Journey of Faith
Photos by Lily Jack Photography
Grammy-nominated songwriter Rick Lang has created not one, but now two staples of bluegrass gospel music with the release of Blue Collar Gospel on the heels of Gonna Sing, Gonna Shout. The New Hampshire native received a Grammy nod for Best Roots Gospel Album for GSGS. The title track was named the 2019 IBMA Gospel Recording of the Year. This year the 3-time IBMA Songwriter of the Year nominee was up for IBMA Mentor of the Year again along with another nomination for Gospel Recording of the Year for “Just Beyond,” the first single that he crafted with Mike Richards and Windi Robinson for Blue Collar Gospel.
“That could have been written in the Stanley Brothers/Bill Monroe era,” Rick says. “It sounded older than the hills and just real and genuine and heartfelt. It’s really special to me because the vocalists’ performance on the song—Barry Abernathy, John Meador, Tim Raybon, and Bradley Walker—is just one of the most amazing things I’ve ever heard. Some of the harmonies and those high notes that they hit. I get chills up my spine every time I hear that song.”
Lang is a devout Christian now, but he was on a wayward journey for quite some time until bluegrass gospel music lured him back to the fold. “I just kind of lost interest in it, and we didn’t attend church, as a family, for a lot of years. It really wasn’t until the mid-80s when I stumbled upon bluegrass music and started listening to bluegrass gospel music from bands like the Lewis family, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, the Bluegrass Cardinals and a few other bands. I listened to the songs and studied the songs. It reconnected me with my faith, and I found a local church here that some friends of ours attended and that really kind of brought me closer to my faith. Then I decided after listening to it, I would like to make an attempt to start writing those type of songs. Through writing those songs, my faith gets stronger and stronger, and I feel closer to God than I have been in my whole life. I became committed to living as spiritual a life as I could going forward.”
Rick’s recommitment led in 2010 to him creating the project, Look To The Light. It was nominated for a Gospel Music Association Dove Award. The single, “Sailing On,” from the album was nominated for an IBMA Gospel Recorded Event of the Year.
“After that, I just became a man of deeper faith. and committed to leading a life setting a good example as a Christian and I was committed to a life of releasing more songs of faith to help bring other people closer to their faith, to celebrate my own faith, and to spread the holy word of God through my songwriting.”
“I’ve gotten emails and letters from people who, especially with the Look To The Light record, reached out and said how much the songs had an impact on them spiritually and emotionally. I never thought in a million years that I could write songs that would have a big impact on people through the song. But then I realized if I can do that, that’s what I should be doing.”
“I am so lucky that I get to write with so many good writers. It’s just a blessing in my life. I’ve never been happier because I get to create music with just people who inspire me.”
How to Follow GS2
It seemed like Rick’s happiness was going to come to an abrupt stop when the COVID pandemic hit. The restrictions at the time were preventing him from taking his trips to Nashville to write songs. Reluctantly, at first, Lang decided to give writing songs remotely a shot. “When you’re not in the same room with the same person, you don’t have the same comfort level at the beginning. I did it out of necessity because if I didn’t try it, I wouldn’t be able to continue writing.”
“I started with the people that I had written with on a regular basis, but then, I thought because of COVID, everybody’s pretty much confined to their homes and I have an opportunity to write with people that I couldn’t write with during normal times. I started reaching out to people who geographically live far away.”
By the time restrictions were lifted, Rick had expanded his writing partners to nearly four dozen writers all over the country during a period that was “probably the most prolific three years of my life in songwriting.” The result was a strong collection of songs that became the foundation for Blue Collar Gospel.
“Blue Collar Gospel is gospel music for everybody. It was for the people who were the saved, and it was for people who weren’t saved. It was for the hard working men and women, about people’s struggles, people’s triumphs, people’s failures, and everybody’s relationship with God and how religion weaves in and out of everybody’s lives during their lifetime.”
