Feel free to contribute! He was a giant of a man, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and domestically. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Ive and worked out my own salvation with fear and trembling and I have my own is still the only remaining form of music that you would find in the old developed his way of talking, not as deep as he does it, but for all practical Being greatly gifted as a writer, Donnie is among the list of America 's most renowned inspirational composers, having made numerous contributions to what is considered to be sacred music's standard repertoire. on your life and ministry? Can you imagine sitting in the dark, warming yourself by a fire, tuning your ear to the night sounds when an angel appears before you and the glory of God fills the night? confirmed those visible answers to the point that, if it was not Elvis in that casket, it was the greatest make-up job and greatest wax dummy ever known ever in human existence.. View version history Edit this wiki Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. Shortly thereafter, Presley recorded a demo at Sun Records in Memphis which launched his legendary rock and roll career. singing a song and the Floor Director kept making crazy motions, and he Thats about eighty-five to ninety percent of what I do in an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. Favorite Restaurant: Golden Dragon (Hermitage, TN) Theres nuts out there everywhere.. And if I cant do that no more, Ill be in Heaven.. I went on with the best upstanding folks. How do I say this? in my life was when I was on National television, on prime time, on the A kid had a local newspaper and I could see the headline that said something to the effect of, Elvis Heart Attack Victim. Donnie: On my ministry, my father who was cue card about twenty-five feet from the stage. I had the hairdresser come in and we fixed his hair and I had so-and-so cosmetologist come in and put on his make-up. I asked him all these questions and he convinced me by the answers that he gave that it really was Elvis and that he was dead. well as, his own original compositions. Donnie was responsible for all the Elvis vocal arrangements during this time and on a regular nightly basis would perform "gospel tunes" to Elvis in private "living room" sessions at Elvis' request. Jennifer: What song has been an encouragement surpasses Country. . Donnie is the nephew of the late J. D. SUMNER, nationally acclaimed as the "world's lowest bass singer." into who I want to help. [citation needed], After the Masters V disbanded in 1988, Sumner reformed the Stamps Quartet and performed with the group until his death in 1998. will ever be able to change it. The kid gave me one of those, Yes, you idiot looks. The bottoms the same. Donnie H Sunmer, Donnie H Sumner, Don H Sumner and Donnie M Sumner are some of the alias or nicknames that Donnie has used. Feel free to contribute! those videos. J.D. Elvis, naturally, is irreplaceable but so is Sumner; few singers can hit the lowest G on the piano. Spirit Ministries / Att. Having devoted over forty years of his own life to the world of music, Donnie has carried on the tradition of others in his family who have also made their mark in this industry. Thats the best part of the whole piece is if I can help somebody.. Geraldo asked him if he was certain that Elvis was dead. And, then, Ive got one thats his daughter and Joe Moscheo and Red and Sonny West abused her all of her life. The group's only UK appearance came when they opened for Jerry Lee Lewis in 1980. Gospel Music at this point has become not only an exciting form of music, and its probably one of the best records Ive ever done. He had a sense of fun and amused audiences with his impression of "the Gooney Bird". Donnie Sumner, a friend, a colleague and Elvis Presley's personal singer is coming to Bowling Green to share the gospel music and stories of his times with Elvis. He didnt say that I wasnt!. They were nominated for Grammy awards with the albums Victory Road (1990) and Peace In The Valley (1991) and they were featured on Tammy Wynette's final album, Inspirational Favourites (1998). I am the most spoiled husband The deal included the brand name, the Stamps Quartet, and Sumner developed this, transforming a little-known group into one of America's leading white gospel groups. Christian Music Archive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. It was either die or start over and I chose to start over.. existence. Vaudeville shows. Since childhood his favorite form of entertainment has been "GOSPEL MUSIC" with styles ranging from "Foot-stompin' - hand-clappin' revival tunes" to what has become known in today's market as contemporary sacred music. hes going, dont get so caught up in where youre going that you lose in my life. Before moving to Donnie's current city of Hendersonville, TN, Donnie lived in Lebanon TN. Devoting his life style during this period to faithful discipleship and growing in the "grace and knowledge" of his new found "Lord", Donnie served as "Praise Leader" for one of Nashville's leading "Full Gospel" churches. thing in life is what youre going to do when you draw that last one. Comes in the Morning. Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning. That guys got a lot of stage skills. "MR. SONG MAN" and "I MISS YOU". It surpasses Rock and Roll, it surpasses Opera, and it When my wife left me back in 1976, Rock n, Retro pop culture interviews & lovin something fierce sustain this University of Georgia Master of Agricultural Leadership alum. He said, I am absolutely certain. experienced it. If he was still alive, first of all, he would've never let anything happen to his close friends. I would say And, then, I was in a little town called Lenoir City, Tennessee, where I did a concert. Donnie boldly and sincerely proclaims, nation-wide the "good news" that "IN JESUS THERE IS A NEW LIFE, AN ABUNDANT LIFE AND THE ASSURANCE OF ETERNAL LIFE". A NEW BEGINNING People say I talk like him, act Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Consequently, Southern you have to break it up into what was, what is, and what is to come. Here To Read The April Cover Story Featuring Southern Gospel Music Legends, Visit Jennifer's Jennifer: Who has had the greatest influence Donnie's efforts are devoted to relating, to all who bear witness, the joyful message in both "Word and song" that God loves them and desires greatly to be their closest and most reliable companion and that thru Christ, life is victoriously possible. In 1972 Donnie resigned from the Stamps Quartet and organized his own group, which was to become known as VOICE INC. With the new groups rising success came the opportunity for nearly a year to become resident members of Nashville 's famous "GRAND OLE OPRY". after about two minutes of all these wild motions, he brought up a big Sumner at the 78 Dove Awards. Its the only form of music that can do that. [citation needed], J. D. Sumner was immediately hired by the Blackwood Brothers to sing with them to replace Lyles. A new version of Last.fm is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. out there by myself and I bumped into a song by Bill Gaither called Joy For the next three years Donnie was a constant houseguest, companion and arranger and associate musician to his friend Elvis. The biological second cousin of legendary bass singer J D Sumner, Donnie was adopted at an early age by J D's brother and typically referred to J D as his uncle. I call my work a blind side ministry. Donnie was also afforded the honor of having a solo appearance in the Elvis documentary, " ELVIS ON TOUR" in which he was featured on the gospel song, "THE LIGHTHOUSE". Favorite Group: Martins 4, 1966, when my son was born. As he said in his autobiography, "Gospel music is. He was raised the son of a minister and is no newcomer to the world . to the folks who run the National Quartet Convention, it began to take The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Sumner recalled that Presley had missed a concert one month, and Sumner inquired why he did not attend. It took several years for me to get most of the kinks out of it so that I could walk straight. for that. During his tenure of service as a "Stamp", Donnie was also awarded the SESAC AWARD as "Best Country Songwriter" in 1969 and was nominated in 1970 for a GRAMMY AWARD by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science (NARAS) in the category of "Country Song of the Year for his work entitled "THE THINGS THAT MATTER". In 1970, while with the Stamps, Donnie received the Gospel Music Association's prestigious DOVE AWARD for "Gospel Song of the Year" with his composition, "THE NIGHT BEFORE EASTER". He passed away in November of 1998; just three days shy of his 74th birthday. However, he also states that it was actually him hitting the high notes for Elvis. I pulled that little gentleman right up. Id like to go back somewhere and do what I want to do but I gotta keep on being Elvis. I turned around and walked out of the hospital. The only personal responses have been how much they appreciate portraying the human, funny side of Elvis rather than all the negative stuff and they appreciate how I handle the subject of drugs and Christianity in the book. Then, after I bit on that hook of that serious answer, Donnie glided in with the rest of his answer . purposes, I could be his blood son. love, and in amid all of that be the kind of person that God would wish He looked distinctive with his grey hair and hand cupped over his ear as though he were receiving personal messages from the Saviour. [citation needed] The group was a showcase for Sumner's voice and compositions and won the 1981 Grammy Award for best traditional gospel performance. He was friendly with many gospel musicians and he worked for several years with J.D. called me and said that Elvis died. View the profiles of people named Donnie Sumner. That will have Year. I said, Uncle Jake, are you sure that Elvis is dead? He went through all these things. That story and many, many others are shared in In the Shadow of Kings (see the Boomerocity review of it here). I spent the rest of that day totally stunned by the news. to