Okay, I will freely admit that this month’s entry, Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters is hardly an “Under Appreciated Rock Band"; but at least they are actually a Christian group as opposed to last month’s UARB, Mötochrist, which was picked only because they had “Christ” in their name. Wendy Bagwell is a (male) gospel singer who is best known for his folksy tales, most famously their 1970 release called “Here Come the Rattlesnakes” that recounts the time that the group played in a church in eastern Kentucky that practiced snake-handling. It was the first million-selling single in gospel music history.
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And then there is “Here Come the Rattlesnakes”. The story is a bit rambling like all of Wendy Bagwell’s are, but listening closely makes you realize that they are carefully crafted as well. Bagwell made clear that he was not judging them and did not know if they were right or wrong, but he didn't have the kind of faith necessary to pick up a poisonous snake: “I mean, a frog I can see!” At one point during their performance, the tail of a snake nearly hit Wendy Bagwell in the foot: “I did a little shouting myself. And SHE thought I was in the spirit . . . and brought me one of them!”
At one point, Wendy Bagwell asked someone where the back door was. When told that there wasn't one, he said, “Reckon where do they want one!” At the end, he tells his listeners to go to a church that handles snakes if you got the chance: “Sit on the back row, but go!” It is quite a story, and it is not hard to see why it became such a hit.
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Wendall Lee “Wendy” Bagwell was born in 1925 in Chamblee, Georgia on the outskirts of Atlanta. Bagwell was a U. S. Marine and was twice decorated for bravery. After returning to Georgia, Bagwell adopted a nephew of his who had been abused.
In 1953, he joined up with two women at his church, Geraldine Terry (later known professionally as Jerri Morrison) and Georgia Jones to form a gospel singing group called Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters; on the record that I have, Wendy says that the group is from Smyrna, Georgia. (The band name is sometimes spelled Sunlighters and sometimes Sonliters; Bagwell is also sometimes listed erroneously as Windy Bagwell). Sandy Garvin replaced Georgia Jones for a few years; and then Little Jan Buckner, the wife of the nephew that he had adopted earlier, joined in 1961 when she was 16 years old and stayed with the group until the end. These three stayed together for 33 years – Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters are said to have gone the longest time of any musical group in history without a personnel change.
Wendy Bagwell and his wife Melba were married 50 years and had three children.
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The group’s first popular recording was a sentimental song called “Pearl Buttons”, but they became better known for their humor. Almost all of their albums have at least one comedy routine, and some don’t have any gospel music. In fact, they are so well known as comedians that Wendy Bagwell’s singing voice has been forgotten to some extent. Their top-selling album, Here Come the Rattlesnakes includes their hit along with many gospel songs; it has sold 2,000,000 copies.
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A blog called “Southern Gospel Views from the Back Row” at www.sogospelbackrow.wordpress.com. says that they recorded just under 40 albums, with many being reissued on CD. This man’s pick for the best recording is Absolutely Live (1989). Wendy Bagwell also released some solo albums; Discogs lists a half dozen.
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Wendy Bagwell also became known for his frequent catch phrase, “It’s a fact with my hand up”.
Wendy Bagwell once did TV commercials for a brand of powdered aspirin called Stanback – many such products were popular in the South, with BC Powders being the best known; and I seem to remember that Goody’s Headache Powders had a plant in Winston-Salem when I was growing up. Their slogan was “Snap Back with Stanback”. The commercial won an Addy Award.
Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters won a slew of other awards over the years. Record World magazine named Wendy Bagwell the Comedian of the Year.
The portion of U. S. Highway 278 that is in Paulding County, Georgia was named Wendy Bagwell Parkway by the Georgia State Legislature in 1997.
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Kevin Williams played guitar for Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters for a time until 1995, and he produced their last venture, I Feel Like Singing. He has become a prominent session guitarist in gospel music and has performed in more than 600 recordings.
After Wendy Bagwell’s death, he joined the Gaither Homecoming Tour and has become their band director. Gospel music impresario Bill Gaither had completed an album in 1991 called Homecoming that featured a host of other prominent gospel musicians; and that has led to a series of albums, videos, television performances, and other events under this umbrella that continue to the present day. Wikipedia lists nearly 100 items in their Videography alone.
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Little Jan Buckner-Goff was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame herself in 2010. After Wendy Bagwell’s death in 1996, Jerri Morrison no longer wanted to travel, but Little Jan still yearned to perform. Several of her songs have been nominated for Grammys, and she was named the Female Vocalist of the Year by the Southern Gospel Music Association on two occasions. Her song “Walk Around Me, Jesus” was the #1 song on the Cash Box Music Charts.
(November 2014)
