Masters V Explained

Masters V
Origin:	United States
Genre:	Southern gospel, Contemporary christian music
Years Active:	1980–1988
Label:	Skylite
Associated Acts:	The Statesmen Quartet, The Imperials, The Blackwood Brothers, J.D. Sumner and the Stamps, Tammy Wynette
Past Members:	Hovie Lister J. D. Sumner James Blackwood Jake Hess Rosie Rozell Steve Warren Sherrill Nielsen Buddy Burton Tommy Howe Jack Toney Ed Hill CJ Almgren

The Masters Five or Masters V was a Southern Gospel Music quartet founded in 1980 by Hovie Lister as a special consolidation of well-known performers from The Statesmen Quartet and The Blackwood Brothers.^[1] The group featured J.D. Sumner as bass, Rosie Rozell and then Steve Warren as tenor, James Blackwood and Jake Hess alternating between lead and baritone, and Lister on piano.^[2] Their self-titled debut album, The Masters V, won the 1981 Grammy Award for best traditional gospel performance.^[3] The quartet subsequently endured several personnel changes, often due to health and age-related issues.^[2] The group's final performance was in 1988.

Discography

• The Masters V (1981) Skylite SLP 6256; reissued as How Great Thou Art (1988) Temple Records
• O What a Savior (1982) Skylite SLP 6265 (Rozell, Blackwood, Hess, Sumner, Lister)
• The Masters V Present Their Majestic Bass, J.D. Sumner (1982) Skylite
• The Legendary Masters V (1982) Skylite SLP 6282 (Rozell, Blackwood, Hess, Sumner, Lister)
• Featuring… (1983) Skylite (Nielsen, Blackwood, Hess, Sumner, Lister)
• Live at the Joyful Noise (1983) Skylite (Nielsen, Blackwood, Hess, Sumner, Lister)
• Thru the Years (1984) Skylite (Warren, Blackwood, Hess, Sumner, Lister)
• Good Things (1984) Skylite (Warren, Blackwood, Hess, Sumner, Lister)
• The Master’s Hymns (1985) Skylite (Warren, Blackwood, Hess, Sumner, Lister)
• The Masters V Present Their Magnificent Bass, J.D. Sumner (1985) Skylite (Warren, Blackwood, Hess, Sumner, Lister)
• Sing Fabulous Blackwood Brothers Hits (1985) Skylite (Warren, Blackwood, Hess, Sumner, Lister)
• The Masters V Present 50 Years with the Fabulous James Blackwood (1985) Skylite Records
• Classics of Yesteryear (1986) Skylite SLP 6363 (Warren, Blackwood, Hess, Sumner, Lister)
• Have a Little Faith (1986) Merinet
• Sing Me a Song About Jesus (1987) Riversong (Warren, Blackwood, Hess, Sumner, Lister)
• The Legend Lives On (1988) Skylite (Nielsen, Toney, Hill, Sumner, Lister)
• Sing Award Winning Songs of JD Sumner (1988) Skylite (Nielsen, Toney, Hill, Sumner, Lister)
• Superlative Bass JD Sumner (1988) (Nielsen, Toney, Hill, Sumner, Lister)
• The Original Masters Five (1991) Bibletone Records

Members

Line-ups

1980-1982	1982-1984	1984-1988
Rosie Rozell – tenor Jake Hess – lead/baritone James Blackwood – baritone/lead Richard Coltrane – baritone J. D. Sumner – bass Hovie Lister – piano/vocals	Shaun Nielsen – tenor Jake Hess – lead/baritone James Blackwood – baritone/lead Richard Coltrane – baritone J. D. Sumner – bass Hovie Lister – piano/vocals	Steve Warren – tenor vocals/various studio instruments Jake Hess – lead/baritone Tommy Howe – lead/baritone (1987) James Blackwood – baritone/lead Richard Coltrane – baritone J. D. Sumner – bass Tommy Thompson – bass (1987) Hovie Lister – piano/vocals
1988(later transitioned to "J.D. Sumner and The Stamps")
Shaun Nielsen – tenor Jack Toney – lead Ed Hill – baritone J. D. Sumner – bass Hovie Lister – piano/vocals CJ Almgren – piano (1988)

• Hovie Lister 1980-1988
• J.D. Sumner 1980-1988
• James Blackwood 1980-1987
• Jake Hess 1980-1987
• Rosie Rozell 1980-1983
• Shaun Nielsen 1983/1988
• Steve Warren 1984-1987
• Chris Hess
• Tommy Thompson
• Buddy Burton
• Charles Yates
• Ed Hill 1987-1988
• Jack Toney 1988

Notes and References

1. Book: Miller, Zell. They Heard Georgia Singing . Mercer University Press . June 1996 . 192 . 978-0-86554-504-5.
2. http://www.sgma.org/gogr_history/masters_v.htm "The Masters Five"
3. Book: Cusic, Don . The Sound of Light: A History of Gospel and Christian Music . Hal Leonard Corp. April 2002. 978-0-634-02938-7. 447.