There are many websites dedicated to how we can improve our particular genre of music.  Updating the sound, sticking to the message, whether or not we should go to "open" mics, how do we get our music to different audiences are just a few of the subjects.  One of the things that I haven't seen addressed (maybe it has and I haven't see it) is that of the politics that are involved.  What can I say?  There isn't a subject about the music that I love that I won't touch.

Growing up liking SG, I was always intrigued by the "Battle of the Quartets" in the coliseum in Ft. Worth.  Eventually it spread to places like Tyler, Greenville, and other locations.  While attending one event in Tyler there was a prominent "national" group along with a pretty good regional group.  Everyone was there to see and hear the national group, but I was curious as to how well the regional group would perform since I was familiar with them and liked them very much.  When they first started they were on fire and the crowd absolutely loved them.  Curiously, about halfway through their set, the sound got worse, and the crowd got cooler.  Then the national group got up and the crowd got warm again.  If often wondered what had taken place that evening until I heard stories about some jealousy from a national group (the same one I might add) and how they rigged the sound to make the other group sound not so wonderful.  Had I not experienced that evening in Tyler some 25 years ago, I would not have believed it.  Yet the stories continue on to the national quartet convention where some groups cannot even be placed in booths next to each other because of the fighting.

Unfortunately, the jealousy does not stop at the national level.  There are some churches that quality local groups cannot get into because the music minister has a group and they feel they have an "exclusive" right to their church.  Okay.  There are a number of groups that I enjoy that have been subject to some negative mail that the people who send them do not even have the decency to sign.  Christianity is not cowardice!!

To be frank with you, when I or Ransomed is subject to criticism, it will reach open ears if the person at least has the common courtesy to sign their letter, email, or talk to us face to face.  If not signed or simply passed on by word of mouth, I consider it garbage and file it accordingly.

I have heard so many rumors about the different groups, and even some that involve my own brother, that it is beginning to make me sick.  This is the type of stuff that Sanballat and Tobiah used against Nehemiah.  The purpose of the actions of those two fellas was to STOP the work of the Lord.

Some of these groups are in the beginning stages of a cooperative effort to increase our base with one another.  Since we have begun this undertaking, it seems that the devil or his imps have tried everything to not get these groups to work together.  I hope that this is a sign that the four groups are onto something and that God has bigger and better plans for all of these groups.

The whole purpose of why we started this was to help one another move on to better ministries and reach more people.  I am thankful for each one of them and hope that collectively we all have greater things ahead, not because we put each other down, but because we build each other up.

Lee Berry
Ransomed Music Ministry