Two families will bring their gospel talents Saturday to the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.
The Whisnants, whose roots in gospel music date back to sitting around an old upright piano in their Appalachian home in North Carolina in 1970, will perform along with the Taylors, a contemporary brother-sister group.
The concert, sponsored by the Southeast Kansas Christian Artists Series, begins at 6 p.m. in the Bowlus Auditorium.
Tickets sell for $18 in advance and $21 at the door for the auditorium, $14 (advance) and $15 (door) for balcony seating, and $6 student tickets for the balcony.
Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 365-7496, or via email at [email protected].
THE WHISNANTS, who performed previously at the Bowlus in 2012, were formed by John and Betty Whisnant, before passing the baton to son Jeff in 1990. Jeff, who met his future wife, Susan, while singing with another family group, is now the group manager as well.
Jeff and Susan will be joined on-stage with sons Austin and Ethan, as well as Aaron Hise, the group’s lead singer Hise has been a part of the Whisnants since 2001.
The Whisnants have celebrated 13 No. 1 gospel songs from 2001 to 2013. They’ve also earned several gospel music awards.
THE TAYLORS are a brother-sister quartet, also from North Carolina. They’ve performed in Iola once before, in 2014.
“We’ve had a lot of people ask to bring them back,” noted Dee Singer, SEKCAS member.
Jonathan, Suzanne, Christopher, and Leslie perform nearly 200 times a year across the country.
The Taylor siblings grew up as members of Fellowship Baptist Church, a small country church, where their father has been a Southern Baptist minister for over 27 years and their mother the minister of music. With their mother’s guidance, it was around the church piano that The Taylors learned their four-part family harmony.
The Taylors have had nine radio singles to charge in the Singing News Top 80 Gospel Chart, three singles in the top 40 and two in the top 20.
