Cecil Blackwood dies of cancer, aged 66

ON THE 13th November 2000, Cecil Blackwood of Southern gospel pioneers the Blackwood Brothers Quartet died from cancer. The funeral was at Cecil's home church, the First Assembly Of God Church, the very church he attended Teen Bible Class with a teenage Elvis Presley.

The Blackwood Brothers were formed in 1934 and continued into the new millennium under the shrewd leadership of Cecil Stamps Blackwood. He took on the mantle of baritone when his brother R W Blackwood perished in the tragic air crash of 1954. Cecil (born on 28 October 1934 in Cleveland, Tennessee) was the ever-present effervescent leader of the Blackwoods. Heading for his "golden jubilee" with the group, he was as enthusiastic as ever about what he saw as a God-given vocation. Grateful for his heritage, he was in nostalgic mood as he contemplated the family ministry. "I praise God that I was born into a family that loved the Lord and dedicated their lives to the ministry. Because of a family revival in 1917, no less than 30 kinfolk became committed to serving their Lord. Since then, untold numbers of peo¬ple have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as a result of that com¬mitment. We're in our fourth generation now! The 'Blackwood' name has become so popular in America that I believe the name can be carried on. I know of no other gospel group that has so many family members serving the Lord in gospel music!" Continuing the family tradition, as well as Cecil's Blackwood Brothers, are the Blackwood Voices (headed by Cecil's son) and the Blackwood Singers (headed by Cecil's nephew). Today's Blackwood Brothers' group consists of Steve Warren, Rick Price, Chris Blackwood and Eric Winston. The book The Legacy Of The Blackwood Brothers: The Authorized Biography Cecil And James Blackwood by Paul Davis was recent¬ly published by Blue Ridge Publishing.