| Acappella | |
| Origin: | Paris, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genre: | Contemporary Christian, Contemporary worship music, Southern Gospel |
| Years Active: | 1982–present |
| Label: | The Acappella Company, Word, Epic |
| Website: | www.acappella.org |
Acappella is an all-male contemporary Christian vocal group founded in 1982 by Keith Lancaster, who has been the singer, songwriter, and producer throughout the group's history.[1] [2] The group only consists of vocalists who sing in a cappella style without instrumental accompaniment.
Acappella's fan base steadily grew through the 1980s as the group experienced many lineup changes and constantly experimented with fresh new sounds. The landmark album, Sweet Fellowship (1988), ushered in one of the most significant developments in the group's membership and style. Lancaster stepped out of the group as lead singer to focus on the role of producer and manager. The group continued to change after that, developing a unique sound that has been mimicked by countless groups around the world.
Signed to Word Records in 1990 (and later to Epic Records), Acappella's popularity soared with releases such as Rescue, We Have Seen His Glory, All That I Need, and Set Me Free. Media exposure included television appearances, while the song "More Precious Than Gold" became the centerpiece of a Sony Camcorder television commercial and was broadcast across the USA. Hymns For All The World helped to increase the group's exposure internationally. Acappella has toured extensively around the world, singing in Africa, Australia, Canada, China, Europe, Jamaica, Japan, South America and the Caribbean in addition to thousands of concerts in the United States.
In 1986, Lancaster launched a spinoff group called Acappella Vocal Band (AVB). AVB originally opened and sang backup for Acappella, then branched off to tour on its own under the Acappella Ministries umbrella from 1988 to 2000.
After exploring various musical styles over more than three decades, Acappella has returned to its roots, utilizing an extensive host of alumni vocalists to fill current concerts. Acappella's worldwide impact was recognized with the group's 2007 induction into the Christian Music Hall of Fame.
Acappella changed its format in June 2014 (formally announced in August 2014). Acappella is not limited to one combination of singers. In fact, every concert features a special lineup drawn from veteran concert music ministers who have sung with Acappella across the years. It is not uncommon for a concert to feature vocalists ranging in ages in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s, drawing from Acappella's vast catalog of original songs.
Those who participate in concerts since the new format have included Rodney Britt, Wes McKinzie, Gary Evans, Ken McAlpin, Robert C. Guy, Robin Brannon, Duane Adams, Wayburn Dean, Anthony Lancaster, Zac George, Nic Dunbar, Barry Wilson, George Pendergrass, Steve Maxwell, Sean Samuel, Keith Lancaster, Gary Moyers, Matt Sammons, Jabbarri Jones, Matt Nunnally, Kevin Schaffer, Zachary Wilson and AVB alumni Aaron Herman, Brishan Hatcher, and Jeremy Swindle.
| Bass | Baritone | 2nd Tenor | 1st Tenor | Vocal Percussion / Utility | Video of Formation | Year(s) | Albums/Notes | |
| Wes McKinzie | Anthony Lancaster | Zac George | Jabbarri Jones | Malcolm Himes | I Feel Good[3] | May 2013 – January 2014 | Luke Coles filled in for Malcolm Himes in a January 2014 concert. | |
| Wes McKinzie | Anthony Lancaster | Zac George | Raymond Mobley | Malcolm Himes | Take It Away[4] | August 2011 – April 2013 | Water From The Well (single) (2011), Wanna Be Like You (single) (2011), Just Say The Word (single) (2012), Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (single) (2012) | |
| Wes McKinzie | Anthony Lancaster | Zac George | Zachary Wilson | Robin Brannon | Scripture Medley[5] | August 2009 – August 2011 | The Walls Came Down (single) (2011) | |
| Allen Brantley | Anthony Lancaster | Zac George | Zachary Wilson | Robin Brannon | Summer 2008 – July 2009 | Find Your Way (2009) | ||
| Allen Brantley | Robin Brannon | JJ Blevins | Zachary Wilson | Zac George | Spring 2008 | |||
| Allen Brantley | Robin Brannon | Jordan House | Zachary Wilson | Zac George | He's Gonna Let You Know[6] | January 2006 – December 2007 | Radiance (2006) Cory Martin was a temporary fill-in for some concerts in the Fall of 2007 when Jordan had work commitments. Video with Cory: More Than A Friend[7] | |
