By Denton Josey, Features Editor
He may be new to ACU, but many ACU students have grown up with George Pendergrass’ voice.
Acappella, the group Pendergrass sang with, was popular in the late 80s and early 90s. Anyone watching Super Bowl XXVII in 1993 heard George Pendergrass sing “They Are More Precious Than Gold.” The song was played on a commercial put out by Sony during the game and featured the vocal group Acappella. The most prominent voice belonged to Pendergrass.
A tenor with Acappella from 1988 to 1995, now Pendergrass is the director of multicultural enrichment at ACU.
Pendergrass is originally from New York City. Though he began college at Southwest College on a music scholarship, Pendergrass earned degrees in Bible and education from Lubbock Christian University. He went on to earn his master’s in community leadership from Duquesne University.
While Pendergrass was working as a youth minister in Los Angeles in the late 1980s, he heard a singing group was coming to town. Intrigued, he watched it perform – not knowing the group was looking to recruit. Pendergrass said he met with the group’s founder, Keith Lancaster, and joined.
“It was history from that point on,” he said. Moyers, former minister of worship arts at the Golf Course Road Church of Christ in Midland, said Pendergrass brought charisma and integrity to the group. “When he got around people he glowed, he came to life,” he said. “He brought charisma and joy to our presentation.”
Within a year, Acappella was formed, with Pendergrass singing second tenor, Wayburn Dean as baritone, Duane Adams as bass and Gary Moyers as first tenor.
When he joined Acappella, Pendergrass moved to Paris, Tenn., but he wasn’t home very much. The group was on tour for 9-10 months out of the year performing 120-140 shows. “I don’t think we did all 50 states, but I think we did most of them,” Moyers said.
Outside the U.S., Acappella went to South Africa, Jamaica and several European countries.
Moyers sang with the group for 11 years and watched its popularity rise. He said it sang to a crowd of 125,000 in Utrecht, Holland and to 7,000 in a 3,000-seat stadium in Jamaica.
“In America, we were a Christian singing group; most of our crowds were 80 percent Christian,” Moyers said. “Outside of the U.S., we were viewed as an American singing group who happened to be Christians. We were much more effective outside the country with our mission efforts.”
Sharing the Gospel as they traveled stretched Pendergrass. He found himself learning more from others than he taught them.
“It’s given me the opportunity to stretch my spiritual perspective,” he said. “It broadened how I see Christianity. “When you travel, it automatically stretches you because it exposes you to so many people, places and situations you would not have been exposed to,” Pendergrass said. “It stretches how you see the world.”
With God’s help, Acappella had a big impact on the Church of Christ, Moyers said.
“The church was about to burst looking for an outlet,” Moyers said. “The church was culturally wanting to expand and embrace things that had been verboten.”
Historically, Churches of Christ have worshiped only with a cappella singing, but Moyers said some churches were “looking to explore instrumental worship” at the time Acappella began touring. However, when the group brought a more contemporary sound to a cappella music, people embraced it.
“Then along comes Acappella, and we provide an outlet,” Moyers said. “It was a wonderful release people had for a series of years.”
The Acappella Company, which features other singing groups and will soon put out its 100th album, went triple platinum in sales by 2003.
“I think God used us as a way to grow the church,” Moyers said.
Byron Sommardahl, road manger for Acappella’s current lineup, said Acappella is internationally known. He said Acappella has helped the Church of Christ enjoy music more.
“Thousands of kids grow up dreaming they could be in Acappella,” Sommardahl said.
Despite the group’s success, traveling was tough for Pendergrass. Acappella traveled with its families, and that made it more difficult. “In the midst of traveling you miss out on some aspects of normality,” he said. Pendergrass longed for a less nomadic lifestyle.
In 1995 he left the group and started his own business in Nashville. It incorporated his gifts, including singing and speaking. He said his interests are like a guy who goes fishing and uses 10 different rods; his interests and gifts are many. ‘When God gives you many gifts, he wants you to use them all.”
From Nashville, Pendergrass took a job in Hershey, Pa., with the Milton-Hershey School. George and Pamela worked as house parents for 11 middle school boys for five years before they moved to Abilene where their son, Jonathan, is a freshman.
Now the director for multicultural enrichment, Pendergrass said he wants to help people appreciate the different cultures represented on campus.
Brandon Jones, graduate student in higher education from Tyler, is Pendergrass’s graduate assistant in the office for multicultural enrichment. Jones said working with Pendergrass is exciting because it is a new position for Pendergrass, and Jones gets to help him get acquainted. At the same time, Jones said he learns a lot being around Pendergrass.
“He’s traveled the world so much and encountered so many cultures,” Jones said. “I think he’s perfect for the job. He’s got a broader world view, and that makes him more relatable.”
Moyers said Pendergrass has always been about bridging gaps. When they were students together at LCU, Moyers saw Pendergrass proactively engaging people from all cultures. “It’s really easy for a person to gravitate toward their own culture,” he said. “George was never like that. In college, he was always breaking down walls.”
“It does not surprise me in the least that he’s taken this job. He’ll do a fantastic job.”
Moyers said. “That’s what he’s always done.”
