CHAPTER VII

Gospel Quartet Musicians

Alison Mellott- Lead

Tom Lebo - Tenor

Jayson Mellott - Bass

Nancy Snyder - Alto

Debe Baldwin - Piano

Daryl Mellott  -

Bass Guitar

Lee Cramer - Guitar

Sean Thompson -  Guitar

Brian McPherson - Guitar

Nancy Creamer  - Marketing

Robert Baldwin - Minister

DEBE BALDWIN plays the keyboard for Chapter VII and has been playing the piano and singing since she was in second grade.  She played the piano for the chorus in high school, the church choir, and many weddings.  Debe is a retired elementary school teacher and now has time to devote to reading, making candy and crafts, sewing, quilting and “singing for the Lord with Chapter VII.”  Debe is married to Robert Baldwin.  Both of their children are married and the couple loves spending time with their grandchildren.

ROBERT BALDWIN  or Preacher Bob as he is called, has served as the minister for Zion Hill United Church of Christ in Newburg, PA.  For the past 13 years, Bob has been the Chaplin for the Boy Scouts at the Hidden Valley Scout Reservation near Loysville, PA.  Bob retired after 30 years of teaching school.  He served four years in US Coast Guard.   He is married to the Chapter VII pianist, Debe, and helps Chapter VII as the photographer and with the loading and unloading of equipment.  Bob helps Chapter VII keep their focus on continuing the ministry of Christ in song.  He loves being a part of Chapter VII and is a huge asset to have at Chapter VII events to speak with people about their walk with the Lord. Bob truly enjoys being a servant and messenger for Jesus Christ.

LEE CRAMER started playing the guitar about 45 years ago.  Lee began playing country music on the banjo with his father and other family groups.  He then started playing Gospel music in 1960’s.  The New Life Creation band was the first group that he performed with.  Lee later performed with the Mt. Calvary Singers and the Jordan Valley Quartet.  After the Jordan Valley Quartet disbanded, Chapter VII approached him about joining their quartet and Lee is still performing with them.  Lee states, “Performing Gospel music is the joy of my life.”

NANCY CRAMER  is the wife of Lee Cramer, a fellow Chapter VII member. Nancy assists with marketing and supports the Chapter VII table at group events.  Nancy and Lee have been married for 54 years and have two children, five grandchildren, a step-grandchild, and a great-grandchild.  Nancy has been around Gospel music for over 30 years and it has become a big part of her life.

TOM LEBO has been involved in singing since high school.  He held the position of male lead in the high school musical at Boiling Springs High School.  He was also in the school choir.  After graduating from Shippensburg State Teachers College, he joined the Barbershop Chorus in Carlisle.  Tom formed a quartet with Lee Goodman, tenor, Dr. William Reynolds, baritone, Glenn Bear, bass, and Tom sang lead.  Tom was one of the original singers that formed the Chapter VII Gospel Quartet.  He has had the privilege to sing with the group for more than 34 years.  Tom wrote a song that the group recorded titled, “Another Angel.”  Tom was inspired to write the song the night after his grand-niece, Cheyenne Durham, was killed in an auto accident. Cheyenne was just 17 months old.  The song is called, “God Called Another Angel Home.”

BRIAN MCPHERSON has been playing music since his mother, a music teacher, first gave him piano lessons at age five, after he begged and pleaded. As a teenager, Brian played keyboard in two local rock groups.  He also taught himself how to play guitar in his early twenties.  Brian married Marlene, a music teacher, and they raised three children together.  While his children were still at home, Brian didn't play with any groups, only in public at friends' weddings and around campfires.  When Brian’s youngest left for college, he re-entered the music scene.  In addition to playing with Chapter VII, Brian plays guitar, keyboard, and sings in The Recollections, an Oldies group.  Brian also plays guitar in the Craig Sunday Orchestra, a Big Band jazz group.  In addition, Brian sings tenor in his church's choir and plays piano for church services when the regular pianist is unavailable.

ALISON MELLOTT has been signing with Chapter VII for four years.  Singing is something Alison has been doing since she was very young.  She began singing in local churches and later entered local competitions.  It is through these competitions that Alison was recommended to Chapter VII.  Alison is from the Newville area and lives there with her two children.  Alison is the director of a local daycare. She teaches Sunday school, sings with the worship team, and plays on the church softball team.  In her free time Alison enjoys spending time with her family, shopping, reading and scrapbooking.  Chapter VII has given Alison a wonderful way to tell other people about the amazing savior she does the best to serve every day. Alison married Jayson Mellott in the fall of 2011. "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God."   Isaiah 41:10a.

DARYL MELLOTT was exposed to music from the time he was born.  His mother was a church organist and taught private piano lessons for over 50 years.  In the 4th grade Daryl decided he wanted to play the trombone and he began this musical journey at the age of 11.  With help from his mother and strong support from his father, Daryl worked on mastering the instrument.  At age 16 Daryl got his first guitar.  As he could already read the Bass Clef, bass guitar was a logical choice for Daryl.  He joined a group of friends and started a garage-style rock and roll band.  Daryl performed with several rock groups throughout high school and also participated in Regional, State and Country bands and orchestras.  Upon graduation in 1969, Daryl received a scholarship to continue his musical education at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, approximately 40 miles west of Nashville.  It was in college that Daryl discovered many different styles of music.  If he wasn’t performing with one of the University’s many different musical outlets, he would be playing rock, country or Dixieland music with different groups in and around Nashville, Tennessee.  It was also during his college years that Daryl met his wife, Cina, who was also majoring in education and the music field. In 1973, Daryl graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in music education. He married his college sweetheart and convinced her to leave her hometown of Miami, Florida (although she still hates the winter).  Daryl directed the church choir in addition to helping his wife with the junior choir by playing the bass guitar.  Soon Daryl decided to give up the rock and roll scene and finally decided to settle on the music that he enjoys most, Southern Gospel.  In 1976, Daryl started Chapter VII and has not looked back.  He continues to seek out new songs and arrangements for the group to work on, all while pushing them to be the best they can be.  In 2003, Daryl and a friend decided to pursue another musical love, which is the classic Big Band Swing sound of the 40’s and early 50’s, including Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, etc.  Together with 19 good friends, they created the Craig Sunday Orchestra and can be heard throughout the central Pennsylvania area. Some of the current songs presented by Chapter VII use some of these swing styles. Daryl states, “My biggest thrill comes from playing trombone with three other trombone players whom I taught to play.  It keeps me sharp,” he said, “I have to be better than they are; I was the teacher.” Rest assured the music and songs of Chapter VII will always be number one to Daryl, and the search will continue for new material to uplift the name of Jesus.

