By Lori Bredemeyer, Copy Editor
When the emcee at the poetry reading asked them what their name was, one of the guys said, “Just call us The Group.”
That’s where it started for the band of soulful, gospel-singing young men at ACU known as The Group.
The charter members all attended Southwestern Christian College in Terrell where they sang together, so when they came to ACU they decided to get together to sing at a poetry night in the Bean Sprout. They performed The Temptations’ Just My Imagination and have been singing together ever since.
Arzell Draine, senior human communication major from Houston, said The Group goes beyond just singing.
“It’s mainly a group of guys that gets together to not only sing but also for fellowship,” he said. “We keep each other accountable as far as spiritual life goes. We try to live out the things we sing about”
Anthony Cox, senior marketing major from Long Island, NY, said when The Group is not practicing or performing, the members are usually hanging out, or playing basketball or video games.
“We’re almost like brothers,” he said. “We’re always doing something together. We’re not just separated all the time and then come together for rehearsal.”
Shannon Bailey, senior business management major from Corsicana, agreed.
“We’re real close; even when we’re not singing we’re hanging out,” he said. “We also fellowship together and have devotionals before practice to try to get in the right frame of mind and remember who we’re singing for.”
The Group has performed at events such as Lectureship and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Banquet, and they also get calls to sing in hospitals and at funerals.
“The best thing for me is when we do little things like a funeral,” Cox said. “It’s the small events where you’re touching people. It feels more like service than a performance.”
The Group has had auditions twice, and Cox said they were hoping to get more diversity.
“It didn’t come together quite like we had planned,” he said. “That is one of my goals, but it’s hard because our style is kind of different.”
Another goal is to make a CD by the end of the semester. The Group has discussed plans with recording studios in Abilene and Dallas, and Draine said he hopes it will be done
sometime in the spring.
The guys said being a member of The Group has made them somewhat of celebrities on campus, which Draine said keeps him in check.
“I’ve learned to be more aware of what I do and how I behave,” Draine said. “More people see you and recognize you, and I get exposed to different crowds.”
Bailey said to keep them conscientious of their roles on campus, they always sing I Really Love the Lord at the end of practices because “it gets our minds in the right perspective.”
For their performances, Cox said they pray together and then try to get rid of the nerves.
“We just get pumped up before big performances,” he said. “Me and Thurmond will jump up and bump each other’s chests; you’ve gotta get yourself up and get over being nervous.”
He also said they try to get mentally and spiritually ready.
“People aren’t going to feel you unless you look like you’re feeling it,” Cox said. “They won’t connect with you, and you’ll just look hypocritical.”
Bailey said being in the spotlight fits in with one of his goals for The Group.
“I want to make an impact on ACU, to show unity,” he said, “and to let people see that there are men who try to live right and serve the Lord.”
