Kingdom Heirs

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The Kingdom Heirs Quartet
Origin	Knoxville, Tennessee
Genres	Christian, Southern gospel
Years active	1971–present
Labels	Sonlite
Associated acts	Dolly Parton
Website	www.kingdomheirs.com
Members	Jerry A Martin Arthur Rice Jeff Chapman Loren Harris Andy Stringfield Dennis Murphy Kreis French

The Kingdom Heirs Quartet is a Southern gospel quartet based at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

History[]

The Kingdom Heirs formed in 1971 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Original members included Patty Wilson (alto), Jim Bluford (tenor), Gene McKinney (lead), Raymond Parker (bass), and a 13-year-old Gary Bilyeu (piano). Gary Arnold was added on bass guitar and 13-year-old drummer Jim Ford came close behind with Tom Bailey on Rhythm. The name Kingdom Heirs was chosen by the group from James 2:5. After they began expanding their singing beyond local churches, Wilson, Parker, and Arnold left the group for various reasons, and Steve Gouge replaced Arnold on bass guitar in July 1971. Mike Shuemaker joined to sing baritone in August of that same year.^[1][2]

After learning of a group from near Sparta, Tennessee who was using the name Kingdom Heirs, rather than checking legal availability for Kingdom Heirs, the group simply added New and became the New Kingdom Heirs. In 1974 they incorporated as a non-profit under that name. That same year Larry Hutson joined the group on lead guitar, Duane Wyrick became Bass vocal and in 1975 after short stints by Johnny Trott and Mark Nipper, Buddy Mulkey took tenor vocal, while Tommy Rowe assumed baritone vocal. Larry's father, Bill Hutson, began managing the group. From 1972 to 1982 their ministry grew substantially and their booking schedule began to expand. Manager Bill Hutson arranged TV, radio, church and concert appearances from Michigan to Florida. Along the way, well known gospel music promoter and host of the widely syndicated Mull's Singing Convention television show Rev. J. Bazzell Mull took note and started using the New Kingdom Heirs in concerts and television.

Rev. Mull's recommendation in 1977 opened the door for an audition and their first performance and long association with Silver Dollar City in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, now Dollywood. They first sang at the October Craft Festival, then the spring Young Christians Day and mid-summer Mountain Music Festival, which all became annual appearances. In 1979, at the prompting of promoter Rev. J. Bazzell Mull, they secured a registered trademark for the name Kingdom Heirs, and dropped the word "new" from the group name and began recording and appearing as The Kingdom Heirs. The late'70s saw 3 new albums recorded on Trail Records and produced by Jim Hamell, of The Kingsmen, and Bobby All. By 1981, The Kingdom Heirs, with band, had expanded to a total of 12 members (including manager Bill Hutson) and recorded their 10th Anniversary Edition in Nashville, with acclaimed producer and musician Gary Prim. In late 1982, after the departure earlier in the year of the band's bass singer of the previous eight years, Duane Wyrick, six more members of the band retired, including founding members Gene McKinney, Gary Bilyeu, and Jim Ford along with Steve Gouge, Buddy Mulkey and bass Jeff Crisp. With Wayne Mitchell who had replaced Tommy Rowe, Larry Hutson, George Beeler (who had replaced Jim Ford), steel player Ron Ward and manager Bill Hutson remaining, they brought in David McGill (lead), Steve French (baritone), Kreis French (bass guitar), and Randall Hunley (piano).

Musical career[]

The Kingdom Heirs perform multiple shows daily at Dollywood during the months that the park is open. While the park is closed, they tour just like any other group. The group has been at the park since 1977,^[1] when it was known as Silver Dollar City. It is estimated that they sing to over 2 million people each year – more than any other Southern gospel group. Despite a short travel schedule, the guys always take time to join in the Gospel Celebration at the National Quartet Convention.

The Kingdom Heirs have also had many top ten songs, and currently^[when?] have had 31 top 5 songs in a row and 10 number 1 songs including their latest number 1 song, "I'll Know I'm Home" along with "The Borrowed Tomb" and "Just Beyond The Sunset" which is off of the Redeeming the Time. Many other number 1s include, "Just Preach Jesus", "Tell Me Why" and "He Locked the Gates". Over the past years they have had 26 songs nominated for Song of the Year, including songs like - "Just Beyond the Sunset" "Just Preach Jesus", "The Joys of Heaven", "That's Why I Love to Call His Name", "I Know I'm Going There", "Forever Changed", "What We Needed". The Kingdom Heirs have been nominated many times for industry awards such as the SGMA Awards and Dove Awards. Winning Newcomer Group of the Year in 1989, the group has been a constant favorite. The latest award is 2016 Band of the Year, which the band also won in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2013, and 2014.

