Southern Gospel Music began 99 years ago when James D. Vaughn decided to sponsor a traveling quartet to sing his songs and sell his songbooks.  2010 will be the Centennial of this unique style of gospel music.

Since that time many hundreds, maybe thousands of gospel male quartets, mixed quartets and trios have come and gone.  Many have left wonderful legacies of great singing, interesting personalities and interesting histories.   Some, like the Blackwood Brothers sang for forty years, some like the Cathedrals traveled and sang for thirty years.  Most, however, blossom and bloom for four or five years and fade away.

One quartet, based in California, was formed out of the Stamps Harmony Boys in 1954 and has now survived fifty-five years, over 55% of the entire history of Southern Gospel Music.  The Songfellows Quartet is now one of the longest lasting groups in the history of Southern Gospel Music.  

The Songfellows Quartet is dedicated to the spreading the message of love and redemption found only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our Savior and King.

Musically we are dedicated to preserving the sound and style of the traditional Southern Gospel Quartet.  Four part harmony, a high tenor, and very low bass and a big full sound.

It all started back in 1920’s when a young man in Sweetwater, Texas attended a Stamp School of Music.  That young man, Bob Jones Sr., a member of the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame, formed the quartet in San Diego in 1944. One of the original members was another Hall of Fame member, Earl Weatherford.  Together they developed a style of quartet singing that influenced an entire generation of quartets, including the Weatherfords, Imperials and the Cathedrals. Bob Sr. was active in the quartet until he passed away at the age of 93.  He was still singing on the main stage of the National Quartet Convention at 91 years of age.  His son, Bob Jones Jr. joined the quartet as a teenager and is still active as manager and lead singer.

The Songfellows Quartet was based in California for over 50 years.  In 1936 Bob Jones Sr., the founder of the Songfellows was responsible for bringing Southern Gospel Music out West and establishing a love for this wonderful style of heart warming, toe tapping gospel music.

Decades later from their radio program on KFI, the 50,000-watt clear channel NBC station in Los Angeles, people listened to their Sunday night broadcast from Guam to Des Moines and from Vancouver, BC to Mexico City and were featured on many early television shows originating on the West Coast.

The quartet was an early participant in television and appeared with many country artists such as Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Red Foley, and Glen Campbell.  They have also been featured on Gospel Music Southern Style, TBN’s Praise the Lord and the Voice of Calvary.  Now they are the featured group on the "Brush Arbor Jubilee" the synicated Southern Gospel program heard and seen over much of the United States.

The Songfellows were featured in the historic concerts in the Long Beach Civic Auditorium with the Statesmen, Blackwood Brothers, Oak Ridge Boys, Couriers, Weatherfords and others.  The quartet regularly traveled from Vancouver, BC to Dallas, Texas and occasionally toured the entire country.

The Songfellows helped organize and create the Western States Gospel Music Association, which led to the expansion and popularity of Southern Gospel Music in the Western States today.  

For the last fifteen years the Songfellows have been featured at the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, twelve of them on the main stage.

The Songfellows’ newest record release on Homeland Records is “Hymns of the Homeland”, a collection of 13 of your favorite old hymns. Over the fifty years dozens of Songfellows recordings were made for Dial Records, Cornerstone Records, Gospel Singtime Records, HeartWarming and Homeland Records. These were 78, 45, 33 1/3 long play albums, cassettes and compact discs.

In 2006 the Songfellows moved from California to Nashville, Tennessee. The current members are Bob Jones Jr., Nick Bruno, Garry Sheppard, formerly with the Kingsmen and Perfect Heart Quartets, Harold Gilley, formerly with the Palmetto State Quartet and newly inducted SGMA Hall of Fame baritone, Ed Hill. Ed and Nick were both with the Stamps Quartet during the Elvis era.  Garry Sheppard and Harold Gilley are both favorites of southern gospel music fans all across America.  In addition to being a great singers, they both write some of the best gospel songs you will ever hear.  They are recorded by most of the top gospel singers, soloist and groups.  Garry has a true heart for his ministry. When he is not on the road with the Songfellows he is traveling and singing in his solo ministry.  Garry, Brenda, Chloe and Brandon live in White House, Tennessee.   Garry was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame as a Member of the Kingsmen.

Nick Bruno was recognized at the Producer of the Year at the Singing New Fan Awards at the National Quartet Convention in 2008. He has won many awards for his producing through the years and is recognized as a leader in helping developing groups advance their ministries through improving their vocal presentation and making professional quality recordings.

Nick is a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame as a member of the Kingsmen and Stamps Quartets.  Nick and Cece live in Gallatin, Tennessee.

Butch Owens is the bass singer for the quartet.  After a illustrious career in law enforcement in Jackson, MS Butch joined the Stamps Quartet and later the Florida Boys.  Butch is featured on many of the songs on the new Mercy River project. He has great voice and is already a fan favorite. 

Ed Hill is an icon in Southern Gospel Music.  He was the voice that said “Elvis has left the building” at the end of each Elvis concert.  Ed was recently inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame honoring his years with the Prophets, Statesmen and Stamps Quartets.  His smooth style has set the standards for quartet baritone singers for the last forty years and he still thrills audiences with his rendition of “The Lighthouse”.

Bob Jones, Jr. joined the Songfellows as a 17 year old and worked with his Dad, Bob Jones, Sr. for nine years.  He left gospel music to build a career in the musical instrument and sacred music recording and publishing businesses.  In his years as a business executive he served as Vice President and General Manager of the Thomas Organ Co., Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Steinway & Sons, President of the Zondervan Music Group, CEO of the Baldwin Piano Company and President of the Samick Music Corporation.  He rejoined the quartet after his two sons were grown and educated in 1989 and has led the group for the last twenty years.  Bob and his wife Marilyn recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and live in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Today, many gospel quartets have adopted a much more progressive, even contemporary sound.   The use of “stacked tracks” (vocals recorded on the soundtrack and the groups sings along with itself) and pre-recorded music has changed the sound of the traditional gospel quartet.  The emphasis on getting a good radio single has also caused groups to abandon the great old standards that people love.

The Songfellows do it the traditional way, a great piano player and four guys that just step up there and sing four-part harmony.   If you love traditional gospel quartet music you will love the Songfellows Quartet.