Questions and Answers

Q. This looks like a new lineup. Are you the same Imperials group that I remember from the past? What happened to the "original" members that I remember?

A. The simple answer is that yes, we are the same group; however, we are the first lineup of The Imperials without an original member. Because of that, we sometimes say we are "the next generation" of The Imperials.

A more in depth answer is that there have been approximately 32 different singers throughout the history of The Imperials. Actually, the original group (consisting of Jake Hess, Armond Morales, Gary McSpadden, Henry Slaughter and Sherrill Nielson) was only together for about 18 months. By at least 1966 Armond Morales was the only original member remaining. He co-owned the group with Joe Moscheo and Jim Murray until 1975 and then he and Jim co-owned it until 1986 when Armond and his wife bought Jim out and carried on with the group. Through the years, Armond replaced departing singers and then after 40 years of singing and traveling, he decided to retire in October 2003. In 2004 he decided to turn the group over to the four current members all of whom he personally hired. The transfer of the group's ownership from Armond to the current members was completed in March 2005.

Q. How did each of the current members come to The Imperials?

A. Jason Morales (son of original member and longtime owner, Armond Morales) was hired to run sound for the group back in 1991. In 1999 he approached his dad about auditioning for the baritone spot being vacated by David Will. Armond agreed and was thrilled to have Jason join him on stage. Jason was hired in August 1999.
Jeremie Hudson was a minister of music at a church that hosted The Imperials in the spring of 1999. After hearing him sing and lead worship, Armond asked if he would be interested in replacing departing tenor singer, Steve Ferguson. Jeremie was hired in July 1999 and is now the second longest tenured tenor singer in The Imperials history.
Shannon Smith had a solo ministry before coming to The Imperials and was the opening act for Steve Ferguson after he left the group. Steve felt he would be a great fit with The Imperials and so he put him in touch with Armond Morales. Shannon actually interviewed for a position with the group in 2001 but it just wasn't the right time. Armond called him in September 2002 when another position came open and the timing seemed right the second time around.
Ian Owens was singing with The Cumberland Quartet in Branson, MO when The Imperials called him in October 2003 after learning of Armond's decision to retire. He was the first and only person that the group auditioned/interviewed. Upon hearing him sing, Armond told Jason, Jeremie and Shannon that they could "listen to a thousand singers and never find one better. We better hire him right away!"

Q. Who owns the Imperials?

A. At a meeting at First Assembly of God in Bakersfield, CA in May 2004, Armond told the current members that God had spoken to him and told him to turn the group over to them entirely. He said that his future was no longer with The Imperials and that God had other things for him to do in His kingdom. In a meeting of Imperials Ministries Board of Directors later that year, he and his wife resigned and then in March 2005 signed the necessary paperwork transferring the group to the four current members. We are very honored and humbled to have this great legacy and ministry entrusted into our care. We don't take that lightly and yet, we don't hold onto it with "clenched fists". There will come a day when God will either tell us to "shut it down" or He will tell us it's time to move on and entrust it into someone else's hands.

Q. The Imperials have won a lot of awards over the years and have been recognized by both the music industry as well as Christian music fans all across the world as a very accomplished group. Does it seem strange to the current group to be called "Grammy Award winning" or "Dove Award winning" or "Gospel Music Hall of Fame Inductees"?

A. Honestly, it does feel a bit strange. It's obvious that none of the current members were around when those awards were won. (Jason Morales was technically a part of the group when they were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.) We absolutely do not claim that we, the current members, have won or accomplished anything in terms of music industry notoriety. However, The Imperials did win those awards (not simply the members that were in the group at the time) and we are The Imperials of today. While we may not have been around when the awards were won, the fact is The Imperials are a Grammy and Dove Award winning group and they always will be. One of the best ways we can give honor to the great history of this group is to carry on what has been entrusted to us. We can only hope to continually keep reaching for the standard of excellence in both music and ministry that has been set by The Imperials down through the years.

(We think a good analogy for this is in the sports world: Everyone knows that the New York Yankees are one of the greatest franchises in the history of professional baseball. They have had many of the game's most legendary players and have experienced both the highest honors in the game and have also had some very lean years and fielded some very poor teams at different times in their history. Nevertheless, every team they have fielded was still the New York Yankees and every player in their history gets to claim the awards and championships as well as the criticisms and defeats. The team they put on the field in 2008 will be introduced as 26-time World Champions even though only 3 or 4 players on the team have ever won a championship. It's because it's all about the TEAM.)

Bottom line: The Imperials have always been greater than the individuals in the group. If that hadn't been the case, they would have shut down when Jake Hess left or when other "larger-than-life" members left! No individual members have been or are more important than the group and ministry to which God has called The Imperials. We believe He's not done with The Imperials and that He has much more for us to do before He returns.

For more information on the history of The Imperials and the many members that have been a part of the group, please see our HISTORY page.