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8-6-07: Celebration50 Tour and Premier Productions join forces.. Tickets on sale now ... We are very excited about what's in store at these special events throughout the fall of 2007. Tickets on sale Monday August 6th. Join us for a concert experience like no other. September 21 - Marietta, GA // October 12 - Springfield, MO // October 18 - Huntington, WV // October 19 - Roanoke, VA // October 20 - Supply, NC // December 6 - Akron, OH // December 7 - Summersville, WV // December 8 - Greenville, SC

8-6-07: Highlights from July

7-8-07: New DVD's update: The post production is moving along smoothly and our release date is still set for late summer 07. View the Trailer here..

7-2-07: News update from the Farm Studios

6-5-07: Word Label Group re-launched Canaan Records, a Southern gospel icon, at a luncheon Tuesday, June 5, 2007 in Franklin, TN. The Hoppers, flagship artist, were featured as veteran industry leaders and young executives enjoyed the music from the group’s brand new release “The Ride.” Dave Clark, a well known industry leader and successful songwriter takes the helm of leadership with the blessings of Jim Van Hook, president of Word. Dave introduced a video presentation highlighting the past musical legacy of Canaan Records and then welcomed the Hoppers, the newest member of the Canaan family. More information here..

5-22-07: We want to thank all the participants for being a part of the 1st annual Hopper Heritage Foundation Golf Classic. With 108 players in the tournament it was huge success. See you in 2008..

5-18-07: Hawaii is a great place to vacation. It was our first time to cruise the Hawaiian islands. If you want to visit all the islands while you are there, that's the best way to do it. Highlights here..

5-3-07: We visited one of our favorite stops recently with Dr. James Murray and Oakland City, IN.

4-7-07: Here are some photos from the Celebration50 video shoot in Winston Salem, NC. Thank-you for making it such a special night.

3-12-07: Here are some highlights from last months Celebration50 tour stops.

2-20-07: We recently appeared on the Daystar TV network with Marcus and Joni Lamb. The Celebration show aired on Friday Feb. 16. Check your local listings for a rerun of this appearance.. video here..

2-19-07: Promoter Bill Bailey recently honored Claude and Connie for there 50 years in Gospel Music. Here are some video highlights from that event. Dinner1-- Dinner2-- Sound check

1-13-07: Celebration50 video shoot: Anticipation for this event has been phenomenal with interest nearly
matching that of national events such as Singing In The Sun and The
Gatlinburg Gathering. For additional information, motel recommendations, and reserved
seating call Ray Flynn Promotions toll-free at 1-888-238-6858.

1-13-07: Harmony Awards 2007

12-23-06: Photos from our Christmas tour. Happy Holidays...

12-21-06: Great Buy on a Prevost Le Mirage XL-II details here..

11-30-06: Highlights from this years anniversary celebration.

11-8-06: Tickets for the American Gospel Music Festival in Dallas, Texas, at the Dallas Convention Center, are on sale now. You can order by calling 800-846-8499 or by visiting www.americangospelmusic.com Schedule information is also available at the web-site.

The American Gospel Music Festival is a National Quartet Convention production and features the finest artists in all of Christian Music.

10-23-06: Claude and Connie visited the country of Bolivia recently with the children's organization Compassion International. Connie states: "it was a thought provoking, eye opening journey into a very impoverished land of children who need our help". Photos from there trip here..

10-23-06: Here it is.. The latest photos of little Lexus Jazz Hopper. Enjoy..

10-20-06: We want to cordially invite everyone to our Anniversary celebration concert. This event will mark our 49th year in Gospel Music. For more information click here..

10-15-06: Claude celebrated another birthday recently. He says he is 39 and holding. Also Claude returned to the recording studio with his brothers Will, Steve and Monroe. This is the first CD they have recorded together in over 10 years. It will Celebrate 50 years for this Quartet. Release date is November 25 2006.

9-26-06: Don't forget to cast your votes for this years Southern Gospel Music Awards.

9-20-06: Thank-you to all our friends and fans for voting Kim your favorite female vocalist and favorite Soprano 2006.

