Rex Nelon

Rex Lloyd Nelon (1932–2000) was an American Southern Gospel musician and music publisher. He began his professional career in 1955 as a bass singer with the Homeland Harmony Quartet. In 1957, he joined the LeFevres, a Southern Gospel family group. He assumed direction of the LeFevres in 1973, and the group eventually became known as the Rex Nelon Singers. The group later became known as The Nelons. Nelon was a featured singer in the Gaither Homecoming series. He was voted "Favorite Bass Singer" by the Singing News Fan Awards in 1980 and 1982, and was named "Mr. Gospel Music" in those same years. He received five Dove Awards and three NARAS Grammy nominations. In 1987, the group received the Short Form Music Video of the Year Award for "Famine In The Land." His catalog includes recordings of songs such as "Goodbye World, Goodbye," "Famine In The Land," "O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing," "We Shall Wear A Robe And Crown," "Jesus is Your Ticket to Heaven," "Joybells," and "Glad Reunion Day." He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame in 1999. Rex Nelon died of a heart attack on January 24, 2000, while on a Gaither Homecoming tour in London.