Inaugural Class of the
KSGSC Hall of Fame
Rex Agers (1985 & 1993 KSGSC President)
Rex Agers was born on July 12th of 1946 in Allen County. He spent his childhood in Fountain Run then moved to Glasgow in 1965 where he began working in the funeral business.
In 1972, he started hosting the Optimist Club Gospel Sings as a fund raiser for the Optimist Club. In 1976, Rex along with some others, formed the Barren County Gospel Singing Association. He was elected president and still holds that title today.
In 1979, Rex began his first term on the Kentucky State Gospel Singing Convention and served a total of 23 years on the board. He served as Secretary/Treasurer in 1980 and was president for the years 1985 & 1993.
Rex wishes to thank everyone for their support over the years.
Roger Barrick (1998 & 1999 KSGSC President)
At the age of thirteen, Roger received his first keyboard, a Magnus Organ. Since there was no piano player available at church at the time, he learned a few songs and took it to church to play for services and revivals.
At 15 years of age, Roger was blessed with his first piano. By the next year, a group called, Good News Singers, took him under their care and taught him southern gospel group piano and singing style of music. Roger was honored to be introduced to so many different styles of churches in the surrounding counties. When needed, he started to help lead singing and play the piano at various churches.
Later in life, Roger met Joy Bowens and realized it would be in his best interest to get her interested in marrying him. Six months later they got married. Roger and Joy, along with various other gospel singers, sang as a group for several years as, The Barrick’s. The last few years Roger and Joy have been able to support their home church in music and song.
Back in 1996, Roger was asked to be a part of the Kentucky State Gospel Singing Convention. Promoting and encouraging southern gospel singing groups to sing the gospel in song has not only been an enrichment in our life, but the lives of others. Thank you KSGSC for all that you do and for allowing us to be a part of KSGSC.
Bill & Hazel Bryson
Hazel and Bill Bryson loved Southern Gospel Music. They were always attending a singing. They even hosted a singing every year in July for 25 years at multiple venues throughout Bowling Green. Several groups that have performed at the Kentucky State Gospel Singing Convention have come to sing.
Hazel sang in several different groups for many years. Bill wasn’t a singer but he promoted Southern Gospel Singing. They lived to go to a singing for many years. Hazel was the Secretary for a couple of years and also the President for a couple of years of the Kentucky State Gospel Singing Convention. This was a weekend they absolutely loved so much every year.
They would be very honored to receive this Hall of Fame tribute. They would be glad knowing Gospel Music was reaching so many people. They never did any of it for recognition, it was for the love of southern gospel music and the many friendships that they made over the years.
Lyndell Graven (1996 & 1997 KSGSC President)
Lyndell was born in Glasgow, Ky 1949 and lived in Barren County until he had almost reached the age of 3 at which time his family moved to Washington Court House, Ohio. They lived in Ohio for almost 11 years
and then came back to Kentucky to their farm outside of Bowling Green on Louisville Road…. the same place where he and his wife, Debbie, currently live. During his “growing up” years he had the good fortune to be part of a family that enjoyed Southern Gospel music. As he grew older, he also developed an appreciation for Southern Gospel. He spent a lot of his time over the years attending concerts, church singings and the
National Quartet Convention. It was also during this time that he was asked to join the Kentucky State Gospel Singing Convention Board in 1994 and served that year as Secretary. He had the honor of being named KSGSC President for the 1996 and 1997 years. He was asked to again serve as Board Secretary during 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and currently serves in that position for our 2021 KSGSC year now in progress.
During these years, he has had the pleasure of serving on the board and helped with various responsibilities during many KSGSC-sponsored events and especially serving wherever needed over the years at our annual KSGSC State Singing Convention (which is generally held the third weekend of October each year). He
considers these events to be “opportunities for service” as a board member and has enjoyed all the responsibilities assigned to him during these years of KSGSC membership and participation.
Lyndell looks forward to continuing that service in this current year and years to come, the Good Lord willing!
He greatly appreciates the personal support for his board participation he has received over the years from his family and especially from his wife, Debbie Graven, who has been his supporter for forty -five wonderful years.
P.G. Graves (1974 KSGSC President)
P. G. Graves did not have the opportunity to attend the convention as he unfortunately passed away from complications from surgery for lung cancer on September 13, 1974. He was so honored and elated to serve as president of the convention and had worked diligently to make the convention a success.
His start in gospel music began in 1969, when he was asked to substitute for the lead singer of the Friendly Five. His wife, Carol, was pianist for the group. When he was approached , His response was, “I can’t sing!” The bass singer of the quartet told him to just stand there, and so he did! His first singing was in a small church in Allen County, but he made the comment the church must have seated 1,000 people! He then became the permanent lead singer for the group. That same year, he became president of the Allen County Singing Convention and organized the annual New Year’s Eve singing which is now held at Scottsville Baptist Church.
The Friendly Five hosted a weekly radio program on WLCK every Saturday and is still ongoing. He enjoyed gospel music, but most of all he loved telling others about Jesus. His untimely death at age 41, devastated his family as well as his gospel music family. Even though he didn’t preside over the convention in 1974 at the Allen County-Scottsville High School auditorium, he attended a much better convention in heaven! Many others have since joined that heavenly choir, and oh, what a day when all of God’s singers get home!
