Jonathan Wilburn's version of "God Bless The USA" at Gospel Music's Largest National Quartet Convention (NQC) at Pigeon Forge, Tenn. brought the house down and had 10,000 folks standing as they sang along with him.
The 60th anniversary of the NQC took place September 24-30 at the huge LeConte Center and we shared three great days of our Tennessee vacation there.
The convention site also gave us a spectacular view of Mount LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
And wow....what a rendition this great gospel singer gave...one that sends shivers up and down your spine.
We caught up with Jonathan the following day and asked him about his feelings and what this song meant to him.
Asked why he sang this song at this time, he said, "this song has always meant a lot to me and I've been singing it since I was a teenager," Wilburn noted.
"I felt like it was an appropriate time with the questions about the American flag and the National Anthem and our patriotism in America."
"I'm searching for real heroes and those real heroes aren't football players or basketball heroes as real heroes put on our uniform and carry weapons and stand for our freedom day in and day out," Wilburn added.
Jonathan strongly stressed, "those are the real heroes and the reaction to the audience when I sang the song last night was tremendous because I believe everyone is saying ...you know what.... there's a lot we can do without but we cannot do without our military, our police and our public servants and it's time for American's to come together, Democrats, Republicans, Independents or whatever you are and to boil it down to the simple fact we are all one under one flag and that flag is not political."
"That flag symbols that we are united to the Republic for which it stands one Nation under God and when that honor is not shown to that flag it upsets me because the flag doesn't have political attached to it....its American," Wilburn added.
He pointed out "that the flag does not make a political statement.....the flag say's I'm an American and it's time to separate political views and say we'll stand for our political views but we're still all united under one flag and I think the audience last night was ready to hear something that encouraged them to be patriotic."
Wilburn has continued the tradition for three generations in his Gospel Music career and was inducted into the GMA Hall of Fame in 2017. He tours solo booking concerts, revivals and church services and can be booked at the Beckie Simmons Agency at 615-595-7500.
It was an honor to share time with Jonathan....a true American.
Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame Singer Jonathan Wilburn shares time with Sullivan County Democrat Columnist Ed Townsend.
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