An Interview
with Peg
McKamey Bean

This interview was given on June 11, 2001 in the McKamey office in Clinton Tennessee to Norman J. Carl (interviewer). Peg had no knowledge if the questions before they were asked.

"This is the first Question: It seems that the songs selected and the testimonies given in your programs are a sermon and testimony in song. Is this observation correct? Can you elaborate?"

Peg: "I say it is correct ... and that may come from....Carol and Dora and I were raised under the care of a preaching daddy that loved the word of God and we would help him study by ... we had several Bibles. We get reference for him when he was on a certain scripture and sit on the front porch and study. My sister Dora, she picked up some songs from the word of God; started writing. She wrote some songs and she would say to me: Peg when you read the word of God, don't you get a song? I said no, I get a lesson. So I never have written a song, a lot of people think that I have, but I have never written a song but I write lessons and I write little helps from the word of God that helps people out. That is my contribution, but I'd say when my daddy would preach on a certain scripture; like if he is preaching on John chapter 11 tonight, then we'd sing "Right on Time" for him; sort of help him introduce his message, you know, and we did that for him, and then for other preachers as well, and so we sing a lot of scriptural songs."

"Ok, the second question: How do you manage to keep the members of your family all pulling together, through the years, with what has to be a very demanding schedule of singing?"

Peg: "I do not know that I do that, brother, but I know the Lord helps us. First off, we are a family and besides that, we are friends; we enjoy each others company. You know just like friends and I think that makes a difference. We pray together, we pray for our people together and God has honored that, and as I said, we all have our jobs to do and we each respect the others and appreciate what every body does. We all pull together and when it is all said and done the main person in charge is Ruben. Every body respects him so that we all do what is expected of us by him, I think that makes it run smooth. The fact that we have a lot of things in common, you know like we will all get off the bus, and Ruben can say now every body go their separate ways, you know at a mall, and do what you want to do. We will eat and be back at the bus at a certain certain time, every body eat where you want to eat and all these things. But most likely every one of us will wind up at the same place to eat; we will wind up at the Christian book store. It's because we have those things in common and we love spending time with each other. We all love our work, we all have a common love for our work and our people."

"Thank you.... Ok the next question: How do you manage to show the same close relation to our Lord, over the many years, that you have been blessing Gods people through your singing?"

Peg: "You know something, I try to have a close walk and a special relationship with the Lord on a daily basis. I read the Bible every day. I start at the front of the Bible and read the whole Bible through, then I get a new Bible; Ill do that one through. I do special studies from time to time, like our pastor preaches a series right now; he is in Malachi and sometimes he is preaching the life of Moses and through the Exodus, you know, I study like that as well. I have a Sunday School class as well, we all do, that we study, but every day I have an encounter with the Lord and I have a special time when I first get up in the morning. I read, where I'm reading now in Isaiah, and I talk to the lord on a daily basis and ask Him to bless our people. You, when you have an encounter with God on a daily basis; It's like if you worked and lived and spent a lot of time in a rose garden, your garments would smell of that rose. When you get in the precious fragrance of the presence of God Almighty, your garments will smell of that. If you don't go daily, you loose that fragrance and so that is how we keep it fresh."

"Thank you.... Ok the next question: How does it feel to be the recipient of a special blessing that in turn blesses those you minister to with your singing?"

Peg: "O wow, that is easy. One word I can describe that; it's awesome. It's awesome to minister to folks and then have them turn around and minister to you. I think that's what keeps us excited about getting on the road....is because we want to do that and people in turn minister to us. You can't imagine how just your coming out here from California to be with us in our Home Town Sing and how that has ministered to us. We appreciate traveling that you did and the sacrifice and we do with all our people, because, see, we know what it's like to be on the road. We've been to California in our bus, and it is a long trip, but it's worth it when you see folks".....(interviewer..."I am hoping and praying you will be there")..."Me to, me to, I'm excited about coming to seeing it again and to minister to the folks. That's exactly what keeps us going is because of these people that we know and we have known over the years and they minister to us by being at the concert; by praying for us and things like that. It's developed into a large family of friends and it just becomes a family. We have a family on the road that we can call up when we need anything , you know, and there there to help and we can share our dreams and our new songs with."

"Well, Thank you...Ok, the last question is:... Can you point to a special time where the Lord has blessed you with His gift of the ability to draw the people of God to himself through your singing?"

Peg: (emotion in voice)...."Many people have told me, while on stage, they see, instead of me, they see the Lord and that is the greatest honor that can be bestowed on me. I have been given awards, special trophies and things, and I appreciate those, but that is the greatest thing that could happen to me. Is that some body tell me: I see Jesus in you and I want Him; I would love to know Him. That is what it is all about; that is the bottom line. That is special not only to me but to my whole family; that is the most precious thing."

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