Formation and early years

The Palmetto State Quartet (or PSQ as they are sometimes referred to) has its roots firmly planted in Greenville, South Carolina

Greenville, South Carolina

-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...

. Sometime between 1946 and 1947 Jamie Dill, Woodrow Pittman, Clarence Owens, Malone Thomason, and Paul Burroughs, all Greenville

Greenville, South Carolina

-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...

 natives, joined together to form a Gospel Quartet. This part of the groups’ history is a bit cloudy as a majority of the original members of the quartet have now died. Not long after they started singing together these men were able to secure a thirty minute program which would air live on WFBC

WFBC

WFBC-FM is a Top 40 station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina and serves the Upstate and Western North Carolina regions, including Greenville, Spartanburg, and Asheville, North Carolina. The Entercom Communications outlet is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast at...

 Radio in Greenville. Legend has it that they held a contest, through their radio program, to name the group. Contestants would mail in their suggestions for the groups name. The votes would be tallied and the name which received the most recommendations would be chosen. Thus, the Palmetto State Quartet was born.

The group remained unchanged until 1952 when Jack Bagwell replaced Malone Thomason as baritone singer. So at that time Jamie Dill played piano and managed the group, Woodrow Pittman sang lead, Clarence Owens sang tenor, Paul Burroughs sang bass, and of course Jack Bagwell sang baritone. In 1954 Jack Earl Pittman replaced his first cousin Woodrow Pittman as the lead singer. Later that year Ellison Jenkins replaced Paul Burroughs as the quartet’s bass singer.

It is unknown at what point Jack Bagwell and Jack Pittman switched parts. With most quartets the lead singer and baritone are mostly interchangeable on a majority of the arrangements the group performs, and that seems to be the case here as well. According to Jack Bagwell, at first the two would only switch occasionally. Eventually the exception became the rule and Jack Pittman somewhere along the line officially became the groups baritone singer.

1960s and 1970s

A couple more personnel changes would take place between 1959 and 1960. Clarence Owens was replaced by Claude Hunter on the tenor part and Ken Turner took over the bass from Paul Burroughs. Many Gospel Music fans will recall that Ken went on in later years to sing with the Dixie Echoes and the Blackwood Brothers Quartet.

In 1964 Jerry Hovis became the quartet’s tenor singer, replacing Claude Hunter. Then in 1968 Jack Pittman began suffering from some sort of vocal problem and had the leave the road. Laverne Tripp replaced Jack Earl and sang lead for about a year.

At some point in 1968 the group decided to leave the road, but apparently the decision was not unanimous because the group continued to travel under the leadership of Jerry Hovis. It is unclear who else sang with the group during this period or how much singing they actually did, but in 1971 the group under the leadership of Jamie Dill returned to the road. Jack Bagwell, Jack Earl Pittman, and Jamie Dill were joined by past tenor singer Claude Hunter and new bass Cliff King when the group reunited in ’71. This group of men sang together for ten years.

1980s

In 1981 Joel Duncan started singing bass for the group, Cliff King had decided to leave the road. Eddie Broom came along in 1984 as bass guitarist and from time to time would be given the opportunity to sing. When Claude Hunter left the road in 1986 Eddie became the groups full time tenor singer.

A major change took place in 1987 with the death of Jamie Dill, he was 69 years old. Jamie was the founder, manager, and pianist for the group from its inception over 40 years earlier, and would not be easily replaced. With Jamie’s death there were several pairs of shoes that had to be filled. The group found a new pianist, David McAbee. The managerial duties were handed over to long time businessman Jack Earl Pittman. The group would go on despite their loss.

Two memorable individuals joined the group in 1989. First was Mr. Gospel Music himself, Hovie Lister. Hovie was the founder and manager of The Statesmen Quartet from Atlanta, Georgia. Hovie would play the piano for the group for the next three years. Later in 1989 came the addition of Woody Beatty. Woody would play the keyboard synthesizer in accompaniment to Hovie’s piano work.

1990s

Hovie left the group in 1992 and Woody moved over to accompany the group full time at the piano. 1993 brought the retirement of Eddie Broom from the group and thus the addition of Brion Carter as the tenor singer. Harold Gilley would become the groups bass singer in 1994 when Joel Duncan left. Joel and Eddie would go on to sing together again a little while later in the Travelers.

The retirement of Jack Bagwell, Jack Pittman, and Harold Gilley in 1997 brought a major restructuring to the group. Brion Carter decided to carry on with the name and tradition of the Palmetto State Quartet. To fill the lead, baritone, and bass singer positions that were left vacant would be a daunting task.

2000 to 2007

In 2001 pianist Andrew Ishee, formerly of the Kingsmen Quartet, joined the group.

With the development of vocal trouble Brion Carter would be forced to leave the road in late 2002. At the same time John Rulapaugh was undergoing a transition as well and was employed to fill in until the group could find a suitable tenor singer. John later accepted the position and officially became a member of Palmetto State Quartet in January 2003.

When Jeff Pearles left the group in mid 2003 it left another major void in the Palmetto State Quartet lineup. The group looked long and hard for a bass singer that would fit the mold and be able to aptly fill the shoes of the groups past bass singers. They found such a vocalist in Aaron McCune.

In 2004 Palmetto State's song, "Knock, Knock, Knock", was honored as a number one radio single by the "Singing News Magazine". 2004 brought yet another personnel change to Palmetto State Quartet. Tony Peace, baritone vocalist since 1997 and manager since 2002, resigned his position with the group on November 1, 2004. To fill the baritone position the group enlisted the very capable Rick Fair. Rick had formerly sang with groups such as Hovie Lister and The Statesmen Quartet, The Rebels, & The Senators.

