The group formed on December 25, 1970 with Randy Perry and his sisters Debbie and Libbi in Georgia. In the mid-80's, the group signed with former pianist for the Happy Goodman Family, Eddie Crook on his, then new, Morning Star Records label. Also during this time Libbi met and married Tracy Stuffle who would become the group's bass singer.
Eventually Debbie left the group to rear her family and the Perrys were joined by soprano singer Denise Helton. During this time the Perrys experienced enormous growth in their popularity with such songs as "I Remember The Day", "I'll Go On", "The Mountain", "He Knows How", "Get Involved", "This Is Just What Heaven Means To Me" (a remake of a classic Happy Goodman Family song) and "The Rock of Ages".
In the mid-90's, shortly after the release of the very popular "Grace" album, Randy Perry left the road to concentrate more on evangelistic work and Denise Helton would also leave the group to pursue other ventures. Nicole Watts and Barry Scott would come in to fill these spots. Barry Scott soon left the group and was replaced by Mike Bowling, a former member of the New Hinsons. In 1997, the group made a record label transition from their home of a dozen years, MorningStar Records, to Daywind records owned by Dottie Leonard Miller. They also signed an exclusive booking agreement with Harper and Associates. Their debut album on Daywind, "Crossings", included their first two #1 songs on the Singing News charts, "Not Even a Stone" and "By Faith I Can Touch Him Now."
Mike would also leave to join with the The Crabb Family and also pursue his own solo career; and Nicole Watts married and departed the group shortly after Mike's departure. David Hill joined the Perrys and held the lead position for approximately nine months. His only album with the group was, "Absolutely, Positively, Live!", which featured the #1 hit, "Praise God, It's Settled, I'm Saved." Loren Harris, formerly of the Wilburns, took the lead position shortly afterward. After Nicole's departure, this time marked a turning point for the Perrys.
Having always been a quartet consisting of two females and two males, the group was faced with a decision that many had been anticipating for some time. The group decided to not fill the position of Nicole Watts with another soprano but to turn that position over to a male- hence the hiring of baritone Curt Davis.The group has since became a 3 male, one female group and has gained very high status in the southern gospel community. After the departure of group pianist Dennis Horton in 2000, Adam Harman joined the group. Adam departed the group in 2002 to join the Dollywood based quartet, the Kingdom Heirs. It was during this time that the Perrys had their fourth #1 song, "I Rest My Case at the Cross" written by the great master songwriter Kyla Rowland. Justin Ellis, formerly of the Accords, took the pianist position and remained with the group until July of 2004. In August of 2003, Curt Davis resigned his baritone position with the Perrys. After the fill-in from the Perrys' producer Wayne Haun including National Quartet Convention 2003, the Perrys hired Joseph Habedank for the baritone position. Soon after Joseph Habedank joined the group, patriarch of the Perrys, George Perry, passed away in November of 2003. Though this was a time of testing for Libbi and all of the Perrys, they managed to keep on singing for God's kingdom. After the departure of Justin Ellis to perform with the Crabb Family, the Perrys hired Matthew Holt as the group's pianist in September of 2004 at the National Quartet Convention. It was around this time that the Perrys had their fifth and latest #1 song, "I Wish I Could Have Been There." Mr. Holt was hired as pianist approximately one day before the Perrys were awarded their first Singing News Fan Award for Favorite Mixed Quartet of the Year.
Fans and the Southern Gospel Music industry showed the Perrys support for their hard work by honoring them Singing News Fan Awards for the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Mixed Quartet Of The Year. The Perrys also received the Harmony Honors Awards for Favorite Album of the Year, This Is the Day, and for Favorite Song of the Year, I Wish I Could Have Been There written by Wayne Haun and Joel Lindsey. Libbi Perry Stuffle was awarded Singing News Fan Awards for the 2005 Female Vocalist and Alto Singer Of The Year and the 2006 Alto Singer of the Year. The Perrys were also awarded the Singing News Fan Award for Album of the Year in 2006 for their album Remembering the Happy Goodmans.
In August of 2006, the Perrys announced that longtime lead vocalist, Loren Harris, had resigned his position with the group in order to spend more time at home with his family. The decision was made by the Perrys to move Joseph Habedank to the vacant lead position and bring in Nick Trammell (son of legendary baritone Mark Trammell) to fill the baritone position. The first recording, entitled "Look No Further", under the new line-up was released in September 2007 at the National Quartet Convention. In addition to the release of the album, Nick Trammell received the Horizon Individual award by the Singing News Fans for 2007. Several months later in July 2008, Matthew Holt announced his departure from the group to pursue other interests. Bryan Elliott, formerly of the Anchormen and the Palmetto State Quartet, joined the Perrys as pianist in August 2008. His first concert with the group was August 8, 2008.
