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There's nothing gray about this colorful quartet By Patrice Stewart The Gray Sisters of Decatur started singing together after a drunk driver killed their little sister.
Shirley Gray Green, 51, is the lead singer and handles the bass parts, while Elizabeth Gray Raybon, 38, sings high soprano. Mary Gray, 34, sings the alto part, and Naomi Gray Pruitt, 31, is second soprano. They sing mostly gospel music, plus a few contemporary numbers. Three of them were children when their 4-year-old sister Martha died in 1974 after being struck by a car, but they have plenty of memories. Coffee table songs "We used to stand up on our parents' coffee table and sing," Mary recalled. "Martha used to sing a song called 'I'm Holding On and I Won't Let Go of My Faith.' " Shirley said that was Martha's favorite song "and it left a big impact on us." Martha would have turned 33 Aug. 2, which is also Mary's birthday, and her sisters will remember her at their love banquet called "Lord, We Want to Go Higher" at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Round Island Creek Association in Athens. Shirley started out singing in a group with their five brothers and other relatives. "We sang together for about 20 years as the Followers of Jesus, and after Martha's death the girls came to me and asked why they couldn't sing, too," Shirley said. So they started organizing their own group. The Followers slowed down after most of the brothers were called into the ministry, and then the Gray Sisters "really took off," Shirley said. Through the years they've had invitations to sing all over the Shoals and Tennessee Valley, as well as Tupelo, Corinth, Nashville, Chicago and Cincinnati. They're hoping for a van donation to make those trips easier. On road trips, they take along a variety of matching outfits and shoes in a rainbow of colors. "Of course, we don't all fit in all the ones we've had through the years," said Shirley. They often get their shoes mixed up and recall plenty of other light moments. Hairpieces, bumblebees "Once we were singing while going down the aisle and Mary's hairpiece fell off," said Naomi. "She didn't realize it, and the rest of us just watched and wondered who should pick it up. It's been great to be able to laugh in the flesh while singing in the spirit and help others to make it through the day with a song." Elizabeth recalled a time when they all were too tired to drive, so they pulled into a Burger King parking lot for a nap. When they woke, they were already late for their program. Another time, she said, "A bumblebee landed on the pastor while we were singing, and Shirley started swatting at the bee. Finally the pastor, who didn't see the bee, said to Samuel Green, 'Your wife is hitting me.' " The sisters are members of Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church in Hillsboro, where Green is pastor and where they will celebrate their anniversary at 3 p.m. Aug. 21. Elizabeth is associate minister there and is also married to a preacher; Mary and Shirley are working on degrees at Calhoun Community College; Naomi is a dental assistant. Their parents, the Rev. and Mrs. Elijah Gray Jr. of Decatur, gave all but Shirley biblical names. Sharing talents The sisters are happy their parents and 95-year-old grandmother, Lillie Mae Wiggins of Decatur, can see them still sharing their talents as they have encouraged them to do since childhood. "Our first program was at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Florence, where our father was pastor, in August of 1974," Mary recalled. In the years since, they regularly entertain in nursing homes, as well as at churches and special programs. Everywhere they sing, someone in the audience invites them to do another performance. Their motto: "If the phone ring, we will surely sing." "We cut our first CD, 'What Love Does the Father Have for Me,' in 1999 and donated them to convalescent homes and jailhouses," Shirley said. Now they have two more, "Send It on Down" and "He's So Real," and they're working on a fourth. They won an award for their a cappella singing in Huntsville last year. A blessing "Our group is just a blessing, and it keeps us close," said Mary. "Each of us can tell when the others are getting weak, and we know how to lift each other up." They are working to pass their closeness along to the next generations, Mary said. With the help of a friend, Shaboriea Mason, they divided their offspring by age into two singing groups, "The Melodic Voices" and "God's Little Heavenly Voices." The Gray Sisters will sing at a love banquet Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Round Island Creek Association in Athens. For ticket information, call 351-8448 or 353-7701. Friends of Wilson Morgan Park Inc. and Decatur Parks and Recreation will celebrate Wilson Morgan Park's 20th anniversary Saturday from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the park. Activities will include a Walk-A-Thon, face-painting for children, softball game and a raffle. The Gray Sisters, the Cullman County Bluegrass Band, Patsy Long, Dorothy Cole and Wayne Abbott, will perform. Admission is free. By Paul Huggins A reunion game pitting the first two softball teams to play at Wilson Morgan Park would be a "miracle," according to Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Dunlap. "Everybody probably is in such bad shape, I doubt if any of them could get to first base," he said laughing. Dunlap ought to know. He played for one of the two teams in that first game on Aug. 27, 1985. Still, his department seeks players from the game for a rematch, a centerpiece to the park's 20th anniversary celebration, also featuring free food, live music and children's activities. The park is actually more than 30 years old, but the Friends of Wilson Morgan Park saw a chance to add more activities to the game's 20-year reunion and showcase their favorite city retreat. "Primarily, we're focusing on just making this a fun day for the citizens of Decatur," said Don Gowen, president and chairman of the Friends of Wilson Morgan Park, a nonprofit group aimed at preserving, maintaining and enhancing the park. All donations or contributions from the event go to Decatur Parks and Recreation for use at Wilson Morgan. Even if the reunion game doesn't materialize, attendees will find free hot dogs and soft drinks, free balloons for children, sales of commemorative T-shirts, drawings for children's prizes, a walk-a-thon fund-raiser and nearly four hours of live music. The entertainment schedule includes: Gowen said reunion-game organizers have received light response from the original players. He asks that anyone who played in the first game, or knows any player from that game, call Carol Goforth at 341-4930. Dunlap said he couldn't remember all the players on his team, but he could list five, one being his brother. The game featured AmSouth, for whom Dunlap played, and Decatur Merchants. "It just happened to be the first game scheduled," Dunlap said. "I remember the big deal being we wanted to win the flip of the coin because we wanted to be visitors and give our guys the chance to hit the first home run." AmSouth lost the coin flip, and Mike Stewart of Decatur Merchants hit the park's first home run. "But I think we won the game," an unsure Dunlap said. RELIGION IN BRIEF Gray Sisters’ 30th anniversary The Gray Sisters’ 30th anniversary celebration will be Sunday at 3 p.m. at Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church, Hillsboro. The sisters are daughters of the Rev. and Mrs. Elijah Gray and are members of Bethlehem. Sisters Shirley Gray Green, Mary Gray, Elizabeth Gray Raybon and Naomi Gray Pruitt make up the group. The sisters will sing at the celebration. Also performing will be Sisters of Faith of Florence, the Rev. Tony Ward and the Redeemers of Nashville, the Rev. Phil Ford and the Singing Disciples of Huntsville, the Gospel Starlights of Columbia, Tenn., and the Gospel Dells of Decatur and others. For more information, call 353-7701.
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