There are few things that get my heart to pitter-pattering more than a deep-voiced cowboy. Sam Elliott, anyone? That man’s voice epitomizes the rugged west for me. Every time I hear his commercials, I want to get up and buy a Dodge Ram. And I don’t even like pickup trucks!
But even better than the rasp of Sam Elliot is a deep singing voice. That’s probably why I married my very own bass-singin’ Texan.
I’ve loved music all my life. From being a band nerd through junior high and high school to joining choir in college after I met the aforementioned bass-singin’ Texan. I love to sing, especially when there are rich harmonies. Probably because the church I grew up in (as well as the one I attend now) worship with a cappella singing. It’s a tradition I cherish, because my heart always soars when I hear those harmonies. And now that my kids are getting older, I can hear all 4 parts on my very own pew! My hubby sings bass, my 18 year-old daughter sings alto, my 16 year-old son sings tenor, I sing the lead soprano, and my 14 year-old youngest hops from part-to-part. I love it!
A couple years ago, my hubby introduced me to a group of a cappella county singers called Home Free. Does he know my sweet spot, or what? Definitely a keeper. Anyway, back to the group. They are made up of a few Minnesota boys, a fella from Georgia, and . . . you guessed it . . . a bass from Texas. Yee Haw! They won the 4th season of the NBC show The Sing Off back in 2013 and have gone on to have a well established career.
I thought I’d share a small sampling of their music with you today.
In this first one, they get together with the Oak Ridge Boys for a fun rendition of Elvira.
This is one of my favorites – Ring of Fire in honor of Johnny Cash.
The ironic thing, though, is that I don’t really listen to country music on a regular basis. I love the oldies from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s as well as the 80’s pop I grew up with. I also love big band music from the 40’s. Is it any wonder I write historical romance? I seem determined to live in the past. Ha!
- What are some of the male voices that set your heart to fluttering? Speaking or singing?
Oh, and for some extra cowboy & music love – my cowboy romance featuring a bounty hunter and a runaway music teacher is on sale today through Saturday (March 4) for only $1.99. A Worthy Pursuit was blessed to win two major awards last year – the ACFW Carol Award and the National Reader’s Choice Award. Snatch it up while it’s on sale!
Clicking on the cover will take you to Amazon, but the discount applies to all e-book formats. Enjoy!
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Hi Miss Karen, I, too, have always gone to church where the voice was the instrument and I love to sing. My whole family enjoys singing and with the grands growing so fast, I love listening to their high sweet voices.
Home Free have exceptional talents and I could listen to them sing on and on. Tennessee Earnie Ford always had a deep, rich voice and The Oak Ridge Boys are pretty hard to beat. The mellow voices of Andy Williams and Perry Como…..the list goes on and on! Any you are right, Sam Elliott’s voice….it is tempting to record the Ram truck commercial and play it over and over!!!
I just knew you and I had a connection, Melanie! Love that music. And you mention some great additions. I’m a sucker for crooners like Andy Williams and Perry Como. A large part of the reason why I listen to music from the 40’s is for Bing Crosby. 🙂
Sam Elliot!!! Always a favorite. Your book sounds so cute and full of possibilities! Can’t wait to read it!
Thanks, Paula. Hope you have fun with Stone and Charlotte. Can you imagine if we could get Sam to narrate an audible version? Heaven!
Congratulations on your awards, Karen!! And also on snagging your wonderful bass-singing cowboy!
Thanks, Lynn. The bass-singin’ fella is the real prize. 🙂
I love watching Home Free videos, but have not seen them in concert. My brother goes to see them, tho, anytime they are anywhere near his Colorado ranch.
One of my favorites is their version of How Great Thou Art. Gorgeous! Scenery and voices. That mountain view and those rich harmonies – perfection! I’ve never seen them in concert, either, but I’d like to one of these days.
I’ve never heard of Home Free, but my husband and I just listened to the videos you posted. We’re so impressed! They’re awesome.
So glad I could introduce you, Becky! They are great. They have some wonderful Christmas stuff, too. In the Ring of Fire video, they have the bass from Pentatonix joining them. Those two groups are very similar except Home Free leans a little more heavily toward the country sound.
Last weekend we went to a Sandi Patty concert, and she had a group with her called Veritas. Their bass was AWESOME!
Cool! I think I’ve heard of them, but I’m not sure I’ve heard them. Love those deep bass voices!
I had not heard of Home Free until they were mentioned on this site – was that by you? I love the videos I’ve seen.
Just purchased A Worthy Pursuit the other day.
Awesome, Betty. Hope you enjoy Stone and Charlotte’s story. 🙂
Margaret…I’ve recently been introduced to Veritas via Sandi Patty concert as well. They are absolutely phenomenal! All of them!! I bought their CD and can’t stop listening to it! I LOVE them!! 🙂
I go weak-kneed over any speaking male voice that has a English accent. For a reference I’ll use Tim Mison from “Sleepy Hollow” or Tom Hiddleston from “Thor”. Singing voices I like are: Nate King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Harry Connick, Jr., and Josh Groban.
