Winter 2012 - Wayland Baptist University Alumni Association

Harkey selected to sing bass
with Signature Sound
Southern Gospel music
fans were buzzing recently
with word that a new bass
singer was joining Ernie Haase and
Signature Sound.
On blogs and online forums, it
seemed to be unanimous that while
music lovers were sad to see Ian
Owens move on to other opportunities,
they are excited that Wayland
graduate Paul Harkey will be the
newest member of EHSS – an opinion
shared by Owens himself.
“Owens posted a heartfelt congratulatory
welcome on Harkey’s
Facebook page, and that kind of
support can only make the transition
even more positive for the whole
EHSS family,” one gospel music
observer said.
“And since Harkey calls the legendary
bass singer George Younce
one of his early influences – especially
Younce’s rhythm, his phrasing,
and his heart – Harkey can’t help
but feel right at home with Ernie
Haase, son-in-law of the late great
Cathedrals bass singer.”
According to Haase, Paul Harkey
“has a voice that fills up the room”
and will bring “another level of
excitement” to any live listening
audience.
On the road since 2007, Harkey
has enjoyed singing and touring
with respected groups like Crystal
River (during a two-month stint in
Branson, Mo.), Anchormen and The
LeFevre Quartet. With a bachelor’s
degree in Church Music from Wayland
in December 2003, the Plain-
view-born Harkey is well-prepared
for a new adventure with Signature
Sound with whom he debuted Oct.
18 in Elizabethtown, N.C.
“I was called into ministry,” Harkey
said about his positive time serving
as a church minister of music
– including time in Petersburg where
he lived as a youngster as well as
Abernathy before graduating from
Plainview High in 1998. But he was
encouraged to learn that singing on
the road is “what I’m supposed to
do,” and “lets me fulfill what God’s
will is for me.”
Harkey, who said his deep voice
came about in his late teens (“I was
a very late bloomer”), was introduced
to gospel music during a
Homecoming Texas Style concert
produced by Bill Gaither in Fort
Worth “when I was 14 or 15.” Now
living his dream, Harkey got to sing
with the Gaither Vocal Band during a
concert in Myrtle Beach, S.C. but has
not yet appeared on a Gaither video.
Harkey complimented the music
staff at Wayland while he was a
student. “All of them had a profound
impact on who I am today as a singer
and as a Christian. Robert Black
(who retired last May as Director of
Church Music) had a tremendous
influence on me,” he said.
Harkey, a self-described “regular
guy” who loves hunting and fishing,
has the support of his whole family
as he joins Ernie Haase and Signature
Sound. He and his wife Jennifer,
and their 9-year-old daughter
Cameron are also looking forward
to meeting a new member of their
family – a boy due in late April,
2013. The singer and his family live
in Randleman, near Greensboro, N.C.
Harkey said his new group performs
115-125 days a year in the
United States and outside.
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