Inducted 2005

The second child of GT and Lena Speer, Rosa Nell was singing from as far back as she could remember.  By the 1920s, the family was going to singing schools and concerts in their native Alabama.  

The Speer kids made the family Southern Gospel legends.  Rosa Nell played a particularly important part in that early group’s success as concerts, then radio and recordings, became part of their regular schedule.  She became the primary pianist and organist and could anchor the group’s sound with her strong soprano voice or switch off and sing alto in any number of Dad Speer’s arrangements.  

In 1941, the group became a staple on radio, first on WSFA in Montgomery, AL, and later on a series of radio (and later television) stations in Tennessee.  

After her marriage in 1948, Rosa Nell retired from touring with the family though she continued to make periodic appearances with the family at nearby concerts.  Later, she also worked behind the scenes at the Speer Music Company.  Appearing on the Gaither Homecoming series, Rosa Nell was once again pressed before the public’s view.