George Younce
George Wilson Younce (born February 22, 1930 in Lenoir or Patterson Caldwell County / North Carolina , † April 11, 2005 ) was an American country singer, composer and band leader.
Like many musicians of his generation, he began his career in the tradition of Shape Note Music , religiously influenced songs that could be learned with the help of simplified notes. His first group was called The Spirituals , in which he sang the lead vocal before his pitch by the vocal exchange for Bass changed, and he took this vocal part. In 1950 he left the group and did his military service in the US Army.
After his return he was a member of various smaller music groups, first the Watchmen Quartet and then The Weatherfords . There he got to know the musicians Jim Hamill and Danny Koker , with whom he also worked in other groups in the following years. He then sang for a while in the Homeland Harmony Quartet , with the Florida Boys and from 1957 in the Blue Ridge Quartet . A career that was typical of the time and genre in which musicians were alternately and at times simultaneously members of various projects. Younce's concise bass voice made it easier for him to choose a partner. In November 1964 the most important step in his artistic career followed, he joined the vocal group The Cathedral Quartet with Glen Payne , Bobby Clark and Danny Kroker. He belonged to this quartet until its dissolution in 1999 and was instrumental in the success and existence of the band. Only in 1987 was he temporarily replaced by Gerald Wolfe due to illness. He received general recognition for example through the multiple honoring of the Singing News Fan Award as Favorite Bass in 14 of 17 years between 1981 and 1997. With the Cathedrals he was involved in the recording of over 150 songs, which are also presented to the audience on various tours were included, appearances on various TV shows.
At the beginning of his career his repertoire was very broad in the field of country music , but later he concentrated on Southern Gospel . After the end of the Cathedrals he founded The Old Friends Quartet with other older gospel musicians , where he performed with Jake Hess , Ernie Haase and Wesley Pritchard , and in 2001 and 2003 again produced 2 albums, of which Encore 2001 Southern Gospel Music Award received. He also appeared more frequently in productions by Bill Gaither , the Gaither Homecomings , and DVD productions of "Christian Music" concerts.
For his life's work, he was inducted into the Sothern Gospel Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1999 .
literature
- Glen Payne, George Younce, Ace Collins, The Cathedrals: The Story of America's Best-Loved Gospel Quartet , 2000
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Younce, George |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Younce, George Wilson (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country singer, composer, and band leader |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 22, 1930 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Caldwell County, North Carolina |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 11, 2005 |