It's time again to rock the vote for Rock Hall's Class of 2009 nominees

For the ninth year in a row, we're asking all good citizens of the rock 'n' roll capital of the world to do their civic duty and weigh in on the latest slate of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame candidates.

Among the hopefuls are Metallica, Run-D.M.C. and Cleveland's own Bobby Womack. And how's this for a refreshing change of scenery? The induction ceremony will be held Saturday, April 4, at Public Hall, right here in our fair city.

The average fan is excluded from casting an official ballot, a privilege reserved for music-biz insiders and previous inductees. But as always, your vote counts with us. We welcome write-in candidates and comments, too. You can vote online by click here. Or you can fill out our readers' choice ballot in The Plain Dealer on Sunday, Sept. 28.

Deadline for entries is Friday, Oct. 10. We'll publish the results later in October.

Five of the nine official nominees will be chosen for the Rock Hall's Class of 2009. We'll find out in January who made the grade.

In the meantime, here's my annual spin on how the nominees stack up:


SAFE BETS

Metallica: Heavy-metal acts haven't been a priority for the hall. Heck, Black Sabbath had to be nominated eight times before they got in -- and when Ozzy & Co. finally did, Metallica handled the honors. Still, there's no denying these stalwart headbangers deserve to be enshrined themselves. And with the band now on tour behind a No. 1 album, Metallica should be front-of-mind for voters.

Little Anthony and the Imperials: Doo-wop groups are a dying breed, and the hall seems to be making an effort to acknowledge old-timers while they're still around to enjoy it. Fifty years after "Tears on My Pillow" was a Top 5 smash, look for tears of joy from Little Anthony and the Imperials when they accept an overdue honor.

The Stooges: Feel lucky, proto-punk? Surely the seventh time will be the charm for perennial also-rans Iggy Pop and pals. At least they got a foot in the door when Madonna asked them to perform in her place at the 2008 induction gala. "Ray of Light" never sounded . . . weirder.


TOO CLOSE TO CALL

Run-D.M.C.: I'd vote for them in a heartbeat. (Or is it a breakbeat?) However, it took three tries to induct Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, the only hip-hop act in the hall so far. "This is a rock ¤'n' roll museum -- you guys don't belong in here," a security guard played by Larry (Bud) Melman told Run-D.M.C. in the video for this groundbreaking trio's 1985 hit "King of Rock." Prophetic? Let's hope not.

Jeff Beck: He's already in the hall as a member of the Yardbirds, and rightly so. Honoring this virtuoso guitarist again for his horizon-broadening solo work would be a worthy gesture, even if most folks couldn't name one of his solo tunes if their lives depended on it. Then again, if Eric Clapton is a three-time Hall of Famer, Beck at least ought to be a two-timer.

Chic: After four previously unsuccessful nominations, will "Good Times" be deferred yet again for these R&B groove-meisters? It sure would make a great opening number for the gala.


LONG SHOTS

Bobby Womack: The homeboy in me would love to see this R&B veteran get his due, especially here in Womack's hometown. Remember the Rolling Stones oldie "It's All Over Now"? Womack wrote that, along with a slew of other hits for himself and others. Nonetheless, years of hard living took a toll on his career, making him a dark horse at best.

Wanda Jackson: When I told a colleague that two-time nominee Jackson was in the running again, he said -- and I quote -- "Who?" In the words of the Dixie Chicks: "There's your trouble." Jackson briefly moved in the same circles as Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly, although the so-called Queen of Rockabilly's reign was short-lived.

War: Long before Christopher Walken declared "I gotta have more cowbell!" in that immortal "Saturday Night Live" sketch, the clank-clank-clank of a cowbell drove War's "Low Rider." Unfortunately, this funky bunch won't be enshrined until the hall overcomes its blatant anti-cowbell bias, as evinced by its ongoing refusal to acknowledge the genius of Blue Oyster Cult.

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The Imperials - The Definitive Collection

By Uriah Heep "él aumenta, disminuyo" (Indiana, USA)
The Imperials have over a 30 year legacy, with a vast catalogue of great tunes and worship classics. Here Word "Entertainment" decides to put out a collection of 10 songs from this extensive catalogue. Can you say "money grab"?

