Singing Men of Texas celebrate 50 years of proclaiming the gospel through song

Editor’s Note: All cited documents were provided by the Texas Baptist Historical Collection. 

The Singing Men of Texas (SMOT) celebrated their 50th anniversary on August 15 by playing a concert at Riverbend Centre in Austin. The concert featured 360 singers and orchestra members, with representatives from all six regional chapters, and welcomed 1,840 attendees. 

Musical selections ranged from "I’ll Fly Away," arranged by Michael Lee, to "How Great Thou Art" arranged by Dan Forrest. The Texas Country Boys provided pre-concert music, performing songs such as “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” 

The Texas Country Boys originally formed in 2015 for an evangelistic concert tour which traveled all across Ukraine. The group returned to tour along the eastern border of Ukraine in 2017. The group plays at events across the Dallas/Fort Worth area, performing a multitude of musical genres: old school country, new country, jazz, blues, top 40, gospel or praise and worship. 

SMOT was established in 1975 by Sam Prestidge, who served Texas Baptists as state music director from 1960-1994. Five chapters across the state were formed: East Texas, North Central Texas, Southeast Texas, South Texas and West Texas. In 1994, the Panhandle chapter was formed, completing the six chapters represented at the concert.

SMOT exists for the purpose of glorifying God through music, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, providing an opportunity for Christian growth, inspiration, fellowship and mission service. 

Tom Tillman, director of Music & Worship, welcomed attendees to the concert. He read a resolution from the Texas State Senate recognizing SMOT’s anniversary and their “dedication to musical excellence, their commitment to sharing the gospel and their faithful service.” 

Tillman recognized special guests who attended the concert: Lisa Prestidge Phillips, daughter of Sam Prestidge, and Jackson Dyer, 2025 Prestidge Endowment Scholarship recipient and Hardin-Simmons University senior. 

Tillman also recognized SMOT 50-year Charter Members: Robert Bailey, Don Blackley, Larry Caudle, Jim Clayman, Nathan Cook, Ron Davis, Wayne Gadman, Jim Holcomb, Bill Ingram, Jack Jones, Joe Jones, Ed Miller, Larry Shields, Vaughny Tatum, Tim Timmons and Dan Turner.

Turner said “the greatest thing” about SMOT is the community that is cultivated within it. 

“There are many things about Singing Men that changed my ministry that were so effective, and [they] came from other ministers of music. The singing was great, but the sharing was especially important, of what other guys were going through and ideas that they had,” said Turner. “The greatest thing [about SMOT is] the association with all those men. Those that are still here and those that have gone before us have blessed my life immeasurably.” 

He said celebrating 50 years of singing with SMOT means celebrating “a lot of memories” and “the joy of worshiping together with men [who are] committed to that.” 

Singing Men of Texas through the years 

Throughout its history, SMOT have participated in outreach efforts across Texas and the United States, and traveled to Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Eastern and Western Europe, China, Spain and more, where they went on concerts tours and did personal evangelism in the surrounding communities.

In 1982, 82 men across chapters traveled to Brazil for a 14-day tour where they performed concerts in nine cities, kicking off in Salvador at the Brazilian Baptist Convention annual meeting. They recorded a worship album on this trip. 

An album was also recorded on a mission trip to Australia in 1985. The North Central chapter recorded their album “Let God Be Praised and Glorified” that same year. 

In 2010 and 2012, SMOT participated in “four separate evangelistic projects at the invitation of the Ukraine Baptist Union,” where they saw a combined 8,870 faith decisions made. 

According to a support raising letter from Tim Studstill, former director of Music and Worship at Texas Baptists, in May 2012, each concert “SMOT sang for nearly an hour, and then Texas Evangelist Michael Gott presented a clear gospel message… [and] every person who attended was offered a free CD with music by the Singing Men and a message by Michael Gott, as well as a free Russian/English New Testament.” 

According to an article by Texas Baptists Communications in November 2012, “the evangelistic concert series” that year “recorded 4,305 decisions for Christ.” 

“Everywhere we went, the presence of the Holy Spirit, the preached word and the prayers of those back home drew hundreds to Christ,” Studstill wrote. “We were blessed to be vessels of that message and a part of what God is doing in Ukraine.” 

In addition to serving on missions around the world, SMOT have performed at venues and events such as the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas and Carnegie Hall in New York City. 

Celebrating through worship and giving back  

At the conclusion of the concert, Texans on Mission (TXM) provided a video update of their relief efforts in the Hill Country following the July 4 floods.

Julio Guarneri, executive director of Texas Baptists, closed the time by presenting a giving opportunity for "the recovery and rebuilding in the Hill Country.”  

“Tonight, we have been able to celebrate. We have been able to worship. We have been ministered to. The gospel has been proclaimed through song, and we also have an opportunity to give back,” said Guarneri. 

He closed the concert in prayer. 

Proceeds from the concert will go to support the Prestidge Endowment Scholarship Fund, a scholarship awarded annually to a student preparing for full-time music and worship ministry at a Baptist university.

For more information about the scholarship or to make a gift, visit txb.org/prestidge. 

To learn more about SMOT history or to join your local chapter, visit singingmenoftexas.com.