Ernie Haase & Signature Sound is a southern gospel vocal quartet founded in 2002 by Ernie Haase, former Cathedral Quartet tenor, and Garry Jones, former Gold City pianist. They are known for their contemporary style and energetic live performances.
The legendary Cathedral Quartet retired in 1999, upon the death of lead singer Glen Payne. Former Cathedrals members formed several groups; one of these was the Old Friends Quartet, which featured former Cathedrals bass George Younce and his son-in-law, Ernie Haase, who had sung tenor with the Cathedrals for nearly ten years. The Old Friends Quartet disbanded after about two years on the road, as Younce's ill health prevented them from doing much travelling.
Ernie Haase, a native of Evansville, Indiana, still had a love for quartet singing and wished to create a quartet that was 21st Century in image and attitude, but traditional in sound, emulating the great Southern Gospel groups of the 20th Century, including the legendary Statesmen Quartet, the Stamps Quartet, the Blackwood Brothers and of course, the Cathedral Quartet. Along with Old Friends Quartet pianist Garry Jones, Haase gathered three other young men with similar love and respect for Gospel music, and the Signature Sound Quartet was born. Jones left shortly after the recording of their first album, Stand by Me.
Almost immediately, their name was heard everywhere, and when audiences saw the fun and energy that the group gave at their concerts, they responded enthusiastically, rocketing the Signature Sound Quartet to instant stardom. With the fame came some controversy, as some Gospel music lovers objected to the "outlandish" look of the group, which included short ties and oddly-colored suits. Still later, the group began styling their hair in "modern" stand-up spiked style, which further added to their controversy. The fan reaction, however, was far more positive than negative, and trade magazines began referring to them as "the next Statesmen", implying that the mold-breaking style they created brought to mind the similarly outside-the-box thinking of the classic group.
In 2004, the group changed its name to Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, reportedly in order to avoid confusion with other similarly-titled regional groups, and since Bill Gaither suggested getting Ernie Haase in the group name for fans who would remember him from The Cathedrals. They signed with the Gaither Music Group and became regular performers with the Gaither Homecoming tours and videos. Like-minded legendary singer/producer Bill Gaither eventually began scheduling a second series of concerts with only Signature Sound and the Gaither Vocal Band appearing together. Due in part to the popularity of these concerts, the two groups decided to record a single album together, due out sometime in late 2007. The group is also at work on an album due out in 2008.
In May 2007, pianist Roy Webb came off the road to be with his dad, who was dying of cancer. On May 29, 2007, it was announced that Webb had resigned from the group. Later, it was announced that Gordon Mote would be the group's piano player during their Get Away Jordan summer tour.
Discography
* Stand by Me (2002)
* Building a Bridge (2003)
* Glory to His Name (2003)
* The Ground is Level (2004)
* Great Love (2004)
* Christmas with Ernie Haase & Signature Sound (2004)
* Stand by Me: Live (2005)
* Self Titled (2005)
* Get Away, Jordan (2007)
* Influenced (2008)
* Dream On (2008) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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