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 Can I Have I Will
Perrys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That satisfies the longing of my soul
But when I look upon our love, and all I've found in you
I know, I belong, your love, keeps me strong
I will run into your arms of love, where I'm safe and secure
Find me there, so close that I will remain
Always here by your side
So many memories, looking back, the glory lingers on
But when I look upon our love
And all I've found in you
I know, I belong, your love, keep's me strong
And what it is to see, the change your love has brought about in me
And what it is to know, the love we share will never let us go
I will run into your arms of love, where I'm safe and secure
Find me there, so close that I will remain
Always here by your side (I will Run)
In "I Can I Have I Will", Perry sings about searching for love and finding it in the person they're with. The first lines suggest that Perry has many options for love, but they have found a kind of love that satisfies their soul. The love the singer has found keeps them strong and they plan to always remain by their partner's side. They remark on the memories they have together and how their love has changed them, bringing them closer together.
The song is about the love one has found, which is safe and secure just like a home. The song is a declaration of someone's love and gratitude for their partner. They seem to be very grateful for the memories and experiences they've shared with the person they're singing to. The lines "I will run into your arms of love, where I'm safe and secure" could be interpreted to imply that the singer feels safe with their partner and has found a home in them.
Overall, this song is a touching tribute to the love between two people. The lyrics speak of longing, satisfaction, and gratitude, and the delivery is heartfelt and emotional.
Line by Line Meaning
So many places I could run, to find a kind of love
Despite the availability of so many places to look for love, I'm yet to find a particular kind for me.
That satisfies the longing of my soul
I long for a love that will nourish and fill the void in my soul.
But when I look upon our love, and all I've found in you
However, reflecting on our love and all that you represent, I realize that I've found the kind of love that I desire.
I know, I belong, your love, keeps me strong
I belong to you, and your love gives me the strength to live my life boldly.
I will run into your arms of love, where I'm safe and secure
I will seek refuge in the secure and loving embrace of you.
Find me there, so close that I will remain
In your loving arms, I promise to be so close to you that I will always remain there.
Always here by your side
Count on me to always be by your side.
So many memories, looking back, the glory lingers on
I cherish the memories of our past experiences and the triumphant results that remain with us today.
Through heady days and many ways I've come
We've gone through celebratory and challenging times together on this journey of love.
And what it is to see, the change your love has brought about in me
Observing the transformation triggered by your love makes me appreciate the influence of your love.
And what it is to know, the love we share will never let us go
Realizing the strength of the bond between us and our commitment ensures that we are for each other.
I will run into your arms of love, where I'm safe and secure
Again, I promise to seek refuge in the secure and loving embrace of you.
Find me there, so close that I will remain
Once there, I promise to remain so close to you that the bond between us keeps us inseparable.
Always here by your side (I will Run)
I reiterate that I will forever be by your side and never deviate from my promise even in the toughest situations.
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid
Written by: John Perry, Simon Goodall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jimlewis2868
I miss you Tracy....such a southern gospel music sound!
@kevinkercheval5099
How can I like this maybe 4 or 5 times?
@victormugishar.5812
This was probably my first time to see Matthew Holt playing the Piano! He was amazing in this song and who could have ever thought that he would now travel with the vocal band 24/7! Matthew Holt; an amazing guy!
@patriciawickholm3617
I really enjoy Matthew as well!!!
@KellyNealKeene
If this doesn't move you, nothing will. I've watched as many videos of them doing this song as I can find.
@raquelmyles4227
I can't .get.. enough of this song ,,,What great vocals,,,,That chorus wow Love it
@brandontiek
Such a great lineup. Still love the slick way Joseph taps Nick’s arm on the tag to switch last notes. 😉
@tonypartigianoni1888
Members of the Perrys in this video included: Tracy Stuffle, Libbie-Perry Stuffle, Jospeph Habedank and Nick Trammell ... this was from the glory years of the Perrys group. It's clear they had the support and admiriation of this Gaither audience.
@patriciawickholm3617
Joseph has certainly changed over the years!!! Great singer!!!
@NineWhileNine
RIP Tracy Stuffle ❤️