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The History of One Spirit Gospel Quartet

Three years ago when Tim and Mark were both attending Hosanna Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, Ohio, the pastor there, Dave Bringman, wanted to do something special on Super Bowl Sunday to bring people to church.  Dave and Tim dreamed up the idea of doing a service where everything revolved around the music of the Beatles.  Tim, Dave, and some other musicians created such a successful event that the quest was on for an even bigger and better Super Bowl Sunday service the following year.

For years Tim had known an Elvis Presley tribute artist (impersonator) from Toledo.  When "Elvis Sunday" was confirmed as the next great Super Bowl event at Hosanna, it dawned on Tim that Elvis, aka Bob Rosencrantz, would need a backup group.  Mark joined Tim and Dave as a backup trio, and Mark, Dave, and the congregation at Hosanna found out just how good Bob really is.  The results?  Another successful Super Bowl Sunday at the church and the discovery that singing the old Elvis gospel hymns was a great deal of fun!

Now the three of them were hooked and started to rehearse regularly.  Instead of writing out arrangements for songs, they would get together and harmonize out the parts as they went along.  Several hours and some jazzy new chord concepts later another song would be in the can.  But something was missing.  What could it be?

The missing element was, what else?  A bass.  No respectable gospel quartet can sing without a bass who can hit the really, really low notes.  But who to get?

Unknown to Dave and Tim, Mark had a friend who was an auctioneer.  Mark had never actually heard him sing, but, having heard him at more than one auction, Mark's experience told him that this auctioneer had a glorious singing voice.  In fact, he and Mark had actually been talking off and on for a couple of years about getting a group together to sing.  Tim, Dave, and Mark all agreed at the first rehearsal Denver attended that they had found their bass.  Not having sung since his country band Beaver Creek had broken up several years earlier, Denver was a bit rusty, but oh, could he hit the low notes!

Now the quartet was starting to roll - but only for a few short weeks.  Dave dropped the bombshell one Sunday morning.  He was leaving to take the pastor position at a church in Alameda, California, so he could be closer to his family.

What were they going to do?  Tim, Denver, and Mark searched for what seemed like forever for a baritone, but no-one was jumping out of the bushes.  There was even talk that the quartet might become a trio, but that just didn't create the sound they wanted.

While on the phone with a colleague one day, Mark asked if she knew of anyone who might be interested in singing in a gospel quartet.  Her answer?  Her brother had just moved back to the area from California and she would ask if he was interested.  A few phone calls later this guy from Pemberville via California was scheduled to come to a rehearsal.  It turned out that Steve had a great love for music and had been involved with music all of his life.  He decided to check the others out and see what he thought.  As they say, the rest is history!  Steve joined the group and the trio was again a quartet!

What was interesting about this mix of people was that all four members of One Spirit Gospel Quartet brought something different to the musical table.  Tim Tiderman is rooted in rock and jazz.  Mark Sarkan is trained on opera.  Denver Geitgey cut his teeth on country music, and Steve Farmer was a member of several music groups at The Ohio State University - and was also a member of the marching band!  This diversity in styles meant One Spirit Gospel Quartet could have many different sounds and styles depending on how the music was arranged and who was singing the lead.

Shortly after Steve joined the group, a local guitar player, Jon Renkel, came to a Gospel Jam and played along with several of the songs the quartet sang.  He also sang a couple of the old spiritual songs sung by Johnnie Cash.  His personality, talent, and style made him a natural to join the band!

In December of 2006 Steve made a very difficult decision - he was leaving the group so he could have more time with his family.  A long search to replace him followed.  Just when the other members of the quartet were about to make it a trio, John Johnson came into the picture.

John had sung Gospel music as a youth.  He was currently singing in a well-known vocal jazz group and was an accomplished musician in many ways.  John was the person the quartet needed, and after reflecting on his schedule and the time that would be needed, he joined the group.  In doing so, John brought several new elements to One Spirit Gospel Quartet and Denver, Tim, and Mark were very happy with this new addition!

During this search a drummer, Clark Brooks, was invited to come to a jam session.  Clark didn't know it at the time, but the guys had their eyes on him.  Adding a drummer to the band had been long discussed.  Clark's immense talents were immediately seen as something that would make yet another great addition to the group, and Clark now fills out the roster as our drummer.

So - what else was needed to give One Spirit Gospel Quartet what it needed to be the best that it could be?  A person to make sure the sound was mixed properly during performance was next on the list, and Matt Geiger came to the rescue.  Matt has a great ear for sound and has become an important asset to the group.

What does the future hold for the quartet?  So far the guys have had a great deal of fun, have moved many people, and have solidified their own beliefs through the music they sing.  Whatever happens, it will be God's will, and that will take some time to develop.  In the mean time, watching people enjoy their songs and their ever-present wit is what means the most to them.