 23 through Sunday, January 1, reopening on January 2. We will fill all physical orders placed through noon on Thursday, December 22. Orders placed after noon will be filled when the office re-opens on January 3.

Digital items will, of course, remain instantly accessible through the break.

The Kingsmen are pleased to welcome Bob Sellers to the quartet, filling the vacancy created by the departure of Bryan Hutson. “I am so excited to become a member of the legendary Kingsmen Quartet family,” says Bob. “I’m thankful for this opportunity that Ray and Brandon Reese have given me, and I look forward to meeting every single Kingsmen fan.
 
     “The first song I recall singing with my mom and sister in our little country church was ‘A Place Where The Hungry Are Fed,’ so it is a dream come true to now stand on stage with the group that introduced that song and so many other great songs to Gospel music. I will work with all that is within me to continue the proud tradition that is The Kingsmen Quartet and, most importantly, to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ in song effectively. I cannot wait to see what God has in store!
 
 
       Bob’s first concert will be in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada on December 31, 2011.

“Brian not only brings an impressive vocal ability to the group, but will add a new excitement to the stage with his proficiency on bass guitar, piano, electric and acoustic guitar and steel guitar. We look forward to showcasing his many talents on stage, but what we love most is his testimony, his heart for ministry and the impact he will have on listeners,” says Roger Talley.

Brian is an Indiana native and was raised in a pastor’s home. He has previously played piano and sung with Southern Sound, Beyond the Ashes and Tribute Quartet. Brian co-wrote Tribute’s first top 10 single, “That’s Why I Love Him So,” and was a 2009 Top 10 nominee for Horizon Individual of the Year.

More information can be found at www.talleytrio.com.

The Boxcars

• Album of the Year, The Boxcars
• Entertainer of the Year
• Gospel Performance of the Year, In God’s Hands
• Instrumental Group of the Year
• Emerging Artist of the Year
• Instrumental Performance of the Year, Jumpin the Track
• Fiddle Player of the Year, Ron Stewart
• Banjo Player of the Year, Ron Stewart
• Mandolin Player of the Year, Adam Steffey

Balsam Range

• Album of the Year, Trains I Missed
• Song of the Year, Trains I Missed
• Emerging Artist

Crowe, Lawson, Williams

• Special recording of the Year, Prayer Bells in Heaven
• Gospel Performance of the Year, Prayer Bells in Heaven

Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver

• Vocal Group of the Year

Darin and Brooke Aldridge

• Emerging Artist of the Year

Alternate Roots launched its online magazine in 2007. Earlier this year, it added Bluegrass to the genres for which it offers a weekly radio chart.

The trio, started in 1993, consists of Fulton family members Frances (mother), Sonja (daughter), and Brad (son). In 1996, they were led to build and open the Texas Music Hall in Athens. Throughout the years, they have hosted countless concerts for Southern Gospel fans.

The group regularly performs at the hall and across the country using their talents as a ministry tool to bring people to Christ. Pinnacle is delighted to have this group joining its other artists making a mark in the industry.

New Grace Trio’s Brad Fulton adds, “We are excited about signing the Pinnacle contract with Crossroads. Through the promotion of our music, we pray that God’s Son will be exalted and God’s people will be edified.”

Look for the release due this summer.

Front Row L to R: Brad Fulton, Jeff Collins. Back Row L to R: Sonja Fulton, Frances Fulton.

Bluegrass Unlimited magazine, which publishes the definitive radio airplay charts for Bluegrass music, has announced their May 2011 charts.

Trains I Missed by Balsam Range tops the BU Singles Airplay Chart for the month, while The Boxcars’ self-titled CD takes the #1 slot on the Album Airplay Chart.

Live video performances of each band plus a supergroup performance of both bands together are available for streaming and download here.

Balsam Range and The Boxcars are distributed by Crossroads Distribution, Select-O Hits and Syntax Distribution. The albums are available in CD and digital formats.

