# National Gospel Singing Convention

The National Gospel Singing Convention is an annual Southern gospel music event, and has played a significant part in the development of Gospel music.
The convention was established by the most prominent publishers of shape note song books in 1936, including the Morris-Henson Company, the Vaughan Quartet, James D. Vaughan Music Publishers, the Hartford Music Company, A. J. Showalter Company, Denson Music Company, Theodore Sisk Music Company, Tennessee Music and Printing Company, George W. Sebren, W. P. Ganus, and the Stamps Baxter Music and Printing Company. The first event was held in 1936 in Atlanta, Georgia, with Adger M. Pace serving as the convention's first president.
In 1949, the convention's constitution was revised so that state singing conventions would have voting privileges in addition to music publishers. In 1961, Stella Vaughan wrote an article for Vaughan's Family Visitor newsletter that chronicled the convention's first twenty-five years. The convention has continued as an annual event for more than 70 years, rotating among small towns throughout the United States (typically in the South). Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, home of the original Vaughan Publishing Company and generally regarded as the birthplace of Southern Gospel music since 1910, hosted the 1991, 1996, 2006, and 2015 conventions.
The current president of the convention is former president of the Georgia State Gospel Singing Convention, Cameron B. Holloway. The 2023 session will take place at the historic Orange United Methodist Church outside Canton, Georgia on November 17 and 18, 2023.

## National Gospel Singing Convention

| Year | President | Location |
| 1936 | Adger M. Pace | Atlanta, Georgia |
| 1937 | Adger M. Pace | Birmingham, Alabama |
| 1938 | Otis L. McCoy | Old Hickory, Tennessee |
| 1939 | W. Lee Higgins | Greenville, South Carolina |
| 1940 | W. Lee Higgins | Akron, Ohio |
| 1941 | George W. Sebren, J. M. Henson acting | Asheville, North Carolina |
| 1942 | W. B. Walbert | Charleston, West Virginia |
| 1943 | W. Lee Higgins | Akron, Ohio |
| 1944 | J. A. McClung, J. M. Henson acting | Detroit, Michigan |
| 1945 | J. M. Henson | Decatur, Georgia |
| 1946 | Adger M. Pace | Monticello, Arkansas |
| 1947 | Frank Stamps | Montgomery, Alabama |
| 1948 | W. Lee Higgins, Harley Lester acting | Cleveland, Tennessee |
| 1949 | G. K. Vaughan | Greenville, South Carolina |
| 1950 | M. J. Beasley | Birmingham, Alabama |
| 1951 | W. H. (Bill) Fleming | Conway, Arkansas |
| 1952 | Roscoe Long | Gainesville, Georgia |
| 1953 | Gaskell Warren | Cookeville, Tennessee |
| 1954 | Earl Crowson | Louisville, Mississippi |
| 1955 | H. A. Waltman | Mobile, Alabama |
| 1956 | Mrs. C. H. (Mom) Rushing | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| 1957 | J. E. Wheeler | Porterville, California |
| 1958 | Ray Wyatt | Pell City, Alabama |
| 1959 | Earl Crowson | Louisville, Mississippi |
| 1960 | A. B. Taylor | Live Oak, Florida |
| 1961 | Videt Polk | Pass Christian, Mississippi |
| 1962 | Nolin Jeffress | Crossett, Arkansas |
| 1963 | Gaskell Warren | Cookeville, Tennessee |
| 1964 | J. S. Cooksey | Tifton, Georgia |
| 1965 | Willie Weems | Forest, Mississippi |
| 1966 | Videt Polk | Pass Christian, Mississippi |
| 1967 | Oliver S. Jennings | Madison, Tennessee |
| 1968 | Arch Gibson | Plainview, Texas |
| 1969 | Connor B. Hall | Cleveland, Tennessee |
| 1970 | Lewis Miller | Cullman, Alabama |
| 1971 | Nolin Jeffress | Hot Springs, Arkansas |
| 1972 | Videt Polk | Pass Christian, Mississippi |
| 1973 | E. F. (Gene) Roberts | Cookeville, Tennessee |
| 1974 | Ernest Latta | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| 1975 | J. C. Cobb | Albertville, Alabama |
| 1976 | Talmadge Johnson | Roswell, New Mexico |
| 1977 | Arthur Watson | Stephenville, Texas |
| 1978 | Nolin Jeffress | Hot Springs, Arkansas |
| 1979 | J. W. Payne | Blairsville, Georgia |
| 1980 | Gary Davis | Ruston, Louisiana |
| 1981 | Christine (Martin) Moore | Winter Haven, Florida |
| 1982 | Theron Lee | Cullman, Alabama |
| 1983 | W. C. Taylor, Jr. | Kingsport, Tennessee |
| 1984 | Ernest Latta | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| 1985 | Nolin Jeffress, Walker Watson acting | Hot Springs, Arkansas |
| 1986 | James W. Tennyson | Jackson, Mississippi |
| 1987 | Jake Brown, Mickey Marlow acting | Stephenville, Texas |
| 1988 | David Leach | Henryetta, Oklahoma |
| 1989 | J. T. Dean | Hot Springs, Arkansas |
| 1990 | Curtis Nelson | Decatur, Alabama |
| 1991 | Jimmy Glass | Lawrenceburg, Tennessee |
| 1992 | Bobby Keys | Cartersville, Georgia |
| 1993 | Eugene McCammon | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| 1994 | Mike Pace | Stephenville, Texas |
| 1995 | Pauline Thompson | Corsicana, Texas |
| 1996 | Jimmy Glass | Lawrenceburg, Tennessee |
| 1997 | Wynona Browning | Fayette, Alabama |
| 1998 | Billy Henderson | Ruston, Louisiana |
| 1999 | Vera Miller | Decatur, Alabama |
| 2000 | C. B. Anderson | Jacksonville, Texas |
| 2001 | Charles Jefferson | Sallisaw, Oklahoma |
| 2002 | K. Wayne Guffey | Trenton, Georgia |
| 2003 | Jeff Y. Gregory | Westmoreland, Tennessee |
| 2004 | Marty Phillips | Crossett, Arkansas |
| 2005 | Wynona Browning | Hamilton, Alabama |
| 2006 | Byron L. Reid | Lawrenceburg, Tennessee |
| 2007 | Everette Driskell | Pass Christian, Mississippi |
| 2008 | June Walker | Waco, Georgia |
| 2009 | Melba (Hutson) Bounds | Nashville, Arkansas |
| 2010 | Glen Taylor | Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| 2011 | Iris Bass | Rainsville, Alabama |
| 2012 | Gay (Pace) Young | Monticello, Arkansas |
| 2013 | Susan Bollman | Mount Pleasant, Texas |
| 2014 | Jo Parker | Wetumpka, Alabama |
| 2015 | Jimmy Glass | Lawrenceburg, Tennessee |
| 2016 | Linda (Wedgeworth) Hight | Carthage, Texas |
| 2017 | Dylan Feezell | Houston, Alabama |
| 2018 | Crandall Woodson | Tucker, Georgia |
| 2019 | Andy Browning | Weatherford, Texas |
| 2020 | Carl Gregory | Tupelo, Mississippi Postponed until 2022 due to COVID-19 |
| 2023 | Cameron B. Holloway | Canton, Georgia resigned due to political infighting |
| 2023 | Gay Young | Wilmar, Arkansas |