Rance Allen Concert

Rance Allen Group: From Stax '70s classics to today's Gospel Charts

It's pleasing to see that though in the autumn of his years, gospel crossover man Rand Allen is belatedly getting fresh recognition in the US. In recent years Rance has guested on albums by Kirk Franklin, John P Kee and Bishop Paul Martin while the Rance Allen Group's latest 'The Live Experience II' is high on the US Gospel Charts. Rance and his brothers contributed hugely to the development of modern gospel music and the recordings he made in the '70s for Stax's Gospel Truth label, with their pioneering cross fertilisation of black church traditions and mainstream R&B sounds were vital in laying down the stylistic template for the Kirk Franklins and Mary Marys of subsequent decades.

Throughout his five decades of gospel ministry Rance has overcome numerous obstacles, always striving to keep his focus on Christ. He told Cross Rhythms, "Now that I look back on it there were some real blocks that were difficult to get over. What made it possible for me to come on through was that I kept in mind my goal. I kept in mind that this was something God had mandated that I do, and when you're mandated to do something you have people who don't want it. You can get your feelings hurt, you can feel a little down but one thing is for certain: if you make it your business to do what God mandates you to do, it will get better."

One of a dozen children, Rance was born on 19th November 1948 in Monroe, Michigan (about 30 miles from Detroit). Very much a child of the church, he was raised in the exuberant, musically rich atmosphere of the Church Of God In Christ. Rance credits his mother as being his greatest influence. He said, "She was a singer, a musician, she played the piano and the guitar. Her name was Emmapearl." At the age of four Allen told his grandmother that he wanted to be a preacher and gospel singer. He told gospelflava.com, "My grandmother took me seriously and had me before the public at age of five. I was ministering and singing in Ohio by the time I was seven. I had monumental influences in the church. I wanted to preach like Elder Barksdale, our District Superintendent. As a little boy, I used to love to just watch this man preach, he had an ability to not only mesmerize with his words, but also with the way that the presented his words. It was a treat even at the age of five. We were raised in a family where you went to church every single night. To keep our interest, my grandmother went to a pawn shop and bought instruments, drums, guitars and amplifiers.

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For years, I have been a lover of Rance Allen and his unique voice and ability to work a stage. This live compilation brought back some great memories for me and in my opinion, song for song, it’s his best work. My favorites on this album are "Miracle Worker" (you can never go wrong with Fred Hammond), "Preacher Man" (my favorite as a teenager), "I can’t Help Myself" (LaShaun Pace is another great singer), "Praise The Lord" (short, but sweet), "You Make Me Wanna Dance" (love the beat of this song) and "Something About The Name Jesus" (I fell in love with this one when Men of Standard recorded it with Rance and Kirk Franklin some years ago and although this version is very long, it’s also well worth listening to). THE LIVE EXPERIENCE is definitely satisfaction for the music lover who enjoys uplifting, spirited songs with a beat that will have your toes tapping even while you’re driving.

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