Artist:Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC's
Song:You Didn't Have To
Album:Good Time
The 2000 single You Didn't Have To was such a big hit on the Gospel chart that it kept Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC's going for years. They are a traditional gospel group but for the 2000 album Good Time, they added contemporary elements that really hit the spot with gospel music fans and won some awards too. Lee Williams was not only the lead singer of the Spiritual QC's but he wrote most of the songs including You Didn't Have To. Williams was born July 28, 1946 in Tupelo, MS. He began singing gospel as a child encouraged by his uncle Mitchell Thornton who was in the gospel group Gospel Stars. Soon Williams was performing with his three brothers as Gospel Stars Junior. Thornton left Gospel Stars to form Spiritual QC's (QC stood for Qualified Christians). They had modest success but Williams took over leadership of the Spiritual QC's in 1971 and changed the name to Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC's. The turning point was when they signed with MCG Records in 1990. This label was owned by Curb Records owner Mike Curb. Most music fans should be familiar with Curb. But you may not know that he's a big gospel music fan. It looks like Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC''s was MCG's only success with the 2000 album Good Time. This was recorded and filmed live at the Temple of Deliverance COGIC in Memphis Apr. 8, 2000. This is traditional gospel with contemporary elements like the album cover. Do they look like choir boys? Plus they added a horn section which you don't normally see with a gospel group. Williams wrote most of the songs. The album was produced by George Dean of The Memphis Four and James Bullard of MCG. You Didn't Have To was a big enough hit that it appeared on WOW Gospel 2002. Plus they won several Stellar Awards. This success kept them going for many years even after Curb sold MCG to Malaco in 2006. They reissued Good Time in 2016. Williams retired in 2018 and he died on Aug. 30, 2021 at age 75. His son now leads the Spiritual QC's. Here's Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC's performing You Didn't Have To at the Stellar Awards.
No comments:
Post a Comment