Its really disappointing then labels do this. CDs have an 80 minute capacity. To release a "definitive" collection for a group as huge as the Imperials that is far short of the 80 minutes is well, as i said, a waste.

Look to the 2 disc Legacy collection. Its definitely worth the extra few dollars. Meanwhile, Word could do us a bigger favor by releasing some of the greats like "Side By Side" on disc.


By angelgirl "Cheryl E." (Hudson, N.H.)
I have personally met him at a concert with the Gaithers. What a great man of faith. He is geniunely a very nice and talented man....

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The Imperials - Back to the Roots

Nashville, TN – The Imperials announced today that the group is now taking pre-orders for their highly anticipated new recording, Back to the Roots.

Back to the Roots will feature 11 newly recorded classic songs that The Imperials made popular through their rich and varied history. Back to the Roots will feature songs from the 1960’s, 1970’s, and 1980’s and range all the way from the Jake Hess years to the Russ Taff era and everything in between.

Back to the Roots will feature production work from award-winning producer Michael Sykes (Gaither Vocal Band, Oak Ridge Boys, Gold City).

The cost of the pre-order is $15, plus $5 for shipping and handling. The new album is due out by September 10, 2007, in time for the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, Kentucky.

Shannon Smith of The Imperials said, “We’re excited to be offering pre-sales and orders for the new album because that means that we are that much closer to having the final product in our hands.”

“The feedback that we have gotten from this album so far is outstanding,” mentioned Ian Owens of the Imperials. We had a lot of fun making this album, and we know our fans are going to love it.”

A track listing for Back to the Roots includes the following: “Your First Day In Heaven”, “No Shortage”, “I Believe”, “We’ve Got a Great Big Wonderful God”, “Be Still My Soul”, “He’s Everything to Me”, “Praise the Lord”, “My Child, Welcome Home”, “More”, “Water Grave”, and “I’m Gonna Be There.”...

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The Imperials - We Sail at Dawn

By J. Foreman "Afficionado of Stuff" (Los Angeles, CA)
With what appears to be the Grim Reaper sailing for a city that's a composite of Chicago and New York on the cover, it's fairly apparent that you're in for an attack on all that is civility by listening to this album.

Stretching beyond their EP, "This Grave is my Poem," Imperial updates some old stuff and creates some new stuff, too.

Perfect music for when you're in the mood to impale yourself with a broad sword!...

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The Imperials - Classic Hits

One of the most enduring acts in gospel music, the Imperials have evolved from a traditional vocal quartet (as they were when formed by Jake Hess in 1963) into a popinfluenced contemporary Christian act without losing their trademark harmonies or their deep spiritual roots along the way, and this collection offers a bit of both sides of their musical personality. Primarily devoted to material recorded in the 1970's, Classic Hits primarily leans towards uptempo contemporary style material on tracks like the soulful "I've Got Confidence" and "Old Gospel Ship" and the Caribbeanflavored "Sail On", but the Imperials also shine on classic harmony numbers, especially "The First Day In Heaven" and the a capella "Sweet, Sweet Spirit". Somewhere along the way, the group also developed a taste for novelty numbers, and "No Shortage" and "Oh Buddha" go for laughs along with a Christian message (especially on the latter tune). Unfortunately, this set's liner notes offers no details on which edition of the Imperials appears on which song (which given this group's unusually long lifespan would be nice to know) or when and where these songs originally appeared. But these twelve songs still demonstrate why this group has been synonymous with superb gospel harmonies for more than forty years, and folks looking for an introduction to the Imperials' most popular era will find this is just what the doctor ordered....

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The Imperials - Hall Of Fame Series

By A Customer
My wife purchased this double CD collection for Valentine's Day of this year and she couldn't have bought me a better gift. These songs bring back a flood of memories from my childhood of listening to this wonderful, vocal "fearsome, foursome" from the late 60's and early to mid 70's. From sitting in my living room every afternoon after school to going to see the Imperials with my dad, at times listening to these recordings, it makes me want to "rewind" the clock and go back to those days when I really had it made. The majority of the songs focus on the group made up of Jim Murray, Terry Blackwood, Sherman Andrus, Armond Morales, and Joe Moscheo on piano. During this era of the Imperials, they won their first of 4 Grammy awards for the album NO SHORTAGE. This was and still is my favorite era from the group (1971-1976) and if I could thank every member of the Gospel Music Association that had something to do with the idea and release of this project, I would do it!!!!! Thanks Jim, Terry, Sherman, Armond, and Joe for a lot of great memories. Someday soon, in heaven, maybe I can re-live them all with my dad. He's been there since 1988 and I can't wait to see Him! TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...

