Ray Mansfield – Page 6

Sharalee – Finally Him, Finally Me – 1980

This is Sharalee’s (Sharalee Lucas Sherman) 5th album. She was completely unknown to me but this is another case of someone who’s genre wasn’t my choice. She actually appeared on a ton of albums in the 70’s including Walt Disney’s Voices of Liberty. She also hosted the 1978 Dove Awards with her husband of the time Jerry Lucas who was a NBA basketball star. As for the album well it’s rather strange. The music has a funk feel but her vocals are completely unsuited to this style. Also strangely there is one country track on the album but this track suits her vocals. The album was produced by John Thompson who was a great producer but I have no idea why he thought this album was good. Continuing the strange of this album, it was re-released a year later on Impact records. Impact did a different much better album cover but otherwise the album was identical. Anyway give it a listen and tell me what you think.

Tracklist
1 – Stand Up And Be Counted – 4:19
2 – Gettin’ Out – 3:12
3 – Welcome Love – 3:45
4 – Even As We Are One – 3:36
5 – Lead Me Home – 3:43
6 – Don’t Give In – 2:55
7 – Open Up My Eyes – 3:15
8 – Glory Forevermore – 4:41
9 – Don’t Look To Me – 2:46
10 – You Mean More To Me – 3:25
11 – Resurrection Power – 3:30

Meet Jesus Music – Gold – 1975

Meet Jesus Music were a U.K. Jesus music band out of the 70’s. I had never heard of them before so I started doing some research and discovered they were pretty popular in the U.K. at the time. The U.K. didn’t have as many Jesus music bands so these guys filled a gap in local music. This is their second and last album but many members of the band went on to have solo careers. The band is probably best known in the 80’s circles for their performance at Greenbelt in 1979. As for the album it is your rather typical Jesus music and nothing really stands out to me but that’s not to say it’s bad. To me a lot of music form this era sounds the same but I am not a connoisseur of this era and I don’t mean any disrespect to the music.

Tracklist
1 – Gold – 5:05
2 – Too Many Times – 4:05
3 – Just One Touch – 4:06
4 – High Time – 2:40
5 – Cannot Understand – 4:15
6 – Hey Mr. Sally Ann! – 3:22
7 – Jesus – 3:22
8 – Take Time – 4:51
9 – Don’t Let Them Fool You – 4:21
10 – Praise the Lord! – 3:20

Credits
Bass – Simon Dennis
Bass Trombone – Dave Scragg
Cello – Dave Thorn
Congas, Timbales – Julian Sullivan
Design – Gillard Bros. Graphics
Drums – Tony Taylor
Engineer [‘Live’ Sound Engineer] – Mike Waller
Engineer, Producer – John Pantry
Guitar – Dave Gillard
Harp – Muriel Liddle
Trombone – Dave Gladman, Keith Brown
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Ray Allen
Vibraphone, Flute, Arranged By [Brass Arrangement] – Peter Shade
Vocals – Angie Routledge
Vocals, Guitar, Trombone – Ken Smith
Vocals, Keyboards – Keith Routledge, Lou Hayles

Larry Carlton – Alone/But Never Alone – 1986

Larry Carlton’s “Christian” music career is actually very interesting. Larry started out in the 60’s with the band The (Jazz) Crusaders who had a big hit in 1979 with “Street Life”. Larry continued with them while both pursuing a solo career as well as doing a lot of session work. He certainly was one of the hardest working men in the business. The story of his coming to Christ is not your normal “a friend introduce me” story instead he describes it as follows. “…I started reading a lot of books on different religions. I remember there was one night in Philadelphia after a show. I had been reading these books and digesting and thinking about religion. I just remember coming to a conclusion one night after a gig. I was lying in bed and I just told the Lord, “I don’t know any more about you than I did 2 months ago, but I choose you.” That was the beginning of my relationship with the Holy Spirit.” Larry however never really considered moving to the Christina music industry and stayed in the secular market. This was his first release after his coming to Christ. There is actually more to Larry’s life story, lots more, but we will cover it chronologically as it relates to his album releases so stay tuned for more.