Members[]

The current group consists of Arthur Rice (lead), Jeff Chapman (bass), Loren Harris (baritone), Andy Stringfield (baritone and pianist), Dennis Murphy (drums), and Kreis French (owner, and bass guitar).

Tenor

• Jim Bluford (1971–1974)^[1]
• Johnny Trot (1974–1975)^[1]
• Mark Nipper (1975)^[1]
• Buddy Mulkey (1975–1982)^[1]
• Wayne Mitchell (1982–1987)
• Rick Strickland (1987–1992)
• David Walker (1993–1994)
• David Sutton (1994–2002)
• Jodi Hosterman (2003–2005)^[3]
• Billy Hodges (2005–2011)^[4]
• Jerry A. Martin (2011–2021)^{[citation needed]}
• Jacob Ellison (2021–present)^[5]

Lead

• Gene McKinney (1971–1982)^[1]
• David McGill (1982–1989)
• Clayton Inman (1989–1993)
• Steve Lacey (1994–1995)
• Arthur Rice (1995–present)

Baritone

• Mike Shuemaker (1971–1975)^[1]
• Tommy Rowe (1975–1981)^[1]
• David McGill (1981)
• Wayne Mitchell (1981–1982)^[1]
• Steve French (1982–2014)
• Andy Stringfield (2007–2015, 2016–present)
• Brian Alvey (2015–2016)
• Loren Harris (2016–present)

Bass

• Raymond Parker (1971)^[1]
• Duane Wyrick (1974–1982)^[1]
• Jeff Crisp (1982)^[1]
• Eric Hawkins (1982–1985)
• Jody Medford (1986)
• Bob Caldwell (1987–1992)
• Eric Bennett (1992–2002)
• Jeff Chapman (2003–present)^[6]

Alto

• Patty Wilson (1971)

Piano, keyboards

• Gary Bilyeu (1971–1982)^[1]
• Randall Hunley (1982–1992)^[1]
• Jamie Graves (1992–1998)
• Jeff Stice (1999–2002)
• Adam Harman (2003–2006)^[7][8]
• Joseph Cox (2007)^[7]
• Andy Stringfield (2007–present)

Drums

• Jim Ford (1971–1982)^[1]
• George Beeler (1982–1983)^[1]
• Rich Wilson (1984–88)
• Stephen Arant (1988–90)
• Dennis Murphy (1990–present)

Bass guitar

• Steve Gouge (1971–1982)^[1]
• Kreis French (1982–present)^[1]

Lead guitar

• Larry Hutson (1974–1983)^[1]

Steel guitar

• Dale McPhearson (1978–1979)^[1]
• Ron Ward (1979–1983)^[1]

Rhythm guitar

• Tom Bailey (1971–1972)^[1]

Line-ups[]

