IBMA Honors The Chuck Wagon Gang With Two Awards

What better way to kick off October's Country Music Month than for the nation’s premiere country gospel group to receive two awards from the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA)? On Thursday, October 1st "The Chuck Wagon Gang Complete Recordings 1936-1955" won "Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project" (awarded to the writers Bill Malone, Marty Stuart, Shaye Smith, Harold Timmons, Jeremy Stephens and Eddie Stubbs) and "Best Graphic Design for a Recorded Project" (awarded to designer Mychael Gerstenberger).

"No other gospel group had closer ties to the country music industry overall than the Chuck Wagon Gang. Their recordings in this box set were marketed to the same people who bought country music of that era and it’s safe to say that the majority of the songs within that box were played at one point or another on country radio stations," said Eddie Stubbs WSM, radio personality and Grand Ole Opry announcer, who played a large role in bringing the collection together as its Reissue Producer.

The Chuck Wagon Gang, who are entering their 80th year this November “and remain one of the most influential acts in all of music” (NASH Country Weekly), have impacted the lives and music of everyone from Merle Haggard and Charlie Daniels to Connie Smith and Dan Rather, and have sold forty million records over their eight decade career. As Marty Stuart puts it, "Heaven only knows how many hearts have been touched by the music of the Chuck Wagon Gang."

"America's Gospel Singers - The Legacy Lives On," a documentary executively produced by Marty Stuart and airing on Public Television stations this fall, chronicles the history of the Chuck Wagon Gang, sharing their stories through rare family photographs, poignant personal stories, old recordings and live performances. The Chuck Wagon Gang's most recent album release 'Meeting in Heaven' (New Haven Records) also finds the current configuration of the band singing the songs of Marty Stuart, who also served as executive producer on the album. 

It was President Richard Nixon who stated, "the heart of a people is found in their music, and no music is more deeply rooted in the soul of America than country music." These roots certainly run deep, and you can trace a lot of them to The Chuck Wagon Gang.