Southern Gospel Music has been blessed to have many great people in it down through the years. Several names come to mind quickly - Brock Speer, George Younce, Ed O'Neal and on and on. But there are plenty more.

Though it's generally the performing artists who usually stand in the spotlight, there are many other important individuals who make the Southern Gospel Music wheel turn. Many of those people prefer to take a "behind-the-scenes" role, but without them, there are a lot of people who would be up a creek with no paddle.

For example, there's Rayburn Lane of the Dove Brothers. Rayburn is that towering gentleman who stands behind the quartet's record table at concerts. But he's way more than just a table worker. He's the chief navigator for the group (he's been everywhere it seems), he's the primary engineer of T & L (that's "toting and loading" for the uninformed out there), and he's a very important PR person for the group. He handles requests and questions at the table with great ease and he's a genuine favorite among fans and industry people. And when the concert is over, he's the first one to grab a hand truck, load up the product - and come back in to see if there is anyone who needs some help.

I don't know if you've ever noticed it or not, but nine times out of ten, Rayburn is the first one dressed and in the building when it's concert time. That reminds me of one of the greatest persons to ever sing on the Southern Gospel Music stage - Glen Payne. Of course, there were many times that Rayburn sat behind a record table or backstage and talked for hours with Glen.

Kinda makes you wonder what Glen said, doesn't it?

Thanks, Rayburn. You've been a true friend to many people - me included.