Hi everyone!
I have a lot to tell you about so I’ll just get right to it….
The new Talley Trio project, “Songs You Know By Heart,” is HERE!! It’s a collection of some of our favorite songs down through the years. Many of the songs are favorites that we’ve always wanted to record, such as “Amazing Grace,” “He’s Alive,” and “He’s So Good To Me.” Others have been recorded on older projects and you’ve asked us to bring them back, like “The Promise,” “If It Had Not Been,” and “Oh What A Reason.” We’ve already had fun trying them out on a few audiences and even though we probably didn’t get every word just perfect, 
people seem to be loving them already. You can get your copy at www.talleytrio.com now!
A new songbook, “The Best of The Talley Trio,” is also now available! 21 of our most popular songs are in SAT format, all according to our original arrangements. This would be a GREAT tool for your church and choir. Many churches bring us in to do a concert with the choir singing backup on several songs and we’d love to do that with your choir! You can find the songbook on www.talleytrio.com and you can also find information there on how to schedule such an event at your church.
I’m not sure why, but some people have this idea that traveling around the country on a bus is always fun and even glamorous. I’m here to dispel that myth! Buses are great when they work like they’re supposed to, but an engine that won’t start is the subject of many a bus owner’s nightmare. Last week we were scheduled to leave for North Carolina at 7:30 PM on Thursday evening. We all met at the bus, loaded our stuff, and Dad turned the key in the ignition….to no avail. After several failed attempts, we called our local bus mechanic, Bill Moore, who promptly left his dinner on the table and came over to the lot where we park the bus during the week. He and another mechanic spent three hours searching and tinkering, while we joined hands on the bus and asked God to fix whatever was wrong. I am completely serious when I tell you that when we said “Amen,” the mechanic called out, “Try it now, Roger!”
And the stubborn thing cranked right up.
Who knows what we might have been spared from? God’s in control of inconveniences and worries and even financial strains, and He places good people in your path who are kind enough to help you even when it’s not convenient for them. Maybe there was danger ahead; maybe we just needed a lesson in waiting on the Lord.
Two of our biggest events of the year are just around the corner! Next weekend we will cohost the Gatlinburg Gathering in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. The Gatlinburg Convention Center will be home to 5-6 top gospel groups each night of Labor Day Weekend, along with some of the greatest speakers in America. You’ll enjoy music by The Talley Trio, The Hoppers, The Whisnants, The Pfeifers, Ivan Parker, The Booth Brothers, Triumphant Quartet, The Perrys, and many more! You can still get tickets by logging onto www.abrahamproductions.net or by calling 1-888-238-6858.
And with no rest for the weary, two weeks later we dive right into the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. We will perform on the Freedom Hall stage Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday nights and we invite all of you to join us! Mom and I are nominated for Singing News Fan Awards and the Trio will also present the Horizon Group Award Saturday evening at the award show. Come by the booth and say hi!
We’re going on a CRUISE!! March 6-11, 2010, we’re sailing on the brand-new Carnival Fascination to the Bahamas along with the Hoppers, the Greenes, Ivan Parker, the Whisnants and the Pfeifers. We’re going to enjoy gospel concerts, Bible studies and a women’s conference on the ship as well as the ship’s onboard activities and beautiful ports of call. And we want YOU and your family to go with us! It’s gonna be a good time, and here’s the best part: the trip is only $699 per person. Seriously. No joke. This is the most affordable gospel cruise we have ever seen and we’re so excited to be able to offer it to you. All you have to do is log onto www.talleytrio.com and click on the cruise “widget” on the home page. It’ll take you straight to the registration form. Spaces are limited and are filling up fast so book reservations now! When these spaces are filled, the next block of cabins available will be sold at a higher price, so in order to get the lowest rate you will need to reserve your space as soon as possible.
Speaking of cruises, I just returned from a cruise to Alaska with my friends the Beene Family, the Down East Boys and the Liberty Quartet. We had so much fun….we sang on the ship every day and toured 4 ports of call. But the real highlight of the trip was when a bunch of us gospel singers invaded karaoke night. It tickles me to say it was the biggest crowd for karaoke the ship’s crew had ever seen!! The whole thing was hilarious….you haven’t lived until you’ve experienced Landon Beene’s rendition of “That’s Amore.”
I am so excited to tell you that I’m right in the middle of the biggest project of my career and it’s coming along beautifully! My first book, “Songs In The Night” is finished and I am in the process of publishing now. I am also producing a new solo recording of the same title to go with the book. The recording is in post-production now and I expect it all to be released later this fall. This project is the most personal for me of anything I’ve ever done and I truly hope that you see my heart and soul in each word. God is using this in a great way in my own life and I hope it renews your relationship with the Lord the way that it has mine.
Please continue to pray for us; we couldn’t do this without your support. God bless you all.
Lauren Talley
The Talley Trio