This album is a truly special one because this was my grandparents’ gospel quartet. Jeff Newman produced this album and played rhythm guitar on it. Jeff was a nephew to my grandparents, and his talent as a producer shines on this record. While the Tulsa-based Gleaner Quartet performed live with their own drummer, bass guitarist, lead guitarist, and pianist, Jeff brought together some of Nashville’s finest studio musicians to cut these tracks.
This album was recorded at Hilltop Studio in Madison, Tennessee and distributed under the Hillside Gospel Records label. While the album credits Jeff Newman on “strings”, I suspect the string sounds were created by Jeff’s creative use of the steel guitar played through a fuzz effect with heavy reverb. A great example of the same strings sound, which Jeff called “fuzz tone strings”, can be heard on his excellent “Phoenix/Wichita Lineman” medley from the album Jeff Newman & A Few Good Friends.
The Gleaner Quartet vocalists:
Don Cook – Lead Vocals
Orville Cook – Tenor
Lois Spratt – Alto
Bill Spratt – Bass
Carol Travis – Vocalist
The Gleaner Quartet’s live performing musicians:
Drums – Joe Claver
Bass Guitar – Debbie Cook
Piano – Carol Travis
Lead Guitar – Danny Griffith
Track Listing:
- He Rescued Me
- I’ve Never Loved Him Better
- He Looked Beyond My Faults
- Somebody Loves Me
- He’ll Put a Little Heaven (In Your Soul)
- Never Faileth
- When Jesus Breaks the Morning
- Because He Lives
- Rainbow of Love
- Don’t Be Afraid
- He Did It All for Me
- It’s All Because of God’s Amazing Grace
Album Credits:
Drums – Paul Charron
Guitar – Steve Chapman
Guitar – Jimmy Capps
Bass – Billy Linneman
Guitar and Strings – Jeff Newman
Piano – Jerry Whitehurst
Jack Spratt, my father, did all the writing, artwork, design, and photography for the album’s front and back covers. Click an image below to see a larger version.
