“Show Me a Haste…”

“…and I’ll show you a singer.”  [Quoted in Singing the Glory Down: Amateur Gospel Music in South Central Kentucky, 1900-1990]
It’s my assignment to share a genealogy moment with my family in our weekly Family Home Evening meetings. But I’ve been rather neglectful the past few weeks, despite the fact that I enjoy learning these stories.  When I was at the library this morning, I was looking at my family tree on NewFamilySearch, trying to decide on who to research, who I could learn about, etc., when my grandpa’s grandfather popped out at me: Huston Thomas Haste.  Beyond his birth and death dates, I knew nothing about him; no stories, no pictures.  So what did I do?
I Googled him.
Expecting to be disappointed, but hoping for at least a mention of his name in a genealogy forum, I was astonished to discover that the first result was a book – available from Google Books and Amazon – entitled Singing the Glory Down: Amateur Gospel Music in South Central Kentucky, 1900-1990 by William Lynwood Montell. (Click on the book cover to follow it to Amazon.)
Turns out that in 1900, Huston Haste and three of his brothers – James Frank “Jim Frank”,  John Thomas and Andrew J. “Drude” – formed the Haste Brothers Quartet in their small community of Sardis in Pulaski, Kentucky, and were “the only quartet singers in south central Kentucky for more than a decade.”  Looks like they led the way for other singing trios, quartets and ensembles in early 20th century in their region.  According to the book, Jim Frank sang lead, John sang baritone, Huston sang bass and Drude, tenor.  The brothers were all known as “awfully religious” men, and Huston and his family specifically were called “great Nazarenes.”  In the 1920s, Huston began singing with his three daughters, Ebbie, Anna and Samantha; they were billed as the Huston Haste Trio.
There’s even a picture included of the four Haste brothers taken in 1929, found here through Google Reader.  It's on page 53.  Unfortunately, the caption doesn’t list who was who.
The whole Haste family, it appears, was very gifted in singing.  All of the accolades received point to one conclusion: “Any one of the Hastes can sing if they want to, and most of them do. … One person observed, ‘All of the Hastes were singers.  Show me a Haste and I’ll show you a singer.”
I might be interested in getting my own copy of this book to read more about my ancestors and the other gospel singing families of South Central Kentucky.