Local Groups, Singers Inducted Into State Gospel Music Hall of Fame

Commanders, Travelers, Forest Park, Crossmen, Melody Makers All Honored

Edmonson Voice Report:
Four gospel quartets with local residents were inducted into the 2025 Kentucky State Singing Convention Hall of Fame this weekend at the 79th Annual KSGSC at the Cave Area Convention Center.

The Commanders, The Travelers, and the Crossmen Quartets were all honored in a ceremony during the concert that featured several state and regional groups.

The Commanders (late 1960s): top L-R: Michael Lindsey, Junior Webb. Bottom: Phil Cooper, Jerry Patton, Clayton Lindsey.

Commanders members (L-R) Junior Webb, Jack Vincent, Gordon Meador, Jerry Patton.

The Commanders, circa early 1970s.

The Commanders were formed in 1967 from a singing school at Midway United Missionary Baptist Church in Lindseyville, Kentucky. The four original members, Clayton Lindsey, baritone; Michael Lindsey, bass; Brother Jerry Patton, lead; and Hoyt Webb, Jr., first tenor, all grew up within two miles of each other. Playing piano for the quartet was Marilyn Patton, wife of Brother Jerry, and a cousin to the other members. A short time later, Phillip Cooper became the group’s pianist. Phil, a music major and recent college graduate, was a friend of the Lindseyville Quartet, a quartet from the 1940s & 1950s, that included not only Mike & Clayton’s dad, but Junior’s as well.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, The Commanders performed in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana. Around 1970, Brother Patton purchased the local funeral home, and Phillip Cooper moved on with his career in teaching music. Determined to keep singing, the Commanders brought on a young pianist, Gordon Meador, and E. B. Cooper as lead singer. This lineup made their only vinyl recording, the album “Introducing The Commanders.”

In 2002, 35 years after the Commanders first picked up a microphone, Bro. Jerry Patton decided it was time to get the quartet back together to record a CD. Their second album, and first with the original quartet lineup, featured a new member, veteran pianist, Jack Vincent. Jack grew up with Junior, Jerry, Mike, and Clayton, and his dad was a member of the Lindseyville Quartet, too, so he was the perfect addition.

The Commanders sang and performed together and in other groups over the years. The gospel music world lost EB Cooper in 2008, Clayton Lindsey in 2019, Michael Lindsey in 2020, and Phillip Cooper in 2024. 

The Crossmen, Louisville, KY 1996.

The Crossmen at the Grand Ol' Opry in 1995.

Former Crossmen members L-R: Dale Lisenby, Russ Funk, Darren Doyle, Jason Brooks, Scott Flener, Darren Lawrence.

The Crossmen Quartet was formed in Morgantown, Kentucky in April of 1993. The original group consisted of lead singer Boyce Flener, baritone Darryl Dockery who also played bass, bass vocalist Jason Brooks, tenor Scott Flener, and pianist Kevin Embry.

Soon after, the group made their debut appearance on the world famous Grand Ol’ Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, and went on to perform nearly two dozen more times in the coming years.

With the addition of baritone Darren Doyle and bass player Frank Lawrence in the fall of 1994, the group signed their first recording contract under Sonlight Records.

The group would undergo many more changes over the next decade with the addition of multiple members at various positions including baritone singers James Wright, Dennis Roberts, Dennis Cook, and Darren Lawrence; bass vocalists Mark Mudd and Dale Lisenby, and Russ Funk on piano.

The quartet traveled all across the U.S., Mexico, and the Bahamas, had a dozen top 80 chart singles, and appeared on the main stage at the National Quartet Convention

After the death of Boyce Flener, the one and only lead singer for the duration of the group, the Crossmen retired after their final concert at the Capitol Arts Theater in Bowling Green, KY to a sold out crowd on August 27, 2016.

After the Crossmen's retirement, original members tenor Scott Flener and bass Jason Brooks reunited along with baritone Darren Lawrence and lead vocalist Darren Doyle to form what is now United Quartet.

The Travelers, L-R top Anthony Madison, Roger Flener, Dale Flener, seated: Kevin Embry, Steve Flener.

The Travelers Quartet began singing in 1967 and also originated in Morgantown. Original members were Dale Flener-bass & Emcee, Steve Flener-2nd tenor, Roger Flener-lead, Theresa Kessinger-alto, Dorothy Farmer-pianist, and Jim Casey-bass guitarist.

This combination traveled together until the mid 1970s when Dorothy, Theresa, and Jim stopped performing. The Travelers then added Kevin Embry as pianist and Kenneth Embry as bass guitarist. At this time, Edmonson County resident and longtime local business owner Anthony Madison took over the baritone part and Steve Flener switched to 1st tenor.

In 1980 Anthony left the group and Dale's oldest son, Boyce, joined the group as the tenor, while Steve took over baritone. This group sang for a short time until Boyce went to college. In 1987, Dale's youngest son, Scott, joined the group as tenor and Chris Burden of Morgantown played bass guitar. Boyce moved to the lead vocalist while Steve and Roger shared the baritone part. After Chris left the group, Darren Lawrence joined as the Travelers' bass guitarist. This group continued to sing until the end of 1992. Over the years, the Travelers recorded four studio albums and traveled all over Kentucky and surrounding states.

L-R: Doyle Bryson, Ed Dye, Wavie Skaggs, A.C. Plumlee, Winfred Hensley (seated).

The Forest Park Quartet was founded in the late 1950s by Edwin Dye and Doyle Bryson, both members of Forest Park Baptist Church, in Bowling Green, KY.

The group consisted of Dye, who sang baritone, and Bryson, the tenor singer, along with lead singer Wavie Skaggs (Chalybeate native) and bass singer A.C. Plumlee. The piano player was Winfred Hensley. 

While the group only stayed together for around 8 years, they sang at virtually every homecoming within a four-county area, thanks to their hearty appetites, and became one of the more well-known quartets in the Bowling Green region.

They were also featured every Sunday morning on local radio station WKCT in Bowling Green. They all went on to raise musically-influenced families, many of which still sing gospel music today.

Melody Makers (Bobby Bullock Sr. on far right).

Melody Makers (Bobby Bullock on far left). (photos: Carrie Fisher)

The Melody Makers were also inducted into the Hall, featuring an Edmonson County native, Bobby Ray Bullock, Sr. 

Bullock also served as the President of the KSGSC in 1971. Bullock was well known in the regional gospel circuit for over 20 years.

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