The Boys Of The Fort
The Boys Of The Fort is an American country/gospel vocal quartet founded in 1994 in Fort Scott, Kansas.
The Early Years
The Boys Of The Fort was formed in 1994 by Ben Ingram, a transplant to the area from Wichita, Kansas. The original members of the group - Ingram (bass), Larry Davenport (lead), Jim Barrows (tenor), and Marvin Woods Jr (baritone) - made their first appearance at the Fort Scott Jubilee country music show in May, 1994. The show was produced by Stan and Cheri Wright, parents of country music star Chely Wright. Their first major public appearance was headlining at the Bourbon County Fair with western music legend Johnny Western. In 1995, The Boys Of The Fort were signed (briefly) with Buddy Lee Attractions. They performed five concerts at the Kansas State Fair, and released their first album, "...in search of a song...".
1996-2005
In 1996, Davenport, Barrows and Woods disbanded from the group. They were replaced with Paul A. Walrod (lead), Bryan Ganer (tenor) and Casey Burkett (baritone). Ingram moved back to Wichita and resumed his radio show at KFTI alongside Johnny Western, but remained as bass vocalist of the group. Burkett left the group in 2003 to pursue a career as a rhythm and blues artist.
2005-Present
Casey Jay Brown signed on with the group in 2005 as baritone vocalist, and in May of that year, The Boys Of The Fort opened for country music star Gene Watson at the Orpheum Theatre in Wichita. They have since worked with other artists, including T.G. Sheppard, and Country Music Hall of Fame member Jimmy Fortune, former tenor of The Statler Brothers.
Lunacy Records
In 2007, The Boys Of The Fort signed on with Lunacy Records, an independent label in Oklahoma City. Their producer, Dave Copenhaver, oversaw production of the group's next two CD projects, "Let It Go" and their first-ever gospel album, "A Higher Calling." The group recorded "He's Gettin' Me Ready," a gospel song written by Fortune. That song was released as a single on 1, a website-based charting system, in January, 2009. It went to #1 on the southern gospel chart six days later. The Boys Of The Fort went back into the studio in 2010 to begin work on their next CD project. The album will feature mostly original material, including one written by Ingram called "The Country Hall Of Fame - Again."