Following the immensely successful, Gonna Sing, Gonna Shout project, Lang said people expected GSGS Part 2. “I didn’t want to replicate what we did before. It doesn’t show growth; it doesn’t show improvement; it doesn’t show evolution.”
With his latest endeavor, Lang’s tunes include a duet gospel song along the same vein as the Louvin Brothers style and a “bluesy/swampy/edgy” song. Instead of songs from his writing pen alone, the album is full of co-writes. “When I was talking with Jerry Salley and planning the album, we were looking at things that would make it kind of different. One of the thoughts was wouldn’t it be great if we could have some of the writers that I wrote these songs with who are great vocalists and strong singers be featured on the album?”
Becky Buller and Nathan Woodard sang together on “Rise Above It All” that Lang and Woodard wrote. “I really enjoyed working with Jerry Salley as he produced my vocals for ‘Rise Above It All,’” Buller says. “He’s so musically gifted, enthusiastic, and meticulous. How about those mods into and out of Nathan’s lead? And I love the overall swampy feel of the track.”
As a songwriter, Buller has another cut (co-written with Lang), “On the Tips of Angel’s Wings,” sung by Alecia Nugent. “Rick Lang is one of my absolute favorite human ‘beans’ and a beloved co-writer,” Buller adds. “He radiates light and joy. Every session with Rick is just fun; we’ve had a great track record of cuts over the years, too. I vividly remember meeting him at the IBMA conference for the first time, probably in the early 2000s. Rick was conversating in the hallway when I saw his name tag and dove at him. ‘You’re Rick Lang! I’m so excited to meet you! I love ‘Listen To The Word Of God’! He was very gracious and I’ve considered him a dear friend ever since.”
Another duet features Daryl Mosley and Jaelee Roberts on “Everyday Blessings” that Lang co-wrote with Mosley. The two have penned several of Mosley’s hit songs including “Transistor Radio” and “Mayberry State of Mind.”
“We both felt when we finished ‘Everyday Blessings’ that it was a special song,” Mosley said. “Later, he called and asked me to sing it on the project and asked me what I thought about doing it as a duet with Jaelee Roberts. Of course, I was thrilled. Jaelee has sung harmony on all of my records and she’s just an incredible talent. Being able to sing with her on a song that Rick and I wrote and to be a part of this incredible project is such a blessing.”
David Atkins was chosen as the featured voice on “Old Rugged Me” that Lang wrote with Mike Richards and Tim Webb. When Atkins heard the song, he had to sing it. “When I was young, I was a wild child,” Dave Adkins said. “I can remember my mom, sitting with her bible, praying I would get home. The song just hit home like a ton of lead. It’s one special tune in my opinion. I was elated that I was chosen to sing that one. It’s a great song by a couple of great writers and a wonderful message, because you can turn it all around with some help from a price that has already been paid.”
“All the tracks on here are favorites of mine, but that particular one, ‘Old Rugged Me’ when you listen to Dave singing that, you can feel the emotion in his voice,” Lang says.
Lang, Salley, and Bill Whyte wrote the title cut, “Blue Collar Gospel,” that Salley recorded with The Oak Ridge Boys. “If you listen to the storyline of the song, that really kind of epitomizes what blue collar gospel is to me,” Lang says. “When we get done, Jerry sang the work tape of that song. His voice was perfect for the song. He just crushed it in the studio…and the Oak Ridge Boys elevated the song to a whole other level.”
The 11-track disc also showcases the talents of Danny Paisley on “Church Bells A-Ringin’,” Darin and Brook Aldrige with “The Truth, The Light, The Way,” Williamson Branch with “Get on Board,” Donna Ulisse’s “A Little More Like Him,” and Alan Bibey’s “Catch Me When I Fall.”
A Songwriter is Born
Lang stumbled into bluegrass music, attending a few shows and purchasing some albums, but he says it wasn’t the genre’s music that drew him in at first. It was the songs that tunesmiths created. “I would take a song, for example, ‘32 Acres’ by Randall Hylton. I was just blown away when I heard that song, and then, I found out that this guy named Randall Hylton, who I wasn’t familiar with, wrote the song, and I started following him and his songs. I decided I would love to write songs like he did.”
