By Jennifer Campbell

Lari Goss was a man with a heart of gold. He was a musical genius who composed and arranged a prolific library of songs. Every note expressed his extraordinary signature musical style. But his greatest characteristic wasn’t the fact that he could write elaborate orchestrations. Nor was it the way he played complex chords on the piano that have the most experienced musicians struggling to pick apart the perplexing notes. It was not even the unconditional love and endless devotion that he had to his family and friends. Lari’s most valuable attribute was his personal testimony. Through his music and through his life, he wanted everyone to know that his Cornerstone was Jesus Christ.

At just 10 years of age, Lari began singing about Jesus. Joined by his brothers and parents, he ministered to the congregation of Center Road Baptist Church in his hometown of Cartersville, Ga. As the boys grew older, they traveled and ministered as The Goss Brothers. Some said they were ahead of their time. Others listened in amazement, trying to decipher the complexities of the intricate musical and vocal arrangements recorded on their vinyl records. Inevitably, only God knew the impact The Goss Brothers would have on the world of Gospel Music.

Meurice LeFevre signed them to Sing Records in 1962, which simultaneously launched their studio career. Within the short span of 15 years, they provided backup and instrumentation for nearly every well-known Gospel group.

In 1980, tragedy struck the Goss household when Lari’s brother James passed away in a plane crash. The loss of their brother closed one chapter of their lives, but opened up new doors for Lari and Roni. While Roni began traveling with Nancy Harmon, Lari dedicated more time to studio production and arranging musical scores. In 1984, he received his first Dove Award for a recording with Phil Driscoll. Lari received 15 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards and three Producer Awards. He received the SGMA Arranger of the Year Award, SGMA Decade of the 90’s Piano Honor Roll Award, SGMG Choral Music Honoree Award, James D. Vaughn Impact Award, a Telly Award, and a Commendation by the Legislature of the State of Tennessee. Lari was even inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Yet with all of his tremendous success, he remained humble.

“Lari was a unique combination of extraordinary talent with a wonderful, humble spirit,” said Phil Barfoot. “I recall many great laughs at his really bad jokes and impersonations, as well as many meaningful, worship moments both while creating the music and recording it! I will always cherish a wonderful friendship and many great times with this incredible person!”

Rodney Griffin of Greater Vision put it best when talking about the studio work that Lari did: “If you remember a song that you fell in love with, he probably produced it. Way beyond his years, even as a young teenager, he was writing orchestrations. He was not just filling in the parts, but mapping out those lush chords of transition that revealed the ‘heart’ of the song.”

Those lush chords will forever be placed in a genre all of their own known as the Goss style. Anyone in the Gospel Music industry will tell you that Lari’s arrangements have a distinct flavor that is undeniably Goss. Ladye Love Smith reaffirmed this when she said, “No one

does or did an arrangement quite like Lari Goss. When you hear the amazing chords and phrases, you know it is a Lari Goss arrangement. If it’s a sad song, you hear sadness. If it’s joyful, you hear joy. His music will live on forever in the arrangements he gave us all.”

“We were honored to work with Lari Goss on our More Than Enough project, which includes two number one songs, ‘I’ll Trust the Potter’s Hands,’ and ‘All Is Well,’” said Susan Whisnant. “It was without a doubt one of the greatest experiences in The Whisnants’ history. We will never forget working with him. You can hear an introduction of a song and know if Lari Goss produced it. We loved him and highly respected his talent. He will be missed!”

“I have spent a lifetime with him, from The

LeFevres ‘till now and love him like family,” shared Kelly Nelon Clark of The Nelons. “The very first time I went into the studio at LeFevre Sound I was terrified, but Lari and the Goss Brothers made me feel so at home. It was always my dream to have him work with us so Amber could work with him and be a part of that genius mind of his. He did that on The A Cappella Sessions. He is irreplaceable!”

Throughout Lari’s prolific music career spanning nearly 60 years, he worked with innumerable artists such as The Hoppers, The Gaither Vocal Band, The Nelons, The Speer Family, The Hemphills, Larnelle Harris, The Cathedrals, and many others. His music has been heard in prestigious venues around the world including Radio City Music Hall (with The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir), and has been played by numerous renowned orchestras, including the Prague Philharmonic

Orchestra, Dublin Symphony, Belfast Symphony, Stockholm Radio Symphony Orchestra, L.A. Symphony, Seattle Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, The United States Air Force Band, and the Nashville String Machine.

