Hoppers To Host Fan Appreciation Concert Friday

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Exactly one year ago, The Hoppers performed at Reynolds Auditorium to a sold-out crowd and filmed two brand new DVDs entitled The Ride Live and Celebration 50. These two spectacular DVDs are being released by Canaan Records and Word Entertainment on Tuesday, April 1st. In addition to enjoying two rich and anointed concert events, viewers will also enjoy visually exciting High-Definition experiences filmed live at the auditorium. The brand new DVDs may also be purchased in person at a local Hopper’s concert or at your favorite local Christian retailer.

On Friday, April 4, 2008, The Hoppers & The Original Hopper Brothers & Connie, in conjunction with Ray Flynn Ministries, will host a fan appreciation concert at the Reynolds Auditorium located in Winston-Salem, NC. Because of the production distractions and time constraints put on the live taping, The Hoppers decided to offer a fan appreciation concert for those in attendance. In addition, The Hoppers would like to celebrate the release of the new DVDs and host a concert for fans that have supported their ministry and Ray Flynn Ministries for numerous years. The Hoppers and Ray Flynn Ministires invite everyone to attend this special night of music!

Recently, The Hoppers announced that Connie Hopper was named host of a brand new television show to air on Total Christian Network (TCT). The Hoppers HPTV is taped at The Hopper’s Farm Studio in North Carolina and the initial airing is now posted for viewing at thehoppers.com. The first edition of The Hoppers HPTV featured Connie sharing heartfelt scriptural introductions to several selections from The Hopper’s Canaan Records debut project, The Ride, as well as their DVD, The Ride Live. Upcoming shows are set to include all of the Hoppers: Dean, Mike, Kim and Claude, as well as other notable artists and pastors. The new show is filmed in High-Definition and produced by Mike Hopper, Dean Hopper, Adam Wagner, Glenn Bailey and Jimmy Patterson, who is noted for being the videographer for the Beth Moore and Anne Graham Lotz’s Ministries. This unforgettable television show on TCT will initially run in the local NC market while The Hoppers are adjusting their tour schedule to accommodate the production schedule. Once they have refined the production process, it will be expanded to a nationwide and then a global market. Sponsorships are also available by contacting Dennis Sparks at The Hoppers Heritage Foundation (dennis@thehoppers.com or 336-548-2968).

In addition to the enormous success of their last single, The Hoppers brand new single, “Yahweh,” is currently playing on radio stations worldwide and recently debuted at Number 1 on the Radioactive Airplay Top 100 Chart.

The Gospel Music Association announced their nominees for the 39th Annual DOVE Awards on February 14th. The Hoppers picked up three nominations for Southern Gospel Album of the Year (The Ride), Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year (“I’m Just Waiting For My Ride”) and Choral Collection (Let The Redeemed Say So).

Claude, Connie, Dean, Kim and Mike were recently awarded the prestigious Order of the Long Leaf Pine by North Carolina Governor Mike Easley. The Hoppers are proud to commemorate their 50 year anniversary through a series of Hopper’s Heritage Concerts that include performances by The Original Hopper Brothers & Connie. The group began their quest in music as a sharecropping family of eleven children where five of the seven brothers began singing at local churches under the direction of their mother. In 1957, as young adults, four of the brothers began the Hopper Brothers Quartet. In 1960, Connie Shelton joined their ranks as the piano player and later married Claude, the manager of the group. Connie’s popularity eventually caused the group to change its name to The Hopper Brothers & Connie. In 1964, the group entered and won the talent contest at the National Quartet Convention in Nashville, TN. The Hoppers have evolved over the years and now is comprised of Claude and Connie, their two sons Mike and Dean and Dean’s wife, Kim. The group recently signed with Canaan Records, a division of Word Entertainment, a Warner/Curb company, where they nationally released their hit album, The Ride. This group has received nearly every award possible in their field of music including being presented with Favorite Mixed Group on numerous occasions. They average singing to over 1 million concert goers in over forty states and five countries per year.