The Rance Allen Group

In the late `60s, the Monroe,MI-reared Rance Allen Group (Rance and his brothers, Steve and Tom), started performing gospel versions of popular R&B hits of the era. They were musicians with big voices and Rance was lead guitarist. They were discovered by legendary talent scout and radio promoter Dave Clark in 1971. He landed them a deal with Stax Records - the Memphis-based recording home to the likes of Isaac Hayes and Johnny Taylor at the time. Under the Stax/Gospel Truth banner, the group recorded an armful of pioneering gospel albums that mixed R&B and funk grooves with inspirational messages such as "Just My Salvation," a gospel remake of the Temptations' classic, "Just My Imagination." Their music influenced a generation of younger gospel acts such as The Winans, Fred Hammond and Kirk Franklin. By the mid-1980s, the group had disbanded and Rance became a pastor of a Toledo, OH church. In the `90s, former Stax President, Al Bell, lured the group out of retirement. They recorded their R&B crossover smash "Miracle Worker" for his Bellmark label in 1994. Since 2002, the group has recorded with Tyscot Records where they have developed a new audience of fans with bonafide gospel radio hits such as "Closest Friend," "You That I Trust" and their signature song, "Something About the Name Jesus."