Veteran Ralph Carmichael to conduct on US tour

THE VETERAN orchestra leader and record executive Ralph Carmichael will make history in 2013 as the oldest conductor to embark on a major US tour. The Ralph Carmichael Legacy Tour will feature guest soloists, in select cities, including Larnelle Harris, The Archers, First Call and Wayne Watson, with other artists being added soon. Adoption agency Holt International will serve as a sponsor for the tour. 84 year old Carmichael is known as the "Father of Contemporary Christian Music" for his transitory influence on the style of music that was slowly embraced by mainline churches in the early 1960s. He has also worked with such major figures as Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, The Carpenters and Ella Fitzgerald.