Tracklist
1 – Smiles And Smiles To Go – 5:44
2 – Perfect Peace – 4:25
3 – Carrying You – 3:58
4 – The Lord’s Prayer – 5:07
5 – High Steppin’ – 6:42
6 – Whatever Happens – 4:25
7 – Pure Delight – 5:31
8 – Alone/But Never Alone – 3:32

Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Larry Carlton
Art Direction – Simon Levy
Bass – Abraham Laboriel, Larry Carlton
Design – Thomas Ryan Design
Drums – Rick Marotta
Electric Guitar – Larry Carlton
Engineer [Assistant] – Hal Sacks
Keyboards – Larry Carlton, Terry Trotter
Keyboards [Additional] – Larry Carlton
Management – Charlie Lico
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Percussion – Michael Fisher
Photography By – McGuire
Producer, Arranged By – Larry Carlton
Recorded By, Mixed By – Rik Pekkonen
Synthesizer [Dx7] – Terry Trotter
Written-By – Albert Malotte, Bill Withers, Larry Carlton

Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – Record Service GmbH
Produced For – Larry Carlton Productions
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – MCA Records, Inc.
Copyright © – MCA Records, Inc.
Made By – WEA Musik GmbH
Recorded At – Room 335, Hollywood
Mixed At – Room 335, Hollywood
Mastered At – Bernie Grundman Mastering
Pressed By – Record Service Alsdorf

The Woebegone Brothers – Get On Board! – 1988

This is another of those rather oddball albums that don’t sound like they belong on the channel but have a story behind them. In the summer of 1988 someone thought these guys would be a great addition to the Greenbelt festival. As poor a decision as it seemed it turned out to be brilliant as these guys were a huge hit. They didn’t have an album yet so they rushed into the studio so they could get their music out to their fans. The Woebegone Brothers are actually brothers and they say they were influenced by 50’s Rock & Roll stars and developed a style they call “gospel skiffle” I’m thinking more 40’s country personally but it’s a great sound and the whole story is a great piece of CCM history.

Tracklist
1 – Gospel Train – 4:43
2 – Sinner Man – 2:55
3 – Gonna Live The Life – 2:49
4 – Well Well Well – 3:03
5 – Jordan River – 2:15
6 – Mean World – 3:25
7 – Walk All Over Heaven – 4:26
8 – Trying To Get To Heaven In Due Time – 2:37

Credits
Design [Cover Design] – Paul Clowney
Engineer – Andy Thornton
Photography By – Trevor Williams
Vocals, Double Bass – Nigel Griffiths
Vocals, Guitar – John Griffiths
Vocals, Harmonica, Drum, Guitar – Glyn Griffiths

Brian White And Justice – Livin’ In The Sight Of Water – 1993

This is the first album from Brian White And Justice. There’s not much info out there on the band but Brian White is very well known in Nashville. The band appears to be a bunch of session musicians so I’m not entirely sure if there was a “Justice” band. As for Brian he is a very well known song writer in Nashville in both Christian and Secular genres and I guarantee you’ve heard his work with over 400 recorded songs. As for the album it’s pretty good. Brian’s voice is strong and holds solid through all the tracks. I’m not really too sure how to classify the album but it leans AOR with a couple good rocking tunes. Definitely an album that should be heard.

Tracklist
1 – Livin’ In The Sight Of Water – 5:44
2 – You Can Get There From Here – 3:38
3 – You’ve Got To Hold On – 4:59
4 – Radical Love – 3:00
5 – I Need To Know You’re There – 3:38
6 – Love Will Find A Way – 4:36
7 – Out Of The Wilderness – 4:45
8 – Tonight – 4:45
9 – You’ve Got To Believe – 4:56
10 – Long Lost Friend – 3:47
11 – Lead The Way – 4:25

Credits
Accordion – Tim Lauer
Backing Vocals – Billy Simon, Jimmy Marks, Mark Pogue, Scott Walters, Tom Lane
Bass – Mark Burchfield, Matthew Pierson
Drums, Percussion – Bobby Blazier
Executive-Producer – Elisa Elder
Guitar, Sequenced By – Dennis Dearing
Keyboards, Organ [B-3] – Jeffery Roach
Producer – Dennis Dearing
Sequenced By – Bill Randall, Bo Cooper
Vocals, Backing Vocals – Brian White

Companies, etc.
Record Company – The Corinthian Group
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Broken Records
Copyright © – Broken Records

Bryn Haworth – Wings Of The Morning – 1983

I’ll be straight up and admit that Bryn is one of my favourite artists period. Unfortunately we had almost no exposure to him in Canada until his The Gap album. While huge in the U.K. American record companies didn’t think his appeal would spread to our side of the ocean. This is one of the greatest tragedies of the CCM industry as Bryn deserved as wide an audience as possible. I didn’t even get to hear most of his work until we undertook this project but now I get to enjoy all his albums. Every one of Bryn’s album has a track that stands out to me personally. This album it is “Were You There” which showcases his slide guitar technique which is one of the best in the industry in my opinion. While actually a traditional this particular arrangement is probably the best treatment this song ever got. Many artists of Bryn’s skill level have kind of abandoned Christian music but not Bryn. His faith is still the center of his music.

