Southern SONlight to be featured at Henryetta event

The Hoppers will be the special guests this year at the Jack Clifford Memorial Labor Day Gospel Singing 2023.

The event will be held Saturday, Sept 2, at 6 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 420 W. Trudgeon Street in Henryetta. The event is free to attend.

Sponsored by The Gospel Station Network 91.5 FM, the concert will also feature Southern SONlight.

The Labor Day Gospel Singing, started in 1969 by the late Jack Clifford, has become a Labor Day Tradition.

Multi-award winning family group The Hoppers have been singing to global audiences for over 60 years with appearances ranging from presidential religious inaugural ceremonies and New York’s Carnegie Hall to singing conventions and church platforms. They have performed throughout the United States as well as in Israel, Europe and Africa.

Their unique blend of harmonies and song choices have created a legacy of musical excellence embraced by leading pastors and event organizers.

The Hoppers are comprised today of family members Claude & Connie, son Dean and his wife, Kim, son Mike, and Dean & Kim’s daughter, Karlye. The Hoppers were formed in 1957 in the rural-farm town of Madison, NC, and have grown continuously for decades, touching countless lives around the world.

A cancer survivor, Connie has been honored with the prestigious Marvin Norcross Award, in addition to numerous industry and fan honors; and she has been inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Sons Dean and Mike have continued the family legacy with their musical talents and business abilities; and Kim, Dean’s wife, hails from her own nationally acclaimed musical family, The Greenes. She is noted for the excitement she brings to any live performance, and her unmistakable, rafter-ringing soprano vocals have taken The Hoppers to new heights for many years.

The Gospel Station’s own Southern SONlight is a southern gospel group with many original songs, plus the favorites you all know and love. They have sung all across Oklahoma and surrounding states for many years at churches of all denominations, and at numerous community events.

The group’s members are Randall Christy, David and Sharla Frederick, all from The Gospel Station and Union Valley Baptist Church in Ada. Randall Christy sings lead and harmony vocals for the group. He has also written several songs that the group has recorded, such as “When I Got Saved” and “He’ll Lead You Back Home”. He is President of The Gospel Station Network and Pastor of the Union Valley Baptist Church.Sharla Frederick sings lead and harmony vocals. Sharla works full time for The Gospel Station as the CFO and is the music minister at the Union Valley Baptist Church.

David Frederick sings lead and harmony and is The Gospel Station’s regional service coordinator. He also serves as a deacon at the Union Valley Baptist Church.