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The Imperials - Legacy 1978-1989

This double CD collection is taken from the time that the Imperials spent signed to Word. The male quartet formed in 1964, although they didn't sign to Word until 1976. They have supported many other artists including Elvis Presley, as well as having a very successful career of their own. The Imperials' work has a gospel feel to it with mellow tracks like "Living Without Your Love" and "One More Song For You" which starts with a resonant keyboard backing. It also has many upbeat creations like "I'm Forgiven" and "The Trumpet Of Jesus"....

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The Imperials - Til He Comes

By M. Hunter (Springfield, Ohio United States)
I was a little skeptical when I saw this CD. I haven't bought any Imperials since the days of "Heed the Call" and I wasn't sure what they would sound like sans Russ Taff. But talk about a pleasant surprise! The sound so many of us remember from our teen years is still there--plus!

Most of all, I enjoyed the variety of sounds on the CD. There's everything from a soulful, R&B style "Say So," to the rich, harmonies and full, strong cadences of the ballad style "We Believe." Every track on this CD is an instant favorite. 4.999 stars!


By David C. Culberson (Charlotte, North Carolina)
Those who have been fans of the Imperials for quite sometime will enjoy this CD. The vocals will remind some of the "One More Song For You" and "Priority" days though the production is not quite as "slick". The tracks for the recording are extremely well done mixing a good balance of sequenced material and "live" players. Two of the hottest session players in the business, not to mention two old Imperials alumni, Tom Hemby and Mark Douthit return to provide the guitar and sax overdubs respectively.

If you have not purchased or even heard this CD, it would be well worth your money to do so. My favorites include "Place of Grace", "Lord Of The Ages", "Showers of Love" and "Blessed Are The Broken." Enjoy!...

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The Imperials - Treasures

They've been around a while so that means that it's about time there was a collection of their best hits about and here it is. 12 tracks from three albums, plus a newie. Why do they all have to do that these days? Appropriately enough there are five from 'Love's Still Changing Hearts' and four from 'Stir It Up', whilst 'Big God' only has a triumvirate of entries - speaking as one who reviewed 'Big God' I'd say the planner has been more than kind here. Apart from those, which all appear at the end of the offering, this is an otherwise excellent tour-de-force of the Imperials at their vocal best. There's the up tempo harmony of "Taking Your Love For Granted" and "Stir It Up" and the showstopper of "Come Into My Life" with all the highly charged emotion that is the band's strength....

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The Imperials - Stir It Up

A group that has changed its personnel and its style as many times as the Imperials will require a Cross Rhythms 8-pager to document properly (Give us a break. Ed) so suffice to say this is the thirty something album by a group baring the Imperials name and pretty good it is too. Producer Paul Mills gives the group some nice funky synth-pop arrangements full of 1992 appeal though I'd love to know what American youth thinks of a group manned in part by grizzled wrinkles targeting music splat them. My favorites on this set are "Taking Your Love For Granted", an infectious midtempo throbber, and the somewhat slower and funkier "We're All In This Together". America can seemingly turn out quality pop gospel like this at will, and I can imagine quite a few Christian jocks giving this a radio airing....

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The Imperials - Big God

Big God, big sound, big heart. I was sure I was in for a nineties Phil Spector rip-off, climatic walls of voice and absolutely no depth. I was wrong. The Imperials stand head-and-shoulders above almost any other American Christian import you are likely to encounter. The choice of songs, the gutsy production, soaring quasi-black vocal leads against disciplined harmony, insistent percussion and a real sense of purpose - just enough drama to imbue the set with urgency, you have to rise above the American penchant for oh-so-sincere build-up on one or two tracks, treatments which, in any other context might slip into parody. To their credit, they have been economic with the strings. There's significance in the label - Star Song Communications - where so many other USA acts dish up elevator music, this quartet really do communicate....

