Soul’d Out Quartet is no stranger to Southern Gospel music. In fact, in recent years, they’ve become one of Southern Gospel’s favorite quartets. So, who are these guys, and what are they really about? In May of 2004, in answer to God’s call on his life, Matt Rankin of Georgetown, Ohio started a journey to find men of kindred spirits and equal yoking to partner with him in a mission to fulfill that calling by evangelizing God’s word through song. Soul’d Out Quartet is comprised of Dusty Barrett (tenor), Bryan Hutson (lead), Matt Rankin (baritone), Ian Owens (bass), and Zach Loud (sound man). Together, they travel the country with a mission of evangelism and discipleship to win souls for Christ and to strengthen and encourage God’s people.
Soul’d Out is currently working on a new CD that will be released at the beginning of 2017. In recent news, bass singer, Ian Owens will be leaving the group at the end of November. Ian is said to be a dear friend, who will be missed on the road. He is going back to school to pursue a career in Biblical counseling. The guys also have some big news that they are excited to announce in 2017, so keep a lookout for that!
When asked if God has been teaching him anything in particular lately, Matt Rankin replied, “Absolutely. I have personally been through the hardest year. My life verse right now is Psalms 119:71, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Thy statutes.” I had to go through a deep valley in order to completely rely on the Lord. I had no choice but to rest in Him and His word. Now, even in the midst of chaos, I have peace and true joy. It was a hard road to get here, but I am thankful for the Lord’s correction and comfort.”
The group is doing about 180 dates per year and doing a lot of annual dates. Matt says, “The annual dates are great, because it’s like going once a year to see family.” The group got started by Matt and a friend of his is 2001. He stated, “We couldn’t hardly get any bookings. We weren’t very good. So, I just stayed on the phone until someone said yes. After I had quit my job to do this, I called 107 churches. I only spoke with three church secretaries, but all said no. Finally, I got a call back from a pastor that said yes. We were paid $300 for that date, and I thought I was on cloud nine. Now, fifteen years later, our schedule is full, and God has truly blessed this group. Hard work and a lot of God’s grace has paid off.”
Soul’d Out Quartet’s goal and focus, from the beginning has been to win souls to Christ and encourage believers. They have a new vision to encourage their audiences to go out and make a difference; to be salt and light to the world. They strive to tell people the truth about Jesus and to be the only reflection of Jesus that some people may ever see. They want to be good ambassadors for the King. If you’ve never had a chance to go see these guys LIVE, I encourage that you do so. They are not only talented, but have a true heart for God. To connect with Soul’d Out Quartet and find out when they’ll be coming to a city near you, you can visit their website, www.souldoutquartet.com. For booking information, you can visit www.dominionagency.com.
