Reaching a Milestone
The Infinite Realm gospel group
to celebrate 50 years
A special concert is planned Oct. 12 in Bedford, Ky.
(October 2019) – In 1969, a group of young men from Trimble County, Ky., decided to start a band. “We all graduated from Trimble County High School and started out singing together on band trips. Three of us actually lived in the same neighborhood,” said Dave Taylor of Hanover, Ind., and one of the founding members.
“We started out as the Cordettes, which was a quick decision by our pianist’s mom. In 1971, another friend suggested the name Infinite Realm, which stuck because of our focus on the ‘realm of the infinite’ as a gospel group,” said Taylor.
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Photo provided The Infinite Realm includes (from left) Paul Wright, David Sherman, Ricky Mahoney, Dave Taylor, Ken Boyer (kneeling), Steve Brown, Neal Wright and Tony Gossom. |
This year, the Infinite Realm is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The group will be commemorating this milestone with a concert at the Bedford Baptist Church at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12, with a reception to follow. This event is open to the public.
Taylor said that the band started with three members in 1969: himself, Steve Brown and Tony Gossom.
“I started when I was 15, and I’m 65 now,” said Gossom.
“We added members as the years went on. In 1971, Neal Wright joined us as our keyboard player. In 1972, two of his brothers joined the group, Joel and Paul Wright. My oldest nephew Ricky Mahoney joined the group in 1978,” said Taylor.
The band is currently made up of eight members: Taylor (rhythm guitar), Brown (tambourine), Gossom (12-string guitar, lead, bass), Paul Wright (drums), Neal Wright (keyboard and bass guitar), Mahoney (keyboard and bass guitar), David Sherman (electric guitar) and Ken Boyer (sound engineer). Each of the group’s members takes turns leading different songs and also contribute a variety of ranges to their harmony.
Taylor said that the group’s music has not changed over the years regarding the types of songs. “I will say that we’ve definitely progressed and continue improving,” he said. In the 1960s, Taylor said that the group was heavily influenced by The Imperials, one of the top groups in gospel music. “We’ve also been influenced greatly by the Oak Ridge Boys and have covered a lot of their songs.”
The group started out with an active travel schedule with around 65 concert dates a year. “Once we started establishing ourselves in jobs and having families, we took a break for several years,” said Taylor. In 2004, the band had a reunion and came up with a new schedule that worked for their changed lifestyle. “We decided we would schedule one event a month, which was totally by design.”
“We practice once a month, and we sing once a month. We’ve been doing that for 15 years now,” said Gossom. Today, the group travels to various revivals and church events. “We started out with stars in our eyes. It’s more of a ministry now.”
The group writes about one-third of its material. “We have four songwriters in the group,” said Taylor. “It’s been a tremendous experience to create, to take a song to the studio and polish it up, then leave with a finished product.”
In 1971, 1977 and 1981, the group recorded three different long play albums. They have also recorded three CDs, which were made in 2006, 2011 and 2017. The group has recorded at Ron Fairchild’s studio in Hendersonville, Tenn. Fairchild is known for his work with the Oak Ridge Boys and has also played keys on some of Infinite Realm’s albums.
In addition to their own material, the group likes to include a few hymns and traditional old gospel songs at their shows. “We also incorporate some pop and arrange a lot of mainstream songs to have a variety of sounds,” Taylor said. “We try to branch several styles and reach out to people of all ages and tastes. Some of our music is for entertainment only. Other songs are deeply spiritual. Our goal is always to lift spirits and point people to Christ.”
The Infinite Realm’s 50th anniversary concert will be a 90-minute show that features a variety of their music from years past. “About a third of the music that night will be songs from when we started,” said Gossom.
“It was fun when we started practicing some songs from the early years. We hadn’t forgotten anything,” said Taylor. Taylor added that he is excited about the event. “We’ve made a lot of friends over the years, and hope they’ll come to see us.”