Media Contact:
Ty Gilpin
Crossroads
828-684-3066 x320
ty.gilpin@crossroadsmusic.com
http://crossroadsmusic.com

About Balsam Range:
Balsam Range is a five-member bluegrass group from Haywood County, North Carolina. Their members are fiddler and tenor singer Buddy Melton, veteran mandolin player Darren Nicholson, acclaimed guitarist Caleb Smith, bassist and Southern Gospel Hall of Fame member Tim Surrett, and banjo player and Grammy® Award-winner Marc Pruett. Balsam Range burst onto the bluegrass scene in 2007 and has steadily compiled an impressive list of radio hits and appearances at prestigious venues.

About The Boxcars:
The Boxcars launched in 2010, making waves with IBMA award-winning instrumentalists, accomplished vocalists, and a quickly filled schedule, including dates at many of the largest Bluegrass festivals. Their members — Adam Steffey, Ron Stewart, John R. Bowman, Keith Garrett, and Harold Nixon — created the band after stints in several prestigious groups, including Alison Krauss and Union Station, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, the Isaacs, and J.D. Crowe and the New South.

About Mountain Home:
Mountain Home, a division of Crossroads Entertainment & Marketing, Inc., is one of the top Bluegrass labels in the business, representing such artists as Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, The Boxcars, Balsam Range, and Darin and Brooke Aldridge. Established in 1993, Crossroads is a market leader in the Bluegrass, Southern Gospel, and Performance Track fields.

Southern Gospel music and listens to it on enLighten

from Sirius XM satellite Radio!!!

Sirius XM management has made the decision to remove enLighten from the satellite service of both XM and Sirius, as well as Dish TV, effective Wednesday, May 4^th, in the mistaken belief that’s its listenership is miniscule. (However, enLighten will continue to be offered via the Sirius XM OnLine Internet service (Channel 805) and via the Sirius XM SmartPhone App.)

For your information, this action has been taken because – as part of the merger agreement – the Federal Communications Commission is requiring Sirius XM to make a group of channels available for “community-service” programming produced by minority and special-interest groups, which requires the removal of other channels due to limited bandwidth.

The only opportunity to reverse this decision requires immediate action by everyone who will be impacted by this action. Make a telephone call, send an E-mail … or, by far the most effective means … write and mail a letter … or use all routes.

If you wish to voice your displeasure, here is contact information:

Telephone calls –   If a Sirius subscriber, call Sirius Customer Care at 1-888-539-7474

or 866-635-2349

If an XM subscriber, call 1-800-XM-RADIO or 1-877-291-5304

In either case, comment on fact that enLighten is to be removed from the satellite service and, if it’s removed and not restored, you wish to cancel your subscriptions (if you do). (Do not be deceived by a rep telling you “it’s only moving to a new channel.)

You can send E-mails to customercare@siriusxm.com.

By mail — send a letter or postcard (now 29 cents) to one or both of these gentlemen:

Mr. Scott A. Greenstein                     Mr. Mel Karmazin

President & Chief Content Officer                    CEO

Sirius XM Radio                          Sirius XM Radio

1221 Avenue of the Americas, 36^th Floor         1221 Avenue of the Americas, 36^th Floor

New York, New York 10020                          New York, New York 10020

ALSO – you might send a copy of your letter to:

Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Complaints
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554

Remember … while you can be firm in your statements, always be Christ-like in what you say and write. And … pray, pray, pray!

Again:  to cause this action to be rescinded, a rapid and massive outcry is necessary!

Doyle Lawson, winner of The National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, has garnered no less than 14 International Bluegrass Music Awards, 4 Grammy nominations, and 4 previous Dove Award Nominations. “We, at Crossroads, certainly believe that this is the year Doyle will win his first Dove®”, says Mickey Gamble, President of Crossroads Entertainment.

Doyle Lawson comments: “I am honored to be nominated in the Bluegrass Gospel Category of the prestigious Dove® Awards.” The nomination was announced in a February 16th press conference at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

The 42nd Annual GMA Dove® Awards Ceremony will be at the same venue, on April 20th. GMC will televise the show at 8:00 P.M. EST on April 24th, Resurrection Sunday.

Watch the show on GMC (www.watchgmctv.com). GMC can be seen in over 47 million homes on various cable systems around the country, on DIRECTV on channel 338 and on Verizon FiOS on channel 224.