This song is about one of the strongest men in the Bible and his downfall, Samson. This Statesmen lineup consists of Jim "Big Chief" Wetherington, who wrote the song; Rosie Rozell (tenor); Jack Toney (lead); and Doy Ott (baritone).
Samson was fascinated by the woman Delilah and she would be his undoing. Once he told her where his strength lay, she orchestrated his fall. But, he did not go down alone. He had one last stand, as they say.
This is the perfect quartet, Denver, Jake, Doy, and Chief. This song was recorded at some point between 1953 and early 1957. I can't pin down the exact date, but Denver (tenor) was only with the group during this time frame. He died unexpectedly of diabetic complications on 21 March 1957.
This is one of the few that I've seen with Doy getting a solo. He shines in this one. Denver and Jake also get solo moments. Chief doesn't get one this go round, but he does get them on a fairly regular basis in other songs.
The Statesmen Quartet had a unique sound that many tried to recreate, but you can't duplicate perfection. I've heard it said that it would be years before anyone could really compete with their sound. In my opinion, there's still no competition. No one else has achieved their style and class. Yes, there have been other great gospel music groups over the years, but no one will ever top The Statesmen Quartet, especially their perfect grouping of Denver Crumpler, Jake Hess, Doy Ott, and Jim "Big Chief" Wetherington along with Hovie Lister.
Jack Toney first became the lead singer of The Statesmen Quartet after Jake Hess left to form the Imperials in 1963. He would rejoin the Statesmen several other times over the years. Jack sang with several other groups over the years. A few of the other groups that he sang with are: John Hull and the Joymakers; The Prophets; The Dixie Echoes; The Southmen Quartet; Gadsden Ambassadors; Rosie Rozell and the Searchers; and the Masters V.
Jack was a well-known songwriter, writing over 600 songs, such as:
I Will Rise Up From My Grave - Click here to hear the Kingsmen sing this song.
God Must Have Sent Down an Angel - Click here to hear the Statesmen sing this song.
Jesus Is Coming for Me - Click here to hear the Kingsmen sing this song.
Jack had two signature songs that he brought with him to The Statesmen Quartet. They were "Ship Ahoy" and "Beyond the Gates". Here is Jack singing "Beyond the Gates." I could see Hovie Lister (the Statesmen) in the audience, as well as Glenn Payne (of the Cathedrals). I also thought that I saw Roger Bennett (the Cathedrals) and Rosie Rozell (the Statesmen).
Here is The Statesmen Quartet - Rosie Rozell, Jack Toney, Doy Ott, Jim "Big Chief" Wetherington, and Hovie Lister - singing "Ship Ahoy".
Elvis Presley was a huge fan of The Statesmen Quartet. He saw them sing when he was a child and idolized them to a degree. On at least one occasion, The Statesmen Quartet let him sing with them in the place of Jake Hess for a song or two.
Elvis went on to be a huge star in his own right. But, he got his style from The Statesmen Quartet. His leg shaking came from Jim "Big Chief" Wetherington, the bass for the Statesmen. Elvis patterned his vocal style after Jake Hess, the Statesmen's lead singer, who is said to be his favorite singer.
How Great Thou Art
When Elvis died in August of 1977 (just two days before my twelfth birthday), Jake was asked to sing at his funeral. He sang "Known Only to Him." The following video is Elvis' rendition of the song. Here is a link to The Statesmen Quartet singing the song as well: Known Only to Him.
Doy Ott was born 28 April 1919 in the state of Oklahoma. He served as a Sargent in US Army in World War II.
His first music-related jobs were as the accompanist to various Southern Gospel Music groups such as The Rangers and the Homeland Harmony Quartet. He joined The Statesmen Quartet in 1951 as the piano player while Hovie did his duty for our country in the Korean War. Doy replaced Bervin Kendrick as the baritone once Hovie came back from service.
Doy was also an arranger and composer. One of the songs to his credit is "Wait for Me". It was written when his first wife died.
Wait for Me
Doy is one of the more reserved of The Statesmen Quartet, in my opinion. Both he and Denver Crumpler are refined and dignified. The other guys are goofballs at times and Hovie is a bit manic (but in a good way!). Doy and Denver are as steady as they come, regardless of what the others are up to.
Doy suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was in a coma for four years before he died on 6 November 1986. He is buried in Roswell, Georgia.
Mosie Lister was born in Cochran, Georgia, on 8 September 1921. He was one of the original members of The Statesmen Quartet. He was their original lead singer in 1948. There is apparently no relation, other than their association with The Statesmen Quartet, between Mosie and Hovie Lister.
Like Hovie, Mosie was a Baptist minister and also a singer. In addition to being a singer, Mosie was also a songwriter with over 700 songs and arrangements to his credit. His songs have been recorded by many of the great Southern Gospel music groups as well as by individuals such as Elvis Presley and Loretta Lynn.
