Southern gospel the spirit of relaunched label

By Deborah Evans Price

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - At a time when every record company in the business is diligently watching the bottom line and planning for the future, Word Entertainment is looking for a blast from the past.

Word is relaunching Canaan Records, a Southern gospel label that began in 1965 under the Word umbrella and became home to such legendary acts as the Hoppers, the Florida Boys, the Happy Goodman Family, the Nelons and the Cathedrals.

"For us it's a respect for the history that is there and belief in the future of what could happen for Southern gospel," World Label Group senior VP of marketing Rod Riley said.

Word tapped noted songwriter Dave Clark to head the venture. "We recognize that it's definitely somewhat of a different genre," Riley said. "We've been looking at doing something in Southern gospel for the last couple of years, but we needed the right personality to head it up."

The Hoppers, an act celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is the first signing to the newly reactivated Canaan. With the relaunch, Word Entertainment becomes the only one of the big three Christian music companies -- Word, EMI Christian Music Group and Provident Music Group -- to have a Southern gospel division. It's a move some see as a boost for the genre as a whole.

"We've seen some big times in our industry, through the '60s and '70s, and the rise of Southern gospel music," the Hoppers' Dean Hopper said. "We saw another big surge during the early to mid-'90s when the Gaither 'Homecoming' videos took our music into so many homes worldwide, but this gives me hope that this could be the third big surge in our music now that we have somebody like Word who is reactivating one of the greatest vaults in our business."

The Hoppers' new collection, "The Ride," will be released September 4. The group's current lineup consists of Hopper; his wife, Kim; brother Mike; and parents Claude and Connie.

Dean Hopper said he's particularly excited about the label's digital initiatives. "The digital age is here. How are we going to compete? How are we going to move our music into the future? I think Word has got the best handle on that."

For Clark, the group represents "all of the things that attracted me to gospel music so many years ago."

In addition to the Hoppers' new release, the label is readying a two-CD set, "Canaan Revisited," that will feature some of the greatest hits from Canaan's heyday. Riley said the label is negotiating with other artists and will announce additional signings soon.

Reuters/Billboard