Josh! YES!!! Love that man. He’s one of the few contemporary artists I actually know. Ha! I have a bunch of his music downloaded. I fell in love the first time I heard him sing You Raise Me Up. I’ve been hooked ever since.
And you are so right about the mesmerizing effect of the deep male voice with a British accent. Swoon-worthy indeed.
I love a good baritone/bass (thus I rarely listen to contemporary male singers, which are predominately tenors [exception Josh Groban, of course]). All the best crooners were baritones–Bing, old Blue Eyes, Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Gordon MacRae, John Gary (okay, he sings both baritone and tenor, but with incomparable control and and incredible range, showcased in If Ever I Would Leave You and one of my Irish favorites, A Little Bit of Heaven). Mmm.
You and I have very similar tastes in crooners, Rachael. Although, I don’t think I’ve heard on John Gary. I’m going to go look him up!
Like you Karen I also love to hear a good bass singer. Thank you for your books and articles. I always enjoy reading them.
Thanks, Karie!
I have to agree with you about Sam Elliot.SEXY voice.I love to sing oldies.When I was a teenager.I could sing all the words to the songs by The Supremes this is dating me LOL.I also sang in church when I was a teenager.I love to praise the Lord.I have all your books and really enjoy them they are a part of my book keepers shelf.
That’s so fun, Diana. I probably know most of the Supremes’ songs, too. 🙂 I use to hide in my room and belt out 1980’s ballads. Still love those songs.
Such a fun blogpost Ms. Witemeyer! Made me laugh out loud ☺
I love deep voices as well! In all honesty I don’t know many men with deep voices in my hometown, but one sort of deep singing voice I like is country singer Chris Young…he’s also easy on the eyes 😉
As far as music genres I like my standard answer is anything, but rap.
Ooo – good deep voice AND easy on the eyes? I’ll definitely be looking him up. 😉 Thanks for the recommendation.
Sam Elliott, yes! His voice, and right nice-looking too. John Wayne, Rio Bravo and many other of his movies.
Johnny Cash, love his music. And thanks for sharing those two music videos, so good!
My music likes are mostly the 60s and early 70s.
We would do well on a car trip together, Gail. 🙂 Singing oldies as we go. 🙂
Thank you Karen. I did take advantage of the sale for A Worthy Pursuit. Looking forward to reading it. As for my favorite cowboy singer that would be Alan Jackson of whom I’m not sure is a real cowboy. As for George Strait I know he is definitely the real McCoy. So George Straight it is.
I’ve heard Alan Jackson. Great voice! Love his gospel music.
What a fun topic Karen!
One of my favorite sounds in the world is men singing. And a truly deep bass can almost make me swoon. I love all parts. My dad has an amazing tenor voice and growing up it was always the tenors that my mom and I listened for, but a deep bass just stops me in my tracks. I can be listening and sincerely enjoying men singing and when a deep base comes in it’s like the cherry on top.
I’ve enjoyed the few Home Free videos I’ve seen on Facebook. And as Margaret mentioned before, Veritas is amazing! To hear their bass speak…wow! I’m not sure if I can put links in here or not, but I’m going to try. This is the one video I was able to get during the concert I attended a couple of weeks ago. LOVE it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss7VuvRg45M&t=6s
Since you like a capella, have you heard of Straight No Chaser? They are a group of 10 guys…alumni of Indiana University. I try to make it to their concerts every time they’re in my area. They are so much fun and they sing a wide variety of music. They encourage recording and posting on social media, so you can find a lot of their music on YouTube. This one is fun and kind of talks to the point of this conversation. 😉 It has a long intro, which is fun to listen to, but if you want just the song, it starts about 3:16 or so. Charlie and Randy are the basses in this group. https://youtu.be/rbYABxnOey4
I love all of your books Karen!! They are on my short re-read list and I’m looking forward to starting over at the beginning sometime soon! 🙂
Ronya
Hi, Ronya! Yes, we have at least 3 Christmas albums by Straight No Chaser. Their Twelve Days of Christmas is an instant classic. LOL.
Back in the 80’s there was a Christian group simple called A Cappella. Rodney Britt was the base, and he gave me goosebumps. He was a featured soloist in Amazing Grace, and I listed to that song over and over. When I was in college, my husband and I were part of an a cappella singing group that took a 10 day tour at the end of the spring semester. We traveled to Mobile, AL and performed at a church there. Members took us into their homes to stay the night, and since hubby and I were married, we got the honor of staying at the youth minister’s home. The youth minister who was none other than Rodney Britt. Oh my goodness! That was a thrill. I just wanted to sit around and listen to him talk. LOL.