First I must apologize for not getting an article in for June 2010. I was out of the country at the first of the month, and didn’t get anything in for the month of June.
Now to get down to business. I have been writing tributes to different people who helped me along the way during my journey in Southern Gospel Music. This month I want to say a few words of tribute about a couple of people who have been very important to my journey. They are J.D. Sumner and his nephew Donnie Sumner. I would like to start with my friend J.D. Sumner.
I have already mentioned my hiring by the “ Stamps Quartet” so I won’t dwell on that much. By now everyone knows that J.D. had Kenny Parker call me about the job, and I responded to that call. I want to say some things about J.D. Sumner that shows his importance in my life in Gospel Music. When J.D. hired me to sing with the Stamps I was just finishing up my college work at Lipscomb University in Nashville. I was so excited to get the job with “The Stamps Quartet”, but I had been told by many people that if J.D. didn’t like you, you wouldn’t have a job for very long. I was scared to death of J.D. I just knew that if I ever made a mistake on stage that I would be fired immediately. I found in a short while that J.D. was nothing like I had heard. He was very considerate, and very supportive to me from the very beginning. Although, J.D. was that way I still wanted to be the very best that I could be and never wanted to make a mistake on stage or be a problem on the bus. For about a year and a half I put myself under such pressure that I was nervous every night when I went on stage. By doing that, I was able to stay sharp in what I was doing and also able to improve my singing and harmonizing every day. After that year and a half, one night I missed a note on stage, I forget where we were that night, all I know is that I missed a note and what I did was not good. I hurried to the bus immediately after the concert, and J.D. was sitting in the front of the bus by himself. I said to him, “J.D., I’m sorry I missed that note. I know that a pro is not supposed to do that, and if you want to fire me just tell me now, and I will understand.” He looked at me and said ,in that big old gruff sounding bass voice of his, “Bill don’t worry about that, you are great ,and even on your worst night you are better than anybody else in the business”. ( By the way, those were his words not mine. I look up to and respect every tenor that I have ever sung around. In that day and age there were a lot of great ones, Rosie Rozele, Willie Wynn, Pat Hoffmaster, who was singing with The Blackwood Bros. at the time, were some of my favorites. Pat Hoffmaster has never received the kind of acclaim that he should have. He was absolutely great.) Well, getting back to J.D. , who by the way is my all time favorite bass singer. There never has been another one who had his quality, and ability. After J.D. said what he said to me, I never felt all tense again on stage. I felt like I belonged. Prior to that time I always wondered if I was really getting the job done the way that the Stamps wanted. It went on to be a wonderful 5 and 1/2 years singing with some of the greatest singers who have ever been in gospel music. (In my opinion) I came to respect and enjoy working with “ J.D. Sumner and The Stamps Quartet.” Whether we were working in a small church or on the stage with Elvis Presley, I was always able to feel comfortable with being with “The Stamps”.
J.D. Was one of the wisest men that I have ever been around. I never learned the wisdom from the college courses that I took, that I learned from J.D. I remember one night after the above cited story, that we had something happen on stage that wasn’t the way that I know that J.D. wanted and that I thought was professional, and I hurried back to the bus that night and spoke to J.D. about it. Once again, he spoke just the right things. He said “Bill there is a four letter word that will take care of all that you are worried about” I said to J.D. “What is it J.D.?” He immediately said it is spelled T-I-M-E. I said “O.K. J.D. thanks”. I left him, and I was wondering if he was just trying to get rid of me or if he was really speaking forth in wisdom. But, sure enough, in a short time, the problem was all solved and no one had to say anything about it. Therefore, I understood the wisdom that God had given him. I will always be indebted to J.D. Sumner for the faith that he had in me to hire me to sing with the “Stamps Quartet” and the wisdom he shared with me while I was there. These are just a couple of things that stick out in my memory, however, J.D. was a very special person and boss to me. “Boss, I look forward to seeing you in Heaven someday”.
Now, I would like to say a few things about a friend, that I also feel indebted to. His name is Donnie Sumner. When I first went with “The Stamps Quartet” Donnie was the arranger of all of our music. I had sung with other groups on a part time basis, and had filled in for “The Singing Rambos” , “The Oak Ridge Boys”, and “ Rosie Rozele and The Searchers” on different occasions. Most of the time, with those groups, I was asked to sing their latest songs, which I had kept up with and could sing my part on any of them. However, when I went with “The Stamps” we began to learn a bunch of new songs in addition to the old ones which I knew already. Donnie would get us around the piano and teach us the songs. Donnie, at that time was wanting to sing some different harmonies than I was used to, and at the time groups were just beginning to sing a little in what Donnie called straight 8's timing. It was a little more choppy sounding and at first I didn’t catch onto it immediately, I wasn’t the only one though. Anyway, Donnie was and is a genius in music, and he wasn’t real happy with the way I was botching up the timing at first. I was learning to phrase with this quartet, and blend and everything else that it takes to sing in a good quartet. I was nervous most of the time, when trying to follow Donnie’s arrangements. In addition to that, Donnie was and is so far ahead of most people in the quartet business musically, it was hard for him to be patient with the rest of us. However, Donnie was able to finally communicate what I needed to know to me, and he helped me more that anyone that I have ever worked with on hearing parts from a little different perspective. Because Donnie was so challenging to me at the time, I had a hard time really liking him. He left “The Stamps Quartet” and started his own group “The Voice”. Then one day, the Lord called Donnie into the Ministry. After he started into the solo ministry, at which time, I was also in the solo ministry of singing and preaching all over the United States, we became closer again in our friendship. Within the last few years, Donnie and I have become close friends. I am still awed by his talent, and now I am awed by his walk with the Lord. He has become a very good friend and a tremendous blessing to me and the ministry that God has put me in. He has become one of the most giving, caring, blessed men that I have ever known. My tribute goes out to a dear friend, and blessed brother in the Lord, as well as one of the most talented men that I have ever known Brother Donnie Sumner. Thanks Donnie for all that you have done for me and the other mutual friends that we have. You know them. May God richly bless my Brother in the Lord, Donnie Sumner.
In future months, I will be writing more tributes to others that have helped me over the years. All of these people mean a lot to me, I pray that by reading about them that each of you will be blessed by who they are and what they have done for others. May God richly bless each of you who read this column. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Until next month , remember “The Lord is on my side” He’s on your side too. Psalm 118:6
That’s my favorite scripture.
Your Brother in Christ,
Bill Baize
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Written: 07/14/2010
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Category: The Vocal Coach
Comments: 3
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Awesome - Tribute Mr Bill Baize Loved it !!!
As a teenager, I attended the Frank Stamps School of Music and sang in a quarter called the melody masters. Bill Branch from Midland, Texas organized the quarter and our bass was Alfred Baize from Midland. Just wondering if you were related or knew him.
Chester, thanks for your comment. I do not know Alfred Baize from Midland. Sorry I could not help you with this. Congratulations on your singing with the MelodyMasters quartet. There are a lot of really good singers in Texas. I lived in Ft. Worth for a while, and discovered that there were a lot of great singers in the state of Texas. I imagine you are among that group. May God richly bless you.
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