Words by Erin Shockey | Images by Al Blanton

As a child, Matthew Wilson always knew he would be part of the family band. There was just one problem. 

 “The only thing I knew how to play at the time was the hymnbook drum-set,” Matthew says, chuckling. “If you don’t know what that is, you stack hymnbooks up on a pew, you grab ink pens and try your best to disturb everybody around you.”

 In those days, Matthew’s dad, Darryle Wilson, performed in a gospel group known as Family Circle. The group included Darryle’s wife, Debbi; Debbi’s dad, Floyd (Bill) Busby; her brother, Ron; and her brother-in-law, Kevin Chambers. 

 Matthew recalls fond memories of foot tapping to Family Circle shows on the weekends. As he grew older, he traded in his hymnbook drum-set for a guitar. That’s when a new era of music began. 

 Darryle began pastoring at Central Baptist Church in Jasper in 1990, but Eagle’s Wings didn’t emerge until 2008. In the beginning, they held true to their country gospel roots. “In our minds, our style was like a country gospel group doing an unplugged session,” Kevin says. 

 As time went on, however, the band’s sound evolved. “The second I pulled out a banjo, that was it— we were a bluegrass group, and nobody will let us be anything else,” Matthew laughs. 

 Through the years, banjo players came and went like the seasons until Jacob Patterson joined the band, giving Eagle’s Wings its beloved, bluegrass twang that fans enjoy today.

 Eagle’s Wings is known for captivating its listeners with a jubilant expression of the gospel through music. While they have soared to the top of the Bluegrass Gospel charts with three #1 songs, it’s their faith and family that keeps them grounded. 

 And though the music has evolved over time, band members all agree that the message is immutable. “You want to entertain people and you want them to have a good time, but we want to do that by singing songs that present the Gospel message and present Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world,” Kevin explains. 

 The band members’ hope for every performance is to lift up hearts by lifting up Jesus—a responsibility that is not taken lightly. “We want people to feel encouraged to stay in the walk and to keep their faith up,” Debbi says.

 Eagle’s Wings travels locally and regionally, performing mostly at churches with an occasional appearance at local restaurants and music venues. When Vonda Armstrong with Hey Y’all Media began promoting the band, more opportunities appeared on the horizon. “When we met with Vonda and she started promoting us, we fell in with this enormous group of what you would call ‘regional artists,’” Matthew says. 

 A few times a year, the band travels to conventions across the country attended by many of these regional artists. One of the most notable is the National Quartet Convention, where Eagle’s Wings performed for over 10,000 people, singing an exultant, bluegrass rendition of a classic southern gospel song. Eagle’s Wings plans to attend the Creekside Convention in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the last week of October. 

 The band currently has four albums available on CD. Their latest, Let’s All Tell the World About Jesus, is their first album with all original music. 78

 For more information about Eagle’s Wings, find them on Facebook and visit their website at www.eagleswingsband.com.