In the days that followed, local newspapers stated that, “All of Chilton County grieves with the families of the three men who died in the airplane crash.”

On July 2, 1954, thousands of mourners gathered at the City Auditorium in Memphis for the funeral service for Blackwood and Lyles, the largest the city had ever seen.

Tennessee Gov. Frank Clement, who spoke “as a friend of the singers and not as governor,” recalled that he had been with the quartet when they made their last public appearance in Memphis. At his request, the mourners sang, “Have You Talked to the Man Upstairs?” the song with which they won the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts competition.

During the service, the Rev. James F. Hamill, the singer’s pastor, said, “A sermon to eulogize Blackwood and Lyles is as unnecessary as improving the beauty of a sunset.” On that same day, the funeral service for Ogburn was held at Thorsby Baptist Church. He was laid to rest in the Clanton Cemetery.

In the aftermath of the accident, grief overwhelmed the surviving members of the Blackwood Brothers Quartet. Feeling as though they had reached the end of their musical journey, James Blackwood stated publically that the quartet would never again perform.

In Chilton County, the future of the Peach Festival was equally in doubt. Organizers expressed concern that the festival would never be held again, especially at the Clanton Airport, the scene of the tragic accident.

Yet from the depths of despair came a feeling of renewal and commitment. Five weeks after the accident, emerging from their grief and after having “talked to the man upstairs,” the families of the victims solemnly resolved that their works in gospel singing and civic enterprise would not end with the deaths of Blackwood, Lyles and Ogburn.

On Aug. 4, 1954, in a concert to benefit the families of the victims, the Blackwood Brothers Quartet again performed in the hangar at the Clanton Airport. With Cecil Blackwood and J.D. Sumner stepping in to fill the void, more than 5,000 people attended the concert, the largest crowd to attend a singing event in Alabama.

In time, the Blackwood Brothers would receive worldwide acclaim, their name becoming synonymous with gospel music. In Chilton County, the annual Peach Festival remains one of the most eagerly anticipated community events.

The accident that claimed the lives of R.W. Blackwood, Lyles and Ogburn has been described as “the crash that changed the course of gospel music.” Though six decades have passed, the memory of that day remains vivid for many residents of Clanton and Chilton County.

In June 2001, the Clanton Lions Club erected a pavilion around the memorial that commemorates the victims of the accident. From time to time, visitors gather at the memorial to remember, to pray and to reflect on the simple inscriptions that serve as the legacies of those who perished.

A gospel singer for 25 years, Blackwood “Remained faithful to his trust, even unto death.” Lyles “Sang his way into the hearts of millions, ever mindful that his talent came from God.” Young Ogburn was “Faithful in his love and loyalty to God, his country and his friends.”

The inscriptions are brief, but the legacies of those who died are everlasting.