SG History 101

Dec

2004

SG History 101 - The Couriers

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One of the most unique, accomplished, and influential groups in southern gospel music history is the Couriers! Here is their story.

It all began on the campus of the Assemblies of God Central Bible Institute in Springfield, Missouri in 1953...around that time, the Blackwood Brothers Quartet had appeared at the local Shrine Mosque there, and their concert went over so well, that as many as eight student groups began singing on campus and in area churches. One such group was a quartet that called itself the Couriers, to signify their role as "messengers of the gospel message".

The group consisted of tenor Dave Snyder, lead Dick Malone, baritone and pianist Roger Kling, and bass Cliff King. This group stayed together for a year, and released at least one 78 RPM record. Come the 1954 school year, though, they had disbanded.

In 1955, however, some incoming students formed a new group, and took the name "Couriers" for themselves. This group was comprised of tenor Lemuel Boyles, lead Eddie Mosher, baritone Don Baldwin, and bass Dave Kyllonen, with pianist Bob Casebeer. Over the next year or so, several pianists came and went from the group.

When the 1956 school year began, Mosher graduated, and Oklahoman Duane Nicholson replaced him as lead singer. A year later, Boyles graduated as well, and Nicholson moved to tenor. A gifted young man named Neil Enloe joined the group as lead singer. Eddie Reece was also brought into the group as pianist, and that is the group that many refer to today as the "original" Couriers Quartet, because that was the group that existed when the decision was made to make the group a full-time one.

As time went on, the young group began to become more active on weekends singing at concerts out of town. They felt what they believed to be the call of God to use their music as a ministry, and so by 1958, they decided to leave college and venture into the world of full-time, professional gospel singing.

Knowing they lacked the stage presence of the better known quartets, and being almost unknown in the South, then as now the center of the gospel singing world, how would the Couriers establish themselves? Using their church connections, they opted to relocate to western Pennsylvania, eventually settling on the state capitol, Harrisburg, as their base of operations. They managed to get an unpaid position singing on radio station WCMB there. Before long, they began to be invited to sing at churches in the area. The move to Harrisburg was a fortuitious one, for it was an area which few people had heard much of gospel quartet music. The program remained on the air for the next twelve years, eventually expanding to a ten-station "network" throughout Pennsylvania.

One advantage the Couriers realized they had being where they were was that there was virtually no competition in the gospel music marketplace. They didn't have to travel as far as southern groups did to hold concerts in the major population centers of the Northeast and Midwest. Also, with the group's Bible college background and strong devotion to church ministry, they were ready to respond with a combination of traditional quartet music and preaching and testimony with the explosive growth of conservative evangelical churches after World War II. The Couriers' approach was very effective in northern churches unfamiliar with the nuances of the flashier southern groups. The Couriers were talented performers who soon developed a unique style within the gospel quartet world, and thus despite not being well known in the South, by the early 1960s they were themselves sponsoring and promoting concerts not only in much of the Northeast, but in much of Canada as well(where they were quite warmly received). Thus it can be said that the Couriers were primarily responsible for bringing southern gospel music into the Northeast and Canada.

Group manager and baritone Don Baldwin had founded Hymntone Records to record the group, and their earliest recorded material was on Hymntone. The group continued to grow in ability and popularity into the 1960s. But as with many other gospel groups, personnel changes were a frequent occurrence. In 1960, pianist Eddie Reece left the Couriers to begin a youth ministry, eventually settling down in Israel. Neil Enloe began the first of many double duty stints, taking over as pianist until the arrival of Californian Jerry Evans by 1963. It was around that point in time that the group, which like many other groups, struggled financially

to the point that Baldwin announced that the group might have to fold. Immediately, they began singing songs of encouragement to themselves, and remembered that they had embarked upon this journey in response to the call from God...and they didn't fold, but pressed onward.

By 1964, Evans left the Couriers for an offer from another group, and he was replaced by one of the Couriers' most popular members. David Young, and a veteran of many successful gospel groups, including the Prophets Quartet. Young was the first genuine southerner to join the Couriers, and his addition not only expanded them musically, but broadened their following in the South. In addition, the Couriers attracted the attention of Warner Brothers Records, where they recorded two albums. One of the producers at Warner Brothers was particularly impressed by the look and sound of the Couriers, and told them if they would only change the word "Jesus" to "love" in their songs, he would make them more money in six months than they could ever dream of making in gospel music. Given their earlier financial struggles, this had to be tempting to the Couriers, but again, mindful of their purpose they pledged to devote themselves to in singing, they flatly turned down the offer. Those two albums, "Nothing...but the Gospel Truth", and "We've Gotta Sing", are still two of the most sought-after Couriers albums by collectors today.