Tracklist
1 – Give Thanks – 3:27
2 – Lord I Love Your Word – 4:25
3 – Were You There – 2:01
4 – Let Us Humbly Worship Jesus – 1:43
5 – Make Us Holy – 5:33
6 – Awake O Zion – 2:18
7 – I Found A Love – 3:06
8 – We Give Thanks – 2:46
9 – More Than A Tent – 4:26
10 – He Is Lord – 2:54
11 – Strong Wall – 3:09
12 – What Kind Of Love Is This – 3:48

Credits
Bass – Dave Markee, Terry “Tex” Comer
Drums – Fran Byrne, Henry Spinetti
Engineer – Dave Charles, Paul Cobbold, Rob Andrews
Flute, Saxophone – Steve Gregory
Guitar – Alan “Bam” King
Guitar, Vocals – Bryn Haworth
Keyboards – Pete Wingfield
Mixed By – Paul Cobbold
Painting [Front Cover Painting] – Robin Clifton
Photography By – Tony Neeves
Producer – Bryn Haworth

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Chapel Lane Studios
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Chapel Lane Productions
Copyright © – Chapel Lane Productions

Martin Barret – Line of Vision – 1987

Here’s a Canadian artist that got one album out there in the mid 80’s thanks to his own hard work and financing. As a teen Martin played in coffee houses, churches, and many youth groups around Southern Ontario and upper New York State. Martin worked as a foot courier for a Toronto legal firm and was able to save $15,000 in 1985. Believe me that was no small feat in 1985. Instead of buying a cool car he headed to Rene Brossard’s studio and cut this album which shows an incredible dedication to his music. He subsequently appeared as the opening act for the likes of Twila Paris, Phil Keaggy, Daniel Band, Rick Cua, and others. He also played a side stage at the very first Kingdom Bound concert. It is rumoured that Larry Norman stopped to listen to him which was a proud moment for Martin as Larry was one of his favorite artists. As for the album it is a really good album and I can’t help but with some good distribution it might have been known to more of you reading this. It has a pretty good pop rock feel and the lead track sets the album up perfectly. Martin continues to make great music and you can visit his YouTube channel below

https://www.youtube.com/@martinbarretmedia

Tracklist
1 – Scapegoat Song – 2:20
2 – Who Will Tell Them – 4:19
3 – On And On – 3:55
4 – Line Of Vision – 4:09
5 – Their Own Bible – 4:00
6 – In The Future – 4:01
7 – Counterfeit Christian – 3:39
8 – In Loving Memory – 4:36
9 – Friends Like You – 4:25

Credits
Cover – James Clow
Engineer – David Musial, Yuri Jorbachow
Lead Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion, Producer, Engineer – Martin Barret
Producer, Arranged By, Mastered By – René Brossard

Companies, etc.
Recorded At – Boss Productions
Recorded At – Trackmaster Audio
Recorded At – Master’s Workshop

Dave Thrush – Thrush Hour – 1995

You may not know the name Dave Thrush but I guarantee you know the sound of Dave Thrush. He gained his most recognition for his Saxophone work on all of Steve Taylor’s albums as well as touring with him. He was actually a high school friend of Steve’s and was with Steve from his first demo until the band broke up. He also appeared on other albums but we mostly know him from Steve’s work. In 1995 Sparrow released this solo album from him. It was actually nominated for a Dove Award in the category of Instrumental Album but lost out to a far more inferior album. Quite frankly this is a tough category and it seems like it was/is always given to a piano player. Anyway this is not your average CCM album of the period as it is mainly a saxophone based instrumental album, though the track “Jesus Is The Answer” has vocals from Chris Willis and is as good if not better than anything out at the time. There is also a great Sax cover of “El Shaddai” which should resonate with Amy Grant fans. Quite frankly this is a pretty good album. It’s not really my style but I’ve left it playing in the background a few times while I worked and I grew to quite like it. Oh and a quick sidenote, this is probably one of the best album titles ever. Apparently Dave has a Christmas album and I’ll see if I can upload it for next Christmas.

Tracklist
1 – El Shaddai – 4:07
2 – His Strength Is Perfect / Hiding Place – 4:33
3 – Say The Name – 5:30
4 – Lamb Of God / How Beautiful / He Is Exalted – 5:03
5 – People Need The Lord – 4:56
6 – The Greatest Thing – 3:58
7 – There Is A Redeemer – 4:05
8 – I Will Be There – 4:24
9 – Friends / Great Is The Lord / Hosanna / How Majestic Is Your Name – 6:46
10 – Jesus Is The Answer – 4:57
11 – Tomorrow – 3:58
12 – We Will Stand – 4:43

Shelley Rogers – Dreaming Awake – 1991

This is the only album we got from Shelley and this one off appears to be a Michael Knott project. He produced the album for his own record label which unfortunately went bankrupt shortly after this release. He actually put together a killer studio band be sure to check the credits on our website. The album falls in the easy listening category but I think her real skill was writing. It’s not often you see an introductory album from an unknown artist that has all original material. Other than that I don’t have much to tell you about this artist.