Buddy Lowe (1965 KSGSC President)
Buddy Lowe started a gospel Quartet in 1957 called the Joymakers. His love for gospel music has over the years touched many hearts and lives. His contribution to southern gospel music in the region goes far beyond anyone's imagination. He was influential to the current, modern lineup of the group as he was dating all the way back to the original members in 1957. He gave many men and women a chance to use their God given talents to bless people as they traveled from place to place sharing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Whenever a singer or musician decided it was time to leave the road or "go to the house", as Buddy called it, he would have someone in place in a week or so to continue the music ministry of the quartet and band. He was one of the first weekender regional groups that utilized a full live band. Many former member of the Joymakers have had the privilege of learning music and life in general from Buddy.
Buddy Lowe was and is what the Joymakers stand for today. His willingness to go above and beyond have been instilled in all of the members that have passed through the Joymakers. 2020 is the 63rd year for the Joymakers and what Buddy started back in 1957 is still continuing today.
Haskell & Annette McCubbins
"Down through the years, God has been faithful, He's never left us to walk all alone, Crossed rivers and valleys, and even the mountains, God has been faithful, Down through the years"....
For some, these may be lyrics for just another song. But for one couple, these are the words that God blessed them with along life's journey together, a journey that has lasted over six decades.
Haskell began singing at a young age with his brothers in a quartet, The McCubbins Brothers Quartet, with one of his brothers playing the guitar. Eventually, the quartet dissolved with one brother surrending to preach, one entered the military, and one brother passed away after a brief illness. Annette served the Lord in her church and in other churches playing the piano for revivals and Bible Schools. Haskell and Annette met in church and began dating in 1957. The couple began to sing together. They married in January of 1958, and the ministry of The McCubbins Family began. As Jane Ann, Sherice, and Lucindy were born, they began singing as soon as they could talk.
Over the years, The McCubbins Family have recorded seven albums, and have written 15 songs. They have traveled many miles all over Kentucky and many states, led revivals, sung in many state singings, and went wherever the Lord led them. They have done many benefits for those in need, held offices in the Kentucky State Singing Convention, and hosted a gospel radio program for over twenty years. They hosted Singing Down on the Farm featuring local groups for 12 years.
The McCubbins Family has been blessed with sixty-two years together of faith, music, and love. Every step of the way, God has been faithful. He has always provided for them and is still contintuing to do so ... Down through the years.
Lynwood Montell (1989 KSGSC President)
Lynwood Montell feels especially honored to be inducted as a member of the Hall of Fame because he is no singer!
Lynwood’s life goal has been to be the historian of the "common man”, those men and women who go about their everyday tasks and leisure activities doing their best. They want to be a faithful steward of their God-given abilities, often without formal recognition.
In 1985, he realized that within the southern gospel singing community were such people who should have someone record, for future generations, their names, their history, and their accomplishments. Over the next five years, as he was compiling the book “Singing the Glory Down”, he traveled more than 30,000 miles. He crisscrossed the area, seeking to hear the different groups as they performed at churches, schools, outdoor functions, and fund-raising efforts.
Looking back, Lynwood remembers, “The singers totally accepted me, viewing me as one of them. They drew me into the round of activities that I had set out to document. I was honored when I was chosen to serve as president of the Kentucky State Singing Convention in 1989.”
He is pleased that KSGSC has continued its musical ministry well into the 21st century.
Alan Sullivan (2002 & 2003 KSGSC President)
Alan Sullivan was born in Indianapolis Indiana. He was raised in a large family surrounded with a love of the gospel through song, along with many family singers and musicians. His parents also sang in a quartet until the mid-1970’s,
At a young age he began to learn to play guitar from his father and uncle. They encouraged him to play along with them at church as he continued to build his skill and confidence. At the age of 13, Alan was asked to play bass guitar for a female quartet known as The Calvary Sisters. In 1975, the family returned to Allen County Kentucky, to help in the care of his grandparents.
During his freshman year of high school, he was asked, by his choir teacher, Gary Martin, to play along with a new quartet known as The Regals. Alan would go on to play with several well-known local gospel groups such as: The Kentuckians, The Thomas Quartet, The Spiritual Four, and The Martins.
A new family group was formed in 1991 by Alan, his wife Laurie and son Josh, and Alan’s younger sister Pam Williams, forming the group known as The Sullivan’s. Alan has been a part of the Kentucky State Gospel Singing Convention since 1994, and has served as a board member, as well as president in 2002-2003. He and his family are proud to continue to be a part of this musical heritage, and look forward to singing at this years, 75th annual Kentucky State Gospel Singing Convention.
Bill Twyman (2000 & 2001 KSGSC President)
William “Bill” Twyman grew up in a musical family on a red-clay dirt farm in Hart County, Kentucky. After his father, Herbert, showed him a few chords on a guitar, Bill started playing at age 14. On his 16th birthday, he took to the stage for the first time with the Twyman Family Band playing country music. In 1964, he joined The Four Duces, a small rock band, playing guitar and singing backup. His gospel music career began in 1967 when he joined the Joymakers as a guitarist and soloist. He continued with the Joymakers until 1984.
After his time with the Joymakers, he formed the Heartland Quartet in 1984 featuring Johnny Howard as tenor, Doug Roy as lead, JB Root as bass, Brenda Roy as pianist and himself as baritone. Many members have traveled the road with the Heartland Quartet while playing and singing, including his daughter, Kelly Twyman Cruze, son-in-law Dewey and granddaughter Jordan.
In 1997, Bill organized and was emcee of the Community Gospel Singing. He gathered many musicians, soloists, trios and quartets to share some of the old hymn favorites throughout the state of Kentucky. He retired the Community Gospel Singing in 2019.
Bill had a 35-year career in education where he was a teacher, principal and superintendent. He served as president of the Kentucky State Singing Convention 2000-2001.