| Gary Evans | Robin Brannon | Jordan House | Zachary Wilson | Zac George | Glory And Honor[8] | August 2005 – December 2005 | Radiance (2006) – in production | |
| Gary Evans | Nic Dunbar | Sean Samuel | Matt Sammons | Well On My Way[9] | Spring 2005 | |||
| Gary Evans | Nic Dunbar | Sean Samuel | Matt Nunnally | I Understand[10] | August 2002 – December 2004 | Heaven and Earth (2004) This quartet at times included backup vocalists: Cory Martin, Dale Pratt, and Albert Hall. | ||
| Gary Evans | Steve Maxwell | Barry Wilson | Don Connel | America The Beautiful[11] | January 2002 – July 2002 | |||
| Gary Evans | Steve Maxwell | Barry Wilson | Kevin Schaffer | January 2001 – December 2001 | Live From Paris (2002), Hymns For All The Ages (2001) Jeremy Swindle filled in some concerts for Kevin Schaffer, who was on paternity leave, in the spring. | |||
| Ken McAlpin | Steve Maxwell | Barry Wilson | Kevin Schaffer | January 2000 – December 2000 | Hymns For All The Ages (2001) – in production | |||
| Ken McAlpin | Gary Moyers | Barry Wilson | Kevin Schaffer | Shut De Do[12] | January 1998 – December 1999 | All That I Need (1999), The Collection (1998) Allen Krehbiel filled in some concerts for Barry Wilson, who was on voice rest. | ||
| Gary Miller | Gary Moyers | Ken McAlpin | Kevin Schaffer | August 1997 – December 1997 | ||||
| Gary Miller | Gary Moyers | Steve Reischl | Kevin Schaffer | Everybody Said (But Nobody Did)[13] | February 1997 – August 1997 | Act of God (1997) | ||
| Duane Adams | Gary Moyers | Steve Reischl | Kevin Schaffer | My Lord And My God[14] | January 1997 | Act of God (1997) – in production | ||
| Robert Guy | Duane Adams | Steve Reischl | Kevin Schaffer | August 1995 – | Act of God (1997) – in production | |||
| Tim Storms | Robert Guy | Steve Reischl | Duane Adams | I Feel Good[15] | 1995 | |||
| Robert Guy | Duane Adams | Steve Reischl | Gary Moyers | Pray Every Day[16] | at least April 1995 – at least September 1995 | Beyond a Doubt (1995) | ||
| Robert Guy | Duane Adams | George Pendergrass | Gary Moyers | Criminal On The Cross[17] | 1993 | Hymns For All The World (1994), Espanol (1994) | ||
| Duane Adams | Wayburn Dean | George Pendergrass | Gary Moyers | Hush[18] | 1989–1993 | Set Me Free (1993), We Have Seen His Glory (1991), Rescue (1990), He Leadeth Me (1990), Growing Up In The Lord (1990) | ||
| Rodney Britt | Wayburn Dean | George Pendergrass | Gary Moyers | Now To Him[19] | June 1988 – at least April 1989 | Sweet Fellowship (1988) This quartet at times included backup vocalists: Duane Adams and Denise Sweet. | ||
| Rodney Britt | Keith Lancaster | While the Ages Roll On (1987), Better Than Life (1987), Conquerors (1986) | ||||||
| Rodney Britt | Bill Spencer | Keith Lancaster | John The Revelator[20] | 1985 | Travelin' Shoes (1985) | |||
| Ron McCommas | Gary Yeager | Keith Lancaster | Jeff Martin | Brother Taylor[21] | 1984–1985 | Perfect Peace (1984) | ||
| Ron McCommas | Gary Yeager | Keith Lancaster | Jeff Martin | Tim Martin | I Want To Be Like Him[22] | 1984 | ||
| Ron McCommas | Gary Yeager | Keith Lancaster | Tim Tripp | ?? Can you identify in video (far left)? Kevin McCall?? | Sail On[23] | May 1983 – July 1984 | As "His Image" – Tim Tripp took a break from the group during the fall of 1983. | |
| Bobby Collum | Gary Yeager | Keith Lancaster | ??Greg Pittman?? | Fall 1982 | As "His Image" – Made in His Image (1983) | |||
| Bobby Collum | Gary Yeager | Randy Hatchett | Keith Lancaster | As "His Image" – Heaven's Gonna Shine (1982) | ||||
| Tom Graham | Gary Yeager | Randy Hatchett | Keith Lancaster | 1982 | As "His Image" – Til He Comes (1982) | |||
| Gary Yeager | Randy Hatchett | Keith Lancaster | Til He Comes[24] | 1982 | As "His Image" | |||
The labels are taken from each of the albums' original releases; many of these albums have been re-released under new distributors. Lyrics to each of these albums along with scripture references and other relevant information can be found at Acadisc.com.
Before the group was named Acappella, it was briefly named "His Image"; the records released under that name are:
In addition to projects recorded under the Acappella name, the group collaborated with AVB, Keith Lancaster and other artists on numerous "Acappella Series", "Acappella Scripture Songs" and "Acappella Praise & Worship" albums in the 1990s. These projects include:
Compilations of Acappella, AVB, Keith Lancaster and other Acappella Company songs include: