The Kingsmen – Ridin’ High (1994)
Given the massive changes the Kingsmen experienced in early 1993, by the time 1994 came around, the dust had settled, and they were gelling very nicely! I bought “Ridin’ High” when it first came out, and I immediately fell in love with the recording, and it has remained my favorite release by the Kingsmen from this era. “Ridin’ High” was a very well-rounded recording, showcasing what this quartet could really do, as it features that classic Kingsmen sound coupled with bluegrass, country, and soulful sounds. I love the variety found on this recording and truly felt it was some of their finest work, both vocally and musically.
With music tracks produced by Eldridge Fox and Tim Surrett, and vocals produced by Eldridge Fox and Jim Hamill, they also brought back Steve Mauldin to assist with string and brass arrangements. Along with the usual studio musicians, Jeff Collins, Tony Creaseman, Roger Fortner, and David Johnson, they also utilized Kingsmen musicians Randy Matthews assisting with piano/keyboard work, along with Tim Surrett playing bass and Randy Miller blowing the harmonica. The Kingsmen band (aka-Men of Music), which also included Greg Fox on drums, were still America’s favorite band, as they walked away once again with the “Favorite Band” award during the 1994 Singing News Fan Awards, which was their 14th win!
“Ridin’ High” kicks off with what immediately became one of my all-time favorite Kingsmen songs, “I Will Rise Up From My Grave”, which was written by Jack Toney. Featuring strings and brass that were expertly arranged by Steve Mauldin, Parker kicks it off on the melody before Tim does a marvelous job on the second verse (probably my all-time favorite Surrett performance), but when Chris chimes in after the fake ending, it’s all over but the shouting! This was the first single from the recording, going all the way to the #1 spot in the Singing News chart for June 1995 (I think it should have stayed longer, but I digress…). I remember seeing the Kingsmen in Winston-Salem, NC on a concert with the Gethsemane Quartet at Reynolds Auditorium around March 1994 (before this recording came out) and Hamill called this song, as he wanted to try it out (which was something Hamill was prone to do). Ray brought the words and his glasses on stage, and the Kingsmen absolutely tore the place apart with this song. It’s a performance I’ll never forget, as Ray got emotional in the song and started breaking up and Hamill was just all over himself…and that is how I will always recall this song, as one of their most powerfully emotionally driven tunes that has never failed to get a huge response from the audience. This tune remains one of the Kingsmen’s best loved songs, and one that also remains very near and dear to Tim and Ray as well.
Kicking the tempo into overdrive with an exciting electric guitar track, the Kingsmen dive into the title song, “Ridin’ High”, which was another Jack Toney penned tune. With Parker carrying the melody, the song also features step-out lines by Ray on the chorus before Chris kicks it up a notch on the final chorus. This was a driving up-tempo number that fit the Kingsmen like a glove and was an exciting concert favorite, before they slow the pace back down as Chris sings the Gina Vera penned song of faith, “Jesus Has His Hand on Me”. Chris does an outstanding job on the song, and you can definitely hear the growth in young Chris as a singer and communicator.
Picking the tempo back up, Ray is featured on the delightful tune, “I’m Ready to Go”. With its slight bluegrass feel, this fun song was written by Tim Surrett, specifically for Ray, because they needed a song that featured Ray and they hadn’t been able to find one. This is one of my personal favorites from this recording, as it’s just pure ear candy to me!
Back in 1977, on the Kingsmen’s “Chattanooga Live” album, Jim Hamill recorded an outstanding performance of the classic song, “I Must Tell Jesus”, and for this newest album, he revived the song and did an amazing job with it once again. Backed by strings and background vocalists (Jeff Collins, Kim Ruppe, Debbie Pegg and Greg Bentley), Hamill delivers a commanding performance and it’s a highlight of the recording for me. No one could deliver this type of song like Hamill did, and it harkened the days of those outstanding Hamill ballads such as “I Owe it All to Him”, “He’ll Be to You”, “The Lost Sheep” and “That’s How I’d Be”. Though age and the rigors of many years of traveling and singing had taken a toll on Hamill, the old man’s still got it, and he delivers a powerful performance on the song. I am so glad they revisited this song before his retirement, for all of us to enjoy once more!
Keeping the tempo in slow mode, Parker is featured next on the country flavored, “My God Forgets”, which was written by an outstanding writer named, April Nye. Featuring the beautiful strains of the steel guitar, it was a little different for Parker, but it’s one of my all-time favorite Parker features, and I love the depth and blend of the vocals on this song. Fans obviously agreed it was a great song, because it made its way to the #4 spot in the Singing News chart for January 1996.
Another one of my favorites is the fun, acoustic feel of “A Song to Sing”, which was written by Kingsmen alumnus, Squire Parsons. Featuring Hamill, along with some step out lines by Ray on the chorus, and then with Tim taking the lead on the final tag, the Kingsmen had a lot of fun staging this song, as it captures that old time, traditional Kingsmen feel.
Given Tim’s love for bluegrass, the inclusion of the Stanley Brothers’ classic tune, “Let Me Walk Lord By Your Side” comes as no surprise. Naturally, the song features Tim, and he is joined by Greg Fox, Randy Miller, and Randy Matthews, as they come together and form the Kingsmen “Bluegrass” Quartet. This was another song they had a lot of fun staging, as anytime they would sing something bluegrass, Hamill would act like he hated it and would tell everyone that it was a good time for them to go to the bathroom. If the truth be known, Hamill actually loved bluegrass and he would ask Tim to sing bluegrass songs on the bus all the time, just for the fun and enjoyment of it.
Going in a completely different direction musically, featuring a popping brass section along with Randy Miller going to town on the harmonica, the jazzed up, Pentecostal feel of “God Knows What He’s Doing” features Ray, Chris, and Randy (who also has the lead on the chorus). Written by Gina Vera (who is one of my favorite songwriters), this was such a fun and energetic tune and was a highlight of the recording, before the boss man, Eldridge Fox, closes things out with the warm, country feel of the reflective, “Jesus, You’ve Been on My Mind”, which was another great tune written by Jack Toney. Jack and Foxie had a long history together, tied together by their work with the Statesmen many years prior (though both were part of the Statesmen organization at different times). Their friendship was renewed during the Gaither Homecoming tapings, and the Kingsmen recorded several of Jack’s songs during the 90’s, and this song was perfectly suited for Foxie and was a great way to finish out the recording.
As I mentioned at the beginning, this is my favorite recording by the Kingsmen from this era. I always felt that “Ridin’ High” was a nicely paced recording, with varying tempos and styles, and in my opinion, there isn’t a bad song on the recording, as each song highlights each member perfectly and showcases the multifaceted sound of the Kingsmen at the time. I feel that with “Ridin’ High”, they had successfully segued into the next phase of the Kingsmen’s evolution of their sound from “three chords and a cloud of dust”, to a more refined delivery along with a broader musical appeal, while still maintaining that exciting Kingsmen sound. Make no mistake, they were still the “mighty” Kingsmen, and they still could (and would) deliver the goods like the classic Kingsmen, but what they showed on this recording, they could do oh, so much more!
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