The Booth Brothers, an award-winning Southern Gospel group made up of members Ronnie Booth Jr., Michael Booth, and Paul Lancaster, will perform at the Gospel Barn outside of Hillsdale at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday.
Scott Wiley, who owns and operates the Gospel Barn with family and volunteers, said he first heard of the Booth Brothers at a gospel music convention in 1995. He decided to book them the next year and has continued to do so every year since.
The Booth Brothers concert has grown into the most successful annual event the Gospel Barn holds, as over a thousand people come to watch the trio perform.
“This concert quite often for the last number of years has totally sold out,” Wiley said. “This the biggest concert of our season as far as attendance goes. The Booth Brothers have been around a long time, and they’ve really developed and maintained a large following, so they’re quite popular and really, really great guys.”
Although the Booth Brothers are entertainers, their primary goal is sending a message about God’s love and grace to the audience. This focus and the trio’s talent have brought the group success as they have won artist of the year from the Singing News Fan Awards for the past nine years, according to Peggy Palser, the Booth Brothers’ assistant.
“Their No. 1 goal is always to present the gospel, and they want people to walk away feeling closer to Christ than when they walked in,” Palser said. “They want the audience to know that God’s grace and love extends to them regardless of what they have had in their background or their life.”
Connie Erholtz and Betty Kneen have attended performances at the Gospel Barn for the past four years and have seen the Booth Brothers multiple times.
“They’re our favorite group,” Erholtz said.
“They’re very entertaining and they have a great sense of humor,” Kneen agreed.
Palser said the band looks forward to playing at the Gospel Barn every year because of the barn’s distinct atmosphere.
“They typically sing in churches or performing art centers,” Palser said. “The Gospel Barn is such a unique setting and environment. I think they love just the unusual places that aren’t the typical venues that they sing in.”
Wiley said the Gospel Barn is a special venue for many of the bands that play there.
“Groups really enjoy this venue and this crowd, he said. “It’s just a fun place to sing and it’s a really neat atmosphere and a lot of history here, and the groups like that.”
Artists usually travel long distances to perform at Wiley’s venue. Wiley said one way he counts a show as a success is if the incoming band has as good a time playing as the audience has listening.
“A lot of the bands travel from anywhere in the country, so when they go through the effort to be here and cover as many miles as they do, we want it to be a successful evening for them,” Wiley said. “You now, just like any concert, you want everybody to enjoy it.”
The Gospel Barn has been devoted to the mission of supporting gospel artists since Wiley’s grandfather built it in 1974.
“The message that the group would have through their music and what they’re trying to convey through gospel music, that’s important,” he said. “That’s part of the ministry that we have here.”
Wiley enjoys seeing new faces in the Gospel Barn each week as people come to see either the house band or another artist perform.
“After 43 years, you’d think everybody has already been here by now but every week, there’s new people,” Wiley said. “It’s amazing.”
