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1995 Inductees

Ben Lacy Speer

By January 1, 2018February 9th, 2023No Comments

Inducted 1995

BEN LACY SPEER

(1930 – 2017)

Ben Speer was the youngest son of Tom (Dad) and Lena (Mom) Speer and a member of the pioneering mixed voice Speer Family for most of his music career life. Ben was also an accomplished musical director, publisher, record producer, music teacher and music business executive.

By the time Ben Lacy Speer was born in Alabama in 1930, his parents had already established the singing Speer family as a fulltime, viable Southern Gospel mixed voice group. As a child in the 1930s, Ben joined his mom and dad and the older Speer children, Rosa Nell, Mary Tom, and brother Brock, and the beloved Speer Family would go on to become Southern Gospel Music royalty for decades. Rosa Nell and Mary Tom eventually left the group but Brock and Ben remained in the group for most of their professional, music career lives, Ben for 57 years.

Ben was one of the most enduring and outstanding lead singers and piano performers in Southern Gospel music. During his years with The Speer Family, the group recorded more than 75 records, with Ben providing key leadership for the group’s music character. Ben also often provided comic relief during the group’s concerts. Ben’s dedication to high musical standards kept The Speer Family at the top of the Southern Gospel music industry, continually seeking a fresh sound while preserving the quality and integrity of the Southern Gospel sound deeply imbedded in his family roots.

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