SG History 101

The original Singing Hinson Family, 1967

SG History 101 - The Hinsons

Family groups have long made their mark on the history of gospel music. As well, even though the particular part of gospel music we discuss here is known as “southern” gospel music, groups from the western United States have had a leading role in the development of the genre.

This month, we examine the career of one of the most prominent and popular family gospel groups in the history of the genre, a group that got its’ start near the central coast of California.

The year was 1967…the place was Freedom, California, a small town near Watsonville in Santa Cruz County, California. A group of youngsters were attending a revival service there, and since they were siblings, it seemed natural that they would sing together in a group.

They had not done so before, but brothers Ronny(born October 29, 1946), Kenny(born October 17, 1953), Larry(born July 14, 1956), and sister Yvonne(born May 31, 1950)Hinson joined forces at that church in Freedom, and were received so well that they would sing at other churches and in concerts in various Northern California venues.

They were initially influenced stylistically by the Happy Goodman Family(a popular group in the western U.S.), and as well lead singer Kenny was strongly influenced by country singer Merle Haggard…and the combination of those musical styles coupled with their strong Christian conviction endeared them to their early audiences.

Promoters such as Fresno’s Don Smith (ex-Blackwood Brothers’ bass singer) and Nelson Parkerson, Jr. began to feature the Singing Hinson Family (the group’s original name) in a number of concerts, where they appeared often with the Premiers Quartet (whose pianist was modern artist and promoter Herb Henry), as well as on occasion with bigger name groups such as the Goodmans and the Oak Ridge Boys, and soon Parkerson offered them their first record contract.

Parkerson, had a small, fledgling Christian record label based in Fresno, and even though his company was new and small, Calvary Records was anxious for an artist with potential to get the label off to a flying start, and the Hinson family surely were a group with the potential to do just that.

Parkerson signed the Hinsons(as they soon became known as)in 1969, and for over 25 years, the group would make Calvary Records its’ home base…almost singlehandedly making the label one of the industry leaders…by the 1980s, Calvary Records had relocated to Nashville (along with the Hinsons), and for some time, the Calvary Music Group was one of the leading names in the gospel music recording industry.

But we return to the story of the Hinsons…starting with “Here Come the Hinsons” in 1969, the group recorded albums that were well-received, each album doing a little better than the last, until, as was the case with a number of gospel’s top artists, one song would change the course of their career. By 1971, the group’s name had been simplified from the Signing Hinson Family to simply the Hinsons.

In 1970, Ronny Hinson would write the song that would make the Hinsons one of the top groups in the gospel music industry. The group was trying to get new material to perform on stage (the Hinsons always preferred to sing their own material rather than simply cover everyone else’s songs). During a church rehearsal, when Ronny was using the restroom, he was inspired to write the song’s lyrics on some toilet tissue….and a hit song was thus born. Under such inauspicious circumstances then, one would not have expected “The Lighthouse” to attract much attention. But the song struck a chord with audiences to the point that it was a runaway hit for the Happy Goodmans that year, and it was a #1 hit for the Hinsons as well when they recorded it in 1971. Therafter, virtually every artist on the circuit at that time recorded it, and many of those versions were hits as well. “The Lighthouse” became a gospel music standard, and not only became one of the top gospel songs of all time, but defined the Hinsons’ sound, and established them as an industry force to stay. In 1972, the song earned the unique distinction of becoming the only song to become a “Song Of The Year” in both the Singing News Fan Awards and the Dove Awards.

“The Lighthouse” was the beginning of one of gospel music’s finest-ever songwriter’s prolific output. Over the next 35 years or so, Ronny wrote over 10 #1 songs on the southern gospel music charts, and over 100 of his songs charted in the top 10. Among his many hits were, “He Pilots My Ship”, “Two Winning Hands”, “Mercy Built Bridge”, “Once Upon A Hill”, “Higher Than I’ve Ever Been”, “The Old Ship Of Zion”, “Oasis”, “When He Was On The Cross(I Was On His Mind)”, and most recently, even a hit last year for the Hoppers, “I’m Just Waiting For My Ride”.

In addition, Ronny Hinson is still a sought after record producer, and still performs concerts to this day.

“The Lighthouse” put the Hinsons on the map, and they continued to release acclaimed, popular albums and singles. But change is inevitable, and the first winds of change for the group blew in 1974, when Yvonne got married, and opted to leave the road and begin a family.

One would have thought that losing such an important part of the group’s sound would slow the pace of their popularity, but then again, these were the Hinsons…and this clearly was no ordinary group. A young lady from California named Chris Hawkins joined the group to take Yvonne’s place, and she fit in so well that in the six years she was a member of the group, from 1974 to 1980, she won the coveted Queen of Gospel Music award twice, over the likes of such singers as Vestal Goodman, Sue Chenault Dodge, and Eva Mae LeFevre.

