Written by L. M. Land with James Bryant
Aaron Malone III is a singer and manager of The Flint Southernaires, who are celebrating 60 years of gospel ministry with a concert on April 19, at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church (MBC), in Flint.
In the early years of the southern migration to Flint, in the 1950-60s, there were about 60 gospel groups combined in the areas of Genesee County, Saginaw, Lansing and Pontiac.
Today three exist:The Flint Southernaires, True Vine and the Silveraires.
Aaron’s brother, Al Malone and James Kiff, Sr., began the gospel group called the Gospel Southernaires in 1966 after moving to Flint. The name honored their personal origins as part of the migration from the American south to Flint’s General Motors factories, and as the “heirs” of something great. There were several groups at the time using very similar names, so the group name was soon changed to the Flint Southernaires.
Aaron is the youngest of Al’s 18 siblings, and was still in school in Crawford, Mississippi when the Flint Southernaires began. Aaron grew up farming and sang in the choir at Pleasant Grove MBC in Mississippi. Right out of high school, Al married Vernilla; they have now been together for 55 years.
The allure of jobs at Flint’s General Motors plants lured Aaron to Michigan, where members of his family had already settled. After Aaron got settled into Flint and got a job, Vernilla came up north to live. They subsequently had four children, none of whom are musicians!
Al recruited Aaron as a singer shortly after his arrival in Flint when he was around 20 years old.
Aaron worked for 31 years in the Chevy Metal Fabrication plant, retiring in 1999. He then began a lawn service company. Regardless of whatever job Aaron has done, he continued to also sing with the Flint Southernaires.
“I enjoy being busy, got to keep busy.” Aaron said, explaining that hard work and tight bonds are family traits.
Aaron and James Bryant shared stories about this close-knit group over the years.
The Flint Southernaires are known for their blend of traditional and contemporary gospel sounds. Their first recording was a 45 with a side A and side B, recorded by Bill Lamb. It was produced and written by the Flint Southernaires. They kept up with technological changes, producing LPs, CDs and currently are online.
The extended Malone family is a large, closely knit group, and this feeling extended to their gospel singing community as well. Perhaps this is why the group has lasted so long.
“The group all helped each other.” Bryant explained. “Anyone sick or missing affected the whole group.”
Bryant spoke of a sense of togetherness and community cultivated by Al and Aaron that extends to former and current members. Bryant was part of the group from 1972 -77. He or another area musician will step in if a member is sick or can’t make it, even if it involves the groups in neighboring cities.
At that time, the band members weekdays belonged to General Motors. Saturday was rehearsal day. Sunday mornings were devoted to God, and the rest of the day was devoted to singing and hearing other local bands sing.
Aaron held rehearsals in his basement on Saturdays, and it was pretty much an extended family gathering time as well. Originally a ‘Michigan basement’*, it was later enlarged. A second remodel followed, making it larger with an added hair studio and bathroom.
Vernilla and son would do clients’ hair in the basement during Saturday rehearsals. Aaron added a large screen satellite TV. Everyone also looked forward to listening Hossman’s R&B/gospel station WLAC together. (Just imagine what fun it would have been to have your hair done there on a Saturday!)
Then on Sundays after church, the area gospel groups gathered at the Genesee Valley Singing Association, a musicians union still in existence today. A group would be playing at 3:30, then show up again at 7 p.m. All the member bands would play and they’d stay up until 2 a.m., after which they would head to their full time jobs at GM.
The Flint Silveraires also toured the entire country on top of all this, and still do today.
Aaron spoke with pride about his extended Malone family. His parents were hard working farmers, and instead of passing the property to only one of their 19 children, the big family home in Mississippi is owned by the entire family.
“There is always a home for a Malone to visit” said Aaron. “The entire family governs it.”
The Malone family also has huge family reunions in a different state every year. In 2026, it will be in Flint.
“There is enough for everybody at our reunions; [including] family, friends and loved ones,” Aaron said.
One important thing the family does at reunions is to teach the children the family oral history.
In 2007, the Malone family won TV Ones first ever “Family Reunion Reality Show,” a family reunion competition show. The producers liked the family so much they joined in on their reunion.
250 family members showed up in Illinois a few years ago to record the “Malone Family Choir CD: A Family Reunion Song: Hold Out Till Tomorrow.” The lead singer is Stella L. Malone who is the mother of John Eaton of Ready For the World. The Malone Family has been featured in several magazines and appeared on Good Morning America in 2006 during “Family Reunion Week”.
A couple of years ago, when Aaron and the group were playing at an Elder Music Street concert in Lansing. The organizers of the Wheatland Music Festival were there and heard them sing. They were invited to perform a couple of years ago, and will be returning this summer. This festival draws up to 40,000 people in the festival weekend and is located near Grand Rapids.
60th Anniversary Concert information:
https://www.facebook.com/people/Flint-Southernaires/61577260756333/
Other artists will be there to celebrate: Michelle Miller-Bell, Truevine Gospel Singers, Flint Cavaliers, Nakaja Reed and The Mickens from Hopkins, South Carolina,. Further info: A. Malone 810.407.0317 or D. Houston 517.528.0031
Most recent release is Blessings Is On The Way (2025). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pp_ST9aHRg
The Malone family reunion song is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3wgjCpx2QA
The Flint Silveraires can be heard on many internet musical platforms.
*Michigan basement: A Michigan basement is a shallow, often damp, and partially excavated crawl space turned into a basement, found in homes built before the 1940s. They have low ceilings, dirt or thin concrete floors, stone/brick walls and were originally used for storage or as root cellars.