2006 was a year of more change for the group, as three personnel changes occurred all in the same year. First, Aaron McCune left the group to join Gold City

Gold City

Gold City is an American Christian music group that is based in Gadsden, Alabama.-Early years:The Mississippi-based Christianairs were renamed Gold City in Dahlonega, Georgia at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve to begin the year 1980 with bass Dallas Gilliland, tenor Bob Oliver, lead singer...

. McCune was replaced by Burman Porter, formerly of Dove Brothers Quartet and Blackwood Gospel Quartet. Three months later, John Rulapaugh announced his departure for Ron & RW Blackwood and the Blackwood Singers in Pigeon Forge. Rulapaugh was replaced by Wesley Smith, who officially joined the group in September 2006. Following the addition of Smith, Andrew Ishee also turned in his notice, effective at the end of the year. Bryan Elliott, formerly of the Anchormen, replaced Ishee, performing his first concert on December 31, 2006.

Present

In September 2009, upon the retirement of the group's senior member Kerry Beatty, Larry Strickland purchased the group. Strickland is married to singer Naomi Judd

Naomi Judd

Naomi Judd is an American country music singer, songwriter, and activist.-Personal life:She was born Diana Ellen Judd to Charles Glen Judd and his wife Pauline Judd on January 11, 1946, in Ashland, Kentucky. Her father owned a gas station; her mother started out as a homemaker but later became a...

. After years of managing Judd's career, in 2008 he returned to gospel music as the bass singer for PSQ. Strickland has been singing bass professionally since the 1970s when he became a member of J.D. Sumner & the Stamps Quartet. With the Stamps, Strickland performed as a background vocalist with Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

 until Presley's death in 1977. Strickland is originally from Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

, but has made his home in Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

, since 1974.

Paul Lancaster sings lead vocals for PSQ. Lancaster has been associated with the gospel music industry for many years. He has previously been a member of various Christian groups such as The Martins, The Mullins Family, The Greenes and others. He continues to be heard today on recordings alongside others artists as a background singer. Lancaster is originally from Gadsden, Alabama

Gadsden, Alabama

The city of Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama, and it is located about 65 miles northeast of Birmingham, Alabama. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 103,459. Gadsden is closely associated with the...

, and now resides in Blanchester, Ohio.

Robert Fulton sings tenor for PSQ. He studied music at the University of Rio Grande

University of Rio Grande

The University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College are twin colleges in Rio Grande, Ohio, United States....

 where he sang in the Grande Chorale, Masterworks Chorale, and performed with the Symphonic Band and Jazz Band. Fulton is from Gallipolis, Ohio

Gallipolis, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,180 people, 1,847 households, and 1,004 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,156.2 people per square mile . There were 2,056 housing units at an average density of 568.7 per square mile...

.

David Darst sings baritone, composes songs and lectures. Before joining PSQ, David spent 16 years in the pulpit as a pastor. He now serves as the group's pastor and on-stage spokesman, giving PSQ the breadth of both Christian entertainment and ministry. Darst is from Tyler, Texas

Tyler, Texas

Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...

.

Mark Willett joined Palmetto State in 2010 as the pianist. Mark is a veteran of the gospel music industry, having played for many years with the Mullins Family. He is from Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Mark Carman is the groups business manager. He also serves as producer/arranger and plays piano at live events.

Personnel History

TENOR

Leon Sutherland (1948–1949)

Clarence Owens (1949–1960)

Claude Hunter (1960–1963)

Jerry Hovis (1963–1969)

Claude Hunter (1970–1985)

Eddie Broome (1985–1993)

Brion Carter (1993–2002)

John Rulapaugh (2002–2006)

Wesley Smith (2006–2008)

Jeremy Calloway (2008–2009)

Robert Fulton (2009–Present)



LEAD

Woodrow Pittman (1948–1954)

Jack Pittman (1954-1960?) (at some point Pittman & Bagwell switched parts)

Jack Bagwell (1960–1968, 1970–1997)

Kerry Beatty (1997–2009)

Paul Lancaster (2009–Present)



BARITONE

Malone Thomason (1948–1952)

Jack Bagwell (1952-1960?) (at some point Pittman & Bagwell switched parts)

Jack Pittman (1960–1967)

Laverne Tripp (1967–68)

Jack Pittman (1970–1997)

Tony Peace (1997–2004)

Rick Fair (2004–2008)

Brian Beatty (2008–2009)

David Darst (2009–Present)



BASS

Paul Burroughs (1948–1955)

Ellison Jenkins (1955–1961)

Ken Turner (1961–1968)

Chuck Bright (1968–1969)

Cliff King (1970–1976)

Jerry Trotter (1976–1979)

Joel Duncan (1979–1994)

Harold Gilley (1994–1997)

Jeff Pearles (1997–2003)

Jason Brooks (2003)

Aaron McCune (2003–2006)

Burman Porter (2006–2008)

Larry Strickland (2008–Present)



PIANO

Milton Bishop (1948–1949)

Jamie Dill (1949–1968)

Charles Abee (1968–1969)

Jamie Dill (1970–1987)

David McAbee (1987–1989)

Hovie Lister (1989–1991)

Woody Beatty (1991–1999)

Jerry Kelso (1999–2001)

Andrew Ishee (2001–2006)

Bryan Elliott (2006–2008)

KC Martin (2008–2009)

Mark Carman (2009–2010)

Mark Willett (2010–Present)



VARIOUS

Charles Waller (1983–1997, Manager/Promoter)

Eddie Broome (1984–1985, Bass Guitar/Vocals)

Louie Sprouse (1986, Bass Guitar)

J.J. Jennings (1987, Bass Guitar)

Woody Beatty (1990–1991, Keyboards)

Mark Carman (2009–Present, Manager)

External links

• Official website