Gospel Music Hall of Fame welcomes rebels

Also inducted during the ceremony were Shirley Caesar, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, Roger Breland and Truth, The Kingsmen, The Fisk University Jubilee Singers and late music executive Bob Mac Kenzie.

"We've never really stopped singing gospel," said Joe Bonsall of the Oak Ridge Boys, which began in 1945 as a gospel quartet then started courting the country music audience in the 1970s with hits like "Elvira."

Dozens of members have come and gone over the years, and neither the Oak Ridge Boys nor Petra has an original member in its current lineup.

"This was unexpected," Bonsall said of the induction. "Even before we went into country music, people in gospel weren't sure about us because we grew our hair long and dressed differently. They thought we were turning into hippies.

"Now it's come full circle and we're accepted. It feels great."

The 11 current and former band members on hand Monday night received a standing ovation from the audience.

Member Duane Allen recalled their last gospel concert, when the audience walked out because of the group's plans to go country.

"Thank you for a standing ovation, that meant everything in the world to me," Allen told the crowd. "I think it's probably the most wonderful thing that I've experienced in gospel music. To see that we are accepted by ... the same group of people who didn't understand what we were trying to do at one time."

Petra, one of the first Christian hard rock bands, was once banned at some churches and Christian bookstores because its style of music was considered incompatible with the Christian message.

"We reached kids where they were, and that's what it's all about," said founding Petra member Bob Hartman, who is still associated with the group but no longer tours.

"We're thrilled that people have come around about us," he said.

The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, established in 1971 by the Gospel Music Association, has inducted 114 members since its inception, including Mahalia Jackson, the Fairfield Four, Billy Graham and the Jordanaires.

Singer Gary Chapman led the ceremony, which featured performances by the Oak Ridge Boys, The Kingsmen, and the Jubilee Singers. Caesar closed the show singing "Oh Happy Day," the 1969 pop hit by The Edwin Hawkins Singers, who did not attend.

Mac Kenzie, a longtime executive with the Benson Company, produced albums for artists including The Imperials, The Cathedrals, the Oak Ridge Boys and Buddy Greene. A mentor to many artists, writers and industry workers, he died on Oct. 20.

The Hall of Fame's inductees are selected by about 300 members of the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame electorate, who each have at least 10 years in the gospel music field.<