Took a much-needed break from life, and spent four days in the western section of Colorado - hitting state parks, and record digging, of course (grin).
It seems, here lately, that I've hit the mother load of faith-based Colorado records. While I was in Durango and Montrose, I discovered a honey hole of two dozen unknown state-made religious vinyl pieces (picture above). While I know the genre is not everyone's bag, I had to share at least one, which was previously unknown to me - Ship Ahoy! by Rev. Gus Kubish.
Gus Kubish was born in 1924, in Jackson, MI. He passed away, in Kansas, in 2012. In between those years, he came out to Colorado (after living in Illinois), where he served as the director of Christian education for the Calvary Baptist Church, in my hometown of Pueblo. He later became pastor in nearby Florence, at the First Baptist Church there. His resume also included the First Baptist Church in Fowler, before heading to the Western Slope, and the First Baptist Church of Montrose (which is probably why I found this album there).
According to the liner notes of the album, in his younger years, he took singing lessons from Helen Griggs, the aunt of Cliff Barrows, who served as Billy Graham's music director. With his game show host looks, one has to wonder if the televangelist circuit tried to recruit him for mass media.
Released on the prolific Garden Sight and Sound label, of Colorado Springs, Ship Ahoy! includes your typical religious album selections, accompanied by Rev. Kubish's formally-trained vocals. Upon listening to this LP, there is an obvious disconnect with the singer's vocal style and the band. You have to wonder if the (uncredited) backing group was trying to "hip" the reverend up to a more-modern, dare I say "lounge feel" take on these standards.