9-5-06: Photos from a recent concert in Kannapolis, NC. with Ivan Parker. Thanks Mary...

8-18-06: Listen to The Ride...

8-15-06: Dean is in the spotlight this week. Read all about it here..

8-9-06: Connie's older sister Hilda McGee passed away on Monday of this week. She had been battling cancer and had been is Hospice for a few weeks. Her viewing will be tonight at JC green funeral home off of hwy 109 in Walburg, NC. from 7:00-9:00pm. The Funeral will be at the Wallburg Baptist Church Thursday Morning at 11:00am. Donations may be given to the Walburg Baptist Church or the Kate B Reynolds Hospice Home on Hospice lane in Winston Salem, NC. Please keep the entire family in your prayers.

8-7-06:Our friend and songwriter Tery Wilkins set up a private tour recently of the Aircraft Carrier George Washington. Thanks to all who showed us great hospitality while aboard this enormous vessel.

8-6-06: We recently taped an episode of Inspiration Today, INSP's flagship tv show that will air in late August on the Inspirational network.

7-29-06: First review of the new CD --Dennis pulled a fast one...

7-24-06: Here are some candid pictures taken by Harvey Mullins
(Hoppers Coach Manager) during the entire day of our photo
shoot for the new CD cover.

7-10-06: "I've come too far to look back" is the #1 song on the Singing News Charts this month. Judy Nelon Spencer (publisher) hosted a grand party to celebrate. Thanks Judy ---

7-8-05: Recent stop on the Hopper Heritage Tour in Martinsville, VA. We had the entire Hopper family on stage that night with over 1700 folks in attendance who filled the High School for a very fun and memorable evening. photos courtesy of Mary Hamilton..

6-18-06: It was an honor for our family to be a part of this years Southern Baptist Convention held June 12-13-14 in Greensboro, NC. We opened the morning sessions on Wednesday and Secretary of state Condileeza Rice spoke shortly after. At the end of her speech, Pastor Bobby Welch President of the Southern Baptist Convention prayed over her. It was a moving experience. movie and photos from the day.

6-5-06: We wanted to post these photos from this years Great Western Fan Festival. This event is held every year in April. Make your plans to join us in 2007.

6-5-06: Update photos from Claude's trip: It's been a refreshing spring vacation. A time to spread out and go different directions. Connie enjoyed time at the beach with the grand kids, Claude took a trip to the Far East. Dean and Kim enjoyed time at home and the beach visiting with Kim's brother Tim Greene. And Mike was in the studio and on the lake Jet Skiing. Now, back to work this week. Update on the new project; Orchestration sessions went great this past week in Nashville. The string arrangements from our producer Lari Goss are just awesome. We will spend the next 2 weeks finishing vocal sessions and final editing to prepare for mix. Plans to release in August are still on go. Stay tuned....

5-29-06: Photos from a recent concert in California.

5-8-06: Highlight photos from April enjoy...

4-16-06: 2nd round of vocal sessions commenced last week. 4 days at the Farm and we are excited about our new material. We will start staging some of the new tunes this week and have them ready to go for the Great Western Fan Festival in 2 weeks.

4-14-06: Claude and Connie celebrate 45 years of marriage today.

4-14-06: Here are some great shots from a recent concert in Winston Salem, NC. at the historic Renoylds Aud. Enjoy.. Thanks Mary...

3-20-06: Claude made his first trip back out with the family this past weekend to Arkansas and Texas. It was great to have him back on the bus and on stage. He has another check-up this week with the Doctor. He is doing great. Thanks again for all your prayers...

3-16-06: Thank-you Alberta and British Columbia for a wonderful 4 day tour. Canada is one of our favorite places to sing. While Claude is still recuperating, Mike stepped up to the front line for the weekend to sing bass. Here is a short video clip from the stage view..

3-16-06: 1st round of vocal sessions commenced last week at the Farm. We had 3 very productive days in the studio with our producer Lari Goss and engineer Ronnie Brookshire. Vocal session photos here..

