AVB
Encyclopedia
Acapella Vocal Band was a vocal group put together by Keith Lancaster in 1986 to augment the vocal group Acapella
. AVB's popularity and ministry quickly grew, prompting Lancaster to launch AVB as a full-time touring group in 1988. AVB went through various lineup and stylistic changes before disbanding in 2000.
In addition to their early duties as Acappella's opening act and augmentation group, AVB performed and recorded as an independent ensemble. Many of their recordings, which included Give Me Light(1987) and Steppin' On A Cloud (1988), were later re-released on a CD titled The Early Years. In June 1988, with Acappella's expansion to a quartet
, AVB branched off to tour on their own under the auspices of Acappella Ministries. Both groups underwent a shift in musical style during this period. Whereas previously, they had covered traditional hymns, praise songs and contemporary Christian pop music, both Acappella and AVB now recorded and performed primarily original music, much of which was composed by Lancaster. Acappella forged ahead with an adult contemporary sound while AVB targeted the youth market.
With Song In My Soul (1989), AVB made a major shift toward contemporary pop
, rock
and R&B sounds, though still entirely produced a cappella
. On What's Your Tag Say?, the shift toward slick
hip-hop and R&B was even greater, with a strong lyrical focus on the youth market and extensive choreography
incorporated into their live performances. By the time Celebrate And Party became popular, the transformation to an near-perfect a cappella mimicry of the New Jack Swing
style had been achieved, with a sound similar to Take 6
, Boyz II Men
, and Tony! Toni! Toné!
. The song U & Me & God Make 5 followed in 1993, producing a hit on the CCM
charts. The AVB lineup of John K. Green, Brishan Hatcher, Wes McKinzie, Max Plaster and Steve Reischl also recorded AVB's Spanish project, Caminando en la Luz (1994), and "greatest hits" compilation, The Road (1995).
After a brief hiatus, AVB returned with a different lineup for Way of Life and yet another lineup and sound for Real. Although the group is now defunct, more than 20 former members reunited in Nashville for a concert in July 2009.
AVB also appeared on numerous other recording projects for the Acappella Company (Acappella Series, Acappella Praise and Worship, Acappella Scripture Songs, Keith Lancaster solo projects) and made three video projects, Song In My Soul (1989), Video Party (1993) and The Land of Five (1994).
Acappella (group)
Acappella is an all-male Contemporary Christian vocal group founded in 1982 by Keith Lancaster, who has variously played the role of singer, songwriter and producer throughout the group's history...
. AVB's popularity and ministry quickly grew, prompting Lancaster to launch AVB as a full-time touring group in 1988. AVB went through various lineup and stylistic changes before disbanding in 2000.
In addition to their early duties as Acappella's opening act and augmentation group, AVB performed and recorded as an independent ensemble. Many of their recordings, which included Give Me Light(1987) and Steppin' On A Cloud (1988), were later re-released on a CD titled The Early Years. In June 1988, with Acappella's expansion to a quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
, AVB branched off to tour on their own under the auspices of Acappella Ministries. Both groups underwent a shift in musical style during this period. Whereas previously, they had covered traditional hymns, praise songs and contemporary Christian pop music, both Acappella and AVB now recorded and performed primarily original music, much of which was composed by Lancaster. Acappella forged ahead with an adult contemporary sound while AVB targeted the youth market.
With Song In My Soul (1989), AVB made a major shift toward contemporary pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and R&B sounds, though still entirely produced a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
. On What's Your Tag Say?, the shift toward slick
Slick
Slick may refer to:* A puddle, especially of oil, as in an oil spill* Slick tire, used in motor racing* Slick , a large woodworking chisel...
hip-hop and R&B was even greater, with a strong lyrical focus on the youth market and extensive choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
incorporated into their live performances. By the time Celebrate And Party became popular, the transformation to an near-perfect a cappella mimicry of the New Jack Swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
style had been achieved, with a sound similar to Take 6
Take 6
Take 6 is an American a cappella gospel music sextet formed in 1980 on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama. The group sings in a contemporary style, integrating R&B and jazz influences into their devotional songs and has 10 Grammy wins, 10 Dove Awards, one Soul Train Award and two...
, Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
, and Tony! Toni! Toné!
Tony! Toni! Toné!
Tony! Toni! Toné! is an American Soul/R&B group from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. During the band's heyday, it was composed of D'wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq on lead vocals and bass, and their cousin Timothy...
. The song U & Me & God Make 5 followed in 1993, producing a hit on the CCM
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
charts. The AVB lineup of John K. Green, Brishan Hatcher, Wes McKinzie, Max Plaster and Steve Reischl also recorded AVB's Spanish project, Caminando en la Luz (1994), and "greatest hits" compilation, The Road (1995).
After a brief hiatus, AVB returned with a different lineup for Way of Life and yet another lineup and sound for Real. Although the group is now defunct, more than 20 former members reunited in Nashville for a concert in July 2009.
