Inducted 2005

Few individuals gave more to Southern Gospel than Erman Slater.  Born February 2, 1903, in Dekalb County, AL, Erman grew up singing in church. In 1924, Erman married into a singing family and was introduced to Southern Gospel Music. Soon he found himself singing in the Jolley Family Quartet.  

He attended a number of local quartets.  In 1937, he helped organize the Sand Mountain Quartet, singing on WJBY in Gadsen AL.  Over the next few years, Erman took his beautiful baritone voice to sing in his first professional quartet - the Stamps Dixie Four in Memphis, TN and the Lone Star Quartet in Raleigh, NC.  

In 1946, Slater took a job singing lead for Fred C Maples and the Harmoneers.  In 1949, Erman took over the baritone position for the Rangers Quartet, moving with the group from North Carolina to Shreveport, LA to sing on KWKH and also on the popular Louisiana Hayride.  

On January 12, 1951, while on tour in East Texas, Slater was killed in a car accident that also seriously injured the Ranger’s bass singer, Arnold Hyles.  Only 47 years old, Slater was recognized at the time as one of the finest voices in the industry – a true quartet man and a lover of Southern Gospel Music.