THE DILLS; A FAMILY FOCUSED ON MINISTRY
By Sandi Duncan-Clark
As Christians, we know that nothing happens by accident, however, Tim and Shawn Dill
realize that their music ministry originated almost by accident. “Of course it was not an
accident, because all things are ordered by God, but we really didn’t set out to have a
Gospel group,” Tim Dill told us. “When Shawn and I were very young; as young as five
and six, we sang with our parents at church.”
Then, according to the men, God began to work in their lives. “Shawn began playing the
piano when he was seven and a while later at age seven, I began playing drums for the
family group and we started singing at more places,” Tim stated.
He continued, “Then about thirteen or fourteen years ago, Bridget and LeeAnn began
going with the family when we sang. LeeAnn and Shawn got married first, and then
Bridget and I got married. As we continued to sing, both LeeAnn and Bridget started
singing with us, and our concerts would be half with Mom and Dad and half with the
four of us performing. Four years ago Mom and Dad retired from traveling. Now Bridget,
LeeAnn, Shawn and myself as well as Shawn and LeeAnn’s two children, make up the
current group.”
This past year, 2006, has been an outstanding one for this Jackson, Tennessee family.
They book approximately 125 dates each year, traveling throughout the east coast.
“We really enjoy having the children with us and we watch diligently the days they miss
school,” LeeAnn said. “We try to book Friday, Saturday and two dates for Sunday, so
that they can go with us. If we do more than that, we leave them with my parents or
Shawn’s parents. They have always traveled with us.”
Bridget added, “On a recent trip, I had laryngitis and nine year old Kaela filled in for me.
She knows every word to every song and did an outstanding job. We are so proud of both
Kaela and thirteen year old Logan.”
The goal and mission of The Dills is to win people to Christ. LeeAnn said, “We try to
share with our audience that God loves them and life can be on the upside with God as
part of their life.”
“We have been praying for God to broaden our booking areas so that we can reach more
people for the Lord,” Tim stated.
Growing up in a Christian family and working in the church has been a strong influence
in the music and ministry of The Dills. Through that background, group members learned
early, to depend on God for his leadership. The Dills also look to God when choosing the
songs on their programs and their recordings. Their latest project is titled “Faith,” and has
eleven great songs.
Bridget stated, “We listen to a lot of music before we record, and we all feel that if a song
touches our hearts, then it will speak to the hearts of others.”
“I Am Redeemed” was the first song shipped to Gospel radio from their current
recording. It was followed by “That’s What He Gave To Me” and in January,
2007 “Jesus Never Fails” went out to radio on CD from the Rick Hendrix Company.
The Dills are currently previewing songs for a new recording. “We have songs from a lot
of writers and we’re excited about the music,” Tim said. “We’ve had a lot of people ask
for something with praise and worship music. We want to choose some songs that will
appeal to the cross-section of ages of the people who come to our services and concerts.”
When the Dills perform, Bridget, LeeAnn and Tim are the front-line, with Shawn playing
keyboards. “Shawn is an outstanding tenor singer and he joins us on several songs. I do
the Emcee work, and any one of the group will give their testimony during the service,”
Tim said. “We firmly believe in allowing God to have complete charge of the service, so
we all are sensitive to His will. We also remember that we are there to sing, and that’s
what we do.”
The Dills are comfortable in any concert setting. “We sing in a lot of churches and in
various concert promotions,” Shawn said. Tim picked up the conversation, “We enjoy
meeting other groups and singing with other artists. We had an outstanding time at the
National Quartet Convention in September last year. We sang on several showcases and
enjoyed the fellowship with other artists and with the fans.”
When it comes to harmony, there is nothing quite as exciting as close family harmony.
When you hear the Dills you will enjoy that harmony and you will experience the
excitement they feel in ministering through their music.
“We are sold out to our music ministry, and we want to share our love for the Lord with
everyone who comes to our concerts,” Tim stated. “This makes all the miles we travel
worth it.”
The Dills are performing for the first time on the Jubilee at Sea cruise with Templeton
Tours in February. Bridget and Leeann agree, “This is an exciting venture for the group
and we’re taking a lot of our fans. The children are going with us on the cruise and they
are REALLY excited!”
The Dills’ booking is done in-house by calling 731-988-5046. You can also visit their
website at www.thedills.net for a list of their concert dates and to order their music. Take
it from me, you will be blessed by the music of this family!
If you enjoyed this story find more at www.sgmradio.com
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