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The Imperials - Love's Still Changing Hearts

Maybe it was the chocolate covered pretzels mentioned in the credits which gave this album its infectious energy. Or maybe it is just that the Imperials go on getting better and better. After a quarter of a century of progress from their southern roots, shedding vocalists along the way which lesser bands could ill-afford to miss, they have still succeeded in producing a collection of songs strong enough to stand as singles - yet with enough variety of arrangement to avoid the conveyer-belt feel of many commercial pop works. A wide range of authorship certainly helps, but can't on its own produce the funk rhythms of "Original Love", the evocative harmonies of "Come Let Us Worship" or the R&B-style "It's Gonna Be A'right". There's a haunting, repetitive character to "Goin' Away" which has you returning to the track again and again, while the wistful "It's Raining Again" captures the longing in many hearts for a touch from God, in a way which more triumphalistic treatments miss....

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The Imperials - Free The Fire

By S. Miner (SC, USA)
Building on the success of their previous album ("This Year's Model"), "Free the Fire" keeps rocking with lots of tasty tracks and fine production by Bill Schnee. I was fortunate to see The Imperials on TV during this era...you could see how much fun they were having doing this music. My favorite songs on "Fire" are the title track,"Wild Geese", "City in the Sky", "You","Let it Go" and "Better than I know Myself". This album was a pleasant discovery for me when it came out. I had just become a Christian and was happy that the saved could rock as well as anybody. The vocals produced by this line-up of The Imperials are impressive: a wonderful blend of vocal styles. I still listen to this CD all the time!...

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The Imperials - This Year's Model

When This Year's Model appeared in 1987, there was considerable buzz in the CCM world about the "new" Imperials. Setting aside their image as neatly coifed purveyors of conservative inspirational music, the band's four male vocalists (Ron Hemby, Jimmie Lee, David Will, and Armond Morales) donned leather jackets, laced their hair with styling gel, backed their act with all the musical technology available in the '80s, wrapped it up in shimmering space-themed art direction, and generally sent the message to church youth groups nationwide that this was not their fathers' Imperials. The ultra-sleek pop production, replete with sweeping synthesizers, gritty bass runs, and rockin' electric guitar solos, was courtesy of Brown Bannister, who brought the same big, electronic sound to other '80s CCM records like Michael W. Smith's The Big Picture, Amy Grant's Unguarded, and Charlie Peacock's Secret of Time. As it turned out, This Year's Model was aptly titled. By their next album, the new Imperials had gone the way of the moonwalk, as the band turned in the styling gel and retreated to the safer, church-friendly vibe that made them famous. The album was probably destined to be a period piece, but some of the songs, like the opening "Holding On (First Love)" and the breakdanceable "Fallin'," hold up surprisingly well over the years....

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The Imperials - Let The Wind Blow

Let the Wind Blow is a pretty standard mid-'80s effort for the all-male vocal quartet the Imperials. The band's lineup was always a rotating door, but in 1985 the group consisted of Armond Morales, Jim Murray, David Will, and Paul Smith. The music is forgettably mild (by now, all but forgotten) gospel-pop written by a hodgepodge of familiar Christian Contempary devotees like Michael W. Smith, Teri DeSario Purse, and Keith Thomas. The arrangements are loaded with the tinny, cheap-sounding keyboards that dominated pop in the '80s, although "Miracles" features an almost -- can this word really be applied to the Imperials? -- funky bass intro. If you happen to come across a dust-covered copy in your church basement, you might consider throwing this one on....

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The Imperials - Very Best Of The Imperials

By webebuyers "The Awesome Deals Store" (Indiana)
Tracks...

1) Living Without Your Love
2) I'm Forgiven
3) I'd Rather Believe In You
4) Bread On The Water
5) Praise The Lord
6) One More Song For You
7) Oh Buddha
8) Same Old Fashioned Way
9) Sail On
10) Eagle Song
11) The Trumpet of Jesus


By Scott A. Garrett "the professor" (Bluffton, IN USA)
In an era where gospel music imitates pop music instead of creating its own sound, this collection is outstanding! The Imperials prove why they have the sound and the message that no one else has been able to improve on....

