Karen Peck & New River - 25th Anniversary
- New Factory Sealed
- 2016 Relativity
Formed in 1991, Karen Peck & New River is a Southern gospel group out of Gainesville, Georgia. Peck was an established vocalist before forming the combo, having sung with the Nelons and Rex Nelson Singers, and having also released solo material before joining her sister Susan and husband Rickey Gooch for Karen Peck & New River. The group would change membership over time but remained based around the Peck sisters. It became Karen Peck's longest-lasting and best-known project, issuing near annual albums for over two decades beginning with 1995's Live from the Alabama Theatre, released by Horizon. The group would go on to make three more albums with the label -- 1995's Unlimited, 1996's Right on Time, and 1997's Makin' a Difference -- before signing with Spring Hill for the next decade. Spring Hill releases included A Taste of Grace, Triumph, For His Glory, Good to Be Free, and Journey of Joy, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album. It was followed by a Best Of compilation in 2007. Karen Peck & New River then signed with Daywind for 2008's Ephesians One, which earned them a second Grammy nomination. They followed that up with No Worries and 2010's Live at Oak Tree: The Series, recorded at a performance in Nashville. It, too, was a Grammy nominee. Jeff Hawes was added to the lineup before Reach Out arrived in 2011, and the country-flavored Georgia Mountain Christmas was released in time for Christmas 2012. Revival soon followed, with Pray Now appearing in the spring of 2015. Ricky Braddy, a former American Idol contestant, replaced Hawes later that year. The career-spanning 25th Anniversary: Collector's Edition was issued by Relativity in 2016.
