James Blackwood

James Blackwood, Sr. was called "Mr. Gospel Music," he was a friend to many, and he guided careers and gave people wonderful thoughts to live by. With his passing, as the last of the original Blackwood Brothers Quartet, it would have been easy to consider this the end of an era. The Blackwoods were trailblazers in music ministry.

James won countless awards during his lifetime, including nine Grammys and seven Doves. He passed this outlook on to many, including his oldest son, Jimmy, who continues to draw huge crowds wherever he and the new Blackwood Brothers go.

James was a man of God, but he didn’t live his life without regrets. He often spoke of why he never could understand the reason God allowed the plane crash in 1954, which took the lives of two of the quartet members.

June 30, 1954, then, should be remembered by all gospel music fans … not only because of the voices that were stilled because of the plane crash, but because of the music and lessons we all can learn from it.

James was born on August 4, 1919 and, in 1934 as a 15-year-old, joined with his brothers, Doyle and Roy and his nephew R. W. to form a group named The Blackwood Brothers. Certainly, on that day in 1934, no one could have known the impact that the Blackwood Brothers would have on a fledgling style of music called Southern Gospel music.

James Blackwood's story is a story of courage and dedication. The Brothers certainly enjoyed a lot of success in Southern Gospel music. Those were difficult days to make a living in America during the Great Depression. Times were not always easy in the early days, but they stuck with it, and the Lord blessed them greatly!

In 1940, the Blackwood Brothers made an important and difficult decision. They moved to Iowa. They were a big hit in the area and were performing nearly every night while doing three radio programs a day. The radio station estimated their listening audience at a million people!

In 1947, the Blackwood Brothers once again began to put together the group that would become famous in Southern Gospel music. James Blackwood, R. W. Blackwood, Doyle Blackwood and Bill Lyles were joined by Hilton Griswold and, later, Jackie Marshall on the piano. The Blackwood Brothers made their first television appearance in 1948 on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts program.

The 45-RPM single of the songs sung on the show, “The Man Upstairs” and “How About Your Heart,” were selling briskly at that time. They were the first Gospel group to perform on national TV and were reaping the benefits of that appearance.

In 1952, the Blackwood Brothers had formed a professional partnership with the Statesmen. The popularity that each group enjoyed was also unprecedented for a Gospel singing group. Together, their “team” was the top attraction in Gospel music by far at that time.

Following the plane crash of 1954, Cecil Blackwood, another one of the brothers, accepted the position of baritone. J.D. Sumner joined the Blackwood Brothers as their new bass singer.

James was involved a little later in life with the Masters Five. This group consisted of James Blackwood, Hovie Lister, Jake Hess, J.D. Sumner and Rosie Rozell (later Steve Warner). They were an extremely popular group. James traveled with them for eight years. Of course, James became a regular and a favorite on the Gaither Homecoming Videos right up until his death.

James Blackwood passed away on February 3, 2002 and will be remembered by the Friend family as a man that lifted our hearts with his music.

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers
2004 CAC Honoree