Endless Highway is a family gospel group comprised of Jason and Vanessa Griggs and their two children, Jay and Allison. The group offers a blend of Southern Gospel, Bluegrass Gospel, a cappella, and acoustic music, combining live instrumentation, pure a cappella singing, and tracks accompanied by the family’s vocals.
Endless Highway loves to have fun while ministering, but their central goal is to exalt Christ, edify the church, and evangelize the lost. Their concerts combine time-tested hymns, spirited a cappella songs, toe-tapping bluegrass numbers, acoustic arrangements, contemporary harmonies, patriotic music, Christmas selections, and traditional Southern Gospel.
Who are the members of Endless Highway?
The current vocal lineup of Endless Highway is Jay Griggs on lead vocals, Allison Griggs on soprano, Vanessa Griggs on alto, and Jason Griggs on baritone. The group stands and sings three generations strong at each concert, continuing the Gospel ministry begun by Vanessa’s parents, Perry and Nell Wimberley.
Endless Highway is a family comprised of Jason and Vanessa Griggs and their two children, Jay and Allison. Perry and Nell Wimberley, Vanessa’s parents and the founders of the group, remain part of the family history and ministry story, while Jay and Allison now do the bulk of the singing at live performances.
The group’s live instrumentation is an important part of its identity. Jay plays the upright bass, while Allison plays guitar and mandolin, and the family maintains a concert format in which every generation contributes to the musical presentation.
History of Endless Highway
Endless Highway actually began in March 1971 as “The Joylanders.” Perry and Nell Wimberley had spent their early years playing country music in local bars, but God gloriously intervened in their lives and Perry and Nell answered God’s call to Gospel music ministry.
The group had its current lineup since around 1999. In August of 2017, the group changed its name from “The Joylanders” to “Endless Highway.” The name changed, but the family’s Gospel ministry continued through the next generation.
Endless Highway, which originally was started as The Joylanders in 1971 by Perry and Nell Wimberley, has continued the Gospel ministry through Vanessa Griggs, her husband Jason Griggs, and their children Jay and Allison Griggs.
How Jay and Allison became central to the ministry
Jay and Allison were raised in the music and began performing while they were still children. The family brought them up to sing a cute “kid” song as soon as they were able to carry a tune, while also teaching them to hear and sing harmony and practice instruments at home.
Around 2012, the family felt that it was time for Jay and Allison to transition into being a main part of the concert program, while Perry and Nell began to take more of a backseat. As younger teenagers, the children had to learn how to conduct themselves on stage for an entire performance, build their vocal ability to sing an entire concert, and become consistent with their instrumentation on stage.
The family understood that this season would be a time of training and learning as the children matured. Jay attended the Steve Hurst School of Music, which was a great experience for him.
Endless Highway worked with Jay and Allison on vocal technique, instrumentation, stage presence, and treating people with respect. Most importantly, the family tried to anchor in their souls that the heart of what they do is ministry.
About three years before the interview, the family felt that the children’s voices had matured enough to invest in a professional recording. They then went to Crossroads to record their first major project.
The ministry blossomed after signing with Crossroads and placing its music on national radio outlets. As a next step in investing in the children and improving their abilities, the family spent time working with an individual who taught vocal coaching and technique, performance coaching, and communication.
This proved to be invaluable and began showing results the first week. During the following year, the family made a conscious decision to push the children out front even more as they entered a new season of preparing them to lead the ministry.
Jay and Allison became increasingly featured on vocals, introduced songs, and spoke more on stage. It became a blessing for Jason and Vanessa to stand shoulder to shoulder with their grown children and watch them minister through song and speaking.
The younger members also became an encouragement to other young people. Younger audience members often wanted to talk with Jay and Allison about singing and playing instruments, and the family considered it a blessing to see them encourage other young people to sing and play.
Musical style and concert variety
Variety is one of Endless Highway’s defining characteristics. The group combines Southern Gospel, Bluegrass Gospel, a cappella, acoustic music, country sounds, progressive Southern Gospel, traditional hymns, and modern harmonies.
Endless Highway’s concerts are designed so that the audience does not hear the same style for more than two or three songs. The variety keeps the crowd engaged and allows the family to present different musical textures within a single performance.
