When you walk into the Truthseekers Homecoming in Marion, Illinois, you could potentially be walking into Gospel music history. This event was the birthplace of the Second Half Quartet, the location of many live album recordings and the first tour stop of the Gospel Music Hymn Sing back when the hymn sing began touring. This event is truly a unique place. But more than that, this homecoming feels like a family and has the slogan of “It’s more than just singing.” For 41 years, the promoters have always emphasized the Lord’s leading in every concert, and more often than not, you walk away feeling like you have been in a service and not just a concert.
This year, the Truthseekers Homecoming hosted their three day event with special guests: Greater Vision, The Mylon Hayes Family, Tribute Quartet, Karen Peck & New River, The Guardians and the Mark Trammell Quartet in the evenings and the Lesters for an afternoon matinee.
On Thursday evening, the first night of homecoming, a golden sunset gleamed over downtown Marion. The sunsets in this town have always been beautiful and the first night of the event was no different. Folks made their way to the Marion Cultural and Civic Center, located on the corner of the town square. The first night featured Greater Vision and The Mylon Hayes Family, Gospel music’s Favorite Trio and Favorite Mixed Group for 2025. Most years, this event hosts two artists each evening, giving both groups 40 minutes on stage, plus additional time after intermission. Earlier that day, Greater Vision and The Mylon Hayes Family announced that their Family & Friends Tour would extend outside of Christmas into another program that would tour throughout the year.
How grand that the announcement was made that afternoon when both groups would appear together that evening at the Truthseekers. Was this evening a sneak peek into what that tour would look like? Possibly! Gerald Wolfe shared about the tour during the concert and on the second half of the program, both Greater Vision and The Mylon Hayes Family took the stage and put together some unique pairings and arrangements. Bailey Hayes sang the second verse of “He’d Still Been God,” Kennedy, Bailey and Conner Hayes played a special song on the piano arranged for a trio, then Rodney Griffin, Kennedy Hayes, Chris Allman and Conner Hayes sang “What A Lovely Name with Bailey Hayes playing the piano and Mylon on bass guitar. And those are just a few of the moments we could tell you about for Thursday night. Needless to say, when the last note was sung, hearts walked away full.
Friday evening was another night to be remembered with Tribute Quartet and Karen Peck & New River. These two groups were an absolute powerhouse together. On the second half of the evening, Danny Jones brought both groups together and arranged quite a few stories and moments too good not to share. If case you didn’t know, Danny Jones and Karen’s family at one time lived very near each other in Georgia, giving Danny inside information not everyone knows about New River’s history. One of those insiders is that Karen Peck Gooch is classically trained on the piano and Danny took this moment to insist that Karen play a piano duet with Josh Singletary. So both Karen and Josh sat down on the keyboard and played a rousing rending of I’ll Fly Away. (A portion of that can be heard on GMR’s Facebook page.) Afterwards, KPNR sang “I Am Blessed” with tenor Gus Gaches, vocalist for Tribute, joining them. The whole second portion of the night flowed that way…both groups together, singing and worshipping with each other and the audience combined as one. However, the most notable moment of the night was when Grant Gibson sang Gary’s part with Tribute, which he claimed was his first time to sing with a quartet! My, the memories! By the time the night had ended, we had laughed, cried, prayed and worshiped. The evening ended with Gary Casto and Karen Peck Gooch closing in prayer, with every person in the building on their feet for the final blessing. What a sweet night.
The next afternoon, the Truthseekers held a luncheon and afternoon concert with The Lester’s at White Ash Free Will Baptist Church. The Lester’s are GMR’s featured artist this month and I hope you enjoy reading their story. Saturday afternoon, they gave the most encouraging, uplifting concerts. They sang old songs and new songs, and the four grandchildren came on stage to sing for a portion of the time as well. If you like the old hymns like “When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder,” and classic songs such as, “He Didn’t Throw The Clay Away” and “I Won’t Have To Worry Anymore,” then this would have been a concert you would have loved.
When evening time came around, it was time to go to the civic center one last time. Saturday evening was quartet night at the Truthseekers Homecoming and featured two of the best, The Guardians and The Mark Trammell Quartet. Both groups sang songs with low bass notes and four part harmony, delighting the crowd with the kind of tunes that put Gospel music on the map. You could also imagine that with the talent of these two quartets put together, that when they came on for the second half, it was going to be just as good as the first two nights…and it was! Bass vocalists Pat Barker and Will Lane shared the verses of the old classic, “Child of the King,” and upbeat songs like “I’ll Have A New Life” made the rafters ring. Of course, the evening wouldn’t be complete without hearing “The King Is Coming,” which both groups sang together to close out the night. It was simply a stellar evening and the perfect close to such a wonderful event.
The Truthseekers Homecoming is truly an event not to be missed in Gospel music circles. After experiencing the family-like atmosphere and special moments each year brings, it is easy to see why the event has been going for 41 years strong. If this is an event you have yet to experience, add it to your list! The dates for next year are March 18-20, 2027. The Gospel Music Roadshow would love to see you in Marion, Illinois!
