In 1983 the Messengers began recording the music they loved at Crusade Studios in Flora, IL. The first four records were made behind the same microphones as The Melody Boys, The Silvertones, The Harmony Four, The Harbor Lights, and The Gloryland Quartet.
They developed a loving friendship with The Gloryland Quartet and enjoyed the opportunities they had to sing together. It was a love of technology that solidified a friendship between their lead singer, Jeff Kerr, and Mike. The two of them decided that they had enough equipment and knowledge to attempt recording an album without a studio. As a result in April 1987 the Gloryland Quartet recorded their album “We Shall Have Glory” in the basement of the Ashland church with Mike serving as their recording engineer. The outcome was so good that Mike immediately decided that the Messengers should do the same. After convincing Mark, Dwight, and Sonny to go along with it, in June 1987, in Mike’s basement with Jeff as their engineer, they recorded “His Tomb Is Empty Now”.
Both groups were able to devote as much time as necessary to the recording process and the quality of the recordings proved to be superior to what was accomplished at Crusade Studios. For the next eight years, Mike’s and Jeff’s expertise and skills improved as they shared engineering responsibilities. In 1990, at the Ashland Church of Christ, the Messengers recorded what is possibly the first live concert by a brotherhood quartet. Some of that recording is included in Volume One.
Using ProTools for Mac, Mike has digitized all of the original recordings over the years. Since most of the songs they sang were good lyrically, the songs included on these discs were chosen largely based on three criteria: the quality of the original performance, how well the recording could be improved using the new digital tools available, and if Mike liked them more than the others!
As you listen to these songs we pray that they encourage you in your walk with the Lord, and that they will bring back good memories for Messengers fans.
