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Gospel Group Performance Benefits Historical Society
Henry family pix
The Herb Henry Family gospel group is planning a new benefit concert in Riverbank with proceeds to go toward construction of an annex to the Riverbank Historical Museum. Photo Contributed

A West Coast gospel group based in Modesto but with roots in Riverbank will return for a benefit concert at the city’s Community Center at the end of the month.

The Herb Henry Family, considered the first family of gospel music in California, will be hosting a special concert to raise funds for the construction fund of the Riverbank Historical Museum. Dubbed the Olde Town Review, the concert will feature the music of the Curtis Family and the Gage Family. It will feature patriotic and American traditional tunes in addition to gospel music.

Tickets for the concert are $15, and are available now at City Hall in downtown Riverbank and at O’Brien’s Market on the west side of town, with proceeds committed to the historical society’s building fund. It continues to raise money to be able to build an annex adjacent to the museum, on Santa Fe Street downtown. The society has more materials than it can display in the main museum, formerly a Carnegie Library, built in 1921.

Tickets are also available on the society’s website, www.riverbankhistoricmuseum.com, through PayPal or with a Credit or Debit Card.

The concert will be held on Friday, June 30, at the Community Center, beginning at 7 p.m. There is no Farmers Market scheduled that week, since it kicks off the holiday weekend leading up to the July 4 holiday, hence the patriotic music scheduled.

Herb Henry was born on Feb. 3, 1947 in Oakdale, and he grew up in Riverbank, where his father owned a grocery store. While there, he attended Oakdale High School and graduated in 1964.

He attended college at California State University, Stanislaus, graduating in 1969 with a degree in business.

Henry traveled, sang, and played piano for The Premiers, a Southern Gospel Group, from 1965 to 1973. He later served as Minister of Music in churches both in California and Texas.

This is the second time the Herb Henry Family has produced concerts benefiting the historical society, with the last one in 2002. It also featured the late pioneer broadcaster and country music artist Chester Smith, also a Riverbank resident.

In 1986, Henry became the pastor of Richland Faith Assembly of God in Modesto, where he continues to serve today. That same year he established Richland Ministries to promote Southern Gospel Music through concerts and radio, with the family gospel group performing throughout the western states.

Their personal appearances have taken them from small country churches to large arenas and concert halls. They also appear each year at the Great Western Quartet Convention.

In 2010, Herb was awarded “Southern Gospel Promoter of the Year.”

The Riverbank Historical Society operates the museum, staffed by volunteers, with open hours from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.