A Good Case Of The "What-ifs" (#305)

With Southern Gospel music going through a mild case of changes right now (Gold City, Palmetto State Quartet), people often wonder what the future will hold for the affected groups. It's only natural, and for the most part, there's nothing wrong with speculation.

But have you thought about such a thing in reverse? In other words, have you ever looked back at a change and followed the results of that change? Most people don't, but just for the sheer enjoyment of such a thing, let's do that right now.

I'm going to go back to Danny Funderburk's announcement that he was leaving the Cathedrals to help form a new group called Perfect Heart. Let's follow the trail from that moment...

Danny leaves the Cathedrals. His departure ultimately opens the way for Ernie Haase to step in as tenor. Sixteen years later, there is Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. Would there have been an "Ernie Haase & Signature Sound" if Danny had not accepted the Perfect Heart job?

Danny leaves the Cathedrals and suggests that Jeff Stice would be a great pianist for the new group. Jeff accepts the offer and leaves the Nelons. A few years later, Jeff is the last original member of Perfect Heart and retires the group. He soon becomes the pianist for the Kingdom Heirs. Not too long ago, he breaks away as a charter member of the Triumphant Quartet. So, would there have been a Triumphant Quartet if Danny Funderburk had stayed with the Cathedrals?

When Jeff shuts down Perfect Heart, that leaves baritone Joseph Smith looking for a job. The Booth Brothers hire him and a few years later, Mark Trammell decides to launch a trio. He's desperately looking for a lead singer when Joseph suddenly becomes available. Mark later says that Joseph was the perfect lead singer to launch the group with, so...would there have been a Mark Trammell Trio IF Jeff Stice had not retired Perfect Heart after being recommended for the job by Danny Funderburk?

But wait, there's more...if Danny Funderburk had stayed with the Cathedrals, would Garry Sheppard remained a retired quartet tenor? You might be asking "what does that have to do with anything?" Well, when Danny Funderburk left Perfect Heart, who took his place? Yep, Garry. He thought his quartet days were over when he retired from the Kingsmen.

As you can tell, we could probably do this kind of thing all day long if we picked the right person. Just imagine what would happen if, instead of Danny Funderburk, we used the name Floyd Beck. Just as a hint, think the early days of Gold City. Sketch that out and let me know what you come up with.