It was announced February 24 that Nick Trammell was departing as baritone singer. Former sound manager Troy Peach has been hired as Trammell's replacement.
I
Perrys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's just one of those stories that everybody knows
Oh I know the facts but I'd love to feel
What the blind man felt when his eyes were healed
He went running through the streets to share
I wish I could have been there
When the thousands were fed with just two fish and some bread and see the little boy a packin' up the rest
To see the lame that could leap and hear the dumb that could speak and see the multitudes of people Jesus blessed
I wish I could have seen the stone that went a rollin' away when they looked inside the door to where the grave clothes lay
I didn't see but I believe that he ascended in the air
And I really wish I could have been there
When He commanded Lazarus to walk right out of His grave
And in a Galilean storm He started calming the waves
I wanna feel that breeze blowing on my face
I wanna know the smell I wanna taste the taste
Just reading 'bout it couldn't compare
In Perry's song "I", the lyrics talk about the stories of Jesus that are well-known to everyone, such as the woman who was healed by touching the hem of Jesus' clothes or the feeding of the thousands with just two fish and some bread. The singer expresses a desire to have personally experienced these events and feel what those involved felt. The admiration for Jesus' ability to heal the sick and perform miracles is evident, and the singer longs to have witnessed these events firsthand, rather than just reading about them.
The lyrics interpret a feeling that is common among many religious followers. There is a sense of awe and wonder towards the larger-than-life events that are described in religious texts. Additionally, there is an acknowledgment of the limits of human understanding and language towards the magnitude of these events. The lyrics act as a reminder of religious believers' hope and wish to have been present during the significant events, to have been touched by the divine healing power.
Line by Line Meaning
Well a woman was healed when she touched the hem of his clothes
The amazing tale of a woman being cured by touching Jesus' clothing is universally known and revered
That's just one of those stories that everybody knows
Everyone is familiar with this classic biblical tale
Oh I know the facts but I'd love to feel
While I am aware of the details of these biblical events, I yearn to experience them myself
What the blind man felt when his eyes were healed
I long to sense the same transformative power that enabled a blind man to see
He went running through the streets to share
Overcome with joy and amazement, the healed man couldn't help but share his miraculous experience with others
I wish I could have been there
I deeply regret not having been present to witness these incredible feats of healing and wonder
When the thousands were fed with just two fish and some bread and see the little boy a packin' up the rest
I yearn to witness the satisfying abundance generated by Jesus feeding thousands with mere scraps, including one generous little boy's contribution
To see the lame that could leap and hear the dumb that could speak and see the multitudes of people Jesus blessed
I long to see the wonderful healing powers of Jesus and the many lives he transformed with his miracles
I wish I could have seen the stone that went a rollin' away when they looked inside the door to where the grave clothes lay
I regret not having witnessed the incredible moment when Jesus emerged from the tomb and shed his grave clothes
I didn't see but I believe that he ascended in the air
While I wasn't present at the Ascension, I have faith that Jesus rose up into the heavens
And I really wish I could have been there
Despite not having been present for these incredible events, I continue to dream of experiencing them firsthand
When He commanded Lazarus to walk right out of His grave
I long to witness the incredible moment when Jesus brought a man back to life, commanding him to rise from the dead
And in a Galilean storm He started calming the waves
I yearn to experience the profound sense of peace and calm that Jesus was able to conjure up in the midst of a wild storm
I wanna feel that breeze blowing on my face
I wish I could sense the tangible effects of Jesus' calming powers first-hand, including the gentle breeze that swept over the storm-tossed waters
I wanna know the smell I wanna taste the taste
I want to fully immerse myself in the sensory experience of these miraculous events, tasting the bread and fish, smelling the air, and savouring the moment
Just reading 'bout it couldn't compare
Merely reading about these incredible experiences pales in comparison to actually experiencing them for oneself
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Written by: JOEL LINDSEY, WAYNE HAUN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TheShospitali
Never Mind my speaker wasn't on LOL!
TheShospitali
Some VIDEO with No Sound how ridiculous!
William Taylor
Who's on the piano?
Michael Willis
James Fairchild Is on piano