#91 GRAND OPENING by Andrus, Blackwood & Co. (1977)

GRAND OPENING by Andrus, Blackwood & Co. (1977)
Greentree Records (R-3467)

Ah…the smooth harmonies and polished pop sound of Andrus, Blackwood & Company.

These men first came to my attention when both of them were vital parts of a Gospel 

Music Machine known as the Imperials (from 1972 to 1976). The Imperials’ sound of the early to mid-70s relied heavily on the talents of these two gentlemen, as they traded off singing lead on most of the songs, and Terry Blackwood arranged the vocals for the group. I LOVED the Imperials of that time period and with that lineup. In fact, don’t tell anybody…but when I heard rumors as a preteen that Terry and Sherman had left the Imperials and it began to sink in that I would perhaps never get a chance to see that lineup of the group in concert…well, let’s just say that I was traumatized there for a little while. 

The rumor turned out to be true. They were gone.

Sherman Andrus (bottom, left) as a member
of Andrae Crouch & the Disciples

But let’s go back even further. These guys were part of Christian music royalty (if you will) even before they joined the Imperials. Terry Blackwood is the son of the late Doyle Blackwood, one of the founders of the most successful and historic Gospel quartet of all time, The Blackwood Brothers. After graduating from Memphis State University, Terry sang with J.D. Sumner & the Stamps Quartet. Meanwhile, Sherman Andrus had been a founding member of Andraé Crouch & the Disciples.

Terry Blackwood was first to join the Imperials. By the time Sherman joined the group, its transitional period was well underway. They’d already been a back up vocal group for Elvis Presley in Las Vegas; now the hair grew longer while the stage clothes were more hip, matching outfits were no longer a necessity, and spiritually-aware cover tunes by both Jesus Music artists and secular artists became very prevalent on their albums and in their concerts. With Terry and Sherman on board, the Imperials themselves became a full-on bridge between the southern gospel world they left behind and the contemporary music scene they were headed toward. The fact that Sherman Andrus is a Black man was very significant in the early 1970s. Very few music groups – Christian or secular -- were racially integrated during that time period.

  

An early 70s Imperials photo

Just Because would be their last album with the Imperials. Terry & Sherman had already begun 

experimenting together musically while still members of the Imperials; they left an established group that was experiencing tremendous commercial success and struck out on their own in 1976.  

With the help of Karen Voegtin (vocals), Bill Egtlin (keyboards/vocals), Bob Villareal (guitar/vocals), Tim Marsh (drums) and Rocky Laughlin (bass), Andrus, Blackwood & Co. made their debut for Greentree Records in 1977. Grand Opening was a hit on the CCM radio charts.

The cover art featured an old filling station or general store-type building with the words Grand Opening on a banner stretched across the front of the store. A large color picture of Andrus & Blackwood graced the back cover. The rapture-themed I’m Gonna Rise and Never Be were popular tunes from the album. Questions was a song that most people remember; it wondered aloud in a very poignant way what we will leave behind after we’ve passed from this life.

So many questions I must ask myself today

I wonder if Jesus thinks I’ve done my share today

Will I wake up in the morning to find 

Regrets upon my mind

Will I leave a trace of Jesus somewhere

So many questions I must ask myself today

What will I leave behind 

When life has passed my way

Will people remember my name 

Or forget me all the same

Will I leave a trace of Jesus somewhere

Have I been a light in dark places / brought a smile to sad faces

Have I shown the world I really care

Have I lived my life the way He wants me to each and every day

When someone stumbled / was I there to care

Grand Opening's back cover

While not songwriters themselves, Andrus and Blackwood were good judges of great writing, as well as good judges of what Christian radio audiences wanted to hear. They recorded many songs from such established songwriting talents as Bruce Hibbard, Hadley Hockensmith, Phil Johnson, and Tim Sheppard among others.

Steve is another song from the album that made an emotional impact, It tells the story of a young boy who simply needs someone to care for him. It closes the album.

The boy's name was Steve

He wasn't quite five
And when we found him that day

He was barely alive
Just an old pair of jeans

A face filled with fear
Dirty bare feet

And eyes filled with tears
And what he said

Still rings in my ears

He said

Please, won't somebody love me?
Please, won't somebody love me?
I've been all over town 

And I still haven't found
Anybody to say

Come over to my house and play
Please, won't somebody love me?

Does it ever make you wonder

How Jesus must feel
Every time that He sees

Somebody like Steve
O you might be surprised

If you only knew 
How often the Lord feels the same way too
And how many times He's cried out to you 

Crying

Please won't somebody love Me
Please, won't somebody love Me
I've been all over town and I still haven't found
Anybody to say

Come over to my house and stay
Please, won't somebody love Me?

Blackwood & Andrus in the 80s

Polished 70s pop and radio-friendly vocal harmonies permeate this debut offering from AB&C.

Terry, Sherman & band in the 1980s

 Andrus, Blackwood & Company went on to release six albums between 1977 and 1984.  The group’s final performance came in June 1986 at a Six Flags theme park near Chicago, IL.

Today, the guys pay the bills by appearing as the "Elvis Imperials," reprising their role as Elvis Presley's backup vocal group in early 70s Las Vegas. Terry and Sherman are in the middle; '70s Imperials alum Joe Moscheo is on the right. The gentleman on the left was not a member of the Imperials in the 1970s, but he seems happy to be along for the ride.

Fun Fact: Sherman Andrus and Terry Blackwood occasionally perform in a group now called The Elvis Imperials with another former Imperials member, Joe Moscheo.