Another Gaither Family Fest Moment.

I just have to tell one more Gaither story, though for that story, I need to acquaint you (those who don't know) with Guy Penrod. Guy Penrod has been the lead singer (Gospel quartet language for second tenor, and the guy who most often carries the melody) for the Gaither Vocal Band (elaborate name for a really fine quartet) for as long as I have been familiar with the Gaithers. (I have some OLD discs of the Gaither Vocal Trio that don't have Guy Penrod but had Bill Gaither's brother singing lead).

Any way, Penrod has one of the most beautiful rich tenor/baritone voices I have ever heard, and he sings with enormous passion. His appearance is unlike the other "Band" members. He is tall and slender with a grey goatee and long grey hair. He almost always wears jeans, western boots, and an enormous silver belt buckle that looks like one he might have won riding bulls in the rodeo. One person described him as a baseball playing, rodeo riding, cowboy, mountain man, son of a preacher man, tenor. (I couldn't testify to any of these except the tenor, though crowd mythology says he was a professional baseball player as well as a rodeo cowboy.) According to the lady who sat behind us, he lives near her in Kentucky, has an enormous pick-up truck, either six or seven sons, and finally a daughter. She says he and his family are self sufficient, that is, they grow and preserve their own vegetables and fruit, raise cattle and butcher their own meat, and they home school their children. They also have a big van in which the whole family goes to church each Sunday. (She also said, in a voice of wonder, "He even goes to Wal-Mart".)

With all this, he is an enormously handsome man and could, had he wished, have been a musical star in almost any venue. As an old coot who made his living for over thirty years as a theatre director, I can hear his voice in my mind's eye- or ear- singing Phantom of the Opera. Wonderful thought.

Before performance on the last day, my dear one went out into the lobby to invest in some DVD's and CD's, probably to make me happy, I am more of a fan than she. She bought a DVD of, I think, the Texas Homecoming. When she told the man in the booth what she wanted, he informed her that she was entitled to a free CD. She asked if it had to be of the came concert for which she purchased the DVD, and the man said "No, you can have any of the CD's on the rack."

"I want Guy Penrod" she stated.

Looking at her very seriously he replied "Most of the ladies do."

She chuckled about that for the rest of the day, and told the story to everyone in section EE. They all smiled knowingly then laughed as well.

(She tells this so much better than I.)