Paschall Brothers

The Paschall Brothers stand firmly in the great tradition of unaccompanied religious singing in the Tidewater region of Virginia.

September 23, 2009; 5:14 PM • by Scott Pharr

Tidewater Gospel Quartet
Chesapeake, VA

From the Brothers Burton

Taylor says: Great a cappella gospel renderings. Huge harmonies, and powerful bass renderings = super excellent.

Scott says: More straight up singing. No goofy keyboard sounds or electronic drums… just amazing rhythmic vocals!

Professional Bio

The Paschall Brothers stand firmly in the great tradition of unaccompanied religious singing in the Tidewater region of Virginia. Though scarcely a handful of African American /a cappella /quartets sing in Virginia today, black four-part harmony groups were singing in Virginia at least as early as the mid-1800s, and the Tidewater region alone produced over two hundred such groups in the century following the Civil War. The “modern” quartets were born in the late 1920s and early 1930s with the emergence of groups like the Heavenly Gospel Singers, the Blevins Quartet, and most notably, The Golden Gate Quartet of Norfolk. Norfolk quickly became known as the “home of the quartet.” The Paschall Brothers are the current torch-bearers of this traditional singing style. It takes only a few opening notes for the artistry of the Paschalls to claim the listener’s ear. The late Reverend Frank Paschall, Sr. originally formed the ensemble in 1981 with his five sons: Frank Jr., Reverend Tarrence, Wendell, Dwight, and William. Reverend Paschall Sr. passed away in 1999, but his sons have carried on his legacy. The Paschalls perform frequently at local area churches and festivals in the Tidewater area, including yearly appearances at the Tidewater Gospel Festival held at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, and have recently performed at several nationally known festivals, including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Roots of American Music Festival at Lincoln Center. They have helped to pass this tradition along to the next generation by participating in the Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program. Their most recent CD “On the Right Road Now,” produced by the Virginia Folklife Program for Smithsonian Folkways Records, won the 2008 IMA’s “Gospel Album of the Year.”