Even after their retirement in 1999, the Cathedrals still generate plenty of airplay. Just the other day, while on the way into the office, I heard a song by the guys and the "old man," Glen Payne was doing his thing with his trademark lead vocals.
And the floodgate of recollections opened up.
The memories of Glen Payne I have will generate smiles for years to come. Glen was a wealth of information and tremendous advice for us "younger" guys in Southern Gospel Music. But, perhaps even more importantly, he was a walking, talking example of what to do, what to say - and how to live.
Glen was a perfectionist when it came to singing. I've stood in the wings of a stage many nights and listened to Glen sing flawlessly. I've also stood in the wings of a stage on a very rare occasion after he'd wandered off pitch or forgotten a word or two of a song and watched him go over that part again until he got it right. I've also watch Glen as he'd lead the rest of the group through a mini-rehearsal during sound check because during the performance the night before, something was less than perfect.
Back in May in 1999, just a few months before Glen's death, we were in Lancaster, PA, and during the afternoon performance, Glen - in his words, not mine - "absolutely butchered" a chorus of "We Shall See Jesus." During the break between the concerts, Roger Bennett and I were gently ribbing (actually, we were ragging him pretty hard) Glen about it and he looked over at us and said, "You won't hear that again. I'll show you how it's supposed to be done!"
Sure enough, that night, Glen nailed his part to the wall. And he looked over at me in the wings and gave me that look that said, "So there!" Roger got the same look at the end of the song.
But it wasn't the fact that he'd gotten his part right that generated the looks Roger and I got that night. It wasn't even mere "I told you so" retaliation by Glen. Those looks happened because of Glen's stance of "if I'm going to stand on a stage and sing, then I'm going to do it right."
When Brock Speer passed away in early 1999, there were many comments about Brock's "singing the right way." Those comments rose again with Glen's death. And there was a reason for that.
You see, there are a lot of people out there singing today who don't understand proper singing techniques. There are a lot of people standing on the stage today who don't know the first iota about music. There are a lot of people who are making careers in Southern Gospel Music today who don't have a clue about taking proper care of their voice. There are a lot of people singing today who are so into "musical interpretation" that they'll wind up singing themselves right out of a career (because they ran down every musical rabbit trail that popped up) before they have twenty years under their belt. Glen Payne understood all of these concepts and he practiced them every day. As a result, he spent over 50 years on the road, doing only one thing and that was singing. In fact, we all know that had it not been for the liver cancer, he'd still be out there on every weekend that he wanted to be.
My questions, now, are how many of the "younger" guys and gals on the road today will be able to look back one day and say they spent over 50 years on the road? How many will be able to say their voice is as strong today as it was five decades ago? How many of them will be able to view their career as a success all because they never wavered off the musical path that once made them strong? How many of them will be able to say "I did it right?"
I know beyond any shadow of a doubt that Glen wanted young people to succeed in Southern Gospel Music - but he stressed the importance of doing it right. He offered his advice freely to anyone who inquired of him. Now, it's up to them to heed it.
If you're a young singer who's standing at a musical crossroads today, I urge you to follow the example of Glen Payne. He was a young singer's greatest cheerleader and the path he has walked is adorned with shining accomplishments that have forever set the standard.