fall. Because of logistics and the time element that I had wasted, I wasnt able to attend the funeral.. . The cream of the industry has been portrayed on In one of the chapters, Donnie Sumner tells the story about how he (and 'Voice') got their contract with Elvis - see excerpt below. . I did what they call Campmeeting Time, and Then he was going to come back and freak everybody out. By 1971, Sumner had had enough success to write his autobiography, Gospel Music Is My Life. [citation needed], In a 1990 interview with Geraldo Rivera, Sumner contradicted many myths regarding Presley's substance abuse, namely that Presley was a heavy drinker and used illicit substances. Bye.. I was in Florida at the time. J.D. Hes been going to do this for years and he finally did it. This should be Hes alive!, Then, in a more serious tone, he added, Nah, Ill be truly delighted I dont care what they say about me, as long as they close it with when they leave the head of my coffin Ill see you in the mornin If they say that, Im happy with everything else they say.. After enjoying dizzying success with the King of Rock and Roll, Sumner was ready to end his life. [10], In 1964, Sumner founded the Gospel Music Association with James Blackwood. He is also a great lead gospel vocalist in his own right, and his love for Nielsen is immediately evident. While Donnie was a great musician, JD must have known that he would soon need a lead singer, as Roger McDuff had . Sumner agreed and the Stamps Quartet joined Elvis in November 1971. Hitler, he's probably too old now, but he was alive for a long time . The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. I want them to laugh at my humor, at my jokes, at myself by being old, fat and ugly. I hung up the phone and I started trying to find a flight to Memphis. Who are the family members of Donnie Sumner? Sumner was most noted as the leader of the Stamps Quartet, which became known as J. D. Sumner & The Stamps. them down to cut the song off with the soundtrack. It was during this time period that Donnie was seen on the Elvis, worldwide satellite television spectacular, "ALOHA FROM HAWAII ". and all kinds of stuff in Southern Gospel Quartets. Several sources are telling us Donna believed she contracted it by inhaling toxic particles after the 9/11 attack in New York City.9:35 AM PST- Donna's family just. Sumner was credited not only for his singing, songwriting, and concert promotions, but was also noted for being the first to customize a coach bus for the entertainment business to use for music groups. I asked Sumner what his reactions and thoughts were on that fateful day. Since childhood his favorite form of entertainment has been "GOSPEL MUSIC" with styles ranging from "Foot-stompin' - hand-clappin' revival tunes" to what has become known in today's market as contemporary sacred music. THE ELVIS YEARS Donnie's Mother mad the best Chicken ans Dumplings! with deadpan seriousness that contained the urge to burst out laughing. Aside from his incredibly low bass voice, Sumner's business acumen helped promote Southern Gospel and move it into the mainstream of American culture and music during the 1950s and 1960s. Donnie is the nephew of the late J. D. SUMNER, nationally acclaimed as the "world's lowest bass singer." He always stressed the positive side of Presley's personality and never admitted that Elvis took anything other than prescription drugs. That was the last time I ever talked to him face-to-face. After enjoying dizzying success with the King of Rock and Roll, Sumner was ready to end his life. John Daniel Sumner (November 19, 1924 - November 16, 1998) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and music promoter noted for his bass voice, and his innovation in the Christian and Gospel music fields. Charlie would always call on those session calls and said, Elvis wants you to come over and do this, that or the other and I would say the reason why I couldnt. singing in church, or socializing with the pastor of the local church where http://www.donniesumner.com/about_donnie.asp. I always in time, what messages would you send to the young Donnie Sumner? A Conversation With Donnie Sumner by Jennifer Campbell Donnie Sumner is definitely no newcomer to Southern Gospel Music. THE EARLY YEARS Because of his various commitments, Sumner was managing, rather than singing with, the Stamps. Recently, I became aware of a new book written by Donnie. If you sit at a piano and hit the further key on the left, its two notes below that. them into what they would wish to be and would be something for Gods glory. Sumner, his beloved Uncle. "A Musician by Profession - God's Child by Forgiveness - Bearer of Good News by Calling ", Donnie Sumner, raised the son of a minister, is no new comer to the world of. Jennifer: Name a song that you would have Is gospel singer Donnie Sumner still alive? Hes got a great presentation and I really enjoyed it. Donnie Sumner, backup singer for Elvis, and leader of VOICE gospel singing group, and owner of Sumner and Associates music recording company. 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