America’s Favorite Hymns (Ol’ Blue Records OBR-20051) came out in 2005 under the name America’s Bluegrass Band as a one-off project, with Melvin Goins, Don Rigsby and Ernie Thacker sharing the lead vocals on fifteen gospel songs. By one discographer’s count Thacker leads six, Rigsby five and Goins four; Goins sings “Precious Memories,” “Little White Church,” “He Showed Me the Way” and “Cabin on the Hill,” Rigsby takes “Me and Jesus” and “Beulah Land,” and Thacker “Shoutin’ on the Hills of Glory” and “Rank Stranger.”
The band is Ernie Thacker on guitar, Don Rigsby on mandolin and fiddle, Billy Rose on banjo and guitar, Randy Kohrs on resonator and Weissenborn guitars, John McNeeley on guitar, Mike Feagan on fiddle and Matthew Thacker on acoustic bass. The songs include A.P. Carter’s “Working on a Building,” Albert E. Brumley’s “Rank Stranger,” Tom T. Hall’s “Me and Jesus,” Squire Parsons’s “Beulah Land” and Carter Stanley’s “A Vision of Mother.”
According to the liner notes, Rigsby’s and Thacker’s biggest reason for recording the project was the chance to record with Goins, whose school shows with the Goins Brothers had made a big impression on them.
Tracklist
- 1 Shoutin' On The Hills 1:57
- 2 Me And Jesus 4:21
- 3 Precious Memories alt version 2:49
- 4 Rank Stranger alt version 3:08
- 5 Little White Church alt version 2:46
- 6 I'm Workin' On A Building 4:12
- 7 Zion's Hill 4:21
- 8 He Showed Me The Way 2:35
- 9 Vision Of Mother 4:04
- 10 Mother I'm Sorry 2:31
- 11 Cabin in the Hills alt version 2:29
- 12 Sinner In Sin Too Long 2:19
- 13 Who Will Sing for Me alt version 2:08
- 14 Cryin’ Holy alt version 2:18
- 15 Sweet Beulah Land alt version 3:40