1971 (Under the Name "The New Kingdom Heirs")	1972–1973	1974–1975
Jim Bluford – tenor Gene McKinney – lead Mike Shuemaker – baritone Raymond Parker – bass Gary Bilyeu – piano, keyboards Jim Ford – drums Steve Gouge – bass guitar	Jim Bluford – tenor Gene McKinney – lead Mike Shuemaker – baritone Gary Bilyeu – piano, keyboards Jim Ford – drums Steve Gouge – bass guitar Tom Bailey – rhythm guitar	Johnny Trott – tenor Gene McKinney – lead Mike Shuemaker – baritone Duane Wyrick – bass Gary Bilyeu – piano, keyboards Jim Ford – drums Steve Gouge – bass guitar Larry Hutson – lead guitar
1975	1975–1978	1978–1979
Mark Nipper – tenor Gene McKinney – lead Mike Shuemaker – baritone Duane Wyrick – bass Gary Bilyeu – piano, keyboards Jim Ford – drums Steve Gouge – bass guitar Larry Hutson – lead guitar	Buddy Mulkey – tenor Gene McKinney – lead Tommy Rowe – baritone Duane Wyrick – bass Gary Bilyeu – piano, keyboards Jim Ford – drums Steve Gouge – bass guitar Larry Hutson – lead guitar Bill Hutson – manager	Buddy Mulkey – tenor Gene McKinney – lead Tommy Rowe – baritone Duane Wyrick – bass Gary Bilyeu – piano, keyboards Jim Ford – drums Steve Gouge – bass guitar Larry Hutson – lead guitar Dale McPhearson – steel guitar Bill Hutson – manager
1979–1981 (Under the Name "The Kingdom Heirs")	1981	1981–1982
Buddy Mulkey – tenor Gene McKinney – lead Tommy Rowe – baritone Duane Wyrick – bass Gary Bilyeu – piano, keyboards Jim Ford – drums Steve Gouge – bass guitar Larry Hutson – lead guitar Ron Ward – steel guitar Bill Hutson – manager	Buddy Mulkey – tenor Gene McKinney – lead David McGill – baritone Duane Wyrick – bass Gary Bilyeu – piano, keyboards Jim Ford – drums Steve Gouge – bass guitar Larry Hutson – lead guitar Ron Ward – steel guitar Bill Hutson – manager	Buddy Mulkey – tenor Gene McKinney – lead Wayne Mitchell – baritone Duane Wyrick – bass Gary Bilyeu – piano, keyboards Jim Ford – drums Steve Gouge – bass guitar Larry Hutson – lead guitar Ron Ward – steel guitar Bill Hutson – manager
1982	1982–1983	1984
Buddy Mulkey – tenor Gene McKinney – lead Wayne Mitchell – baritone Jeff Crisp – bass Gary Bilyeu – piano, keyboards George Beeler – drums Steve Gouge – bass guitar Larry Hutson – lead guitar Ron Ward – steel guitar Bill Hutson – manager Duane Wyrick Jim Ford	Wayne Mitchell – tenor David McGill – lead Steve French – baritone Eric Hawkins – bass Randall Hunley – piano, keyboards George Beeler – drums Kreis French – bass guitar Larry Hutson – lead guitar Ron Ward – steel guitar Bill Hutson – manager	Wayne Mitchell – tenor David McGill – lead Steve French – baritone Eric Hawkins – bass Randall Hunley – piano, keyboards David Hoskins – drums Kreis French – bass guitar
1985	1986–1987	1987–1989
Wayne Mitchell – tenor David McGill – lead Steve French – baritone Eric Hawkins – bass Randall Hunley – piano, keyboards Rich Wilson – drums Kreis French – bass guitar	Wayne Mitchell – tenor David McGill – lead Steve French – baritone Jody Medford – bass Randall Hunley – piano, keyboards Rich Wilson – drums Kreis French – bass guitar	Rick Strickland – tenor David McGill – lead Steve French – baritone Bob Caldwell – bass Randall Hunley – piano, keyboards Rich Wilson – drums Kreis French – bass guitar
1989	1990–1992	1992
Rick Strickland – tenor David McGill – lead Steve French – baritone Bob Caldwell – bass Randall Hunley – piano, keyboards Stephen Arant – drums Kreis French – bass guitar	Rick Strickland – tenor Clayton Inman – lead Steve French – baritone Bob Caldwell – bass Randall Hunley – piano, keyboards Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar	Rick Strickland – tenor Clayton Inman – lead Steve French – baritone Eric Bennett – bass Jamie Graves – piano, keyboards Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar
1993–1994	1994–1995	1996–1999
David Walker – tenor Clayton Inman – lead Steve French – baritone Eric Bennett – bass Jamie Graves – piano, keyboards Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar	David Sutton – tenor Steve Lacey – lead Steve French – baritone Eric Bennett – bass Jamie Graves – piano, keyboards Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar	David Sutton – tenor Arthur Rice – lead Steve French – baritone Eric Bennett – bass Jamie Graves – piano, keyboards Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar
1999–2002	2003–2005	2005–2006
David Sutton – tenor Arthur Rice – lead Steve French – baritone Eric Bennett – bass Jeff Stice – piano, keyboards Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar	Jodi Hosterman – tenor Arthur Rice – lead Steve French – baritone Jeff Chapman – bass Adam Harman – piano, keyboards Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar	Billy Hodges – tenor Arthur Rice – lead Steve French – baritone Jeff Chapman – bass Adam Harman – piano, keyboards Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar
2007	2007–2011	2011–2014
Billy Hodges – tenor Arthur Rice – lead Steve French – baritone Jeff Chapman – bass Joseph Cox – piano, keyboards Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar	Billy Hodges – tenor Arthur Rice – lead Steve French – baritone Andy Stringfield – baritone, piano, keyboards Jeff Chapman – bass Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar	Jerry A. Martin – tenor Arthur Rice – lead Steve French – baritone Andy Stringfield – baritone, piano, keyboards Jeff Chapman – bass Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar
2014–2015	2015–2016	2016–2021
Jerry A. Martin – tenor Arthur Rice – lead Andy Stringfield – baritone, piano, keyboards Jeff Chapman – bass Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar	Jerry A. Martin – tenor Arthur Rice – lead Brian Alvey – baritone Andy Stringfield – piano, keyboards, vocals Jeff Chapman – bass Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar	Jerry A. Martin – tenor Arthur Rice – lead Loren Harris – baritone Andy Stringfield – baritone, piano, keyboards Jeff Chapman – bass Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar
2021–present
Jacob Ellison – tenor Arthur Rice – lead Loren Harris – baritone Andy Stringfield – baritone, piano, keyboards Jeff Chapman – bass Dennis Murphy – drums Kreis French – bass guitar

Discography[]

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References[]

External links[]

• Kingdom Heirs Website
• Southern Gospel History website
• A historical website of the Kingdom Heirs start up and first 11 years