|
As their children grew, so
did their group.
Connie Beth had a natural alto
voice that blended perfectly with Jackie’s clear, crisp
soprano and Arlin’s mellow baritone.
Family harmony is the closest
harmony—and they surely had it.
At the same time, Greg was
showing great interest in learning to play the guitar,
and with a little instruction from his dad, quickly
picked up the basics and began picking out the songs the
family was singing.
Their first recording was
completed in 1976 at Mark V Studios in
Greenville,
South Carolina.
By this time, they had a
complete band made up of family members and they spent
most weekends singing in churches across the Southeast
in great demand.
One year later they recorded
their second project at Mark V Studios.
A third project was recorded at
Hilltop Studios in
Nashville.
Singing with groups such as the Hinsons, Wendy Bagwell
and the Sunlighters, The Hopper Brothers and Connie, The
Hemphills, and the Cathedrals (to name a few), The
Woodalls’ schedule was filled with singings every
weekend night, sometimes four times a week.
While singing at the Cerebral
Palsy Telethon, Connie Beth met her future husband, Jim
Grinnell.
Jim had traveled the Southern
Gospel circuit for many years as the bass player for his
family’s group.
They married a short time later
and Jim became a member of The Woodalls.
When their two boys were born
their interest in playing music with the band was seen
at an early age.
Clint, their older son, plays
piano, guitar, and drums.
Clay is an accomplished drummer
and also plays guitar and bass when needed.
The Lord was continuing to answer Jackie’s prayer that
her second child be used in all areas, and Greg
surrendered to the call into the ministry at the age of
20.
He made the decision to leave
the group as their piano player to become a full-time
pastor.
He now pastors a growing
congregation in
Florence,
Alabama,
and is involved in the church’s music ministry.
To fill the void left by Greg’s
departure, Clint became the
group’s pianist and Clay took over the drummer
position.
This is the current
configuration of the group—Jackie, Arlin, Connie Beth
and Clint on vocals, with the band being made up of
Clint on piano, Clay on drums, and Jim on bass.
The Woodalls have their own unique style of upbeat
Southern Gospel with a touch of country.
Over the past few years, God has
given an amazing ability to write songs and the Woodalls
are so thankful to have the privilege of singing and
recording of these original songs.
Arlin, Connie Beth and Greg have
also written songs that the group enjoys singing at
their concerts.
Although they enjoy traveling and singing as a family,
their main goal is to minister to others through their
music.
Arlin and Jim serve as deacons
at their home church and are faithful in their
attendance, so most of their singings are either
Saturday or Sunday evenings. Arlin and Jim also teach
Sunday School Classes, Jim Clint, and Clay are members
of the church band, and Connie Beth sings backup on the
praise and worship team.
They feel it is important to be grounded in a local
church, thereby enabling them to minister more
effectively in their concerts.
“Our main goal is to win souls for the
Kingdom of
Christ.
If we aren’t seeing this happen,
then our labor is in vain,” says Arlin.
“We never want to become just a
singing group—we want to be soul-winners.”
As Ronnie Hinson said on one of
their projects, “If it’s just pretty words and music,
then you’ve lost it all.”
The music has to reach down and
touch the heart…and that’s what it’s all about.
Their eighth project, Legacy, was completed in the fall
of 2007 with many original songs.
In December of 2008, they began planning and
first-stage recording of their cd "First Day", on
the Evening Shade Records label. By mid-July, 2009,
the project was complete and available for purchase.
In August,2009, The Woodalls released their very
first nationwide radio single titled "In Spite of
the Storm". They plan to release more singles in the
coming months ahead.
|