Rick admits he began at a snail’s pace as he was reluctant to share any of the material he had written. Eventually, his songwriting improved and his confidence grew. In 1990, he sent a couple of songs to the Lonesome River Band. “They liked this gospel tune that I had, ‘Listen to the Word of God,’ and they ended up recording it with Dan Tyminski and Ronnie Bowman and Alison Krauss on fiddle. That ended up on the Carrying the Tradition record, which was awarded the IBMA Album of the Year. It was my first major song cut and it was such a good track. I think that that inspired me and it made me realize that if I worked hard, maybe I could become a songwriter. I think that was the catalyst that I needed to start working harder at it. I’ve been working and working night and day ever since to try to develop the craft and improve and get better as a songwriter and been doing it ever since.
“I think there are some people who write who have a natural gift and talent for it, and it comes easier to them. I wish I was one of them, but I found out it’s just hard work, elbow grease, and I work at it every single day. I probably write for three or four hours most days. When I’m not writing, I am working on coming up with new song concepts to bring to the table when I write with other writers.”
While Rick and his co-writers may end up with a lot of words on paper, he takes a less-is-more approach and artfully chisels away any excess. “If you go back to early country music, a lot of the greatest songs were written with a couple of verses and a chorus, and they were beautiful. They didn’t need to say anymore. I go back and listen to those songs all the time because I found that there’s a tendency for most writers to overwrite. And I was one of them when I first started writing and getting really into it. I would write songs with four or five verses. My songs were too long, and they were too wordy. I think they would lose a listener because it was trying to say too much in a song. Trying to be concise—saying more with fewer words—really can make for a more effective song. A lot of the songs I’m writing nowadays are just simply two verses and a chorus. I find that that’s enough. And then move on to the next song.”
For many years Rick wrote songs by himself, partly because he didn’t know anyone in the New Hampshire area with whom he could collaborate. “I did enjoy writing by myself, but the problem was when you write by yourself, sometimes you get stuck in a song, or it doesn’t turn out exactly how you hoped it would turn out, and you could use some help, but you don’t have anybody to help you.”
Rick reached a turning point in 2012 when he attended the IBMA Bluegrass Leadership program, and while he was in Nashville, he met with Donna Ulisse for his first co-writing session. “I was a little nervous because I had never really written with anybody starting from scratch with the song face to face,” he says. “I figured why not give it a try if she’s willing to do it.”
To add to his angst, when Lang arrived, an appointment cancellation had opened the door for Jerry Salley to join them. “I’m thinking my first writing session is going to be with Donnie Ulisse and Jerry Salley. Holy cow! I was really nervous because I was thinking I don’t know if I could hold up my end or I could contribute anything. These are two of the best writers in music, and I’m going to be writing with them! So, I actually asked them, I said, “Would you rather just write it together and I’ll just leave, or would you want me to stay and write with you?’
“That was my first real co-writing experience. On that afternoon we wrote a song called “Morning in Bethlehem” that was featured on Donna’s Christmas album All the Way to Bethlehem, and it turned out to be a great song and I get to be part of it. I think that experience kind of broke the ice and made me realize that I could probably write a lot better songs if I wrote with other people.”
Since that time, Lang’s impressive song discography has expanded as has the artists and bands that have recorded his tunes. IIIrd Tyme Out, Larry Stephenson, Sideline, Junior Sisk, Blue Highway, Alan Bibey & Grasstowne, Grascals, and Daryl Mosley are just a few of the names that have embraced his writing talents for their albums.
For 52 years, Lang made his living in the lumber business, working with sawmills, loggers, furniture makers and custom cabinet makers. Although it was a great career for him, he spent every spare minute following his passion of songwriting. “Ever since I retired, I’ve had a chance to just focus on songwriting. Starting a year and a half ago, I’m writing full-time for the first time in my life, and it’s very liberating. I get to live my dream. I’m in a little later point in life than most people do but spending full time all my time in music and songwriting and recording is just a joy. I’ve never been happier.
