Words by Marla Price
A rich, musical heritage endures in Houston, Alabama, where each September, fans of gospel music and descendants of the Speer family gather for a time of memory, food, fellowship, and of course, singing.
The annual Speer Family singing will be held at Houston Baptist Church on Sunday, September 14, starting at 10:30 am. Lunch will be served at 12:00, with the singing to continue after lunch starting around 1:00 pm.
Gospel Music’s “First Family”
Known as the “First Family of Gospel Music,” the Speer Family rose to enduring acclaim over the better part of the 20th century, earning numerous Dove Awards, five Grammy nominations, and the Gospel Music Association’s first Lifetime Achievement Award.
Led by George Thomas “Dad” Speer, the original Speer quartet consisted of G.T., his wife Lena “Mom” Speer, his sister Pearl, and Pearl’s husband Logan Claborn. The group sang in the churches and communities near their home in Winston County. The Speer Family is also notable in that their group featured male and female singers. Until the Speer Family, almost all gospel music groups were composed primarily of men.
After the impact of the Great Depression, Dad and Mom Speer moved to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, where G.T. worked in various jobs before landing a position as a full-time songwriter for the James D. Vaughan Music Publishing Company, and later for the Stamps-Baxter Publishing Company. With Dad and Mom at the helm, children Brock, Rosa Nell, Mary Tom, and Ben now formed the remainder of the group.
As family members married, new voices joined the Speer Family, and other well-known gospel singers were also made a part of the group. In the 1950s, the Speers transitioned from radio to television, airing a daily morning show on Nashville’s Channel 5. Their national reach grew through appearances on syndicated programs such as the Gospel Singing Caravan, where they performed with fellow gospel pioneers, the LeFevres. After Dad’s passing in 1966 and Mom’s in 1967, the Speer Family continued through the leadership of their children and grandchildren. The Speer Family collaborated with Bill and Gloria Gaither, appearing on Gaither Homecoming Tours and television shows.
Dad Speer wrote over 800 gospel songs over the course of his lifetime. His son, Ben, later recalled, “He was always a writer. I never knew him as anything else. He wrote songs as early as 1917 . . . and he wrote songs in the heat of battle while he was in France during World War I.”
Brock Speer officially retired the Speer Family at the 1998 National Quartet Convention, the same year they were inducted into the Gospel Music Association’s Hall of Fame.
The Sacred Harp Legacy
The early 20th century was a time of singing schools, where attendees would learn to read and sing music. The term “sacred harp” refers to the use of one’s voice as an instrument, for much of church music at the time was sung “a cappella,” or without musical instruments. Sacred Harp music utilized “shape notes” to teach musical degrees, and the singing school instructors taught people to sight read and lead music in order to raise the quality of music in worship. Dad and Mom Speer’s musical influence began as singing school instructors, teaching in the Sacred Harp tradition.
There were several other musical families in Winston County during this time. Jane Cleghorn of Addison is the great-granddaughter of Seaborn Denson, who, with younger brother Thomas Jackson Denson, produced the Denson Edition of The Sacred Harp songbook. Jane’s parents, Charles and Rosa McCoy, were friends with the Speers, before Dad and Mom Speer moved to Tennessee. The McCoy family was also filled with musical talent. Otis McCoy, Jane’s uncle, was the editor of The Church Hymnal, commonly called the “red-back” hymnal due to its hardback, red cloth cover. Some of Dad Speer’s songs are included in The Church Hymnal.
Jane is a gifted pianist who can both play by ear and read music. She began playing the piano when she was four years old, and by the age of nine, she was regularly playing for church services. Now 82 years old, Jane has taught alongside the Speer family at the Stamps-Baxter School of Music, providing instruction and piano accompaniment. She will be a pianist at this year’s Speer singing during the afternoon session. Jane recounted, “I’m not sure if it was Pearl or Mr. Speer who started the singing, but it’s been going on for 80 or 90 years. I’ve been attending for over 60 years.” According to Jane, Mom and Dad Speer always made a point to come to the singing, along with their children and other Speer group members.
Tom Powell, the singing’s current chairman, explained, “All music in the convention world is shape note, and that’s what quartet people did originally.” Tom, who is the son of Rosa Nell and the grandson of Dad and Mom Speer, continues his family’s musical tradition as the Director of Instruction at the Alabama School of Gospel Music.
