Wednesday's Internet Edition, December 03, 2008.
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News editor - The Blackwood Brothers, a multi-Grammy winning gospel group, will perform at Lea Ledger Auditorium on Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.
This performance will mark the fourth appearance of the Blackwoods in Copperas Cove. Russell Cochran, pastor of Hillside Evangelical Methodist Church, contacted the group to see if they would be interested in performing in Cove and the gospel singers agreed to come.
Previous concerts had a ticket price of $10, but this year’s concert will be free, with good will offerings taken up during a break. Local businesses have contributed to the cost of the concert and the money collected during the offering will also be used to pay for the concert.
The original Blackwood Brothers began in the mid-’30s by R.W. Blackwood, then 34. One of the brothers in the group, Cecil, went to Sunday school with Elvis Presley. After the group’s formation, they became Presley’s favorite gospel singers and sang at his funeral.
The Blackwoods recorded with RCA for 21 years, selling 40 million records. They won nine Grammy awards and sang on Barbara Mandrell’s Grammy Award-winning gospel album. They were two-time winners on the Arthur Godfrey television program, won 29 Dove awards and have appeared on TV with Johnny Cash and Tennessee Ernie Ford. They also co-hosted the syndicated TV program “Singing Time in Dixie.”
The Blackwoods and their spouses compose The Blackwood Family Singers, a gospel quartet.
Ron, 62, said, “I’m excited about the opportunity to still do what I love. Most people at this age think about retirement; I’m still going.” Ron says the best part of his job is seeing people smile and enjoy the music. “Music can uplift. It gives me such a high that I don’t know why people would ever do drugs,” he added.
Opening for the Blackwood Brothers will be Larry Sturm of Copperas Cove.