Won By One - Concert Review

It was the moment I had been waiting for, the debut performance of the newly re-organized, Won By One. As I mentioned in this post nearly 2-years ago, I have always been a huge fan of theirs. I was thrilled when I heard that original founding member, Greg Shockley was singing with a new bunch of guys and resurrecting the old group name!

My son and I made it to First Baptist Church in Morristown, TN, right around 6:30 pm, for the First Annual Gospel Sing-Fest to benefit the Hamblen County Substance Abuse Coalition. The concert didn't start until 7:00 but we wanted to make sure we had good seats. Immediately after paying our $10.00 ticket price, we made our way over to Won By One's product table. There we met baritone singer, Bob Jenkins. We chatted with him for a few moments and purchased the 2-CD's that Won By One had available; Redeemed, and Something New. We then made our way into the large sanctuary and were excited to find an empty front center row seat, right in front of the stage. It was a perfect location to take plenty of photos, which I did.

Kicking things off was Won By One bass singer, Paul Hyde, and his ventriloquist dummy, J.D. Paul told a few light-hearted jokes, mostly aimed toward old folks and then introduced youth pastor/radio DJ, Chris Fritz, who opened up with a word about substance abuse and then lead us in prayer.

First to perform was worship violinist, Mark Lewis. He did an awesome job and gave a really heart-felt testimony about his former life playing music in the bars and getting into drugs and alcohol. After his testimony he went straight into about 45 minutes of just playing. As music videos would play on the two large screens overhead, Mark would just stand, often with eyes closed, and play the lead part of the music on his violin. 

After Mark was finished, Paul Hyde, who just so happens to be the Executive Director of the Hamblen County Substance Abuse Coalition, introduced staff members of the HCSAC and asked chairman of the board, Tom Miles, to come forward and talk about the Coalition's purpose.

Finally, about 8:00, Won By One hit the stage with a soulful rendition of "When Jesus Came Knocking." As chills ran down my spine, I was transported back to 1996 when I first heard the original Won By One sing that song on their Road of Life project. Next Paul Hyde showed his stuff on the outstanding bass lead-in with, "In Gloryland." The all familiar, "Walk Right Out Of This Valley," was a real toe tapper and showcased the whole quartet. The fourth song, "Where The Nails Were," was one of my very favorites of the night and left me crying like a baby. On the fifth song, "Had It Not Been," Greg asked Mark Lewis to join them with his violin as they sat in chairs and sang. Up next, "He Was Dying To Know Me," written by Phil Cross, was also one of my favorites of the night and was beautifully done. The very catchy, "Full Circle, which is the first track from their new CD, Redeemed, was a real crowd-pleaser which ends with a round of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." Next up was a real treat when lead singer, Mike Whetsel, sat down at the Grand Piano and the rest of the guys gathered around for a beautiful rendition of, "Redemption Draweth Nigh," with the lead being handled by both Whetsel and bass, Paul Hyde. The ninth song of the night was my all-time favorite Won By One song, "King Jesus." I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear knowing that my son was getting to hear that song for the very first time in his life. One of the most impressive and touching songs of the evening was, "It Took A Lamb," which was superbly lead by baritone singer, Bob Jenkins. Last but certainly not least was the powerful, "And God Cried," which once again had me in tears thinking about what my Savior had done for me. The evening was followed up by a very fitting invitation and prayer given by Greg Shockley.

My son and I left the event that night feeling more like we had been to an awesome worship service instead of a concert because that was indeed what it was. I hope to have more opportunities to worship with Won By One in the future. I encourage you to attend one of their concerts if you get the chance. If you love Southern Gospel, quartet style music, and being touched by the Holy Spirit, then you won't be disappointed.

See all of the photos from this event here.