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The Imperials - Priority

By Tracy H. (KY)
If you are a big fan of yester-year Christian contemporary music, you'll love Priority by the Imperials. The featured vocal on this CD is Russ Taff, who delivers a powerful, emotional performance on each cut in which he is featured. The music style is a mixture of Foreigner with the Doobie Bros. Personal favorites on the album are "Finish What You Started", "I'd Rather Believe in You" featuring tenor Jim Murray,"There's No Time 'Til You Take It," and "Into My Life." If you appreciate quality vocals, early 1980's music, and uplifting lyrics and sound, then Priority is for you....

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The Imperials - Christmas With The Imperials

By D. Black (Philadelphia, PA USA)
This album came out of what I believe was the best Imperials era (Russ Taff, Armond Morales, Jim Murray, Dave Will) to date. Also one of the best Christmas albums of all time. A Classic!

By R. Frank (Missouri)
I've been looking for this CD for years! It was in excellent condition and arrived in the mail very soon after I ordered it....

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The Imperials - Heed The Call

CREDITS: Brown Bannister: Engineer, Songwriter; Chris Christian: Producer, Songwriter; Mark Farrow: Songwriter; Lanier Ferguson: Songwriter; Mike Hudson: Songwriter; Buddy Huey: Executive Producer; Armond Morales: Vocals; Jim Murray: Vocals; Shanon Smith: Songwriter; Russ Taff: Songwriter, Vocals; Tori Taff: Songwriter David Will: Vocals TRACKS: Overcomer - Praise the Lord - Oh Buddha - Old Man's Rubble - Heed the Call - First Morning in Heaven - Let Jesus Do It for You - Growing Stronger - Whenever I Speak His Name - My Mind Forgets a Million Things - He Didn't Lift Us Up to Let Us Down...

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The Imperials - One More Song For You

By Duane Kelsey
I first listened to the Imperials as a young Christian in the USAF in th late 70's. Man, have I missed this clear, powerful, encouraging music!

If you love the Lord and enjoy great music, this is a great group and great album.

Enjoy! PTL!
Duane


By D. Black (Philadelphia, PA USA)
This 1980 Grammy nominated masterpeice is listed among CCM Magazine's best 100 Christian albums of all time. The Armond Morales, Jim Murray, Russ Taff and Dave Will era Imperials best effort. I wore out the needle on my turn table playing the LP version of this classic back in the 80's. Every song. Over and over. Produced by Grammy winning Producer (former regular Steely Dan session player) Michael Omartian (great keyboards and string arrangments!)who would go on to produce the Imperials follow up record, "Priority", which won the grammy for best Contemporary Christian Album of the Year....

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The Imperials - The Imperials

By lovejesus (New York)
This group was recently at my church. I was very moved by their songs. I love all the songs on this cd, especially Arise, My Love and Beautiful day. They have their own website if you are interested in buying more of the cd's including a christmas one. God Bless!...

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The Imperials discography

This is a discography for the Gospel Music Hall of Fame band The Imperials.