Thomas Mosie Lister, a US Navy WWII veteran, died at age 93 on 12 February 2015, and is buried in Franklin, Tennessee.
This is an especially moving version of Then I Met the Master with an aging Jake Hess singing. Jake knows he's going Home soon at this point, and it is a very emotional recording.
Hovie Lister was born in Greenville, South Carolina, on 17 September 1926. He learned to play the piano as a child and accompanied his father and uncles and various other singing groups throughout his early years.
In 1948, Hovie started The Statesmen Quartet. He played piano but also sang with them on occasion. The Statesmen Quartet was active from 1948 until they permanently disbanded in 2001.
Hovie is what I call a "boogie boy". He didn't just sit at the piano and play it calmly. He was a wild child, sometimes almost manic looking, as he played. Who could sit calmly by as he played like that? Not me!
He was also a Baptist minister. I don't know about how it goes in your Baptist churches, but if Hovie's services went anything like his piano playing, I can't imagine anybody falling asleep during them!
Hovie was a veteran of the Korean War and died of Lymphoblastic Leukemia on 28 December 2001.
Here is one of the few videos that we've seen where Hovie performs as a singer with the group instead of playing the piano. I am assuming that Doy Ott is playing the piano for this one as Hovie is singing in Doy's usual position.
Bervin Kendrick was born 28 February 1910. He was one of the original Statesmen. He was their first baritone, singing with them from 1948 until 1951. The other original Statesmen were: Bobby Strickland (tenor), Mosie Lister (lead), and Gordon Hill (bass).
Bervin was an original member of the Southlanders Quartet, which was formed in early 1948 before Hovie Lister started The Statesmen Quartet. He was their lead singer. He sang baritone with the Crusaders after leaving The Statesmen Quartet.
Bervin died 13 February 1991 and is buried in Bainbridge, Georgia.
Jim Hill sang lead for The Statesmen Quartet from 1968-1971. He was also a song writer. He wrote the song "What a Day That Will Be" in 1955 and several others. However, one of my favorite songs to hear/watch him sing is "God's Not Dead".
This video shows a recording session that happened three weeks before Hovie Lister died. This is his final recording. Hovie was the founder of The Statesmen Quartet back in 1948.
When he turns to the camera (time stamp approximately 1:26) and repeats the phrase, "If we never meet again here, then I'll meet ya on that beautiful shore", it gives me chills. It is like he is looking across time and distance and talking directly to me personally. I think it is awesome that one day I *will* meet Hovie and Denver, Big Chief, Doy, Jake, Rosie, Jackson, and all those great gospel singers in a place where there is no more suffering, no more tears, and more love than I could ever imagine.
Jake Hess was born on Christmas Eve 1927 in Pisgah, Alabama. His singing career started when he was 16 years old. In 1948, he joined The Statesmen Quartet as lead singer. He was the lead singer off and on for 20 years, the longest of any of their lead singers. Jack Toney was the second longest at approximately 12 years total with the group.
Jake was part of the perfect quartet made up of Denver Crumpler (tenor), Jake Hess (lead), Doy Ott (baritone), and Jim "Big Chief" Wetherington (bass). Hovie Lister was the founder of the group as well as the wild piano man.
Jake went off on his own for awhile forming the group called The Imperials. They also sang with Elvis. It is said that Jake was Elvis' favorite singer. It is also said that Elvis patterned leg shaking after Big Chief, but his singing style after Jake Hess.
This video, in my opinion, is one of the best at showcasing Jake's strong voice.
This Old House
The following video is from Jake's final project. It was released on 19 August 2003. Jake died 4 January 2004 in Opelika, Alabama. He is buried in Juniper, Georgia in the Buck Family Cemetery.
The Statesmen were a group for a very long time, beginning in 1948 and ending sometime in the early 2000s. Over the years, there were several personnel changes. The group that David and I like the very best included Denver Crumpler (tenor), Jake Hess (lead), Doy Ott (baritone), Jim "Big Chief" Wetherington (bass), and Hovie Lister (piano). They were considered the perfect quartet and I believe it!
The video that follows has two of our core group missing - Denver Crumpler and Jake Hess. In their stead are Sherril Nielsen as tenor and Jim Hill as lead. They aren't Denver and Jake, but they do a fine job of it, I think. Doy, Chief, and Hovie are as great as ever.
"Fourth Man" is a great song! It was a very popular song in its day. It is about the guys in the fiery furnace. But, every time I hear its title, this isn't the song that comes to mind. "My Name is Lazarus" is what I think of. Our children used to sing the song about Lazarus at various churches when they were little. It talks about four men and Lazarus' resurrection, so I guess that is why I think of this song. I am sharing a version of My Name is Lazarus here, too, just because I like the song and our babies always did a fine job singing it for the churches.
Please check out Ellen's new book - Prancie's Prayer!
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