The Cathedral Quartet were one of the earliest gospel performing groups to be spawned and sustained by television exposure. Originally known as
the Weatherford Quartet, they were organized by Earl Weatherford -- among the key early members was
Glen Payne, who would join a little later. The group was closely associated with the ministry of
Rex Humbard, the television evangelist, and was the resident performing group at his Cathedral of Tomorrow in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, from which he broadcast nationally (and later internationally) every Sunday for decades, starting in 1958. In 1963, Earl Weatherford relocated to California, leaving the group as a trio of
Payne,
Bobby Clark, and
Danny Koker, who continued to perform at the Cathedral of Tomorrow and were soon hired as
the Cathedral Trio. Bass singer
George Younce came aboard in 1964 and
the Cathedral Quartet came into being. They prospered in this setting for four years, until
Bobby Clark and then
Danny Koker, who was also a gifted pianist and did their arrangements, left the group. They were replaced by Mack Tauton and
George Amon Webster, but amid all of these internal changes, the group also found the impetus to leave the Cathedral of Tomorrow. By 1970, they had a recording contract (with Canaan Records) and were one of the busiest gospel performing groups in the country. Other personnel changes followed, but the group continued to thrive into the 1980s. By 1999, however,
Younce and
Payne recognized the inevitable advance of the calendar and a farewell tour was organized, which
Payne didn't survive -- he died of cancer on October 15 of that year, midway through the tour.
–
Bruce Eder, Rovi