So what more can you do when you possess a mammoth legacy such as that of the Kingsmen? The answer…keep singing and ministering the gospel, and keep releasing music with lyrics relevant to the lives of the listeners. The same drive and work ethic that brought the Kingsmen to incredible heights more than a half century ago, secures the Kingsmen’s continued place among the top male quartets in Christian music today.
The year was 1956, when a group of brothers in western NC joined together in forming the Kingsmen Quartet. This team of young men likely had no idea what they were beginning. By the early 1970s, the Kingsmen had ascended to the peak of the gospel music industry with their Dove Award-winning record, Big and Live. Since then, the momentum has never stopped. Just since 2015, the quartet has placed six more songs atop the southern gospel radio charts, received two more GMA Dove Award nominations, as well as a #1 album on the Billboard Chart.
More than seven decades of continued success has granted the Kingsmen some of Christian music’s most prestigious achievements. In 2000 they were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2008, and nine of the quartet’s prestigious alumni are members of the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame. In 1977 they performed on the south lawn of the White House for President Jimmy Carter, and in 1982 they performed at the opening ceremony of the World’s Fair in Knoxville, TN which was broadcast on local and regional TV, with President Ronald Reagan present to open the fair. The Kingsmen was also the first group to film and record a live performance at the famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in 1986. They have received more than 50 group and individual Singing News Fan Awards, including Favorite Group, Favorite Male Quartet, as well as both Favorite Song and Album for their signature performance, “Wish You Were Here”.
Among their extensive list of hits include some of gospel music’s most legendary classics…songs like “Saints Will Rise”, “The Judgement”, “Glory Road”, “Look for Me at Jesus’ Feet”, “Is That the Old Ship of Zion”, “He’s All I Need”, “The Next Cloud”, “I Can’t Even Walk Without You Holding My Hand”, “Battle Cry”, and “When God Ran” are but a few of the more than 100 charted classics in the career of the Kingsmen.
After nearly six decades anchoring the quartet as their award-winning bass vocalist, Ray Dean Reese, now in his 80s, cheers the next generation of this iconic name from the sidelines as their prestigious owner and CEO. “The Kingsmen tour year in and year out to spread our music to people across the country,” Reese shares, “Our music has a message, the message of Christ. Every night we work to bring His message to our audience. Our goal is to see people saved through Jesus Christ whether we're singing indoors, outdoors, in an auditorium, church or studio recordings.” Joining Reese are his son and road manager Brandon Reese, with the quartet’s youngest stage team in more than forty years… baritone & emcee Alan Kendall, tenor Thomas Nalley, lead Cole Watson, and bass/pianist Brady Jones.