Now, to shine a light on their past and present as they kick off their 70th Anniversary year, the quartet turns to new songs that carry the same messages of hope and faith they long have.
Written by acclaimed songwriters Lee Black and Kenna Turner West, “When Sunday Morning Dawned” begins on a somber note before building to a joyous end as the story of Christ’s resurrection is told.
“Very rarely do I choose a song for myself these days, but from the moment I heard this one, I knew I wanted it!” says baritone Alan Kendall. “I called Kenna to request the song, and then she herself told me that she hoped I would be the one to sing it, so that got me even more excited about recording it. This song is a shouter from first verse to final chorus. Our lead singer Cole Watson takes over at the bridge, and the rich power harmony with Cole, tenor Harold Reed, and bass Brady Jones just lifts it into the stratosphere.”
Indeed, that bridge encapsulates the song’s journey from hints of desperation to all-encompassing joy:
And the hopelessness of Friday was forever undone
The desperate pain of Saturday was overcome,
When the empty grave shouted, He’s alive
A rolled-away stone said death has been denied
And all of creation joined in the song…
When Sunday morning dawned
“With Easter now in the coming months,” Kendall continues, “we always need great songs reminding us that we as Christ followers don’t serve a martyr who died, but a Savior who died, overcame death, and lives today!”