Songs of the South

The Daily Inter Lake

When Dean Conklin sees entire families and busloads of seniors at a Southern gospel music concert, it is always a reminder that the Montana Gospel Music Association's free admission policy serves a greater purpose than just filling seats.

"When I was singing once at a church in Victor, the preacher prayed that we would build, encourage and challenge with our music," Conklin said. "All those things are worthy goals of a Southern gospel concert."

And Southern gospel - distinguished by its Christian lyrics sung in four-part harmony - is what the Montana Gospel Music Association is all about.

With its roots in one successful 1997 Cathedrals concert at the Christian Center in Kalispell, the Montana Gospel Music Association is now bringing in about five or six professional Southern gospel groups, plus staging two popular events showcasing local singers, each year.

Conklin is the current president of the association, with Conrad Adam, Mel Voos, Bill McGuffie, Fred Albert, Ed Eyestone and Shelbey Dutter rounding out the board.

Ken Dutter, who died in January 2005 at age 64, was for many years the main promoter of Southern gospel in the Flathead.

"It was a passion for him to hold these concerts," his widow, Mary, said.

Montana Gospel Music Association was a small group at first - Ken and Mary Dutter and Conrad Adam. But Ken never minded doing most of the grunt work of putting a concert together, Mary said.

"He [Ken] and I would sit down and manually staple together programs to send to people to inform them of the concerts," Mary Dutter said. "Ken never took money from MGMA for stamps or copies or anything. He felt that was his contribution; he would not accept reimbursement for a lot of stuff he did."

Mary Dutter estimated the association had brought in at least a dozen groups to the valley before Dutter died.

"A lot of them had never been into Montana, and they were anxious to come because they heard what a beautiful state we have," she said. "They left as believers that it was God's country. They loved it here."

The 1997 Cathedrals concert that launched the association was a ticketed event. It sold well as the Cathedrals were one of the most popular Southern gospel quartets of the 1980s and '90s. More ticketed concerts followed, but after a 2003 Booth Brothers show, when Conklin said the association was "sweating bullets that they weren't going to sell enough tickets," they decided to rely on sponsors and love offerings to finance the concerts.

So far it's worked.

"We don't ask for admission, but we're not bashful or reluctant to take the offering," Conklin said. "We ask, and people respond as they are capable."

Conklin said people are generous with their donations, from those on fixed incomes who give a few hard-earned dollars to those who can afford to donate checks for $100.

The association also sponsors two fundraisers - the annual Spring Fling, featuring local singers, and "Quartets, Quartets" each fall. (The next "Quartets, Quartets" event is scheduled at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, at Easthaven Baptist.) Those concerts are a popular part of the association lineup, with the biggest audience coming in at about 800 for the spring concert in 2005, billed as a tribute to Ken Dutter.

Bringing professional Southern gospel acts to the Flathead Valley can be a tricky proposition. Northwest Montana is well removed from the Southern states, the home of Southern gospel.

Conklin said he traditionally has only been able to secure commitments from groups who are in transit and can make the Flathead Valley fit into their travel schedules.

"We've generally been at the mercy of someone's trip to the West Coast or Canada," Conklin said. "So we don't often get groups on Friday through Sunday nights - we get them in the midweek."

Conklin said he was encouraged, though, when he received phone calls in the past year from groups such as The Hoppers and the Dove Brothers, asking that the Montana Gospel Music Association help get them to Kalispell. And for years, groups such as the Palmetto State Quartet from Nashville, who were just at Easthaven Baptist on Oct. 12, have tried to make the Flathead Valley a regular stop in their concert schedules.

Finding venues at the right time also makes booking groups difficult, Conklin said. Though churches such as Kalispell's Christian Center, Easthaven Baptist and Kalispell Christian are more than willing to accommodate the concerts in their roomy facilities, Conklin said they are also busy churches.

Although Southern gospel groups generally find warm welcomes in the Flathead, with as many as 500 people attending some show, Conklin hopes to see the local fan base for Southern gospel evolve.

Southern gospel groups often feature singers in their 20s and 30s, but the audience for the shows typically are older ones. Conklin said changing that demographic is a national challenge, not just locally but nationally.

A singer himself for the local quartet Blest, Conklin is drawn to Southern gospel for its emphasis on vocal harmony.

"It is the range of voices," he said in explaining its appeal. "The bass singers can go down to the last octaves on a piano, the tenor singers can get up to the high Cs. It's a huge range of sound."

The lyrics feature words of encouragement, spiritual challenge and celebration of the Christian faith. Conklin said songs can also be a writer's take on classic stories from the Bible - Jesus walking on the water, Daniel and the lion's den.

And though she's not involved any more behind the scenes, Mary Dutter still shares that passion for the Southern gospel sound.

"I love it," she said. "The male quartets are my utmost favorites."

For more information about the Montana Gospel Music Association, visit www.mtgospelmusic.com.

Reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4431 or by e-mail at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.