NINE–No Instruments Needed Ever–was formed out of the choir at Marion First Church of the Nazarene. What started as nine guys just singing acapella music to see if they could do it, has led to over 5 years of fun and ministry… never accompanied by a single instrument except their voices.
NINE is comprised of an eclectic group of engineers, teachers, preachers, and business leaders. The lineup includes Titus Ritchey (baritone), Matt Craycraft (2nd tenor), Scott Forry (1st tenor), Joe Blue (bass), Luke Henry (bass), Scott Ruth (2nd tenor), Steve DeWeber (baritone/bass), Wes Peters (baritone/bass), and Matt Holsinger (1st tenor). Behind the scenes is the 10th member of the group, sound man Bill Mankey.
Busy with full-time jobs and juggling professional and family schedules often proves to be a challenge for the men, but NINE stays true to their roots and their mission to honor God through music.
The group shares, “We believe God gave us our different talents and brought us together, so we try to use our gifts to glorify him.”
“We started off by doing a few things in church over the first year. Christmas at the Palace 2011 is what gave us our name,” said founder Scott Ruth. “We had to pick a name to be listed in the program, we chose NINE.”
͟The guys owe much of their success and existence to Clare Cooke and the Palace Theater, which provided confidence and a springboard to other opportunities, including ‘To Clare with Love’ and NINE’s standalone shows on the Palace stage. Since their start, NINE has sang everywhere from churches, nursing homes, and revivals, to corporate parties, birthday parties, even the National Anthem at a Cincinnati Reds game.
#marionmade #wearenine #wearetalented