In 1965, the Couriers expanded their fan base further by joining the cast of the syndicated "Gospel Singing Jubilee" television show, appearing as regulars with the Happy Goodmans, the Dixie Echoes, and the host Florida Boys, and joining them on the Canaan record label for a couple of albums in 1965 and 1966. While never becoming hugely popular in the South, the Couriers were able to expand their fan base there as a result.

Again, by 1966, the Couriers once again were making records for their own label, this time it was Paradise Records. They also changed pianists again, with David Young returning to Georgia, where he continues to live today, performing with his family group and running a recording studio in Cleveland, Georgia. Young has also appeared at the annual Grand Old Gospel Reunion in Greenville, SC.

An even bigger change, though, came just before Young's departure. At that time, longtime manager and baritone Don Baldwin opted to retire from the road. He went into the recording business in Florida, where he lives today in retirement, having battled health problems in recent years, but still alive, and still keeping in touch not only with the group members, but many others in gospel music he worked with through the years. He was replaced in the group by Neil Enloe's brother, Phil, who came to the Couriers from the Jr. Blackwood Brothers. Young was replaced on piano briefly by Neil Enloe once more, but soon the Couriers hired Eddie Hawks as accompanist. Hawks stayed until 1967, when he too left for Florida, forming a group there called the Embers, who sang for a few years. Today Hawks is a minister of music in a church in Lakeland, FL.

Neil Enloe wrote more than 60 songs, and he is recognized today as one of gospel music's preeminent writers. Among his many successful songs are "The Joy of Knowing Jesus" (which became a quartet standard as the 70s dawned), "He's More Than Just A Swear Word", "From A Star To Stripes", and perhaps his best known song of all, "Statue of Liberty", which not only was probably the Couriers' most famous song, but the song that propelled the Cathedral Quartet to prominence in the mid 70s.

In 1968, perhaps the biggest change of all came to the Couriers. Phil Enloe stepped down, and he was not replaced. Instead, bass singer Dave Kyllonen moved up to bass/baritone, and the Couriers became a trio, and remain one to this day. Because of Dave's vocal range, the resulting trio was about as full-sounding as any there was, and the Couriers were about to embark on their most popular phase yet.

One important aspect to note is that the Couriers' performances became increasingly evanglical during this period. Their concerts started to conclude with a sermon from Kyllonen (an ordained minister), and an altar call. Their musical sound also started to become more "Inspirational" than merely southern gospel. They were able to maintain their southern gospel fan base, though, and one thing they began doing at that time that has become the vogue for many southern gospel groups is using soundtracks to accompany them vocally in concerts, since their music on record was becoming more elaborately orchestrated. The Couriers were probably the first major group in gospel music to use soundtrack accompaniment routinely. On older songs or other songs that just needed piano, Enloe continued to play it on stage, but that aspect was becoming less and less prevalent in Couriers' concerts.

The Couriers made many of their most popular records in the 70s on the Tempo label, winning three Dove awards along the way...one for Song of the Year for "Statue of Liberty", another for Inspirational Album of the Year with their well-known concert album "Ovation", and one more Associate Award for contributions to gospel music.

In 1980, Dave Kyllonen left the group to become a missionary in the Caribbean for a couple of years, then becoming a pastor of a church in Iowa, before forming a family ministry by 1990. Phil Enloe returned to the Couriers to take Kyllonen's place, and the group continued on through the 80s and 90s. About 1997 or so, the older members realized that if the Couriers' unique musical ministry was to continue, it would have to be with a new generation of Couriers. Gradually over the next three years Scot Womble, Larry More, and Kristian Walker were brought into the group, and at the end of 2000, Nicholson and the Enloes announced their retirement, turning the name over to the younger trio, who have since carried on the Couriers ministry and tradition since then...joined in 2002 by Tim Beitzel, who replaced Walker when the latter decided to pursue his own ministry interests.

So the Couriers remain active today...with lead Womble, tenor More, and bass/baritone Beitzel continuing the Couriers unique musical ministry.

But the story doesn't end quite there...in 2001, Kyllonen got together again with Nicholson and Enloe for a special "original Couriers" reunion concert, and it was such a success, the three decided to reunite for select concerts under the name Dave, Duane, and Neil...they remain a force in gospel music, having recorded a recent CD project, "One Nation Over God", a collection of Enloe songs and other new material as well.

So 51 years, 58 albums, three Doves, and 4,000,000 + road miles later, the Couriers young and old, remain "messengers of the heavenly message", and remain an important, influential part of the larger history of southern gospel music.

I want to recongnize and thank Duane Nicholson, his daughter, Meredith Schoppe, and Neil Enloe for supplying information and cooperation in the preparation of this article.

Reader Comments

John,
Great article on a group that has - and is - always possessed a quality sound with an inspiring message.

Dean