The Hoppers

One of America’s foremost families of gospel music, the Hoppers originated in the 1950s as the Hopper Brothers before adopting their current moniker in the late '70s. The group performed at Ronald Reagan's inaugural ceremony in 1981 and found success in the '90s as part of the popular Gaither Family Homecoming tours, recordings, and concert films. The group remained active both at home and abroad in the 2000s and 2010s, appearing at conventions, church platforms, and festivals and issuing a steady stream of Billboard-charting albums. Still going strong in the 2020s, the Hoppers released the stirring worship collection, Believe, in 2022.

Formed by Claude Hopper, along with his wife Connie in their native North Carolina, the Hoppers began to hit their stride as a family performing unit in 1981, when their oldest son and drummer, Dean, became a frequent lead vocalist. Meanwhile, their youngest son, Mike, became the new drummer at the tender age of 13, and the Hoppers won two consecutive Mixed Vocal Group awards at the Southern Gospel Music Awards in 1982-1983. In 1988, Dean married singer Kim Greene, who had previously performed for ten years in her own family gospel group, the Greenes; she officially joined the Hoppers in 1989 and became perhaps their most recognizable voice. In 1990, the Hoppers scored their first major hit single with "Here I Am," touching off a long string of successes that also included "Milk and Honey," "Mention My Name," "Anchor to the Power of the Cross," "Heavenly Sunrise," "That's Him," and "Yes I Am." In the midst of that string in 1996, Mike Hopper's new wife Denice joined the group as a pianist. While the Hoppers were already enjoying success on the traditional gospel circuit, their 1998 recording of the traditional number "Shoutin' Time" took their career to a whole new level; performed on a video documentation of that year's Gaither Homecoming Tour, the song became a smash hit. Riding its momentum, the Hoppers dominated the Southern Gospel Music Awards (especially the mixed-group categories) for several years afterwards.

The Hoppers continued to perform on the Gaither Homecoming Tour; Claude and Dean both serving on the board of directors for the North Carolina Gospel Music Hall of Fame, while Mike has dabbled in acting with an appearance on the TV show Touched by an Angel. In 2000, the Hoppers signed a new record deal with Spring Hill, debuting with the LP Power. Dozens more albums followed in the years to come, as did a pair of acclaimed solo efforts from Kim Hopper. By 2017, the group was operating with a roster that included family members Claude and Connie, son Dean and his wife Kim, son Mike, and Dean and Kim's daughter, Karlye. They released Honor the First Families of Gospel Music in 2018, followed by Believe in 2022. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi