Jennings Harold Lane
American Southern Gospel music musician
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Jennings Harold Lane, professionalized as Harold Lane, was an American southern gospel singer, songwriter, and arranger who is best known for his 22-year tenure as the tenor vocalist for the gospel group the Speer Family. He was inducted into the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame in 2009.
Jennings Harold Lane | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Harold Lane |
| Born | February 1, 1929 |
| Died | June 11, 2011 (aged 82) |
| Genre | Southern Gospel |
| Formerly of | The Gospel Harmony Boys Speer Family |
Early life
Lane was born in Huntington, West Virginia, to Curtis William and Cassie Simpkins Lane. He graduated from Marshall University in 1954 with a master's degree in music.[1]
Career
Lane began his career with the The Gospel Harmony Boys, a group he co-founded, singing lead from 1953 to 1955 and again from 1956 to 1967,[2] with an interval performing with the Homeland Harmony Quartet.[3]
Following the 1966 death of Speer Family patriarch G. T. "Dad" Speer, Brock Speer, recruited Lane,[4] to join as tenor singer and arranger.[5] Lane joined the Speer Family in 1967 and remained with the group for about 22 years, a tenure that coincided with the group's commercial peak.[6]
As a songwriter, Lane wrote numerous Southern gospel songs, including "Thank You, Lord" (popularized by the Couriers),[1] "Touring That City" (a number-one hit for the Inspirations in 1973), and "I'm Standing on the Solid Rock," a major hit for both the Speers and the Florida Boys.[7][8] He also arranged music for other prominent gospel acts, including the Florida Boys, The Rambos, Jake Hess, The LeFevres, and Bill Gaither.[9]
Beyond performing and songwriting, Lane taught at several music schools, including the Stamps-Baxter School of Music and the Ben Speer School of Music,[9] wrote instructional columns on music theory for Singing News, edited church hymnals, and published a six-volume series titled 500 Hymns for Instruments.[10]
He was inducted into the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame in 2009.[3]
Death
Lane died on June 6, 2011, in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 82.[11]