MTQ | About

Mission Statement:

Our mission is to encourage the church and evangelize the lost through the medium of gospel music and the message of Christ and him crucified.

Mark Trammell Ministries Doctrinal Statement

We believe the Bible to be the inspired word of God. We also believe in the virgin birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ and in the sufficiency of Christ's finished work at Calvary for the atoning of sin. The Bible tells us that there is a literal Heaven AND a literal Hell, and that man has a choice of where he will spend eternity. We believe in water baptism as an outward expression of an inward change, and the inward change is what eternally secures the "true believer".

Mark Trammell

For over thirty five years, Mark Trammell has been blessed to sing Gospel Music, something he says, "Evolved from a dream to a life's call; from just singing to ministry." Many long time observers and followers of Gospel Music consider him to be one the greatest baritone singers of all time. He has won multiple awards as a singer and producer, and has been a member of four of Gospel Music's most acclaimed groups - The Kingsmen, The Cathedrals, Greater Vision and Gold City. For most people, just being with one of these legendary groups would be the pinnacle of a career and justification for resting on your laurels. But for Mark now is not the time to kick back and relax. Instead, it is time to launch a new mission that focuses on evangelism through the seamless integration of Gospel Music and preaching - The Mark Trammell Quartet.

If surrounding yourself with the right people is one of the keys of success, then Mark Trammell might be considered a 'master locksmith'. Since he was 15 years old, Mark has literally been surrounded by and sung with some of the most respected men in Southern Gospel Music including Ray Shelton, Eldridge Fox, Jim Hamill, Squire Parsons, Ray Reece, Tim Riley, Glen Payne, and George Younce. Taking on the mantel of mentor, Mark Trammell is now surrounding himself with three of the brightest young vocalists on the Gospel Music horizon. Joel Wood, Dustin Sweatman, and Pat Barker.

Mark Trammell has been married to his wife LaResa for thirty three years. They have one son, twenty seven year old Nick who graduated from Gadsden State Community College with an Associates Degree in Music and from Jacksonville State University with a bachelors degree in accounting. Nick and his wife Jessica are settling into married life and live in Gadsden, Alabama. They also work full time in gospel music.

Throughout his career, Mark has been privileged to perform in some very prestigious venues including Radio City Music Hall, Brooklyn Tabernacle, and the South Lawn of the White House. He performed for President Jimmy Carter, and noted pastors/evangelists such as the venerable Dr. W. A. Crisswell, Dr. Charles Stanley, Dr. Tom Eliff, Dr. Bailey Smith and others. It was on the Isle of Patmos that Mark initially began to understand God's call of evangelism. "For many years I literally fought the call of evangelism," explains Mark. "I've enjoyed these years of helping others fulfill their dreams while living out my own dream of being a gospel singer. But now, God has given me new dreams built on His calling on my life to combine singing and preaching as the venue warrants. I came to the realization a few years back that God doesn't want me to be someone else. He wants me to be who He made ME to be, and that was the goal for this trio when we started and now for the quartet. We are to be ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to live, preach, and sing in such a manner that no one feels or thinks we're trying to be something we're not. We are to be trusted stewards of God's blessings in our lives. We are to be faithful and obedient to God's leadership and to administer our ministry with integrity on sound and godly principles. The bottom line is for our families to be able to say, 'we're glad we lived in the home of a Gospel singer.'"

Dustin Sweatman

The most talented member of the group is Dustin Sweatman. Dustin is twenty seven years old and hales from Cumming, GA. For three years prior to joining MTQ Dustin sang with the Dixie Melody Boys. He is not only a very talented lead singer, but is an awesome keyboard artist, and song writer as well. For twelve years Dustin refined this craft by taking lessons from Eloise Phillips, a noted teacher in Southern Gospel Music circles. In 2004 Dustin was honored as one of the top five vocalists for the Horizon Individual Award and in 2011 was named in the top ten lead singers in all of gospel music. Dustin’s father is Gerald Sweatman who has written many wonderful songs that have been recorded by groups such as the Kingsmen, Hoppers and many more. “It is a privilege to be working with a group that is focused on ministry,” he says. “I want to see people changed and drawn closer to Christ after attending our concerts.

Eric Phillips

Over twenty-five years ago, Mark Trammell, as a member of The Kingsmen, shared the stage with one of Southern Gospel Music's best-loved tenor singers, Ernie Phillips. Today, Ernie's son Eric Phillips sings tenor for the Mark Trammell Quartet. Although his earliest memory of singing is being on stage with Squire Parsons, Sam Parsons, and his father when he was very young, Eric actually began his singing career with some regional groups from the Carolinas, before joining (as Eric's first tenure with Mark) the Mark Trammell Trio. Like the others, Eric is very ministry minded. "It's all about the message," he states. "I want to be an encouragement to people and to share The Word through song to unbelievers. It's very humbling, yet also very rewarding when someone tells you how a song you've sung has been inspiring to them, or helped them in some way deal with a problem or difficult situation." Ever the tenor, Eric adds, "of course there's nothing like a good, fast, Gospel song with a high ending!" Eric is married to his lovely wife, Lauren. Lauren is a graduate from Jacksonville State College and a full time mother their two children, Carli and Blake. Eric is a graduate of Western Carolina University with a BS in Criminal Justice; a veteran of the Asheville, North Carolina and City of Gadsden, Alabama Police Departments.

Pat Barker

The newest member is actually the one who made this group an “honest quartet." He is thirty six year old Pat Barker, and he sings the bass part. Pat is a true "quartet man" in every sense. Before joining MTQ Pat sang with the venerable Dixie Echoes Quartet from Pensacola, Florida. Pat and his wife Kesha have two children four year old Andy and Breelyn who is just over a year old.

Mark states that the major reason for turning this trio into a quartet is the fact that he desires to help perpetuate the craft that he has given his life to and that is to present every aspect of pure gospel quartet music to the best of their ability.