* 1964 Jake Hess & The Imperials (Skylite)
* 1964 Introducing The Illustrious Imperials (HeartWarming/Benson)
* 1964 Fireside Hymns (HeartWarming/Benson)
* 1964 Blends & Rhythms (HeartWarming/Benson)
* 1965 Talent Times Five (HeartWarming/Benson)
* 1965 Slaughter Writes - Imperials Sing (HeartWarming/Benson)
* 1965 Happy Sounds of The Imperials (HeartWarming/Benson)
* 1965 He Was a Preachin Man (HeartWarming/Benson)
* 1965 Slightly Regal (HeartWarming/Benson)
* 1966 Sing Their Favorite Hymns (HeartWarming/Benson)
* 1966 Sing Inspirational Classics (Impact/Benson)
* 1966 To Sing Is the Thing (Impact/Benson)
* 1967 New Dimensions (Impact/Benson)
* 1968 Now (Impact/Benson)
* 1969 Love Is the Thing (Impact/Benson)
* 1970 Gospel's Alive and Well (Impact/Benson)
* 1971 Time to Get it Together (Impact/Benson)
* 1972 Imperials (Impact/Benson)
* 1973 Imperials LIVE (Impact/Benson)
* 1974 Follow the Man with the Music (Impact/Benson)
* 1975 No Shortage (Impact/Benson)
* 1976 Just Because (Impact/Benson)
* 1977 Sail On (Dayspring/Word)
* 1978 Imperials LIVE (Dayspring/Word)
* 1979 Heed the Call (Dayspring/Word)
* 1979 One More Song for You (Dayspring/Word)
* 1980 Priority (Dayspring/Word)
* 1980 Christmas with the Imperials (Dayspring/Word)
* 1982 Stand By the Power (Dayspring/Word)
* 1983 Side By Side (Dayspring/Word)
* 1984 Sing The Classics (Dayspring/Word)
* 1985 Let the Wind Blow (Myrrh/Word)
* 1987 This Year's Model (Myrrh/Word)
* 1988 Free the Fire (Myrrh/Word)
* 1990 Love's Still Changing Hearts (StarSong)
* 1991 Big God (StarSong)
* 1992 Stir it Up (StarSong)
* 1995 Til He Comes (impact/Homeland)
* 1997 It's Still the Cross (Big God Records)
* 1998 Songs of Christmas (Big God Records)
* 2002 I Was Made for This (Big God Records)
* 2006 The Lost Album (Word) *originally recorded in 1976
* 2007 The Imperials (Indie/Lamon Records)
* 2007 Back To The Roots (Indie)



Compilations

* 1970 Believe It (Vista)
* 1972 The Imperials 1968-1972 (Impact/Benson)
* 1973 A Thing Called Love (Vista)
* 1977 The Best of the Imperials (Impact/Benson)
* 1979 The Imperials – Featuring Terry and Sherman (Impact/Benson)
* 1981 The Very Best of The Imperials (Dayspring/Word)
* 1982 First Day In Heaven (Impact/Benson)
* 1986 Old Fashioned Faith (Dayspring/Word)
* 1989 20 Favorites By The Imperials (Benson)
* 1992 Masters of Gospel (RiverSong/Benson)
* 1994 Treasures (StarSong)
* 1996 The Imperials – Legacy 1977-1988 (Word)
* 1998 Gospel Music Hall of Fame 1964-1976 (Benson)
* 2006 The Imperials - Classic Hits (New Haven/Provident)
* 2007 The Definitive Collection (Word/Warner)



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Band Membership Over the Years

* Jake Hess, Lead (1964-67) (Original Member)(died January 2004)
* Gary McSpadden, Baritone (1964-67) (Original Member)(previously fill-in for Jake Hess as lead with the The Statesmen Quartet, baritone of the Oak Ridge Boys, later a soloist, then

joined the Bill Gaither Trio and then the Gaither Vocal Band)
* Armond Morales, Bass (1964-2004) (Original Member)(toured with Elvis)
* Sherrill (Shawn) Neilsen, Tenor (1964-66) (Original Member)
* Henry Slaughter, Pianist (1964-66) (Original Member)
* Jim Murray, Tenor (1966-86) (toured with Elvis, later joined the Gaither Vocal Band for around 5 years.)
* Joe Moscheo, Pianist (1966-75) (toured with Elvis)
* Terry Blackwood, Lead (1967-76) (toured with Elvis)(formed Andrus, Blackwood & Company)
* Roger Wiles, Baritone (1967-70) (toured with Elvis)
* Larry Gatlin, Baritone (1970) (never recorded with the group)
* Greg Gordon, Baritone (1970-71)
* Sherman Andrus, Baritone (1971-76) (original member of Andrae Crouch & The Disciples)(later formed Andrus, Blackwood & CO)
* Randy Coryell, Pianist (1975-77) (also recorded solo album with Word Records)
* Russ Taff, Lead (1976-81) (Grammy Award Winning Soloist and later joined the Gaither Vocal Band for around 3 years.)
* David Will, Baritone (1976-99)
* Paul Smith, Lead (1981-85)
* Danny Ward, Lead (1985-86) (never recorded with the group)
* Ron Hemby, Tenor (1986-90) (later a member of country group The Buffalo Club)
* Jimmie Lee Sloas, Lead (1986-89) (went on to produce bands like Whitecross and other legendary Christian Rock Artists)
* David Robertson, Lead (1989-90)
* Jason Beddoe, Tenor (1990) (was recorded on the album When Things Get Electric)
* Jonathan (Hildreth) Pierce, Lead (1990-93)(later joined the Gaither Vocal Band for about 3 years.)
* Pam Morales, Tenor (1991-93) (victim of a fatal car crash in Bakersfield, CA in 2005)[10]
* Steven Ferguson, Tenor (1994-99)
* Jeff Walker, Lead (1994-96)
* Steve Shapiro, Lead (1996-98)
* Barry Weeks, Lead (1997-99)
* Jeremie Hudson, Tenor (1999-2008)
* Jason Hallcox, Lead (1999-2000)
* Jason Morales, Baritone (1999-present)
* Richie Crook, Lead (2000-02)
* Shannon Smith, Lead (2002-2008)
* Ian Owens, Bass (2004-present)
* Scott Allen, Lead (2008-present)
* Perry Jones, Tenor (2008-present)



