Southern Gospel Promoters Association

Ain’t That What It’s All About

On a recent Saturday afternoon I pulled into a South Georgia town for one of our annual concert promotions that evening. The excitement was in the air and several motor homes had already arrived at the Civic Center parking lot, as fans were anticipating an evening with the Inspirations, Primitive Quartet, the Reggie Sadler Family, and New Tradition. I have to admit it just doesn't get any better than this for a South Georgia night of Gospel Music. After circling the facility I soon found myself sitting at the local Shoneys having lunch and conversing with my long time friend, Danny Jones. After a couple of hours, we got checked into our motel rooms and I invited Danny to ride with me to several outlying cities to pick up advance ticket money, and he agreed it would beat sitting in the motel room all afternoon, so off we went. We talked as we rode along about several things, but mainly about promoting. When we would stop at a ticket location, we'd hurry in and back out, then hurry to the next town. While I drove, Danny would count the sales. I used to think I enjoyed counting money until I observed him, man is he good at it.

I began to share with Danny how I got started in promoting Southern Gospel Music. Since a small child, my parents had taken us many times to the all night sings held at the City Auditorium in Macon, Georgia, where I was born and raised. I really got hooked on it early and one night at a concert I was talking to one of my heroes, Jake Hess, and told him how bad I would love to sing and promote concerts. Jake suggested that I talk to the promoter that night, because he understood he would let local folks get involved helping him and even promote on halves with him. I approached the promoter telling him how bad I wanted to promote and sure enough he explained how I could go in with him on the next concert in Macon. For my part I would have to take care of all the advertising on the local area, and such things as newspaper ads, radio spots, TV, and get out all over town to put up the Tribune Showprint Cards when they were shipped to me. I told him I could handle it, so with a handshake, a smile, and a gentlemen's agreement, I became a partner with the greatest promoter of all time, Mr. J. G. Whitfield.

As I told Danny, I trained under the best from the beginning. Mr. Whit, as I soon learned to call him, treated me with great respect, and without his expertise and advice, I would not be promoting today. In the early years, when the Gospel singing Jubilee came out, one of our best advertising tools was to use 'ole Archie Watkins to cut the TV spots and air them on Sunday mornings on the Jubilee programs. This really increased our attendance. Mr. Whit soon learned that I could handle my part and we had many great years working together.

I began singing with a local group out of Macon and soon went out promoting in several different cities across the state and we would open all of the programs. Some of my fondest memories are the Hinson concerts where they walked out on stage dressed in those polka dot coats. Kenny, Ron, Larry, and Yvonne, all became special friends and what a powerful ministry they had.

The year Gold City released "Midnight Cry", we had nine consecutive sell outs across the state and many nights hundreds of people stood outside waiting to get in, but the local fire marshal would say "No more". Foxie, Jim Hamill, and the Mighty Kingsmen were great memories. I'll never forget the Battle of Songs Concerts with the Inspirations and the Happy Goodman Family. In the seventies and eighties, I guess we promoted about every group in the industry. Now I have had the opportunity to promote some of the newer groups like the Crabb Family. These kids are reaching young people as well as adults who would have never attended a concert if it were not for their strong ministry.

I started as a young kid at 17 years old with a burning desire in my heart to sing and promote and I told Danny, no, you're not always going to come out on top financially, but I guess I'll still be trying to promote until the day I die or the Lord returns. I believe the promoters in our industry need to come together and learn form each other by sharing ideas. Sure, we're promoting Gospel Music, the greatest music on earth, but above all we are promoting our Lord and Saviour. Just the other night at a concert, a young mother came up to me and shared with me that she had brought her eleven year old daughter to her first concert that night. When one of our top groups walked out on stage the little girl whispered to her mother, "I can feel my heart fluttering while they sing". The mother replied to her, "That's God trying to speak to you". As they left the concert that night they waved, smiled, and said "We will be back". As Kenny Hinson would say, "Aint That What It's All About?".

Norman Bonds
Family Promotions