A typical concert may include two or three Southern Gospel songs and a hymn, a song with fun modern harmonies, one or two a cappella songs, a transition to bluegrass, a style more acoustic than bluegrass, a patriotic song, a couple of Christmas songs, and a closing pair of “barn burner” Southern Gospel songs or a ballad.
The group describes this format as taking crowds on a musical journey. Its repertoire allows the family to sing a song or two that will appeal to and minister to anyone in the room.
Endless Highway usually sings for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. The family has observed that audiences are often surprised by how quickly the time passes after the group has covered such a broad range of musical styles.
| Musical element | How it appears in the concert |
|---|---|
| Southern Gospel | Traditional songs, modern selections, ballads, and closing “barn burner” songs |
| Bluegrass Gospel | Toe-tapping arrangements supported by live instrumentation |
| A cappella | Pure vocal performances, including Christmas a cappella |
| Acoustic music | Arrangements with a sound more acoustic than bluegrass |
| Modern harmonies | Songs built around contemporary vocal arrangements |
| Patriotic and Christmas music | Special selections included as part of the group’s broad repertoire |
Live instrumentation and vocal presentation
Endless Highway always plays live instrumentation in concert. This is especially significant to the family because live instruments help connect the music with younger listeners and provide an opportunity for Jay and Allison to demonstrate their abilities.
Jay’s upright bass and Allison’s guitar and mandolin are visible parts of the concert presentation. The family believes that incorporating instrumentation in the live setting is important for keeping Southern Gospel Music growing and introducing the style to young people.
Attendees can hear a combination of live instrumentation, pure a cappella music, and tracks accompanied by Endless Highway’s vocals. This mixture enables the group to move naturally between intimate vocal arrangements, acoustic selections, bluegrass songs, and fuller Gospel productions.
Endless Highway’s ministry purpose
Although the family enjoys having fun while ministering, entertainment is not the group’s central purpose. Endless Highway’s goal is to exalt Christ, edify the church, and evangelize the lost.
The group’s repertoire includes songs that address encouragement, faith, God’s love, God’s faithfulness, hope, trust in the Lord, and the desire to become more Christlike. Its music also presents relatable stories of life’s joys, hardships, separation, loss, and restoration.
The family seeks to offer something that will appeal to and minister to every person in the room. The group can adjust the balance of styles after observing which musical approach resonates most strongly with a particular audience.
Crossroads and national exposure
Endless Highway gained national attention after signing with Crossroads Music. Jason Griggs described the organization as professional and characterized the family’s relationship with Crossroads as feeling like being adopted into part of the Crossroads family.
Crossroads invested in the family and helped share its music with national radio and digital streaming outlets. The organization also helped the group choose singles, interact with radio DJs, build relationships, and understand the digital streaming market.
The family learned that although many artists want a charting position and a number one song, there is also value in simply placing music in front of the target audience. At the National Quartet Convention, Endless Highway met DJs and fans from across the United States and Canada who said they played and heard the group’s music.
Digital streaming created the potential to expose Endless Highway’s music to listeners around the world who might otherwise never hear it. The group has continually had singles on the Top 40 Gospel Music Charts.
Albums and recorded projects
East to West
East To West is Endless Highway’s sophomore project with Crossroads. The album demonstrates the family’s variety of musical styles and includes songs selected for their messages, musical character, and potential impact on an audience.
“Under the Sea,” “The Richest Crown,” and “Unbroken Promise” were identified as favorites because of the message in each song and the impact the songs have on an audience. “It’s His Story” is notable for its style and fun harmonies, while “Highway to Heaven” has the feeling of church.
An orchestra was hired for “The Richest Crown” and “This Is the Grace I Know,” completely transforming those songs. “This Is The Grace I Know,” the project’s latest single at the time, uses a Broadway musical style while delivering a clear and true message.
Countless
Countless presents Endless Highway as a group of storytellers. The album’s songs paint pictures of life’s stories, both good and bad, and create opportunities for reflection and hope.
With music that highlights a country sound, Countless shows Endless Highway’s ability to share an inspiring message that spans genres. The project adds another dimension to the group’s catalog while preserving the family’s preference for variety and diversity in musical styles.
Half of the project is made up of songs that tell life stories, while the remaining songs declare encouragement, faith, God’s love, faithfulness, and a desire to be more Christlike. The collection maintains Gospel music’s emphasis on trust, hope, and faith in the Lord while expanding the group’s musical horizons with a country sound.