Previous Members
- Todd Austin – Nashville, TN.
- Chad Bahr – Graphic designer in Plato, MN. View his portfolio.
- Shannon Beasley – Teaches English at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, AR. Songwriter for Sunshine On My Shoulders Music. Official Website. - Sunshine On My Shoulders Music.
- Luke Brown – Singer/songwriter in Nashville, TN. Official Website.
- Tony Brown – Worship minister at Grace Harbor Church in Rogers, AR. Official Website.
- Dale Cal – Works for government in Nashville, TN.
- Dale Carpenter – Worship minister at Highland Park Christian Church in Tulsa, OK.
- Terry Cheatham – Counselor; Also serves as worship minister at Western Hills Church of Christ in Nashville, TN.
- Todd Dunaway - Nashville, TN. Also sang bass for Watershed Worship.
- Danny Elliott – Police officer in Tulsa, OK.
- Dave Fletcher – Works for Microsoft in Seattle, WA.
- George Gee – Florence, AL.
- John K. Green – Singer/songwriter/producer in Los Angeles, CA.
- Josh Harrison – Director of production for Premier Companies in Franklin, TN.
- Brishan Hatcher – Worship minister at Highland Church of Christ in Memphis, TN Official Website.
- Aaron Herman – Worship minister at Church of the King in Mandeville, LA.
- Chris Lindsey – Worship minister at Rochester Church of Christ in Rochester Hills, MI. Also sang with Watershed Worship.
- Wes McKinzie – Associate director of marketing services at Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City, OK. Now, Wes sings bass with Acappella.
- Andrew McNeal; Works as Operator Manager for a Company in Washington D.C. - Recorded a solo album entitled "The Lord is Blessing Me". Andrew passed away in Nov 2011.
- Max Plaster – St. Louis, MO.
- Brian Randolph – Nashville, TN.
- Steve Reischl; Senior Worship Minister at Harvester Christian Church.
- Kevin Schaffer – Worship minister at Central Church of Christ in Amarillo, TX.
- Jay Smith – Teacher, songwriter and salesman in Atlanta, GA http://www.mymonavie.com/josmith
- Tim Storms – Featured performer at Pierce Arrow Theater in Branson, MO.
- Jeremy Swindle – Student minister at Cross Point Church of Christ in Florence, AL.
- Bret Testerman – Worship minister at Metro Church in Winter Springs, FL.
Group Formations
| Todd Dunaway | Tony Brown | Chad Bahr | Chris Lindsey | Jeremy Swindle | Real (1999) |
| Josh Harrison | Luke Brown | Brishan Hatcher | Aaron Herman | Andrew McNeal | Way of Life (1996) |
| Tim Storms | Kevin Schaffer | Brishan Hatcher | Aaron Herman | ||
| Wes McKinzie | Max Plaster | Brishan Hatcher | John K. Green | Steve Reischl | U & Me & God Make 5 (1993), The Land Of Five video (1994), Caminando En La Luz (1994), The Road (1995) |
| Wes McKinzie | Max Plaster | Brishan Hatcher | John K. Green | Brian Randolph | Celebrate & Party (1992), AVB Video Party (1992) |
| Wes McKinzie | Max Plaster | Jay Smith | George Gee | A Savior Is Born re-release (1990) - with Acappella, What's Your Tag Say (1990) | |
| Wes McKinzie | Max Plaster | Jay Smith | Bret Testerman | A Savior Is Born (1989) - with Acappella | |
| Wes McKinzie | Danny Elliott | Jay Smith | Bret Testerman | Terry Cheatham | Song In My Soul (1989), Song In My Soul video (1989) |
| Todd Austin | Shannon Beasley | Jay Smith | Bret Testerman | Terry Cheatham | Steppin' On A Cloud (1988) |
| Dale Cal | Dale Carpenter | Jay Smith | Bret Testerman | Terry Cheatham | |
| Dale Cal | Dale Carpenter | Jay Smith | David Fletcher | Terry Cheatham | Give Me Light (1987) |
Discography
The labels are taken from the original releases; many of the albums have been re-released with new distributors.- Give Me Light (1987, Clifty Records)
- Steppin' On A Cloud (1988, Clifty Records)
- Song In My Soul (1989, Clifty Records)
- A Savior Is Born! (1989, Clifty Records, with Acappella)
- What's Your Tag Say? (1991, Word)
- Celebrate And Party (1992, Word)
- U And Me And God Make 5 (1993, Word)
- Caminando en la Luz (1994, Word)
- The Road (1995, The Acappella Company)
- Way Of Life (1996, The Acappella Company)
- Real (1999, The Acappella Company)
- The Early Years (2002, The Acappella Company)
AVB also appeared on numerous other recording projects for the Acappella Company (Acappella Series, Acappella Praise and Worship, Acappella Scripture Songs, Keith Lancaster solo projects) and made three video projects, Song In My Soul (1989), Video Party (1993) and The Land of Five (1994).