Ernie Haase & Signature Sound operates as a gospel vocal quartet fronted by the longtime tenor from the Cathedrals, drawing on classic Southern gospel ensembles such as the Statesmen and the Blackwood Brothers yet reshaping the style for present-day listeners. As a globally active touring ensemble, the group entered the Billboard Christian Top Ten upon issuing its self-titled first album in 2005 and then claimed the summit two years afterward with the third release, Get Away, Jordan. Dream On, which appeared in 2008, received a Grammy nomination in the Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album category. Amid occasional personnel shifts, later projects ranged across tribute recordings honoring both the Cathedrals, via the 2010 set A Tribute to the Cathedral Quartet, and Broadway traditions, via the 2015 collection The Inspiration of Broadway.
Vocalist Ernie Haase, born in December 1964 in Cynthiana, Indiana, spent his formative years in Newburgh, Indiana, where he attended Castle High School prior to enrolling at Oakland City College on a basketball scholarship. During his college period he began performing with the gospel outfit the Noblemen and subsequently appeared in several ensembles, among them Earthlight and the DMB Band, also known as the Dixie Melody Boys, before entering Redeemed in 1986. In 1990 Haase joined the storied Cathedrals, contributing to more than a dozen albums with the group until the Cathedrals concluded their performing career in 1999.
Haase then launched a solo path, issuing What a Difference a Day Makes in 1999 and Never Alone in 2000. Preliminary incarnations of Ernie Haase & Signature Sound surfaced on the 2003 recording Stand by Me and the 2004 album Great Love under the name Signature Sound Quartet. The configuration featuring Haase on tenor, Ryan Seaton on lead, Doug Anderson on baritone, and Tim Duncan on bass was completed by pianist Roy Webb for the 2005 project Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. Distributed by Gaither Music Group, that album climbed to number six on the Billboard Christian Albums chart and number 59 on the Billboard 200. The holiday effort Christmas with Ernie Haase & Signature Sound followed in 2006, after which Get Away, Jordan attained the Christian number-one position early in 2007. Later the same year the ensemble returned to the Top Five with Together, a joint recording alongside the Gaither Vocal Band. Still aligned with Gaither Music Group and retaining the same four vocalists from the debut album, Dream On earned its Grammy nomination for Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album in 2010 while also reaching the Christian albums Top Five. A Tribute to the Cathedral Quartet, released in late 2010, advanced to number three.
Here We Are Again, issued in 2012, marked the group’s inaugural project on the newly established Stowtown Records imprint, a venture shared by Haase and producer Wayne Haun. The Glorious Day LP and the video Christmas Live! appeared the following year. Gaither Music Group next released the live concert recording Oh, What a Savior in 2014. Ernie Haase & Signature Sound returned to Stowtown for both Happy People and The Inspiration of Broadway in 2015, the latter drawing inspirational material from classic stage productions including Showboat, Carousel, and Les Misérables. The Favorite Hymns of Fanny Crosby, featuring the lineup of Haase, Devin McGlamery on lead, Dustin Dyke on baritone, Paul Harkey on bass, and pianist Tyler Vestal, came out in 2016. Clear Skies arrived in 2018 and incorporated guest appearances by the Booth Brothers and Voices of Lee.
