Acappella

In 1982, young Keith Lancaster envisioned spreading the Gospel through the distinctive medium of a cappella music. This vision resulted in the founding of Acappella Ministries in his hometown of Paris, TN, where the organization assembled a quartet that came to be known as Acappella.

The ensemble's debut recording, Travelin' Shoes, appeared in 1984. Lancaster composed the lyrics, served as producer, and contributed vocals to the project. Alongside fellow lead singer Rodney Britt and rotating backup vocalists, the group completed two further albums before Lancaster withdrew from performing in 1988 in order to concentrate on songwriting and production for Acappella.

Global recognition followed the 1990 release of Rescue, whose title track emerged as a frequent concert request. In 1994 the quartet earned four CARAs along with nine nominations, and five years afterward received a nomination for Artist of the Year from the Contemporary A Cappella Society. During May 1999, Acappella represented American gospel music at the International Festival of the Arts in Kunming, China, where many listeners encountered the Gospel for the first time. The foursome presented 140 live concerts in 2001, bringing their cumulative total past 2,000 performances across Canada, the United States, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, France, England, Holland, Norway, China, and the French West Indies by the close of that year.

Vocal personnel have shifted continually over the years. At the start of 2002 the lineup comprised Don Connel on high tenor, Gary Evans on bass, Steve Maxwell on baritone, and Barry Wilson delivering lead vocals.