JAYSON MELLOTT Jayson’s love for music started at a very young age. His mother says that he was whistling and making up songs by the time he was two.  He also had an ear for the pots and pans drum set.  Jayson remembers in his younger years going with his Dad to hear him play with Chapter VII.  He also remembers his Dad practicing the trumpet to the Old Rugged Cross and Just a Closer Walk on the back porch.  Jayson has grown up to the music of Chapter VII.   Coming from a musical household, Jayson started the piano when he was 5.  He played the piano until the 4th grade when his father placed a trombone in his hands.  Jayson has been playing the trombone ever since. Graduating in 1998 from Cumberland Valley High School, Jayson earned a long list of musical awards and achievements while in school, including the John Philip Sousa award for musicianship, the orchestral award for musicianship, the Marine Semper Fi High Musician award, and seats in County, District, and Regional Bands and Orchestras.  Jayson also spent three weeks touring across Europe to play American composed music. He has performed the scores to several Broadway musicals including West Side Story, and somewhere along the way Jayson taught himself to play the baritone, tuba, and guitar.  Directly after high school, Jayson began to perform with the Encores, a Carlisle-based Swing band.  He later joined the Craig Sunday Orchestra as their bass trombonist and male vocalist.  Finally, Jayson’s music career has come full circle, as he is now singing bass for Chapter VII.  In addition to performing music, Jayson also found a love for composing and arranging music. He hopes to bring some new songs and arrangements to the group as Chapter VII continues to evolve and grow. Jayson is very excited to be the newest member of Chapter VII and looks forward to meeting you at a future show.  Jayson recently married our lead singer, Alison.

NANCY SNYDER  is the Alto singer in Chapter VII.  She has been with the group since 1987.  She is very enthusiastic about spreading the Gospel through music and ministry.  Nancy is a graduate of Boiling Springs High School and a native Bubbler.  During high school, Nancy attended Vo-Tech to become a Dental Assistant and worked in the field for many years.  Nancy also sang in the Junior and Senior Chorus, the District Chorus, and played Clarinet for the band.  Nancy is employed by Cumberland County Prison and has been married to her husband, Tim, for 17 years.  Nancy has a son, Shaun, a daughter-in-law, Holly, and became a Grandmother in September 2009 to Bristol Elizabeth.  Nancy derived her musical ability from her mother.  Nancy’s Mom and Dad attend many of the engagements for Chapter VII and support the group with all their love.

SEAN THOMPSON  began playing the guitar at the age of 14.  Raised in Perry County, Sean began playing country music, but moved to mostly Rock music after entering high school.  Sean graduated from West Perry High School and Cumberland Perry Vo Tech as an automotive technician.  Sean married his high school sweetheart, Samantha, and they have two wonderful boys, Shane and Alex.  Sean is an avid local racing fan and also enjoys NASCAR.  Sean is excited to be playing music for the Lord and is looking forward to a new found purpose through Chapter VII.

SAMANTHA THOMPSON grew up in New Bloomfield and is married to Sean Thompson, our guitar player.  Samantha is a full-time mom, babysitter, and freelance photographer.  She has been interested in photographer since she was three and became more serious in photographer at age ten. She does photography for Chapter VII. She has done photos of newborns, toddlers, family portraits, a wedding, and enjoys selling her photos at festivals.  Samantha thanks God every day for this gift he gave her.  It’s her escape from the real world. You can see some of her other work at: http://samantha.hobby-site.com/albums.php.

DON ZEIGLER   was born in Norristown, PA.  The family moved to Perry County shortly after his arrival.  He was raised in the Landisburg area, and spent his childhood working, playing and exploring the hills and mountains with his friends.  After graduating from High School, Don took a job with a local manufacturing company as a fork lift operator.  It was during this time that he met and married his wife, Ethel, in 1986.  In 1989 he was offered a job with a family entertainment business and relocated to Mobile, Alabama. While in Alabama he got into stock car racing and drove in many races throughout the South.  A few years later, Don decided he wanted to see the country and the best way was from the seat of a tractor trailer.  He relocated to Gulfport, Mississippi, and went to work as a professional driver for twenty-two years and traveled the country.  Everything was going well until he met up with a storm called hurricane Katrina.  Unfortunately, the storm was not very nice and Don lost everything.  He retired from the trucking company, loaded everything he owned in the back of a pick-up truck and moved back to Perry County to start over.  Don enjoys helping his friends and neighbors and works with the local fire company. As he says, "I have been there; I know what they are going through."  Don has been married for 25 years, has 3 children and 6 grandchildren and enjoys spending quality time with them.  He began playing drums with a local group known as the Recollections and joined Chapter VII in May of 2011.  He is thankful he can use his talents to help spread the word of God through music.

"Singing For The Lord!

Samantha Thompson  - Photographer

Don Zeigler - Drums