3-6-06: We are hard at work on our new recording project. Slated to be released some time this summer this will be a very diverse project celebrating our 50th anniversary. Here is a video clip of us in the studio working with our producer Lari Goss remaking a great up tempo song entitled "Let the redeemed" enjoy...

2-13-06: Update: Recovery –day 5: Claude was released from the hospital Sunday morning 2-12. He will be resting at home for the next few weeks. He wants to thank all of you for the many encouraging emails the flowers and the cards. Here is an update video message report directly from Claude. video message from Claude...email Claude here.. ----

Claude underwent surgery on Wednesday of this week to remove a polyp from his intestine. He is recovering now; the doctors say everything looks good. Please continue to keep Claude in your prayers and pray for the family as we try to keep him resting to recuperate and off the farm tractor….

2-5-06: We were recently with Southern Gospel music legend Dottie Rambo in Mobile, Al.

1-30-06: We were back in the studio for a 2nd day of tracking this past week. We have some very strong material for this project. 2 brand new songs written by famed song writer and recording artist Ronnie Hinson. He stopped by the studio to demo his latest up tempo song entitled "I'm just waiting for my ride" and a soon to be classic entitled "The Dove". 13 songs total were tracked, each one with it's own diverse style. This is shaping up to be a very broad project that covers allot of ground. Stay tuned....

1-23-06: Houston, TX and Memphis, TN were recent tour stops for our family. We had the opportunity to be a part of this years J&J music conferences in these cities. Photo with Worship leader and highly acclaimed songwriter Geron Davis. Founder of J&J music Jerry Evans.

1-11-06: One of our favorite stops is always McGregor Baptist Church in Fort Meyer's, FL. Thanks for all who attended for a full house of worship and singing. Our coach manager Harvey Mullins was trying out his new High Definition video camera that evening. Enjoy the shots from sunny Florida..

1-2-06: Highlights from December 30th concert in North Carolina.. Thanks Mary..

1-2-06: Happy New Year!! Here are some moments from our New Years Celebration in Pennsylvania...

12-24-05: Merry Christmas from our family to yours.. Lexus Jazz photo update here..

12-15-05: A Christmas message from Connie.

12-5-06: A very special note from Claude and Les Beasley...

11-28-05: The best Anniversary concert we have had to date. What a night, Greater Vision did a superb job and the Original Hopper Brothers and Connie were (on) no doubt. Thanks to all who attended and made for a packed house. Highlights from 2 perspectives photos 1 -and -photos 2. Thanks Matt and Mary. The 49 year countdown has begun...

11-25-05: It's time to get back in the studio to work on a new recording. We were in Nashville this week arranging and tracking 6 new songs. This project will release some time in the summer of 2006. Stay tuned for more updates...

11-16-05: NQC announces the launch of NQC Radio on-line.

11-8-05: We have highlights from this years Singing at sea cruise.

11-7-05: Thank-you from all The Hoppers for your vote of confidence in our family at this years Southern Gospel Music Awards. Here is the link to all the photos from the awards show.

10-24-05: The Hopper Heritage Tour rolled into Pataskala, OH on 10/22. Here are some shots taken during the performance of We Are America.

10-23-05: This past Friday night we were in Greenville, NC with Dr. David Jeremiah and over 3000 people who packed into the Greenville convention center for an exciting evening. I do believe plans are in the making to bring this event back in 2006.

10-18-05: What a night.. Joey Gore music leader at Wrightsboro UMC in Wilmington, NC. along with a wonderful choir turned the evenings concert into a full blown worship service... Check out the highlights here..

10-17-05: We were recently in Alexandria, IN. with Gloria Gaither for the town festival. Thanks for the great hospitality shown to our family. photo 1 photo 2.

10-8-05: Our Pianist Josh Simpson informed us earlier this week he will be leaving our family to move back home to Alabama and join Gold City Qt. We have not chosen a replacement at this time, but we are auditioning piano players preferably who live in North Carolina or southern Virginia. It just seems to work out better when they don't have to move. We wish Josh the very best in his new venture.

