Like Foxes on the Run, so are these talented guys who have managed to gain overwhelming recognition as one of today's leading country gospel groups, yet continue to hold the country audience captive as well. The Fox Brothers are literally running around the country, singing and leaving behind a message of hope and positive reinforcement.
Although their music, appearance and high-power energy seem totally fresh, the original Fox Brothers have been singing and shining for a number of years. The original group consisted of three blood brothers. Roy began singing at the age of four, Randy was six and Lynn took to singing when he was eight years old. They first initiated their to-be career by singing at a small country church that they and their parents, Gilbert and Mildred Fox, attended. As the young boys grew in size and talent, they began developing their different vocal parts. As they soon began to singing other churches in neighboring communities, their popularity increased; later they met a bass singer who joined the group in 1974.
Since then, the Fox Brothers have created a complete Christian-man combination that creates a superbly harmonious vocal delivery, backed up by a superior instrumental ensemble.
"The music itself is very important to us," explains Lynn. "We want to have the very best songs available to us and we want to present them in the very best way we know how. I guess we spend a lot more time in the studio than most do. We try to perfect what we do musically and vocally, and we hope that shows up on our records."
It's quite obvious just how committed the Fox Brothers are to their work. The long hours and the attempt to reach perfection does indeed show up on vinyl. They have just recently been named one of the Top Christian Country Groups of the Year for 3 years and were recently honored by receiving the Pioneer Award from the Christian Country Music Association (CCMA). The single that gained them that honor is "Carry on Children," which is featured on their second Morning Star Records project. It went No. 1 on the Cashbox Country Gospel Chart.
Recently they received Vocal Group of the Year from CCMA and the ICGMA and continue to be nominated for other achievement awards.
They appear on television, they keep radio hoppin', they travel approximately 150,000 miles annually and it comes as no surprise that they seem to cater not only to the Christian market, but also to the secular market. "We have teenagers coming to our programs, we have older people there, we have gospel music fans we well as country music fans."
"We grew up listening to the Statesmen, the Blackwood Brothers, the Goodman Family and the Oak Ridge Boys many years ago in '50's and '60's," remembers Roy. "Back then, when you went to a gospel music concert you went and had a great time. It was a lot of fun and there was a lot of singing. The vocals were just amazing and the personalities on stage were fun too." "Our group is just a modern day extension of that," Lynn adds.
"We're giving people a positive message," Roy says. "We're playing to the average 'Joe on the street.' We're not playing to a 'typical' Christian country music crowd all of the time. We really get a kick out of singing to people who don't normally get to hear our kind of music and we find that they really enjoy it a lot."
Whatever the crowd, the Fox Brothers certainly give 'em what they want to hear. Concerts, fairs and country music shows are just a few of the many venues that feature the Fox Brothers. "We're proud of what we do," proclaims Lynn. "And we're proud of our music. Our personalities really come out on stage. We try to be very open with the people. We try to gear our programs so that we can really get to know the audience as if we were sitting right in their own living room."
"If someone comes to a Fox Brothers concert, they're gonna be entertained, have a good time and be able to forget everything else for about an hour and a half," says Roy, "We try to give the audience one hundred percent, because they come out to see us do our thing. We want to make music that the audience and people out there like, but also something they can take home with them and something they will remember that will hopefully make their lives a little easier to deal with."
Also, the guys had a part in a TN Tourism public service commercial, in which they sung and performed. The heavy touring schedule pretty much dominates the lives of these guys right now, but you can bet that no matter how heavy their schedule becomes, they'll remain the same fun-lovin' guys they are.
They are the same offstage as they are on stage. What you see is what you get. And what you get is - a not so average group.
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