Arden, North Carolina (September 20, 2022) — The  Down East Boys have once again claimed the No. 1 spot on the monthly SGN Scoops Southern Gospel Chart with a song from their album, The Stories We Tell. “Ready To Leave,” a horn-driven cover of the popular Hemphills song, has quickly climbed the chart since its release, debuting at No. 13 before jumping to No. 1. The song follows the group’s last single, “Your Sins Are Forgiven,” which was No. 1 on the SGN Scoops chart in May.

“Ready To Leave” talks about living a life that prepares you for heaven, as the chorus shares, “??Ready to leave in a twinkling of an eye / making investments in the bank up in the sky! / I've made preparations — not a reason to grieve. / Are you in that number getting ready to leave?”

“We are overwhelmed by the response to this great classic song,” says Ricky Carden, the group’s lead singer. “Fifty years after it was first recorded, the message has become more real in the days we are living in. We are getting ‘Ready To Leave’!” 

The song is the latest single from the Down East Boys’ album, The Stories We Tell. The album is the first featuring the current lineup of singers (Carden, baritone Daryl Paschal, bass Alex Utech and tenor Doug Pittman), and offers a sampling of all the elements that have contributed to the success of the group’s musical ministry — uplifting songs; thoughtful, creative arrangements relevant to today’s faithful while keeping strong links to tradition; and, above all, singing that gives each voice an opportunity to testify within a tight-knit quartet setting.

Listen to “Ready To Leave” and the rest of The Stories We Tell HERE.

About Down East Boys
For more than 30 years, the Down East Boys quartet has traveled from coast to coast, Canada and Mexico. Starting in eastern North Carolina the group chose the name from that region called Down East, but quickly expanded its ministry and has now recorded more than 20 projects and has had more than 40 songs reach the top of the Singing News charts. The Down East Boys features lead singer Ricky Carden, baritone singer Daryl Paschal, bass singer Alex Utech and tenor singer Doug Pittman, who each bring a richness to the group’s music and have been noted by industry leaders and singers as some of the best. The Down East Boys have been afforded many great accolades to their credit. Three songs — “Beat Up Bible,” “Testimony Time” and “I’d Like To Tell It Again” — from their album, One Day In The Past, reached the No 1. position on the Singing News Chart, and “Amazing Amounts of Amazing Grace” from their most recent album, Faithful Still, also made the top spot. From performing with many evangelists through the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, singing at Southern Baptist State Conventions and Evangelism conferences all over the country, to all the awards and nominations and the hit songs, nothing changes the goal of this group and that is to share the gospel of Jesus unto all the world.

About Crossroads:
Crossroads is a market leader in the Southern Gospel, Bluegrass, and Americana fields. Established in 1993, following the combination of Horizon Music Group and Sonlite Records, Crossroads now operates several divisions including Crossroads Label Group (Horizon Records, Sonlite Records, Mountain Home Music, Skyland Records, Pisgah Ridge Records, Crossroads Records, and Organic Records), Crossroads Distribution, Crossroads Radio Promotions, and Crossroads Recording Studios. Led by a strong executive team of Christian music and Bluegrass music veterans, Crossroads combines cutting-edge technology with creative innovation to connect fans with our artists’ music.