9-28-05: We had the pleasure of being apart of this years Jubilee Seniors Event in Gatlinburg, TN. Over 6,000 were in attendance last evening. Along with the Hoppers our buddy Lee Greenwood performed and Clebe McClary spoke.

9-26-05: More photos from this years NQC 1 2 3

9-16-05: Congratulations to Connie for winning the 2005 Diamond Living Legend award. And Jerusalem won the 2005 song of the year.

9-15-05: Congratulations to Kim for winning 2005 Singing News Favorite Soprano. Here is a shot of the 4 most beautiful ladies in Gospel Music.

8-10-05: Lexus Jazz Update... New Baby photos here

8-9-05: We had a very interesting day on Sunday 8-7. 50 minutes off the coast of Maryland is a island called Smith Island. Around 300 people live and work on the island. They are fisherman for crab and oysters. They invited our family over to be a part of there Methodist camp meeting and what a time it was. Thank-you....

8-8-05: Here are some shots and highlights from a couple of recent Heritage concerts in Texas and South Carolina. It's been an exciting year so far....

8-7-05: Thank-you for all the cards, letters and emails. The beautiful flowers and all the prayers that you have sent my way during this time of loss. My brother Charles was a special person and I appreciate your understanding while I was off the road during that time. Connie...

7-23-05: Uncle Charles passed away Friday afternoon. He was the oldest child in Connie's family, she is the youngest. The viewing will be held Monday evening 25th at Colonial Funeral Home in Madison from 7-9:00pm. The funeral will be Tuesday 26th at Eden Methodist Church 2:00pm. I will always cherish the memories of growing up around this special man. He was my uncle and my friend and I will miss him. Charles Henry Shelton 1922-2005

7-22-05: We were in Charlotte, NC last night and our good friends Bob and Jeanie Johnson stopped in. With mom still at home with her brother, Dean could not resist getting Jeanie on stage to sing Child of God and What a lovely name. Smooth as always, thanks...

7-13-05: Connie has taken a few days off. Her oldest brother Charles Shelton who is 82 is not doing well and has been in the hospital for over a week now. We will keep you you posted on his condition. Please keep Uncle Charles in your prayers. While Connie has been home with her brother we have had 3 ladies who have done a wonderful job singing her part. Wednesday, July 6. Becky Isaacs filled in. July 7, Sarah DeLane filled in. And July 8-10, Joy Boan filled in. Thank-you ladies...

7-5-05: On July 4 we did a private patriotic concert for the Lexington, KY office of Merrill Lynch Investment company. The next day they took us out for a relaxing day at the Golf course. Thank-you for the great hospitality shown to our family....

6-25-05: Our friends Jeff & Sheri Easter stopped by this week for some of Connie's good country cooking. photos and movie here.. Also Josh talks about his new project releasing next week.

6-10-05: Here are a few shots from our recent concert in DeRidder, LA.

6-2-05: Jerusalem and Forever; our 2 new videos have been received very well since there release last month. You can pick-up your copy of these new titles in our on-line store...

6-1-05: The nominees are in for the Southern Gospel music awards 2005 you can click on the photo and vote for your favorite nominee. Visit The Southern Gospel.com

5-28-05: Photo update from Family Fest 2005

5-27-05: We are in Gatlinburg, TN this weekend for Family Fest. Little Lexus made her appearance tonight at the product table. Lex1 Lex2 Dean hanging with long time friend Michael English. Connie talking with friends during intermission.

4-18-05: We were thrilled to be a part of this years Southern Gospel Music Guild "Late night music event at Gospel Music Week" held in Nashville, TN.

4-4-05: Jerusalem and Forever ship out today. Our brand new videos have arrived and are flying out the door to fill all the pre-orders. Recorded live at the beautiful Renaissance center in Dickson, TN. with a live orchestra, it's available on VHS and DVD loaded with bonus footage. Our special discounted price ends April 15 order here..

3-24-05: We have highlights from this past weekends Heritage show in Kinston, NC. thanks Mary.....