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Awards and honors

Over the years, the Imperials have released over 40 albums and had 14 number one songs. They have also won four Grammy Awards and 13 Dove Awards on their own, making the Imperials one of the most popular and respected bands in the history of Contemporary Christian Music.

Year	Album	Grammy Awards	Genre
1981	"Priority"	Best Gospel Performance Contemporary Or Inspirational	Gospel
1979	"Heed The Call"	Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary Or Inspirational	Gospel
1977	"Sail On"	Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary Or Inspirational	Gospel
1975	"No Shortage"	Best Gospel Performance (Other Than Soul Gospel)	Gospel

Year	GMA Dove Awards
1984	POP/CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR for "Side By Side"
1983	GROUP OF THE YEAR
1982	POP/CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR for "Priority"
1982	GROUP OF THE YEAR
1981	POP/CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR "One More Song For You"
1981	ARTIST OF THE YEAR
1981	GROUP OF THE YEAR
1980	MALE GROUP OF THE YEAR
1978	MALE GROUP OF THE YEAR
1976	POP/CONTEMPORARY ALBUM OF THE YEAR for "No Shortage"
1976	MALE GROUP OF THE YEAR
1975	MALE GROUP OF THE YEAR
1969	MALE GROUP OF THE YEAR

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Return to their roots

In 1994 they decided to scale down their act, opting for simple accompaniment and more intimate church performances in lieu of stadium and large concerts. They signed a one project
deal with the familiar Impact records, which had just been re-acquired by Homeland Records and Landmark Distribution. After a 3 year recording hiatus, the release of Til He Comes marked the change back to a Southern Gospel sound, losing the hard edge of previous albums and helping restore their original fans to the fold.

In 1998 The Imperials were inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame. All five original members, Jake, Armond, Gary, Sherrill & Henry, as well as Terry Blackwood, Shermen Andrus, Joe Moscheo, Jim Murray and Russ Taff were there to accept their induction. In 2003, The five members of The Imperials that toured with Elvis reunited
for a 25th Anniversary Elvis Lives concert and DVD recording.

In September of 2004, Armond Morales transferred ownership of The Imperials to the current lineup: Jason Morales, Jeremie Hudson, Ian Owens and Shannon Smith. This group has eturned to a more traditional Gospel music sound, releasing two albums in 2007 and achieving their first top 20 song in more than 15 years. The current group has also performed at Carnegie Hall, the first time the Imperials ever appeared at that venue. In April 2008, The Imperials latest project, Back To The Roots earned album of the year honors from Sogospelnews.com.


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Turning contemporary

In 1971, the Jesus movement was beginning to marry music similar to mainstream pop and rock music with lyrics expressing a Christian message. The group took note of this development and began to flavor their more traditional music with contemporary flourishes. Time to Get it Together heralds this shift with its album cover which utilized the "One Way" symbol of the Jesus movement. The cover depicts a hand with index finger pointing skyward, which Jesus freaks used to mean "Personally knowing Jesus is the one way to achieve eternity in heaven with God."

