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Eva Mae LeFevre
Southern Gospel Music’s First Lady
Singing News Cover Story, April, 2000
By Tim Gardner, Singing News Associate Features Editor |
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The trouble in telling Eva Mae LeFevre’s story rests with finding
the right way to begin. There is almost too much to say.
You can cite the lengthy list of her Gospel Music peers and fans who
consider her to be one of the all-time greatest - and most versatile - personalities in
the industry. But that still doesn’t adequately frame her achievements. You can
discuss the numerous awards and honors she has received in a career that spans more than
seven decades, and includes memberships in four Gospel Music Halls of Fame as well as
being the first inductee from Gospel in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. You can relate
many examples of Eva Mae’s strength, courage, unselfishness and perseverance during
various trials she and her family endured. There’s also so many other things to tell
in any story about Eva Mae LeFevre.
We start her story at its most obvious and logical point, the
beginning. To fully understand the impact she has made on Gospel Music, one must first
know her heritage.
The eldest of nine children of Church of God preacher Harry L.
Whittington and his wife Lydia McClendon, Eva Mae was born in 1917 in McCall, South
Carolina. She started singing and playing the pump organ at her father’s revivals
from the age of four. "I couldn’t reach the pedals to pump the organ, so I would
play the keys and Daddy would sit on the stool with me and pump the pedals!
"I am so thankful for a special gift from the Lord as far as
playing the piano and organ was concerned. I could play any kind of music-Gospel,
classical, blues, jazz, love songs or whatever: it didn’t matter. I knew and could
play every kind of music going in the 20’s and 30’s," Eva Mae recalls.
Eva Mae met Urias LeFevre in 1925 and they married in 1934, at which
time she began traveling with her husband and his brother Alphus, as part of The LeFevre
Trio, which Urias and Alf had formed with their sister Maude in 1921. Eva Mae’s first
encounter with the LeFevre brothers was interesting to say the least, and Eva Mae throws
her head back, and laughs her famous, joyous laugh as she recalls.
"I met Urias when he and his brother came to my church to sing. I
was only 8 years old, but Urias told Alphus after that meeting that he had just met his
wife. Urias was 16 then, and I really didn’t notice him too much at that time. It was
Alphus who could play the piano so he had my full attention. But Urias and I married when
I was 17 and he was 24."
Once Eva Mae began singing and playing the piano with Urias and
"Uncle Alf", The LeFevres rapidly became synonymous with Gospel Music. The
LeFevre Trio was among the forerunners in setting the standard for mixed groups. Eva Mae
and her dear friend, Lena (Mom) Speer, are given credit for being the first ladies to
change the world of Gospel Music and the first females to travel extensively in the field.
Eva Mae set high standards with her vocal and instrumental work, and from World War II
forward, Eva Mae was the LeFevre’s delightful emcee-the first female emcee in Gospel
Music.
She well-remembers her early years in Gospel Music and says those were
some of the most difficult times financially for the group, but also some of the most
rewarding. "Times had been tough for Urias and Alphus before I joined the group. They
even got tougher during the 30’s with the Great Depression wiping just about
everything out. People were poor, but they were God-fearing. We sang at every church in
Atlanta and the surrounding area-sometimes for an offering of a dollar or two - not much
for three people. When we traveled we stayed in people’s homes and we treated as
special guests, like the old time circuit riding preachers."
Eva Mae laughs again: "My younger friends in the Gospel field
might find the life without the big buses and motels a bit trying. It takes dedication to
finish a singing and ride four or five hundred miles with three quartet men, two or three
small children and Uncle Alf’s guitar, all crammed into one big Hudson! (Fans will
know the LeFevre’s graduated from that Hudson to Cadillac limousines and one to one
of the first and most commodious buses in the industry.) "Many times we would arrive
in a town and ride up and down the streets with a megaphone ‘advertising’ that
‘The LeFevres are going to be at such and such place tonight, come and hear us! But
the LeFevres were in some of the best services we were ever in back in those days, and God
certainly led us into much better times," she recalls wistfully.
