Terry Blackwood and the Imperials coming April 10

Music royalty will grace the Park Theater stage Friday, April 10 as Terry Blackwood and The Imperials play McMinnville's historic theater.

A gospel music legend and frequent collaborator with the "King of Rock and Roll" Elvis Presley, Blackwood will bring his Christian music group to the stage at 7:30 p.m.

Blackwood appeared on 105.3 WOW Country's The Justin Reed Show Friday, March 27 to talk about his upcoming show. The interview will re-air Friday, April 3 at 11 a.m.

"I feel like God has blessed me with a gift, and I'm excited to give it back to the people," Blackwood told Reed. "As a boy, I was not a singer. My father put me on the piano at age 7 and said, 'You're going to take classical piano lessons every week for 30 minutes and you are going to like it.' I said, 'yes sir.' I didn't like it, but I didn't tell him that."

Blackwood became an accomplished pianist, but he would become best known for his singing. Born into a family widely renowned for its voices, it was a natural progression.

"My father was an original member of the Blackwood Brothers quartet," Blackwood said. "There were three brothers in the original quartet. Roy was the oldest. Nine years later, my father Doyle came along and nine years after him, James was born. By the time James came, his oldest brother Roy had married and had a son, R.W. That was the original quartet. My father used to introduce the group by saying, 'We are the only group you'll ever see comprised of three brothers, two uncles, two nephews, a father and a son.'"

Blackwood got a fateful call shortly after finishing college at the University of Memphis from famed gospel group The Imperials asking him to join. After taking a few days to decide, he agreed – a decision he remains thankful for to this day. The Imperials were pioneers in what became known as "Contemporary Christian Music."

As the group established itself, doors began opening. One of the biggest was when Elvis called in 1969 asking the group to become part of his show along with The TCB Band and The Sweet Inspirations. Blackwood and The Imperials' involvement with the legendary performer is well documented as they sang on many of Elvis' hits and appear on screen in Baz Luhrmann's latest film "EPIC: Elvis Presley in Concert" 46 times. The group's association with Elvis during some of the peak years of his performing career led to even more opportunities, including a stint with Jimmy Dean.

The Imperials left a lasting impact, spreading the message of gospel music to millions, racking up several Grammy and Dove nominations and wins along the way to a Gospel Music Hall of Fame induction.

"Many people have said he was the prettiest man they've ever seen, and I'd have to agree with them," Blackwood said of Elvis. "I first met him when I was barely a teenager and my father had been asked by the state party to run for office as a representative for Shelby County. I think they picked him because James declined the offer and Daddy was available and the Blackwood name at that time was very popular in Memphis."

Doyle agreed and was invited to participate along with his family in a parade down Main Street in Memphis as a way to introduce himself to voters.

"At that time, Daddy had left the quartet, and he didn't make a lot of money, so he called his friend, Elvis. Elvis was a huge Blackwood Brothers fan and said, 'Sure, come on out.' So, Daddy took me and I met Elvis for the first time. He was so nice to me. He always had so much respect for the Blackwood family. So, he agreed to let Daddy drive one of his cars. That next Sunday afternoon, we were the only family there riding down Main Street in a pink Cadillac. Elvis was so generous and so kind to us."

Blackwood has carried on the legacy of The Imperials with new members as Terry Blackwood and The Imperials who will appear at next Friday night's Park Theater Show.

"The group I'm bringing to McMinnville is one I've been doing quite a few dates with over the last year," Blackwood said. "We have a baritone, Johnny Minick, who many may recognize as baritone for the Happy Goodman Family many years ago. He's a fantastic singer and plays awesome piano. My tenor is Jamie Parker, who is a minister of music around Milan, Tenn. I'm glad to have him. I've known him a number of years. In fact, on the video Bill Gaither released from Memphis, the Blackwood Boys sang a song called "Rolling, Riding and Rocking" which I arranged for the quartet and Jamie sang tenor at that time. So, I invited him to join us in McMinnville and he readily accepted.

"It will be a great show. We'll be doing a lot of familiar songs The Imperials are known for, but we'll also have a segment where we will invite the audience to shout out requests. I'm not saying we'll do it," Blackwood added with a laugh. "But if we know it, we'll be happy to sing it for them."

Speaking of requests, the Park Theater management's goal is to offer a varied lineup of crowd-pleasing acts and the booking of Terry Blackwood and The Imperials was another attempt to expand its offerings.

"We get a lot of requests from the community and our customers about bringing more gospel music to the Park," Park Theater Manager Joe Harvey said. "With that in mind, we're excited to have one of the legends of the genre coming to the Park Theater stage. With this show, we're able to offer a group discount. We think that will benefit church groups and other organizations who want to attend together. Groups of eight or more can call (931) 506-2787 or visit the Park Theater box office at 115 W. Main St. to secure that discount ahead of the show."

Tickets start at $25 plus tax and are available at the Park Theater website, the Park box office during business hours or at the door beginning at approximately 6:30 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. show.