Мелтон Кэмпбелл, известный баритон группы The Inspirations, включен в Зал славы южной госпел-музыки Джорджии

Jackson’s best known baritone, Melton Campbell, will soon be inducted into the Georgia Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame. For almost 16 years, from 1999 until 2015, Campbell traveled professionally as a member of The Inspirations, one of Southern Gospel music’s most beloved quartets. Campbell, 57, was raised in a Christian home by a gospel music singing family. His grandfather, Ballard Perdue, sang bass in a local quartet. His parents, Darwin and Marie Campbell, and his sister Rose Campbell and her husband Thomas Smith sang in a family group they named The Relations. Ironically, Campbell was deadset against singing. “They used to sing at the Buckner’s Music Hall. I just could not imagine getting up there and singing in front of people,” he said. Campbell did agree to join his family on stage as their drummer. “Randy McEachin taught me to play the drums to K.C. and the Sunshine Band,” said Campbell, a 1987 graduate of Jackson High School. He also played for The Christian Aires and The Psalmists and a few country and western bands. Then one day he talked to his mother about her singing talent. “Mama was an alto and she had a beautiful alto voice,” he said. “She told me, in a male group that’s called baritone and so that’s when I began to sing baritone.” From 1984 through 1987, he was a member of the Jackson Church of the Nazarene’s District Teen Choir, The Impact Team. There he gained valuable experience in both singing and ministry. Campbell sang solo for a while and as part of a duet with Terri (Kitchens) Cook, of Jackson. While singing at the old school house in Flovilla, he was approached by the manager of Common Garments about joining the group. Campbell joined Common Garments and continued developing his love for quartet harmony. In 1999, Melton entered what would become one of the defining chapters of his musical ministry when he joined the legendary Inspirations Quartet. When he joined the group, Campbell and his wife Kristi Boozer Campbell moved their family to Franklin, North Carolina. “We only stayed about eight months,” remembers Campbell. “It was beautiful there, right on the edge of The Smokies, but it wasn’t home.” The family returned to Jackson and Campbell traveled Wednesday through Saturday with the group. “Our manager had a rule that we would always be home on Sunday to attend our home church,” he said. From 1999 until 2015, he traveled professionally with the group, carrying the Gospel in song to audiences across the country. Campbell became part of the rich musical heritage of one of Southern Gospel music’s most beloved quartets. “We traveled all across the United States and Canada and sang on a lot of cruises,” he said. “In 2015, I told my wife I was tired of being away from her and the family and I’d seen enough interstate.” This was when Campbell’s daughter, Blaire Campbell White, told her father it was their time to sing together. They formed Saving Grace Trio, a group that included Terri Cook. The group performed from 2016 to 2018. Saving Grace Trio brought Campbell’s musical career full circle, allowing him to once again experience the special joy of singing Gospel music alongside family. In 2020, another meaningful chapter began when he joined The Resurrection Quartet, a group composed of former members of The Inspirations. They perform four to five concerts a month. Campbell’s ministry continues at his home church where he has served as song leader since 2022. Of all the Southern Gospel hymns he has performed, Campbell says his favorite is “Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul.” “My grandpa’s favorite song was ‘On The Jericho Road’. I guess I’m old school. I’m always gonna love primitive Southern Gospel music,” he said. “It was bred into me.” The Georgia Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame will recognize Campbell’s talent and ministry at a ceremony set for late November. Recommended for you Scenes from Georgia vs. Western Kentucky college football in Athens on Sept. 12, 2026. (Photos: Dave Quick)