In the case of The LeFevres, the word "pioneer" can never be
overused. The LeFevres introduced to Gospel Music the art of versatility with their
expertise on so many different instruments. No female performer has had more of a positive
impact on the industry during the past century than Eva Mae, the very heart and soul of
The LeFevres. She was one of the greatest with her triple duty singing, playing and emcee
work. Eva Mae’s alto voice was pretty and pleasing and she possessed arguably the
most recognizable style of any pianist who ever graced a Gospel stage - simply put, she
could play the dickens out of a piano.
A superb rhythm pianist, Eva Mae could take off with her right hand
when it was her time to be featured, but when she was accompanying the group, she laid
perfect rhythm with her steady, smooth dependable piano beat. Fans still remember and
request songs such as "Scatter Sunshine", "When The Saints Go Marching
In", "I Walk With Jesus" and "Keep On The Firing Line". The
LeFevres were one of the first Gospel Music groups to sing on the radio. They started
their own program on WGST after their arrival in Atlanta in 1939. Eva Mae calls this their
first big break in the field. Another top accomplishment in their storied history was the
creation of their highly successful television show, The Gospel Singing Caravan, in 1959.
The LeFevres headed the program and worked with three great groups: The Blue Ridge
Quartet, The Prophets and The Johnson Sisters.Attending a concert by these four groups was
a major event and one of the most electrifying Gospel music had to offer. The Caravan will
go down as one of the most successful "package programs" ever assembled. The
show was televised on sixty-five stations for a decade and included other guest
groups-with The LeFevres and Speer Family eventually partnering in a "new"
Caravan. The LeFevres (and their successors the Nelons) were also popular guests on the
Gospel Singing Jubilee television program during that period.
In addition to her Hall of Fame memberships, Eva Mae was named
"Queen of Gospel Music" by several organizations, including in 1974, The Singing
News magazine-the printed voice of Southern Gospel Music. She was an inaugural
inductee in "The Piano Roll of Honor" at The Grand ‘Ole Gospel Reunion in
1996, and has been featured on its "This Is Your Life" program .
Urias, Eva Mae and Uncle Alf sang as a trio for years, but added
personnel as the years rolled by: Big Jim Waites, Little Troy Lumpkin, Johnny Atkins,
Hovie Lister, Rex Nelon, Jimmy Jones, Ron Hutchins and many other talented individuals
have been a part of The LeFevres. Sons Pierce and Mylon were also popular
personnel for a number of years. The LeFevres popularity never waned through the 50s, 60s
and 70s. They always had a unique sound with special attention to harmonies.
"There has never been a stylist like Eva Mae LeFevre in Southern
Gospel Music," said Ron Hutchins. "She is a very special lady whom I admire and
love very much. I will always treasure the time I spent singing with the LeFevres.
Eva Mae was truly the foundation of the success of the LeFevres."
With top hit songs such as "Just A Closer Walk With Thee",
"Take My Hand Precious Lord", "Stepping On The Clouds", "I Love
To Call His Name", "All Aboard", "Heaven Bound Train" and
"He’ll Hold My Hand", The LeFevres became an institution in Southern Gospel
Music. They were nominated several times for the Grammy Award, both as a group and as
individual artists.
Urias retired from the Gospel Music circuit in the mid 1970s. He
eventually sold the group to Rex Nelon, the LeFevre longtime excellent bass singer. Eva
Mae remained with the group to help Rex in every possible way. When Eva Mae "came off
the road", Rex changed the name to the Rex Nelon Singers and, eventually, simply The
Nelons.
"Rex didn’t think it was right to use the LeFevre name, even
though that was the name the group was built on, when, in fact, there was no LeFevre in
the group," Eva Mae says. Rex remained one of Eva Mae’s most cherished friends
until he went home to be with Jesus in January, 2000. Eva Mae is proud of the Nelons and
their outstanding contributions to Southern Gospel Music.
Various hard times and tragedies over the last two decades have given
Eva Mae a stronger faith. Urias and Eva Mae had a large and happy family-Pierce, Meurice,
Andrea, Mylon and Monteia. In 1979, Urias passed away. Eva Mae’s mother died a month
later. Then, in 1985, Pierce was killed in a plane crash. "Uncle Alf"
followed in 1987, leaving Eva Mae as the only surviving member of the popular Trio. Even
when losing a grandchild to cancer at age 24, Eva Mae’s faith has never waned:
"I’ve got more and more waiting for me on the other side!"
