Mike Allen

Four childhood friends learn to cheat dice games from a heroine addict. They soon learn that the game of dice isn't about how the dice roll, it's about the people you roll with.

The Homecoming Friends recall Christmases long, long ago, while showcasing familiar Christmas Carols and new Gaither-penned songs like "Come And See What's Happenin'." The Old Friends Quartet fronted by Jake Hess and George Younce makes its debut, and Bill pays tribute to the pioneers of Southern Gospel music. "What A Wonderful World," performed by Russ Taff, is dedicated to the memory of Homecoming regular Bob Cain.

It's been the scene of concerts by the Clash, U2, the Dave Matthews Band, and many other secular musical acts, so the natural outdoor amphitheatre of Colorado's Red Rocks was perhaps overdue a visit from the prolific and decidedly non-secular Gaither Family, whose HOMECOMING series has been a fixture of both the Christian movement and the Billboard charts for many years. Their Red Rocks foray follows the form of the classic Gaither manifestation-the family hosts performances by longtime favorites such as Wesley Pritchard, whose "I Never Shall Forget the Day" is a particular highlight, and Donnie Sumner, who contributes a delicate, moving "The Anchor Holds." As a celebration of traditional religious values, the HOMECOMING series is perhaps unequalled in contemporary worship music. RED ROCKS HOMECOMING is a fine example of the Gaither Family and its satellite members doing what they do best--singing simple, unadorned, traditional songs of praise.

The history of American slavery from its beginnings in the British colonies to its end in the Southern states and the years of post-Civil War Reconstruction. Looks at slavery as an integral part of a developing nation, challenging the long held notion that slavery was exclusively a Southern enterprise. Simultaneously focuses on the remarkable stories of individual slaves, offering new perspectives on the slave experience and testifying to the active role that Africans and African Americans took in surviving their bondage and shaping their own lives.