Bluegrass Gospel - Must Be a Reason - Randall Franks and The Watkins Family.mpg

Randall Franks, "Officer Randy Goode" from TV's In the Heat of the Night," became familiar with the work of James Carson (James W. Roberts) through his mentor Eugene Akers. Akers, who taught Franks mandolin, was a devoted enthusiast of Carson's flowing intricate and clean mandolin style. He passed that admiration on to Franks and also shared with him Carson's recordings.
James W. Roberts began his recording career accompanying his uncle Fiddlin' "Doc" Roberts from 1927-1934. He married, and he and his wife rose to stardom on WSB radio as James and Martha Carson by the 1940s. After their divorce, James continued performing and recording from the Knoxville area starring on the Cas Walker Show. He recorded as feature vocalist with the Masters Family and also recorded with Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper, and the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers. He continued performing after retiring to the Lexington area singing gospel music and enjoying performances in the United States and abroad.
As a youth, Franks met Carson and they became friends and in the 1990s began co-writing together. Carson wrote a country song in 1948 entitled "There Must Be a Reason" which they re-wrote into the Franks-Roberts gospel song "Must Be a Reason."
Franks recorded the song initially on his 2000 "God's Children" CD with David Davis. He re-recorded it with the Watkins Family on his 2008 "Appalachian Musical Revival" and it was released to radio as a single. To purchase it visit http://randallfranks.com/ and www.shareamericafoundation.org.
Franks has known the Watkins Family much of his musical life. The group has shared concert stages performing for thousands beside acts such a Randy Travis and Diamond Rio. They have appeared at major industry events including the National Quartet Convention in Kentucky in 2007 and the SPBGMA Bluegrass Music Convention in Nashville, Tenn. as well as large ministerial crusades.
The family has performed on television broadcasts for INSP, Inspirational Network and dozens of stations around the U.S. And Canada.
The Watkins Family have received nominations for Impact Award and Female Artist of the Year from the Front Porch Fellowship hosted at the National Quartet Convention, Best Contemporary and Traditional Bluegrass Gospel Group by the Society for the Preservation of BlueGrass Music in America which hosts its annual awards in Nashville, and were also nominated as Best Bluegrass Act at the Coca-Cola Music Awards previously hosted in Atlanta.
For more information, visit www.watkinsfamilymusic.com.
When Franks returned to performing in 2007 after being away to care for his late mother, he chose to work with the group in his return performance both on television in Greenville, S.C. and on stage in Carnesville, Ga.
They have since shared the stage at National Quartet Convention, Atlanta Motor Speedway, and in many Southern cities. (Must Be a Reason/ Randall Franks and James W. Roberts/Peach Picked Publishing/BMI)

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• Randall Franks
• The Watkins Family
• James Carson
• James W. Roberts
• Must Be a Reason
• Eugene Akers
• Martha Carson
• WSB
• In the Heat of the Night
• Doc Roberts
• The Masters Family
• Lorie Watkins
• Jonathan Maness
• Todd Watkins
• Shanon Watkins
• Judy Watkins
• television
• live music
• country music
• live concert