SPOTLIGHT: GROUP HISTORY: THE MCCRAY DOVE BAND

SOUTHERN GOSPEL SPOTLIGHT PRESENTS

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE MCCRAY DOVE BAND

The McCray Dove Band (formerly the Dove Brothers Band, The Dove Brothers Quartet) was formed in 1998 by brothers McCray and Eric Dove. McCray had traveled with the Dixie Melody Boys from 1987-1997 singing lead. The original group included tenor John Rulapaugh, bass Burman Porter, and Richard Simmons on piano. The quartet was known for their traditional appearance and style and for covering the old classics of the Blackwood/ Statesmen era of quartet music. In the early years, they revived the old Statesmen classic Get Away Jordan and were met with great success. They made an indelible mark on the industry and continued to draw on the old songs and style. This "revival" was a crowd pleaser which earned them the Singing News Fan Award for Horizon Artist in 1999. The Dove Brothers then recorded the Speer family classic Didn't It Rain which also became a huge hit with audiences across the nation. They almost always ended their concerts with these two standards. In 2002, the group won the Singing News Fan Award for favorite Traditional Male Quartet which was indicative of their growing success. Also in 2002, the quartet experienced its first personnel change as John Rulapaugh and Richard Simmons both left the group. Rulapuagh has since gone on to found the Freedom Quartet. They were replaced with Kingsmen Quartet tenor Jerry Martin, and pianist Andrew Smith. In 2004, bass singer Burman Porter left the group and was replaced by Anchormen bass David Hester. Hester brought an incredibly low and rich bass voice to the group and the sound began to change. In 2005, the group moved away from the old and stepped into the new. Their sound became more modern and they started to record new songs as opposed to the classics. In late 2005, former Stamps pianist Jerry Kelso joined the group to fill the position as Smith had left. Kelso remained with the group until 2009. Eric Dove left the group for a few months in late 2005 and Lance Jeffrey filled his position until his return in 2006. This lineup was hugely successful and recorded several hits including their first number 1 hit I Can Pray in 2007 which featured Jerry Martin. Martin left the group in 2010 and was replaced by young tenor Jonathan Price, formerly of the Dixie Melody Boys. Price's powerful tenor voice was a part of the lineup until he too left the group in 2011. Keith Casstevens joined the group in 2012 in the tenor position, but ultimately left at the end of the year. He then was replaced by Price as he rejoined the group. Price remained with the band until 2013. In 2010, the group added a live band which was comprised of Eric's son Devin Dove on drums, Adam Harman on piano, and Marc Peele on bass guitar. In 2011, bass singer David Hester left the group and was replaced by Burman Porter who rejoined the group. Porter remained with the group until 2013. He now sings bass for Freedom Quartet. Bass guitarist David Cable filled the bass singer position from 2013-2014. In 2012, the group rebranded itself as the Dove Brothers Band, but in 2013 when Eric Dove came off the road, the name changed once more. Now as of late 2014, the group is known the McCray Dove Band and is comprised of McCray Dove (Lead, Pianist), Devin Dove (Tenor, Drums), and Mike Salley (Baritone, Steel Guitar). Though the group has gone through several changes in recent years, they shown no sign of slowing down and continue to spread God's word through song!!

For more info on this trailblazing group, check out their website: http://mccraydoveband.com/