Joining forces for a friend: Christian Country, Southern Gospel to perform benefit concert

Two nationally known and locally grown musicians, Ernie Rowell and Harlan Burton, will perform in a Benefit Concert for their friend Joel Grantham, a local radio personality.

While Burton’s upcoming concert schedule lists concert dates across the Southeast, the one listed for Saturday, April 12, is a benefit singing for Joel Grantham, former DJ with the Kicker (WKKR) and WJHO, featuring Ernie Rowell and Harlan Burton at 6:30 p.m. at Central Baptist Church, 1611 Second Ave., Opelika.

Peck Rowell of Loachapoka, Ernie Rowell’s father, said no admission will be charged for the concert, but a love offering will be taken up for Grantham, who hosted the Sunday morning Jeffcoat-Trant Gospel Train from 6 to 10 a.m.

“Basically, Ernie and I will show up at the church, and both of us will do a concert,” Burton said. “He will do his thing, and I will do my thing.

“We will be doing Southern Gospel and Christian Country. Ernie will be doing the Christian Country, and I will be doing the Southern Gospel,” Burton said.

“We want to get as many people in the church as we can to help this old boy (Joel) out,” he said. “He has had some hard times, and we will take up a love offering.”

Ernie Rowell was born in Auburn and grew up in nearby Loachapoka.

Rowell’s Web site states that Ernie has had eight No. 1 singles in the Christian Country Charts and continues to write and produce Christian Country Music.

Harlan has been singing for more than 45 years and plays the piano, mandolin and guitar.

Burton’s bio on his Web site states that his professional music career began in 1967 when he joined The Tellers Quartet out of Dadeville and sang with The Tellers Quartet for eight years before embarking on a solo ministry.

He was with the U.S. Postal Service for 27 years and businesses in downtown Auburn will remember him as their mail carrier.

The site says that in 1988, Burton quit singing and playing music except at his home church, but returned to traveling and singing with his musical ministry in 1996 to use his talent to reach out to others in need and tell them of God’s love. He was honored to perform at the White House in Washington, D.C. Dec. 22-23, 2005.

Harlan, along with several other artists, performed in the “Pageant Of Peace Celebration” coordinated by Christian Music Presenters, the White House and the National Parks Service.

To learn more about the performers and listen to their releases visit their Web sites. Burton’s Web site is http://www.harlanburton.com, and Rowell’s Web site is http://www.ernierowell.com.