The Signature Sound Quartet

Making Their Mark

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a sound could fill a library. A voice, a chord, a simple phrase, each with the power to awaken years of memories, bringing with them laughter, tears, and hope for memories yet to be made.

For vocalists and musicians however, sound is more than simply a means to nostalgic recollection. For them, sound is identity. Their mark on the world professionally, even spiritually, will be determined in large part by their sound and its effectiveness at changing lives.

For two men who found success individually, that mark was yet to be made. It was only when they came together that they realized what had been formed would become their own Signature Sound.

When Ernie Haase and Garry Jones began some three years ago discussing the possibility of forming a new quartet, both were in the midst of very successful and demanding careers. As an award-winning soloist, Ernie was traveling extensively, juggling date after date while building a thriving nation-wide ministry.

Garry Jones, also with a trophy case of accolades, was in the middle of a calendar year filled with long days in the studio producing and arranging for a multitude of Southern Gospels’ most popular artists.

However, somewhere in the middle of all the success, Ernie and Garry both knew God had something more for them. It was in their relationship that each would find the vision and motivation to leave their comfort zones and return to what they both knew best . . . quartet music.

Haase, who traveled for 11 years as a part of what many consider to be the greatest quartet of all time, the Cathedrals, remembers his first few trips on the road as a soloist after the group retired.

“There were times in the first few months that I felt very alone,” states Haase. “I jumped on planes alone, woke up in hotel rooms alone - a far cry from just a few years ago when I would be on a tour bus with at least four other group members.” Though he admits to growing accustomed to life as a soloist, Ernie still looked forward to returning to the camaraderie and family atmosphere a quartet had to offer.

“Southern Gospel music is like one big family,” says Haase. It’s a tremendous group to be a part of, and I look forward to sharing that again with others.”

For Garry Jones, the quartet was a means of expression, a way to grow musically while using the talents of those around him to create music that honored the Lord. He accomplished this during his 13 year career with six-time Group of the Year winner, Gold City.

It was during that time that Jones produced and arranged many of the greatest songs in Southern Gospel’s catalog, including the 1990’s Song of the Decade, “Midnight Cry,” as well as the Dove-award winning “There Rose A Lamb.”

Since that time, Jones has managed to add to his repertoire by producing numerous albums for many of Gospel music’s most popular artists, including Brian Free and Assurance, for whom he produced the 1998 Song of the Year, “For God So Loved.”

However, this producer and arranger is quick to point out that producing for someone else is understandably different than producing for yourself.

“When it’s your album, when it’s your music, there’s something different about it,” states Jones. “To know that the sound you create will be your signature sound makes the process that much more meaningful.”

For these reasons, Garry Jones and Ernie Haase found themselves at similar crossroads. Each man had enough faith to step out on the water, to leave the comfort of the safe harbor each had carved for himself. But even more compelling was each man’s desire to make that mark, that undeniable, yet completely distinguishable impression on the ears and hearts of Gospel music.

Thus was born Signature Sound, a four-part male quartet in the tradition of such legendary names as the Blue Ridge Quartet and the Cathedrals. Among the members are of course Ernie Haase and Garry Jones, as well as Shane Dunlap, Tim Duncan, and Doug Anderson. Each member brings with them a wealth of experience. However, as Ernie points out, each member is (in a sense) starting over.

“We’re under no illusions,” states Haase. “We have our work cut out for us. Many of us have done this for years, but we’re all starting over. It’s our prayer that even though we have many experiences to draw from, we’ll allow God to take us in new directions.” The members of Signature Sound concur with their tenor singer. Each one understands that the goal of the quartet is simply to work hard and to take advantage of whatever doors God may open.

Again, Ernie Haase. “We haven’t really set any concrete professional goals for this group. We’re not out making a lot of far-reaching plans. In fact, for us the journey is much more rewarding than the goal anyway.”

Signature Sounds’ mission centers around faithfulness in four specific areas:

• Faithfulness to God.
• Faithfulness to their Families.
• Faithfulness to Gospel music.
• Faithfulness to the people to whom they are privileged to sing each night.

The group contends that if these four areas are maintained, God will honor their efforts, and lives will be changed because of it.

A commitment to excellence is also at the heart of Signature Sound. As each of the group members will tell you, Garry Jones is adamant about quality, and is more than able to bring out the best in anyone’s performance.

Tim Duncan, the bass singer from Corinth, Mississippi who studied extensively under legendary vocalist London Paris, is quick to give credit to Jones for his mic-side manner.

“I love working with Garry,” states Duncan. “He knows how to get the best out of you, and is patient and understanding enough to make it happen.” Listeners who find Duncan’s unmistakable voice familiar will remember him most recently from the Poet Voices.

It was the studio experience that also gave baritone Doug Anderson a true peace about his new relationship with the group.

“The blend and camaraderie between each of these guys in a setting as demanding as the recording studio let’s me know that God is definitely in this,” states Anderson, who is no stranger to teamwork. With a basketball scholarship to Purdue, this already-seasoned vocalist learned the value of camaraderie on the court and the road, having also worked most recently with the Lighthouse Quartet.

“Garry is a genius,” he continues. “I knew the recording would be good, but what I’m hearing simply passes all my expectations. God truly grants us the desires of our hearts.”

Even Jones himself, while meekly shrugging off the praise from his friends, admits the level of quality he expected from this record was certainly high. “I believe our music must be of the highest quality and the absolute best it can be,” shares Garry. “I believe God merits the foremost of what we have to give.”

Musically, Signature Sound feels confident that they have accomplished this with their debut recording, Stand By Me. Spiritually, the group’s belief in this recording is the same as their belief in the group itself. While they are quick to point out that Signature Sound is not the result of any divine mandate or writing on the wall, they do feel that God is working in each of their lives through this group already, and will continue to do so.

Shane Dunlap, the group’s lead singer, sees God’s hand in his own life though Signature Sound. “When Ernie and Garry approached me about singing with them,” remembers Shane, “I was in the middle of recording a new album for my own group, N’ Harmony. To consider leaving a group that my father and I built from the ground up was something I was not ready to face.”

“Then my wife and I learned we were expecting our first child. It was as if God was opening a door to a new time in my life. I knew it was the right thing to do.”

This confidence resonates throughout the members of Signature Sound. They agree that God called them to make their mark for His sake. They also agree that using their God-given talents to do this is simply the right thing to do.

For Ernie and Garry, this is an opportunity to create, to perform, and to serve as they never have before. It’s an opportunity for them to place their signature on a sound that bears their most fervent effort, their purest passion, and their greatest love.

The opportunity is called Signature Sound, and they’re making their mark soon in a town near you.