“I’m hoping I can do this for a long period of time, and some people would ask me, ‘Rick, you’ve written so many songs. What’s your favorite one?’ My answer would be the next one because I live to write the next song and I live for the next album. We’re already starting to think and plan for Blue Collar Gospel II at this point.”
Lang says many of his friends focus their time looking behind them, but he says his attention is on the future. “I spend 95% of my time looking ahead. Not looking behind. I look at what lies ahead—new opportunities, new challenges, new experiences, new songs, and really focused on the future. I hope that I can write and create and share a lot of new music for years to come.”
Behind The Songs
On The Tips Of Angels Wings
The origin of this deeply personal song goes back to 2001. My mom had died on Oct 4th of that year and I was having a very hard time with it all. One night I had a vision of my mom rising up to heaven on the tips of angels wings. It seemed so real, could not get it out of my head. I tried to write a song about the experience, but struggled with it. Few years later reached out to my dear friend Becky Buller who helped me shape the song in the way I remembered the vision. So glad we could include the song on my Blue Collar Gospel album release.
Sailing On
Look To The Light was my first ever all original Gospel album. One of my favorite tracks is the song “Sailing On.” I have lived near the ocean all my life and continually draw inspiration from the sea.
The idea for the song came from listening to Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver’s “On The Sea Of Life.” It was a track from Rock My Soul which was a big influence on me as a songwriter. This was my very first ocean-themed Gospel song, which was nominated for IBMA Gospel Song Of The Year in 2012.
Don’t Tune Him Out (Tune Him In)
I remember the day I wrote “Don’t Tune Him Out” as if it was yesterday. I was in a BMI writers room in Nashville, scheduled to write with good friend Becky Buller. She asked if I had any new song ideas, and I told her about this one. She loved it! By the time the session was done we’d finished the song. We recorded a work tape with Becky singing and me playing finger picked guitar.
That was about the time we were collecting songs for my Gonna Sing, Gonna Shout Gospel album.
Although I was high on including the song, producer Jerry Salley wasn’t sold. A couple weeks later I called Jerry and asked him to give it another listen. This time imagining The Whites singing on it. He was hooked, and suggested reaching out to The Whites to be the featured vocalists on the track. They agreed and recorded the tune, telling Jerry they felt the song was written for The Whites to sing. That was a highlight moment for me as a songwriter. “Don’t Tune Him Out, Tune Him In,” went on to become a #1 song!
I See God
At the time we were collecting songs for my Gonna Sing, Gonna Shout Gospel album I had a few tunes that were solo writes. That was at a time before I got heavy into co-writing.
One of those songs was a call and response gospel number “I See God.” The setting for writing this song is quite unusual. I was out in my back yard one summer day trimming our forsythia bush. As I looked around at everything created by our God, I was inspired to write a song about it. I had a pencil and a piece of paper in my pocket and started writing down notes. Before the afternoon was over I had written the song and it turned out great.
Can’t say that for the bush I was trimming, looked like I had a blindfold on as I trimmed it.
The song was chosen to be included on the album, and eventually was nominated for an IBMA Award.
Listen To The Word Of God
When I first became interested in bluegrass music in the late 1980s, it was the gospel element that attracted me the most. I quickly fell in love with groups like Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and the Bluegrass Cardinals. Soon after, I started writing bluegrass gospel and sending some of my songs to popular groups at the time. One of songs was a bluesy gospel number called “Listen To The Word Of God.” It was an early attempt to write a gospel song with a “bluesy” feel like some classic Bill Monroe gospel standards.
That song became my very first cut by The Lonesome River Band in 1990. It’s one of LRBs most requested songs. To this day I’m referred to as songwriter who wrote “Listen To The Word Of God.”
