SOUNDS OF PRAISE

     In about 1989, I attended a church on Peters Street called Bethel Baptist Church. Marvin and I had attended by the invitation of a friend , Wayne Ballard. Later, we attended a radio broadcast at WJTH that Wayne did every Sunday. I loved attending church and I loved the singing. There was a group singing that Sunday and I waited after church to make their acquaintance. There was Marvin Jones, Bill Pack, and a woman named Katherine. I was asked to join their group and we became the Bethel Sounds of Praise. We started a broadcast on Sunday at 1:30 pm and I was surprised at the requests that we received. I even got calls at home and people at work asked me to sing a certain song for them. When we decided to go on the road and sing, the people at the church didn't want us to leave. It was better for us to spread the good news of Christ in song. My grandfather had done this and I was singing some of his songs. We attended singings with some great groups. Gold City, The Kingsmen, Trail Blazers, Wendy Bagwell and the Sunlighters, The Wilburn's, and The Interstate Quartet from Alabama. This is the group that recorded the song, "He's Alive" that was made famous by the Cooks. If you ever get a chance to see Jeanette Cook sing, you will receive a blessing beyond belief. I remember when we were in Alabama with the Kingsmen, it was so cold on the bus that we had to sit in a near by restaurant to thaw out before we could sing. My ex-husband's aunt Ruth Brown walked right up to Jim Hamil, looked him in the eye and said, "You might sing better than me and you might look better than me and make more money than me but you will never enjoy the Spirit more than me." We had one of the best singings that night and saw many saved. He later said that she was right, you have to be in it for the Lord.
We traveled in a van with all our instruments and singers and even a sound system with an electric piano. We sang in 4 states in less than a year. We finally had to slow down because of sickness. My mother-in-law couldn't keep the grandkids that I was raising and it was getting stressful. We finally settled down at a little church in Resaca and continued with radio broadcasts. We went to Smyrna, GA and made a tape of some of the songs. You know , we wound up giving them away. After I went back to work, it was hard to go and sing any where so we just went locally until Ruby became bedridden and we were spending alot of time with her. I still sing by myself some and write poetry. I play the piano for myself. It was a wonderful time in my life of praising the Lord in song. Below is one of the songs I wrote and recorded on our tape. I was asked one day by Wayne Ballard to write him a song. I asked him what he wanted me to write about and he told me about hanging on to the Lord. So I sat down and wrote this.

               "I'll Keep on Hanging on"

 1.  I know the way get's awful rough and the devil makes it tough,
     for us to live like Christians every day.
     But I'll look to Jesus every day and keep praying all the way,
     And I'll keep on hanging on till I get home.

Chorus:
    I'll keep on hanging on to my Savior,
    I'll keep on hanging on to my Lord,
    ol' satan trys to put us down,
    but some day I'll wear a crown,
    and I'll keep on hanging on till I get home.

2. I know I'll wear a robe of white, and up there will be no night,
    cause my Savior will be a lamp for me.
    Upon the cross He died for my, came through death victoriously,
    and I'll keep on hanging on till I get home.