Son Mylon became addicted to drugs early in his life, but is today a
great minister for the cause of Christ and a joy to his mother: "At age 18, Mylon
wrote 'Without Him' , I think one of the greatest Gospel songs ever written.
It’s been translated into many languages. I walked into a cathedral in England and
heard the choir there sing it. Elvis Presley recorded it and also sang it a lot.
"I prayed for 30 years that Mylon would find the right way, and
that, of course, is the way of the Lord. The day his father died, Mylon made a permanent
change. Today, he sings and preaches the Gospel in many countries. I’m so proud of
him and thankful to God for the way he has turned out," Eva Mae states.
Eva Mae’s youngest child, Monteia, is
severely handicapped but provides her mother great blessings:
"Monteia is 44 years old now. She can walk but
has never spoken a word. I spend a good amount of time with her. I take her places with
me, and she always expects her ice cream and cookies when I’m with her. The Lord has
a purpose for Monteia. Whenever I am down and blue, I can spend time with her and then
everything is all right," says Eva Mae.
In 1985, Keith Thornton, a former Dixie Echoes
member, joined Eva Mae and they sang around the country for 13 years. Keith also passed
away in 2000. "I was blessed to become acquainted with Keith. He and I first sang
together about the time of Pierce’s plane crash-Pierce had planned to start singing
and traveling some with me. I was devastated with Pierce’s loss and so many other
tragedies. Three months later, Keith called me and said he felt it was the Lord’s
objective for him to sing with me."
Eva Mae adds: "I promised the Lord many years ago that as long as
I had breath in my body that I would sing for Him, and I’m so thankful he is letting
me do just that. I am seeing people blessed in a mighty way."
While, Eva Mae has blessed thousands, possibly millions of people
through the years, recent years have seen her music has been exposed to a brand new group
of people around the world as a result of her many appearances on the Gaither Videos. Eva
Mae recalls the very first taping-Homecoming. "We had no idea what was to come from
that taping. Bill called me and said he wanted some old (she chuckles) singers to back him
on one song, "Where Could I Go". As it happened, since he had some of his
favorite old timers in the same room and decided to videotape it, and we had a ball. We
taped the first song, then I sat down at the piano and played an old LeFevres number
"Scatter Sunshine" . They had me stay at the piano and we sang "I’ll
Meet You In The Morning". So many people have been touched in a special way by that
tape and the ones that followed. I hope to be around to be on many more. Bill and Gloria
have a special anointing and are dear friends to us all."
At age 83, Eva Mae continues her Gospel Music work with the enthusiasm
of a younger artist. She sings every chance she gets, and she recently released a new solo
project entitled "A New Anointing", which features many of her most requested
songs down through the years, as well as some of her newer numbers.
Eva Mae enjoys spending time with her family when she is not traveling
and singing. All her children, except Mylon, live near her. She also has 11 grandchildren
and eight great-grandchildren. Her father is 101 years old and lives in the Atlanta area
also.
"Because of my work, I wasn’t able to be at home with my
children as much as I would have liked, but I have had the opportunity to spend a great
deal of time with my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My daddy still drives to see
me-and it scares me to death to think of him driving in Atlanta, Georgia! But he is in
good health for his age and is such an inspiration and
influence in my life. My family is very important, but I still love to go out and sing!
"I just can’t say how happy I am. I have a lot of faith and a
great amount of hope. I can never thank God enough for what He has done for me. I want to
sing and play for Him until I die or we’re called home. I‘m so happy He is using
me to still sing and witness
to people.
"Gospel music is really different now than it was when I first
started, but people still love good songs and good music. I just try to give them the best
I can. We were never in Gospel Music for money, but to see lost people come to know Jesus
Christ."
And for Eva Mae, that says it all.
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Note:
Eva Mae LeFevre may be contacted by writing to her at:
P.O. Box 681081, Marietta, Georgia 30068-0019
or by calling 770-850-1977. |
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