Published: July 03, 2009 10:31 am      

Rinehart wins CD award

By Justin Lofton

Staff Writer



Thurman Rinehart’s third gospel album, “Old Time Gospel,” has won the Old Time Gospel CD of the Year Award from the Rural Roots Music Commission.

The awared will be presented to Rinehart on Sept 3 in Iowa at the annual National Old Time Country, Bluegrass and Folk Music Festival, which takes place from Aug 31 to Sept 6.

“They (musicians at the festival) come from all over the U.S. and from some foreign countries, too. It’s been going a long time. This is the 34th annual program that Everhart has held across Iowa,” Rinehart said. “This is the 10th year that I’ve been going.”

“We have been nurturing upper midwest traditional and old-time music for over 35 years now, through the Commission (the Rural Roots Music Commission), and through our annual fund raising festival in LeMars, Iowa,” the Rural Roots Music Commission president, Sheila Everhart said. “Our goal is to preserve the music of our settlers, homesteaders and pioneers, and we were very happy to find a musical project as definitive as the CD Thurman Rinehart recorded.”

Rinehart has been playing gospel music for as long as he can remember.

“We grew up playing gospel music with my folks when I was just a little kid and mom started teaching me to play the guitar when I was 10 years old so it goes as far back as I was big enough,” Rinehart said. “I’ve done it most of my life because I’m now 73.”

Rinehart’s CD is comprised of some of his gospel favorites as well as a few he wrote.

“I think I’ve got four on it (the album) that are originals and the others are just old-time songs,” Rinehart said. “We recorded this one at the Raney Recording Studio in Drasko, Ark.. The old man Wayne Raney that played harmonica way back in the ‘40’s built some years back, his son ran it for some years and now his grandson is running it.”

Rinehart has no intention of leaving gospel music behind at the moment.

“If I keep my voice and keep my ability I will (play) as long as I can walk and talk. I enjoy doing it. It’s part of what I like to do,” Rinehart said. “Some people ride horses, some people ride motorcycles, some go boating, I go singing.”