“Lari was a harmonic genius and he was a wonderful, warm human being,” said Bill Gaither. “Those characteristics rarely coexist in the same person. I have so many fond memories of hanging out with Lari in the studio over the years. He was a rare gift to Gospel music; truly one of the very best! He will be sorely missed.”

“Lari Goss was a master at his craft,” The Hoppers said. “The music he wrote and orchestrated will live forever. His musical genius was exceeded only by his integrity. The Hoppers are thankful to have known him and had the opportunity

to work with him through the years. Much of our recording sessions were spent talking about the goodness of God. We loved him.  He was our friend.”

Lari thought highly of his clients and developed long-lasting friendships with many of them through the years. “Lari was an amazing person to work for, a co-worker, a friend and really family,” stated Ladye Love Long Smith. “Apart from the unbelievable talent he possessed, he was fun to work with and cared about people. We first worked with him when he produced Larnelle Harris’s LIVE: Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs we recorded at Brooklyn Tabernacle.” Ladye amd her husband worked with Lari over 20 years. She added, “Lari was intense in the studio and took the work seriously, but he also made it fun. He would take a minute to tell us a funny story and it gave us a break from the intense, long hours of work. He always went to lunch with most everyone he hired and/or dinner—depending on how late we worked! He had returning clients he had done over 50 projects with so that tells you a lot about how it was to work with him and about the quality of his work.”

“The touch of Lari Goss will always remain in my heart and echo through every Love Special telecast, on every CD, and every production,” stated Nancy Harmon. “He was filled with knowledge and talent, and his spirit and love for Jesus Christ was vivid in every composition, every note of the magnificent orchestra, and every choir or vocalist. He loved from his heart! Lari Goss was my dear friend for over 45 years.”

Lari’s musical impact is far-reaching. Whether he was working with a featured soloist or a member of the orchestra, he treated everyone equally. Carl Gorodetzky, Contractor for the Nashville String Machine, said that Lari will be sorely missed. He added, “I contracted all of Lari’s orchestras for recording sessions for over 30 years. He was a great arranger, and a great person. The musicians always loved working with him. It would be an event, not just a job. In all the time I

worked with Lari, I never saw him lose his temper or get angry with anyone. That is quite something in the music business! When we set up his Celebration of Life, I asked 44 musicians who had worked with Lari over the years to play at the service. Forty-four musicians were there and played their hearts out. It was a true happening.”

Personally, Lari Goss will always remain as one of the greatest musicians I have ever

heard. As a little girl, my dad instilled in me an appreciation for the intricacies of the Goss sound. Not only is there a complexity that cannot fully be explained within Lari’s musical orchestrations, but also there is an anointing that transcends the physical aspects of music. Some people have talents; other people are inherently gifted by God. Lari Goss had a divine, God-given gift for music.

“In His wisdom and purpose, God has uniquely gifted certain individuals for a

special task or position. Lari Goss was such a person,” said Ken Campbell. “We were touched by a special anointing and as we listened to the amazing harmony, it seemed that we could hear distant echoes from Heaven. Lari will be missed and remembered in this world, but beyond the sound of battle, we will rejoice and sing together the song of the redeemed.”

The Goss Brothers sang a song titled, “Long and Winding Road.” On January 10, 2015, Lari’s road turned to gold. While Lari has left this temporary home we call earth, he is in the presence of Jesus. He is in Heaven, our eternal home. He is standing face to face with the One whom he always sang and wrote about.

Lari has left behind an enduring legacy, and his music will resonate in our hearts always. Ask anyone who knew him and they will tell you that Lari didn’t know that he was a musical genius. Lari was once quoted as saying, “All this means nothing if my music does not win people to Jesus, or draw them closer to Him.” Just as Paul wrote in I Corinthians, Lari created music for the sake of the Gospel, so he could share in its blessings (I Corinthians 9:23). Lari kept the faith, he ran the race, and he has earned his crown that will last forever. Until we meet him again in Heaven, may the God-given music of Lari Goss continue to inspire us all.

Pictures courtesy of GMA, Kayward Davis, The Hoppers,  Reggie and Ladye Love Smith, Bill Gaither, Roni Goss.

 

By Jennifer Campbell

First published by SGN Scoops in February 2015.

For the current issue of SGN Scoops, visit the website HERE.