On the set of the Gospel Singing Jubilee, 1975

About this time, in 1973, the Hinsons became regular cast members of the popular syndicated TV show, “The Gospel Singing Jubilee”. Being on this highly visible weekly platform ensured that the Hinsons’ popularity would continue unabated. They remained members of the show’s cast until 1979, at which time they began to record appearances for such shows as “The 700 Club” and “The PTL Club”. They appeared on the latter show until at least 1988.

More change would come in 1980, and again, it involved the group’s female voice. Chris Hawkins would join a family group called the Pathways. In short order, Darrell Freeman from Sandusky, Ohio would buy the group from his father(who was leaving the group along with his mother)and marry Chris. The group then changed its name to the Freemans, and their Hinson-based sound would help them establish themselves as one of the industry’s leading family groups.

Chris was replaced by the person she had originally replaced, the Hinsons’ sister Yvonne, who was now known as Yvonne Hinson-Johnson. She had not lost her singing chops however, and it seemed the Hinsons were back to their original sound.

With Bo Hinson, 1984

Then in the summer of 1981 Larry opted to leave the group to join the formal ministry. This was quite a loss…Larry was one of the original group members, and he also wrote songs, as did Kenny and Ronny. Where would the group find a replacement for Larry?

From right in the family, that’s where. Eric Hinson(son of non-performing Hinson brother Calvin) would join the group, ensuring that not only would the group continue to have a quality sound, but that they would remain “the Hinsons”. Eric remeined a group member until 1984, when he was replaced by Ronny’s son Ronny Jr., better known as “Bo” Hinson.

The lineup would consist of Yvonne, Kenny, Ronny, and Bo until 1988, when the decision was made to disband the group. Perhaps it was time, since the group had been on the road for over 20 years, and it may have been time for the original members to settle down, and raise their growing families.

However, for those many Hinsons fans needing their “fix”, Bo established a new group of Hinsons, appropriately called the “New Hinsons”. That group remains to this day, and have taken the original name for themselves.

Cover of "One More Hallelujah", 1992

But it wasn’t the end of the line for the original Hinsons. Larry suggested to the people at Calvary Music Group that a reunion project involving the original Hinson family members might be welcome. It took a while, but by 1992, the original Hinsons…Yvonne, Larry, Kenny, and Ronny recorded as a group one last album, “One More Hallelujah”, one of the author’s favorite recordings from that year.

It was a lot like the old days, with strong songs written by Ronny, Kenny, and Larry, and memorable songs like the hit “Joy Comes In The Morning” and “I’ll Never Be Over The Hill”. A 13 city tour in conjunction with the album was planned for 1993.

Then came the tragic news that Kenny was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He battled hard to overcome the disease, but on July 27, 1995, at the relatively young age of 41, Kenny Hinson passed away.

Arguably, there could be no Hinson sound without Kenny. His distinctive voice was among the most imitated among gospel singers of his day. It can be argued that Kenny Hinson was the progenitor of “country gospel”. With songs like “Call Me Gone”, “This Joy Is Mine”, and his unique vocal stylings on “Two Winning Hands”, Kenny’s vocal style became legend, and “Christian country” was born.

Kenny had been an evangelist from 1988-1990, and a church pastor from 1990 to 1992. In the author’s opinion, Kenny could well have been a star in country music had he chosen that direction in life…such was his great talent Happily for gospel music fans, Kenny. Like the rest of his family, was more interested in serving God rather than his own ends. Still, Kenny achieved much acclaim for his talents in gospel music, winning the Singing News Fan Awards for best lead singer in 1976, 1978, and 1980. He was also inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2004.

The Hinson family is still involved in ministry and music to this day…Larry is lead pastor at SouthPoint Church, an Assembly of God church in Millersville, TN with his wife Jana, and Yvonne still sings…she is part of that church’s Praise and Worship team. And when Ronny is not traveling (which he still does often), he attends Larry’s church and still produces and mentors other gospel artists.

Being inducted into the GMA Hall of Fame, 2006

The Hinsons rose to the top of the gospel music world with a combination of dedication and tremendous talent…Ronny Hinson is one of gospel music’s all-time great songwriters, and surely Kenny Hinson was one of the genre’s greatest singers. And the entire original group was inducted into the Gospel Music Association’s Hall of Fame in 2006.

But not only has this wonderful family changed the gospel music industry for the better, they have made the earthly kingdom of God better by their dedication to spreading God’s Word in every way, song, word, or deed.

The Hinsons deserve to be recognized for their unique contributions to gospel music and its’ history.

The author would like to thank Dr. Larry Hinson for his help in researching this article and providing the photos, and Jerry Butler as well, for his inspiration and help in putting this article together.

About This Article - SG History 101 - The Hinsons

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Written: 02/01/2009 |

Category: SG History 101

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