3-19-05: Paul Hopper Claude's older brother and one of the Original Hopper Brothers that started singing 48 years ago passed away this morning at 3:00am from a stroke. Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 2:00pm at Ellisboro Baptist Church.

3-16-05: We spent the weekend with the Homecoming friends in Nashville and Fort Wayne. A short clip from the weekend..

3-16-05: We had the pleasure of singing at Mt. Tabor Methodist Church a couple of Sundays back. It was a Birthday surprise for the Pastor who's name happens to be Wayne Hopper (no relation) Thanks for the photo Peggy..

3-8-05: Jerusalem aired this past weekend on the Day Star network. Thank-you for all the nice comments we have received. What an experience to sing that great song in the Holy City. Here are some highlights from our trip with Bill, Gloria and all the Homecoming friends to Israel August 2004

3-7-05: We are 3-4 weeks away from taking delivery of our new coach so I'm posting photos of our current bus that is for sale....

3-2-05: Our brand new videos "Jerusalem" and "Forever" are ready for release this month. Recorded live in Dickson, TN. At the beautiful Renaissance center. A musical journey through 4 different Hoppers recordings of the past 4 years. Including such songs as:
Jerusalem
Mention my name
The cross said it all
God is good
What a lovely name
Joy in my heart
Suppertime
I sing the mighty power
Child of God
And many more....
30 songs over 3 hours of music. Experience "Jerusalem" with a live orchestra and the powerful song "We are America". Click for video.. Order VHS or DVD here..

2-26-05: We have been off this week enjoying a little R & R. Some of us who enjoy motor sports went to the Arena Cross Motocross races in Greensboro Friday night.

2-25-05: Baby update---- New photos

2-11-05: Josh has been working on his new solo piano project to be released later this year. He chose a very relaxing atmosphere to record his piano tracks. Claude and Connie's living room. click for movie. Piano great Tracey Philips produced the project, she was also his piano teacher when he first started playing. photo1 photo2

2-11-05: Little Lexus is doing well, she is still in the hospital for another week at least. New baby photos here.

2-11-05: Nicole Watts Jenkins did a fantastic job filling in for Kim these past few weeks. A true professional.. movie link..

2-2-05: Here are some shots of our first Heritage show of 2005

2-1-05: While Kim has been taking some time off the road to be with new baby Lexus Jazz, Nicole Watts Jenkins has been singing the high part for the family. You might have seen Nicole with the Perry's. It has been a pleasure having her travel with us these past few weeks. She has been doing a great job with the family. photos here..

1-23-05: New photos of little Lexus Jazz

1-10-05: Update from the Farm, we just finished tracking for the Beene family's new recording that will be released later this year. Our good friend Wesley Pritchard was playing bass on the sessions. photo

1-5-05: By now some of you may have already heard about the early arrival of our
little baby girl. Monday January 3rd Kim started having what she thought was
contractions. She called the doctors office and the nurse said, if they
didn't stop by evening she was to go to the hospital and get checked out. To
make a rather long story short, we never left the hospital. Kim was going
into full blown labor and the medicine the doctors gave her couldn't stop
it. Shortly after midnight the doctor started a cesarean and at 12:39am
January 4th "Lexus Jazz Hopper" was born. She weighed 4 pounds 151/2 ounces
and is 18 inches long. She's 7 weeks early and will have to stay in the ICU
unit for several weeks. The baby is doing quite remarkable and Kim is
feeling pretty good too. We covet your prayers for both.

I feel very blessed not only for the good progress that my wife and new baby
daughter are making but, the fact that all our family was able to be here
and not on the road. The Lord is so good!!!!!!! God Bless you all.
Until next time,
Dean...

P.S.
She is really cute!
Photos here..

1-5-05: For the first time in over 40 years the Original Hopper Brothers and Connie reunited for a concert at Ellisboro Baptist Church (our home church) where they first sang together 48 years ago. The response to the event was just overwhelming, by the time the family walked on stage there were no seats available in the church, choir loft, lobby and finally the fire marshal said "no more people". It was truly a joyous Homecoming.

1-3-05: Highlights from the Homecoming Christmas tour

click here for the movies and photos from 2004