Introducing…The Moneyhuns. Yes, the soul-stirring gospel singing sensations from…What?!…The Moneywho? Six months ago, this would have been my reaction had someone asked me about The Moneyhuns. Today, a wiser and musically richer Gary Reid (me) is pleased and proud to count The Moneyhuns as being among his list of all-time favorite performers. Just ask my wife Susan about the multitude of playings this CD has received in our home!

The Moneyhuns is a gospel group from East Tennessee, near Kingsport. They are comprised of two brothers (Dan and Harvey) and two sisters (Sue and Glenna). Helping out on performances and recordings is The Moneyhuns’ good friend, bass player Igeary Pearcy. An excellent musician, Igeary’s strong and sure bass rhythms provide a firm foundation for The Moneyhuns to work around.

The music of The Moneyhuns is by choice deceptively simple. Although Dan is a huge fan of bluegrass music (just get him started talking on the subject sometime and you’ll find out!), the instrumental backing for the group is very sparse; acoustic bass, rhythm and lead guitar provide the only musical accompaniment. What makes The Moneyhuns’ music so compelling is the stunningly beautiful singing that resonates from their collective voices. While they are hesitant to label any one group as an influence, they cite the music of the Marshall Family, a talented family bluegrass-styled band that flourished in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as an inspiration. Others have likened the music of The Moneyhuns to that of the time-honored Chuck Wagon Gang. Whatever the source, one thing is for sure: these people know how to sing.

Well, if The Moneyhuns have such great voices, a flair for concocting inventive arrangements, and a knack for choosing exemplary material, how come we’ve never heard of them? According to the group, “Most of our work has been in a church type setting. [We] have had opportunities to do concert type things [but] we’re not really a concert type of group. We try to choose our songs specific for a reason, as a ministering type of song. There are a lot of groups that will record just to try to get on the charts, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But our thought is to try to be a help to people. Our bottom line is that if our music can get out and be heard by a lot of people, I believe it can help them. If you listen to our music and you’re maybe down and out, maybe it’ll perk you up and help you along. And then our songs that we sing…if a person doesn’t know the Lord, then we’re singing about One that can do great things.”