Crossroads Mourns Passing of Mickey Gamble

The bluegrass and Southern Gospel communities are mourning this week the loss of Crossroads Music co-founder Mickey Gamble, who passed away this week at 81 years old.

Under Mickey’s leadership, Crossroads and its associated labels — Horizon Records, Sonlite Records, Mountain Home Music Company and Organic Records — grew from beginnings as an acclaimed Asheville, NC recording operation (Hear Here! Studios) and a Southern Gospel label (Horizon Music Group) to become one of bluegrass and Southern Gospel music’s preeminent issuers.

With a collective roster that has ranged from determinedly traditional Gospel quartets and bluegrass bands through contemporary masters and innovative new groups, Crossroads reflects Mickey’s vision of a larger musical family, rooted in his beloved western North Carolina home but reaching everywhere that meaningfully authentic art is welcomed.

His tireless advocacy for professionalism; his insistence on sound, honest business practices; his relentless drive to be informed about, to understand and then to adapt to developments in the recorded music industry; and his unbounded enthusiasm for the music being made by Crossroads artists earned him the respect, admiration and affection of those with whom he worked to a degree that is rare in any field.

Francesca Dooris, Mickey’s daughter, recalls that, “My dad loved music — and its makers — more than anyone else I’ve ever encountered. He was a champion of the arts, of many other forms in addition to music, because of each unique human being behind the creation of a piece. The ubiquitous theme from everyone I’ve spoken with during this time is that he saw the distinctive set of characteristics a person had to give to the world, and pushed him or her to trust that part of themselves relentlessly. He believed in the gift that was the essence of a person, even if they couldn’t see it or hadn’t developed it. The music community was truly family to my dad, and he loved each of you in a completely one-of-a-kind way. If he could say one thing to everyone now, it would be that the music must go on. Keep writing. Keep creating. Keep being you and making your art, whatever form it takes.”

A recipient of the Southern Gospel Music Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 and the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award in 2019, Mickey Gamble leaves behind a monumental legacy, along with a legion of heartbroken friends and colleagues. 

##