Gaither Vocal Band Celebrates 45 Years: 'Our Job Is to Tell the Good News'

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The Gaither Vocal Band is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year — still touring, still making music and still drawing audiences across generations —but its members say its mission has never changed.

Launched by Bill Gaither in 1981 as the New Gaither Vocal Band, the group soon became a Southern Gospel mainstay thanks to its signature harmonies, humor and the Gaither Homecoming videos that brought music and many of its legendary voices into homes around the world.

The band is still earning recognition for its music, too, and is up for two honors at this year’s Dove Awards: Southern Gospel Album of the Year ("Then Came the Morning") and Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year ("Hard Trials Will Soon Be Over"). The awards show will be broadcast on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on TBN.

“Our job is to tell the good news, to sing the gospel — and that's what it is, the good news,” Gaither Vocal Band member Reggie Smith told Crosswalk Headlines.

The band’s music, he said, is centered on the power of redemption.

“It's good news, and so it's hopeful [because] you always feel like you’ve got second chances. You know, we're all messed up at everything, but there's redemption in what we're singing about.”

Fellow band member Todd Suttles agreed.

“I coached for 21 years in the SEC, and I've had Olympic athletes, I've had NFL athletes, NBA athletes —and I've tried everything and seen just about everything,” said Suttles, a former strength and conditioning coach for Vanderbilt University.

“But I know one thing that works — that is the good news of the gospel, and it gives me purpose. So that's why I do it, because I want to tell somebody about the good news and what God has in our lives and what He can do for you, only if we trust Him and believe it.

“And His word will not come back void. So that's my purpose —it is because I know something that works.”

A third member of the group, Adam Crabb, said that the mission is deeply personal for him, tracing back to a calling he sensed as a child.

“Since I was a little kid, I remember sitting in school and the Lord speaking to me. And when I got home, my mother was in tears, and she said, ‘You don't have to tell me. I already know what God is calling you into. You need to be on the road, singing —singing the music with your family’ and so I've just always felt called,” Crabb told Crosswalk Headlines. “And man, when you see a life touched or you see a tear roll down somebody's cheek, it's meaningful, and it's more than riches. It's more than fame. It's eternal, and so that's why I love it.”

Photo Credit: ©GaitherMusic

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.