The Imperials surprised gospel music fans in February of 1972 by hiring Sherman Andrus, a former member of Andrae Crouch and the Disciples to replace Greg Gordon.[7] This made Andrus the first African-American member of a Southern gospel group which Andrus jokingly referred to: "to boldly go where no black man had gone before."[8]The lineup of the group stayed stable with Andrus and Terry Blackwood sharing lead vocals through 1975 when Joe Moscheo left just after recording of Follow the Man with the Music. The following year, the pair themselves left to form contemporary Christian music act Andrus Blackwood and Company.[9]


In Early 1976, the group hired baritone David Will, who would stay on for 23 years with the group, and soulful belter Russ Taff as their new lead vocalist. The Taff-led outfit is heard on
the albums Sail On, Imperials Live,Heed the Call,One More Song for You,Christmas With the Imperials and Priority. Following the album, Taff left the group for a solo career and Paul Smith
came on as his replacement, being first heard on 1982's Stand by the Power.

The group seemed to flounder a bit after that album recording first an album with each member taking a solo (Side by Side) and a one-off return to four part harmony singing (The Imperials Sing the Classics) before returning to their Christian pop sound on 1985's Let the Wind Blow.

The group saw its biggest turnover since Blackwood and Andrus' departure when both Smith and long-time tenor Jim Murray left the group. Smith opted for a solo CCM career while Murray sought to perform more traditionally styled gospel music again. Smith was replaced by Danny Ward but he left before recording an album with the band. In the end, Jimmie Lee Sloas and Ron Hemby were the new members bringing an infusion of youth into the group.

The Imperials stirred up controversy and lost many of their oldest fans when they exchanged the soft pop gospel music for a more contemporary pop/rock sound with prominent guitars for the 1987 album This Year's Model. The song Power of God became a theme song with for Christian bodybuilders The Power Team and much younger fans began to come to Imperials Concerts. The albums "Free The Fire" reverted a bit towards the soft pop sound and after its recording Sloas became the next Imperial to seek a solo career. David Robertson replaced him but following 1990's Love's Still Changing Hearts he himself opted to go solo with Jason Beddoe and Jonathan Hildreth (later known as Jonathan Pierce) joining the ranks.


In 1991, The Imperials would surprise fans again by bringing Armond’s sister Pam Morales in to the line up. Although she appeared with The Imperials in the early 80s as a backup singer, this would be the first time a female was a front member of the quartet. Long time Imp Armond Morales decided to bring her in when Beddoe left the group while in the midst of recording for Big God. She remained in the lineup through 1993's Stir it Up.


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The Southern gospel years

After 2 years with the group, tenor Nielsen was first to go and Jim Murray would replace him. Murray's past included stints with the Stamps Trio,Inspirationals, and Orrell Quartet.About this time, Slaughter also departed with Joe Moscheo of the Harmoneers replacing him at the keyboard. Health issues also forced Hess' to retire and McSpadden chose to leave as well. In 1967, the core of Murray, Morales and Moscheo took on little-known Roger Wiles (from family group the Melodaires) and ex-Stamps Quartet member Terry Blackwood.[3]This new outfit proved even more successful than the first, racking up "Male Quartet of the Year" honors in 1969 from the Gospel Music Association[4]. Rocker Elvis Presley had long harbored a love for gospel and Jake Hess in particular and invited them to tour as his backing vocalists. They joined him on the road from 1969-1972 and recorded two Gospel albums with him, including his final Grammy Award winning album He Touched Me. It was during this period that Wiles left in 1970 to be replaced by former member of The Downings Greg Gordon[5]Gordon's addition would also signal the beginning of the group's musical shift as their live album of that year, Gospel's Alive and Well, would feature a cover of the Simon and Garfunkel pop hit "Bridge Over Troubled Water".


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Formation

The band had its genesis when long-time Statesmen Quartet member Jake Hess retired from that band on December 7, 1963.[1] Hess wanted to start a new group recognized as "king" of the Southern gospel field and thought the "Imperials" would be a good moniker. After getting the go-ahead from Marion Snider for permission to use the name (Snider had previously operated an Imperial Quartet named after its sponsor Imperial Sugar), he gathered together pianist Henry Slaughter from the Weatherford Quartet,ex-Oak Ridge Boys baritone Gary McSpadden, the Weatherford Quartet's bass singer Armond Morales and Speer Family tenor Sherrill (Shawn) Neilsen to join him.[2] Signing with Benson Records subsidiary Skylite, the group had a busy first year releasing 4 albums in 1964.


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