Countless was released on March 20, 2020, through Skyland Records. It is a six-song EP with a running time of 22 minutes and is available for streaming.
| Song | Tempo | Featured vocalist | Songwriters |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Keep Looking Up” | Mid | Jay | Jason Cox, Kenna West |
| “Somebody’s World Changed Today” | Slow | Allison | Lee Black, Don Poythress, Kenna West |
| “Countless” | Mid/Fast | Allison | Jessica Waterman, Kenna West |
| “All That Remains To Be Seen” | Mid/Fast | Jason | Kristi Fitzwater, Jeff Silvey |
| “26 Cents” | Mid/Slow | Allison | William Wallace, Stephen Wilkinson |
| “Til They Came Home” | Mid/Slow | Vanessa | Thomas Dekle, George Hill |
The songs on Countless
The EP begins with the upbeat “Keep Looking Up,” a song of encouragement that reminds listeners to tune out doubters, have faith, and take risks. Jay is featured on the song, which was also described as a potential strong radio single.
“Somebody’s World Changed Today” is a slower song about life’s stories, moving from the joy of a new baby to the loss of a loved one at the grave. The song recognizes that people will always have dark days and suggests that sensitivity to their situations can give them peace that everything will be settled through the Lord and that happy days will come again.
The first radio single and title track, “Countless,” describes feeling down and wondering whether life truly makes a difference on Earth. Its message is that God will never forget about the listener and that His thoughts and care are beyond measure.
“26 Cents” tells the story of a young woman leaving home and how she can always remember her mother’s love. “Til They Came Home” describes the collective concern of families separated by war from those they love.
“All That Remains To Be Seen” was identified as the standout track on the six-song EP. Jason is featured on the song, and its style was described as fitting Endless Highway particularly well.
The strongest songs were listed in the following order: “All That Remains To Be Seen,” “Countless,” “Keep Looking Up,” and “Somebody’s World Changed Today.”
Favorite songs in concert
Allison’s favorite song to sing is “I Stand Amazed In The Presence,” along with any of the group’s Christmas songs. Jay’s favorites are “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” the Christmas a cappella selection, and “The Old Rugged Cross.”
Jason particularly enjoys singing the Christmas songs and “I Stand Amazed In The Presence.” Vanessa’s favorite songs include “There’s No Other God,” “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” and “It’s Gonna Be Wonderful.”
Musical mentors and influences
Vanessa’s musical mentors and influences include Ginger Lester Pitchers, her husband Jason, Royce Barnett, the Rambos, Alison Krauss, Anne Murray, and Ricky Skaggs.
Jay’s mentors are his mother and father. His influences include arrangers David Foster, Larry Goss, Roger Talley, Ginger Lester Pitchers, Jerry Hey, and Tim Akers, as well as The Carpenters.
Allison’s mentors are also her mother and father. Her influences include Shania Twain, Alison Krauss, Celine Dion, and Karen Carpenter.
Jason’s mentors are his grandmother Marcy Kelsey and a local musician, Johnny Wall. His influences include The Original Hinsons, The Cathedrals, The Talleys, Lari Goss, Tim Parton, the McGruders Band, David Foster, the Lesters, Ricky Skaggs, Nat King Cole, Asleep At The Wheel, and Riders In The Sky.
Why instrumentation matters to Southern Gospel
As the music world changes, Endless Highway sees the exposure of young people to Southern Gospel Music as an important challenge. The family believes that young listeners need opportunities to hear and experience this music.
In Jason Griggs’s opinion, Southern Gospel Music needs to once again incorporate instrumentation in the live setting to keep the music growing. Endless Highway’s own performances reflect this approach through upright bass, guitar, mandolin, live accompaniment, and varied vocal arrangements.
Performances and national appearances
Endless Highway has appeared on the Daystar Television Network, 3ABN, and Gospel Music USA. The group has also been a regular featured artist on the National Quartet Convention Main Stage, the Ark Encounter, and other national concert promotions.
The group has opened for Mark Lowry and performs in a range of settings, including church services, civic centers, auditoriums, fairs, and festivals.
Endless Highway’s concerts bring together three generations, multiple Gospel styles, live instruments, a cappella singing, and songs centered on Christian faith. This combination allows the family to preserve a long-running Gospel ministry while giving Jay and Allison an increasingly important role in its future.