Jim Hamill

1934 - 2007

Jim Hamill, one of Southern Gospel's all-time great lead singers, sang professionally for over 50 years and  until shortly before his death, was still going strong.

A native of Memphis, son of Rev. James E. Hamill, for many years pastor of First Assembly of God in Memphis, Jim joined the Weatherfords in the early 1950s.  And then came times with the Blue Ridge Quartet, the Rebels, the Oak Ridge Quartet, the Rebels again, and finally, for almost 28 years he sang the lead for the Kingsmen. 

He and the late Eldridge Fox split duties with the Kingsmen, Eldridge handling the business, and Jim directing their stage performances. He also arranged their music and chose the songs they sang in concert. 

Hamill was an extremely funny man, entertaining audiences not only with a wide-ranging, clear voice in song but also with much humor as the emcee of the Kingsmen.

A Tribute Video to another gospel music hero. For nearly 18 years, I attended a great many of Kingsmen concerts. I remember Thanksgiving Day 1990, being at a Kingsmen concert in my hometown of Whitwell, Tennessee. While standing in the auditorium lobby, I felt a hand and arm reach around me, I turned around, looked up, and it was Jim Hamill. He spoke "How you doing son?". I'm sure he wasn't used to seeing many twenty year olds at Southern Gospel concerts.

I decided to create a tribute video for this Gospel Music Legend.