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Label: Gaither Music Group
Website: http://www.gaithernet.com
Producer: Bill Gaither
Song Titles: "Good, Good News," "He's Watching Me," "Resurrection," "Redeemed," "Yes, I Know," "I'm Gonna Sing," "On The Authority," "It Is Finished," "Knowing You'll Be There," "O Worship The King," "Just A Little While," "God Is Good," "The Baptism Of Jesse Taylor," "Sinner Saved By Grace," "Promises One By One," "The Old Rugged Cross Made The Difference," "Loving God, Loving Each Other," "The Haven Of Rest," "Singing With The Saints," "Palms Of Victory," "Then Came The Morning," "The King Is Coming," "I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary," and "At The Cross"
Bonus Footage: Outtakes, Extended footage from the Penrod farm, "I Shall Wear A Crown" performed by a college age Guy Penrod and the Men Of Liberty

Like other "best of" titles in the Gaither Gospel Series series, The Best Of Guy Penrod collects selected clips from previously seen videos and intersperses them with interviews and behind the scenes footage. Bill Gaither hosts and conducts the interviews, at first with Penrod in a studio setting and later on location with the Penrods at their farm. One of the biggest treats on this video is hearing Guy's wife Angie and their seven boys singing "Oh Worship The King." They sing it a cappella and in harmony, and even do a key change.

This DVD brings out a lot of details from Penrod's background. He went to college at Liberty University where he sang with a group called the Men Of Liberty. A very young Guy Penrod is shown along with the group performing at Thomas Road Baptist Church during a televised broadcast. Penrod makes some excellent points in one interview clip about the importance of college vs. going directly into singing without formal training.

After college, Penrod became a studio singer, singing backup for some of the top recording artists in Nashville both in Country and Christian music. He was also featured on the television program Music City Tonight.

Gaither and Penrod begin the DVD with some candid discussion about Penrod's sometimes controversial look. We hear why he wears his hair long, whose idea it was for him to sport the long coats on stage, etc. The discussion then moves to his family life, his farm, and other personal interests. A number of family photos are included in the video. Penrod recalls how he was barely able to be present for a couple of his sons' births due to his singing schedule. There's a small schoolhouse on the Penrod property where the boys are educated, and the video reveals just how massive a task like serving breakfast can be. The grandparents assist Angie with homeschooling the boys, but even so, she's bound to be the poster mom in the Nashville area.

Penrod's farm includes a herd of cattle, a faithful dog, and of course, a tractor. There's one amusing story about Gaither asking Penrod what type of tractor he owned in front of a crowd in Moline, Indiana. When Penrod said he had a Kubota, unaware that John Deere's are built in Moline, the crowd gave him a friendly boo.

There's plenty of music included on The Best of Guy Penrod...more than 20 songs. The DVD runs for almost 95 minutes, not counting the bonus footage. I wish the full length version of "When Jesus Says It's Enough" had been included. The Ryman Gospel Reunion video released a month or two before the Southern Classics, Vol. 2 CD in 1995, so the video performance of that song was actually the first time most fans saw Penrod in action with the GVB. A number of the clips on The Best of Guy Penrod are just portions of a performance, but plenty of background information is included. Gaither talks of pairing Penrod up with Glen Payne to sing "Haven Of Rest" (on the Joy In The Camp video). Payne didn't know Penrod was going to sing the second verse, so his reaction to Penrod was spontaneous as they sang the final choruses together. Tidbits of information like that help you see the performances in a different light, which is why this video is worth having even if you already own most of the older videos.

One tidbit that should make GVB fans very happy in light of recent changes in the group...Penrod said he likes singing in a team setting too much to seriously consider a major solo career.

Reader Comments

I am happy for Dave Phelps but there is no sound like David and Guy singing together. The group just won't be the same but I wish both the new guys the best! I am sure in a few years, we will all be happy with them, too.

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