Gold City Suffers a Second Loss: Bass Singer Chris West's Dad Passes Away

Southern Gospel Group Gold City suffers a second occasion of grief.  The father of bass singer Chris West, Sammy West has passed away. West is also the grandfather of Gold City sound engineer, Dillan West. 

Mr. West passed away Friday evening, April 22, 2016, after a battle with cancer. The funeral was held Sunday, April 24, 2016, at 2 p.m., at New Hope Holy Church of Christ in Nauvoo, Alabama, with visitation at the church two hours prior to the service. The family was served by Collins-Burke Funeral Home of Jasper, Alabama.  Please keep the West family in your prayers. 

Less than a week ago, on April 19th, Gold City's baritone Daniel Riley's mother, Barbara (Mrs. Tim) Riley passed away on April 19.  

Gold City was formed in Alabama in 1980. Members are bass vocalist Timothy "Tim" Riley, tenor John "Jay" Parrack, baritone Mark Trammell, lead vocalist Jonathan Wilburn, bass vocalist and guitarist Adam Borden, drummer Douglas "Doug" Riley, pianist Channing Eleton, and baritone Daniel Riley. Before joining forces for Gold City, most of the guys had spent time fine-tuning their skills with other gospel bands, like Dixie Echoes, Poet Voices, Arkansas Boys,Greater Vision, the Wilburns, and the Singing Ambassadors.

By the time the new millennium rolled around, Gold City had performed at countless festivals and appeared on stage at the Southern Baptist Convention, Music City Tonight, the Grand Ole Opry, and Nashville Now. The group had also completed over two dozen remarkable albums, featuring tunes like "There Rose a Lamb," "Getting Ready to Leave This World," "What a Glad Day," "Be Not Afraid," and "Dearest Friend I Ever Had."

The smooth harmonies the members of Gold City serve up on its albums have earned the group a number of significant awards, including Traditional Male Quartet of the Year and Southern Gospel Music's Band of the Year by Singing News Magazine, and Album of the Year and Favorite Group at the acclaimed Voice Diamond Awards. After two decades of using songs to witness to fans and reach lost souls, Gold City seems completely happy to stay the course and continue forward.

 

 

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