Tracklist
1 – Love Is – 3:39
2 – Carry Me Away – 3:45
3 – Don’t You Worry – 3:01
4 – You & I – 4:07
5 – Song In The Distance – 3:48
6 – Dreaming Awake – 4:02
7 – Parallels – 3:52
8 – Time – 4:05
9 – Talk With You At Midnight – 3:20
10 – Dreams – 3:28

Credits
Acoustic Bass – Glen Holmen
Acoustic Guitar – Greg Flesch, Shelley Rogers, Mike Knott, Jeffrey Thomas
Alto Saxophone – Dave Thrush
Arranged By [Cello Arrangement] – Michael Hackett
Art Direction – Coffee Bay
Bass – Glen Holmen, Mike Sauerbrey
Bass [Six-String Bass] – Dave Hackbarth
Classical Guitar – Jeffrey Thomas
Classical Guitar – Mike Knott, Shelley Rogers
Drums – Chuck Cummings, Steve Hindalong
E-Bow – Greg Flesch
Electric Piano [Rhodes] – Dave Hackbarth
Electronic Wind Instrument [Wind Syntesizer] – Dan Michaels
Engineer – Christopher Colbert
Engineer – David Hackbarth
Keyboards – Dave Hackbarth
Keyboards, Sound Designer [Treatments] – Michael Hackett
Lyrics By, Music By – Shelley Rogers
Mastered By – Doug Doyle
Music By – Michael Knott, Mike Sauerbrey
Percussion – Steve Hindalong, Mike Knott
Photography By – Colleen Hammond
Producer – Dave Hackbarth, Michael Hackett, Mike Knott
Saxophone – Dave Thrush
Written-By – Shelley Rogers

Companies, etc.
Distributed By – Spectra Distribution
Recorded At – Neverland
Mixed At – Neverland
Mastered At – Digital Brothers

Denny Correll – Trust – 1991

This was the last album we got from Denny and it’s what you would expect from a last album from him. I will say that I strongly prefer his vocals as his career went on. His singing really matured. Otherwise the album is relatively mellow with the exception of “Here Comes The Light” which is easily the best track on the album. Unfortunately we would lose Denny in 2002 to a heart attack. Too bad because I think there was more material in him and I can easily imagine a blues album from him like many 80’s CCM artists have done. Rest in Piece Denny, see you on the other side.

Tracklist
1 – Hiding Place – 4:32
2 – You Mean Everything – 4:29
3 – Count On His Love – 3:58
4 – Holding On – 4:07
5 – Here Comes The Light – 3:24
6 – You Keep Running – 3:35
7 – Trust – 3:55
8 – He Took Hold – 4:11
9 – Sing And Shout – 3:51
10 – Gentle Is His Hand – 3:55

Credits
Arranged By – Denny Correll, Larry Brown
Arranged By [Special] – Alan Lundgren
Art Direction, Design – Brian Barrington
Backing Vocals – Bob Carlisle, Bob Dorman, Denny Correll, Devon Mead*, Mickey Rooney, Jr., Tim Correll
Bass – Charlie Souza, Larry Brown
Drums, Percussion – Larry Brown
Guitar – Eric Turner
Keyboards, Programmed By – Denny Correll
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Photography By – Nicola Dill
Producer, Mixed By, Engineer – Larry Brown
Saxophone – Dave Thrush, Wayne Wayne

Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Maranatha! Music
Copyright © – Maranatha! Music
Distributed By – Word (Uk) Ltd.
Distributed By – Pila Music
Distributed By – GMI Music Partners
Distributed By – Musik Til Tiden
Distributed By – Finngospel
Distributed By – Sephora Diffusion
Distributed By – Emmaus Ministries
Distributed By – Filadelfia Forlag
Distributed By – Italian Christian Media
Distributed By – Zamm Ltd.
Distributed By – Davine Foundation
Distributed By – Nucleo
Distributed By – Viva Music
Distributed By – Kir Music
Printed By – Player Print & Design
Made By – PDO, UK – 10185801
Produced At – 440 Sound Recorders
Engineered At – 440 Sound Recorders
Mixed At – 440 Sound Recorders
Mastered At – Bernie Grundman Mastering