Hall of Fame artist will sing at Caroling for Cans benefit
EDEN — As youngsters and, later, students at Bartlett-Yancey High School, Janet Paschal and her older sister Kay Loftis sang in her grandfather's church in Reidsville.
Shortly after finishing school in 1974, Janet began singing professionally with the LeFevres from Atlanta, Ga. From there her career was off and running as the Rockingham County native quickly became one of the most recognizable faces and voices in any music genre.
At 3 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7, Paschal will be the headline performer at the third annual Caroling for Cans benefit show at Morehead High School. The event is sponsored by Night Owl National Stoneworks and the Rockingham County Food Coalition.
"We are thrilled to have Janet joining our benefit concert, and are excited for the community to experience all the wonderful talent we have here in Rockingham County," said Caroling for Cans coordinator Jillian Larsen.
Accompanying Paschal will be violinist Marcy Orr Pyrtle, Morehead High Choral teacher. Joining them will be several other local performers with Santa Claus being on hand to greet children and have pictures taken with them. The audience also will participate in several Christmas song sing-a-longs.
Admission is a donation of canned or non-perishable food to be distributed by the eight participating agencies to help feed needy families at Christmas.
Paschal was just 18 when she joined the LeFevres from Atlanta, Ga.
After two years, the group changed its name to that of the new owner, The Rex Nelon Singers, and in recent years became The Nelons.
In 1982, Paschal began performing as a soloist for Jimmy Swaggart's international crusades where she sang for tens of thousands in arenas and stadiums around the world. Paschal appeared weekly on Swaggart's popular television ministry broadcast over more than 250 stations nationwide.
By 1990, the popular singer was touring with Bill and Gloria Gaither, and became a featured artist on the Gaither Homecoming Tour and Videos.
After triumphantly defeating cancer, in 2005 Paschal released the book, "Treasures Of The Snow" chronicling that battle as well as stories from three decades in Gospel music. She also launched a radio program, "Walking The Good Road," airing on more than 30 stations in the United States and Canada. She initiated the Annual Cancer Walk at Gospel Music's premier weeklong festival, NQC.
The highlight of Paschal's career came in May 2019 when she was inducted into the prestigious Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in Nashville, the association's highest honor. Three years later, she was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, the state's most distinguished music honor.
A letter from a stranger in 1998 while Paschal was with the Gaither Homecoming Tour and living in Nashville, changed Paschal's life. United Airline pilot John Lanier saw a Gaither Homecoming video with Paschal singing "Another Soldier's Homecoming" dedicated to Paschal's grandfather, the Rev. Loftin Paschal. The song touched his heart since Lanier's father had been a pastor in Florida.
He ordered the recording along with a copy of Paschal's latest book, "The Good Road," from her Nashville office. After receiving them, Lanier wrote Paschal a letter, detailing the similarity of their lives The letter remained on his desk, eventually, landing in the trash. But, a day or so later, he pulled it out, and sent it to Paschal's Nashville office along with a picture of him working in his yard. He was wearing dirty blue jeans and an armful of sod, Paschal related.
That picture intrigued and she responded. A correspondence ensued. When Lanier visited Nashville, they had dinner together in October of 1998. By July of the next year, they were married.
Today the couple lives off Richardson Drive in Reidsville, moving there from Burlington two years ago to be nearer her mother, Peggy Fulp Paschal, who passed away last year.
"I am honored to join the wonderful people of the Rockingham County Food Coalition for the 'Caroling For Cans' event," Paschal said.
"The residents of Reidsville and greater Rockingham County have a history of kindness and generosity; celebrating history's greatest gift with them will be a privilege."
