BROADMAN RECORDS
LPM- 452-091
Circa 1967
Good News is an exciting new folk-musical which presents the challenge of Christianity to today's youth. The premiere of Good News was during the summer of 1967 at Glorieta Baptist Assembly in New Mexico. The singers and speakers on this recording were members of the summer staff at the assembly.
Produced jointly by the Church Recreation Department and the Church Music Department of the Baptist Sunday School Board, the fifty-five minute musical includes original folk songs, written and compiled by Bob Oldenburg of the Church Recreation Department. Other features included are dramatic sequences, monologues, and an opportunity for personal testimonies.
Good News is published by Broadman Press and is available with performance suggestions that are included in the complete musical score. Order Good News, Broadman Press, Code 451-242, $2.95.
BROADMAN RECORDS, Nashville, Tennessee
Recorded by staff members at Glorieta Baptist Assembly,
Glorieta, New Mexico
BILLY RAY HEARN, Choral Director
EDDIE LUNN, Instrumental Director

SIDE A:
Good News
We're Comin' On!
I've Been Sitting There
Let Your Heart Sing
Sunday's Child
Wake Up and Live!
I'm Awake
Stand Amazed
I'm a Rebel
We're Gonna Change This Land
Whoopee and Hooray!
Come Alive!
download
SIDE B:
He Shall Live Again
If There's to Be Tomorrow
The Greatest Miracle
Is It Getting Through?
Do You Really Care?
Good News (Reprise)
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Editor's note: moderate on the musical and folk aspects but fairly chock full of Gawd. Just as you like it on a Sunday morning in the Month of May. Pick a song and practice and sing it to your neighbor or the nearest atheist and see what happens. Wear a cross (or at least a helmet) and you will be protected. If you are good nothing can ever hurt you (name that obscure literary verse and you will win the favor and envy of many scholars).
31 comments:
This musical changed many lives. I took a group of high school and college youth to that conference at Glorieta, NM in 1967, and several of those youth volunteered to learn that musical in just three days. It was controversial due to the style not being "churchy", but it went on to be recorded and presented all over our country. It changed a culture. I am grateful for people like Billy Ray Hearn, Bob Oldenburg, Eddie Lunn and others who had the intestinal fortitude to write and produce this musical.
Thanks for the comments. Feel free to add more about the musical if you'd like to. Enjoy the site!
This musical, along with the musicals of Ralph Carmichael and Kurt Kaiser changed church music. I saw lives changed that would never have responded to preaching in 100 years. It changed church music and changed lives and we are all richer for it.
=Bill Rayborn=
My youth group did this musical at First Baptist Church, Grapevine, Tx in the late 60s, early 70s. I've been looking for a copy of the music and recording ever since. I can't get the download to work. Any ideas?
Nancy, I'll re-up the download links. Enjoy.
I'm Bob Oldenburg's oldest son. For no particular reason, I googled Good News and found your post. Thanks for sharing the music! This Youth Musical affected a generation and church culture with creative relevance for the day. As a kid, I witnessed countless lives changed as a direct response to the message of hope presented through the performances. There's a super natural power in the Divinely inspired lyrics. Now I serve the church and keep the message real and relevant to a generation desperately looking for hope...
Don't be a Sunday/s child! PEACE
I'm glad to share it. thanks for checking in.
I am Kathy Brumfield Farler. I was in the Belmont Heights Baptist Church production of "Good News". from Nashville, TN. We were fortunate to be able to take "Good News" on the road. We spent 3 months traveling from Nashville out to California and back. Many lives were changed by the words and music of Bob Oldenberg and Eddie Lunn.. Our director, Aubrey Edwards, passed away last year and will always be remembered by many for "Good News".
Hello! I was so glad to find this site. My sister and I were members of First Baptist Church in Texarkana, Texas many years ago and both sang in the production done at our church. We were just talking about this today, and I found this. It's so wonderful to hear this done at Glorieta. Our parents took us there during our early years. I wish I could find the musical score. Do you have any ideas? Also, this musical was a step outside the box of our church at the time (1960's). But I know it changed the outlook of many, young and old! Thanks!
Ellise, I don't know anything about the musical besides the record. It looks like somebody is selling the book score on eBay though: http://cgi.ebay.com/VTG-1967-GOOD-NEWS-CHRISTIAN-FOLK-MUSICAL-BOOK-/360362041171#ht_500wt_665
I sang this so many times I can still recite the words. Memorial Baptist Church in Grapevine. A group of us sang it at TX prisons as a ministry. I have at least one of the scores I would consider parting with
susansanford@tx.rr.com
Thanks for posting this. Just yesterday I was singing "Do You Really Care" to myself and wondered...."has anyone posted this online somewhere?" And thus I found you here. thanks!
