Personnel includes: Bill Gaither, Gloria Gaither, Jake Hess, Rex Nelson, Hovie Lister.
For anyone looking to get a musical shot of old-time religion, BILL GAITHER'S 20 ALL-TIME FAVORITE HOMECOMING SONGS & PERFORMANCES: VOLUME 1 hits the spot. The album was inspired by Christian songwriter/performer Gaither's recording session with the Southern-gospel heroes of his youth in 1991. Featuring live performances recorded between 1995 and 2003 from a variety of locales, this collection trots out many well-loved classics ranging from a rollicking reading of the standard "Highway to Heaven" rendered by Jessy Dixon and Glen Payne, to a number of Andrae Crouch-penned spirituals including Russ Taff's richly delivered "My Tribute" and CeCe Winans' controlled reading of "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power." Gaither even manages to kick in a number of compositions written with wife Gloria, including "The Old Rugged Cross Made the Difference" and "Joy Comes in the Morning," interpreted by the Gaither Vocal Band and Joy Gardner respectively. As he has done so many times before, Bill Gaither once again displays both devotion to his faith and a keen ear for musical talent.