Tom elaborated upon the convention singing heritage. “We have new books that come out every year, with new songs. We also have hymn books that are made up of songs first published in a convention songbook.” He recently led a “New Book” singing at Emory University’s Department of Music, utilizing the seven-note convention method. He also led the Blount County Community Gospel Choir’s yearly concert. “All the songs they did were written by my granddaddy,” Tom proudly recounted.
Tom remembered how, not so long ago, “There would be a singing once a month, with maybe three singings in one day in churches around any given area.”
But there is a concern shared by all those who enjoy singings much like the one that celebrates the Speer Family. Tom shared, “Claudia [Rucker], who has kept the Speer singing going, saw the attendance dropping each year. I told her, I’ll help you and get the people there and we’ll make sure that the singing is good.”
Mrs. Rucker passed away on July 7, 2025, at the age of 87. Tom continued, “Now that Claudia is gone, it probably won’t happen unless I do it.”
While Claudia is not related to the Speer family, her own family, the Wilsons, were also filled with musical talent. Members of the Wilson family have sung at churches and community gatherings in the area. Claudia was a member of Houston Baptist Church. She had also served as the chairman of the Speer Family singing and as a pianist for the event.
Keeping the Tradition Alive
Donna Wilson Gunnin, a Speer descendant and member of Houston Baptist, plays an active role in planning for the singing. She remembered, “I used to get up at 8:00 am, when I was a little girl, and I’d watch The Wally Fowler Show. A lot of times, Uncle Tom and his family were on it.”
Donna explained that her great-grandfather, James J. Speer, was quite musical, having mastered the fiddle. He had two wives, and G.T. “Dad” Speer was one of nine siblings by the first wife, Emley, who passed away shortly after the birth of Pearl. James remarried Mary Estes Seymour and had nine more children, one of whom was Kate Speer Wilson, Donna’s grandmother. The family’s emphasis on the importance of music, singing, and worship continues to impact their descendants, many of whom still live in the Houston community.
Donna recalled four chairmen of the singing. “First, it was Uncle Marshall Alford who married Emma Speer, and then my dad, then Claudia, and now Tom. That’s been now sixty years.” She also remembered when Rosa Nell, Mary Tom, and Ben would take part in the event. “Rosa Nell was the piano player. I loved to hear her play.” Donna added that Uncle Marshall had a store, and after the singings the family could get a cold drink and a snack from his store.
Donna emphasized that the singing this year would be dedicated to Claudia because of her commitment to the Speer singing and her love for the Lord.
Donna’s father, Donald Wilson, and Claudia had firm opinions about the construction of the church building, as it related to the acoustics. There is no carpet in the sanctuary, as Donna explained that it would drown the singing. She said that the church does have padded pews, but Claudia and her father didn’t really want that either. Originally, the only sound equipment was the human voice and a piano, as there was no electricity to power microphones or speakers, and participants raised their voices together, singing their respective parts–soprano, alto, tenor, or bass.
The church is expecting several to be in attendance. Donna said that Tom would be bringing additional books for congregants to use, and participants are welcome to request and lead songs. The church is also planning to have plenty of home-cooked food to serve “dinner on the grounds” to all who want to enjoy it. “Of course,” said Donna, “we don’t actually have it outside on the grounds anymore. We enjoy our air conditioning inside. But there will be plenty to eat.” Then after lunch, the singing will continue. Donna said that if you stay long enough, visitors can hear the family and others actually sing the notes in the “fa-so-la” tradition.
Even though the original Speer group members have now passed away, their relatives and friends are proud to continue the tradition started so long ago, with joyful singing connecting the generations. Donna and Tom both want to extend an invitation to anyone interested in learning more about the Speer family legacy, gospel music singing, and the shape-note tradition. Those who attend morning services at their home church can still come for the afternoon session.
As Dad Speer said, “When any quartet or singer sings for just entertainment alone, they have missed the real purpose of gospel singing. Let’s sing for the glory of God and to advance His cause, and He will make a way for us.” 67
Many thanks to Donna Wilson Gunnin for providing photographs.