Ellise Hunter...I am also grew up in FBC Texarkana, TX. Dr. Shields, who directed Good News for many mission trips passed away this week. He and his wife had several copies of the score and recently gave them to me (including Dr. Shield's director's copy). They knew that I am dreaming of a 50th anniversary performance somewhere in 2017.
Oh My Goodness! I'm so thankful you posted this album. I remember this from my youth, even though I was 6 1/2 years younger than my sister who performed it with her church choir at the time. I've been looking for it forever -- any snippet of the music. Would love to be able to find one for my sister.
I performed this music with our youth group from LaBelle Haven Bapt Church in Memphis TN in 1969. We performed it for USOs and Ridgecrest and our church. I loved the music and it was a turning point in my life. I even remember the dresses we wore. Thanks for reviving my wonderful memories
I was a staffer at GBA in 1968. GN was brought to GBA by Oldenburg in 1967 and was so well received that the original singers went on a large tour in 68 ending with a visit to GBA during Youth Week. It was so wonderful and to meet the original singers was great. I think of those time often and wish I could get a copy of the original songs on cd or some kind of media. Mike mysadcafe@yahoo.com
I have an album of this Musical produced in Greesboro< NC by the Greensboro Church Youth in March of 1968. It has a photo of the huge cast in the cover.
Two memories:
Under the direction of Walter Mangham at FBC Monroe, Louisiana, we sang after church one Sunday night - in the fellowship hall. I guess it was not appropriate for the sanctuary.
Also, I believe we joined over 1000 voices singing at the musical at the annual meeting of the SBC in Houston in June 1968.
Cool tunes for sure. Thanks for sharing this long-lost music with us. We performed the musical in 1968 and perhaps again in 1969 with the Mt. Harmony Baptist Church youth choir in Mableton, Georgia, under the direction of the late, great Mr. James Pugh.
I too, was at Glorieta in the summer of '67 and remember the 'premier performance' of "Good News" by the staff. Although already a Christian, and the daughter of a minister, the musical not only changed MY life, but I witnessed it changing MANY lives. I have the sheet music and had the album, but it was accidentally sold in a garage sale with ALL my albums. I finally found it on eBay a couple of years ago, and though I no longer have a turn-table, at least I own the album once again! Was trying to download 'just one song' tonight ("Sunday's Child") but for the life of me, can't get a 'free account' on the website (have since forgotten the name!) nor sign up for ANY account on that sight. Kept going in circles when it wanted to 'show me the site' or some such nonsense. :-(
I was in that choir from LaBelle Haven! Loved it
the downloads don't work :(
Try again, skip bo. They have been re-upped.
Wow! never heard it before. thank you!!
I was also at Glorieta during the summer in 1967 attending camp. I was 14 at the time. Our group brought it back to our church and performed it the next year. We were from Central Baptist Church of Livingston, Texas. This musical had an an impact on many lives. Even today at 64 years of age I still remember the words! I just recently found the score on Amazon and I ordered it.
Wondering if any of you remember a musical called "Life" that came not too many years after "Good News"? If so, and if you know where I can find an audio of its album, would sure appreciate it!
-Brian Harder
Mile Hile Blogger, did you mean Song of Life by Bob Oldenburg? If so, I did a search and there's actually a sealed copy available for pretty cheap: http://www.musicstack.com/item/379081153
That was our church in the early 70s! Small world!
Life musical by Otis Skillings. I was a member of the youth choir that sang both musicals in England in the early 70s. They were great moments in NY life.
The first time I heard Good News was in 1968 while my dad was stationed with the USAF in the Philippines and was sung by a Filipino youth choir. I loved it! We were lucky to be transferred to San Antonio when we returned to the states and joined FBC where Bob Oldenburg was our youth director! While we were there he wrote REAL and the youth there recorded it. That was another life changing musical! From there my dad was transferred to Germany and our youth choir sang Natural High and LOVE; not by Oldenburg but still good. 😀 Then we transferred to England and our youth group there was working on Good News! Wonderful memories with all of our youth groups because of music like this!
In a small town in FL, Umatilla, we had a production of this as well. We were fortunate enough to travel all over the state. It was a great time. For the song I'm a rebel, I was one of four. This recording still touches my heart.
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