Tracy Gail Dartt, age 78, of Greenbrier, Tennessee passed from this world to his heavenly home on Thursday, April 7, 2022.
Tracy Dartt was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on January 23, 1944 to the late Claude and Virginia Dartt.
He moved to California in 1959 with his mother, Virginia, and graduated from Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights, class of 1962. Dartt’s musical training began in high school. Dartt’s first experience in Gospel music came in 1960 when he joined a teen choral, The Christianaires. In the fall of ‘63, Tracy received Christ as his personal Savior, and in August of 1964 he married his sweetheart, Sharon. Tracy’s first attempt at songwriting was “Brand New Feeling”. His songwriting mentor was his quartet partner, Al Harkins. Harkins’ mentoring, along with the insights received from writers and producers in Hollywood, helped to refine Tracy’s God-given song-writing skills.
Tracy to Oklahoma in ’72, where he accepted the invitation from Earl and Lily Fern Weatherford to join the legendary Weatherford Quartet. During his time with Earl and Lily, Tracy was blessed to learn much about the effectiveness of music ministry, and it was during this time he authored the hit song, “The Last Sunday” making it to the #2 spot in the Gospel charts. After a little more than a year with the Weatherfords, he worked for a time as a producer for Cam Records and laid the foundation for Sound Factory Music Company. Then it was back to California, where he took up partnership in a swimming pool construction company.
In 1975, Tracy and Sharon felt the Lord’s calling to go into the ministry as a full-time traveling music evangelist. He wrote the songs and sang them too – and Sharon accompanied him on the piano and started writing a few songs of her own. Over the next 7 years, Tracy, Sharon, and their growing family took to the road in their new type of home – a tour bus, traveling full time – originally as a ministry out of Puente Baptist Temple in La Puente, California and then as a ministry out of Grayson Bible Baptist Church in Sherman, Texas. In 1982 Tracy and Sharon cut their travels back to a part-time level due to Tracy’s health and the school needs of the kids.
Together with close friend, Jay Cory, they had opportunity to begin their own Gospel Music record label, CODA Records. Tracy also started TeleTex Entertainment Group and flew out to Capitol Records in Hollywood to produce “Many Happy Trails” – a double LP album project for Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Roy Rogers jr. The recording included the first big band song arrangement Dale Evans had recorded in several decades. The album also contained some great cowboy tunes, including one of the last Roy Rogers recordings of the classic, “Happy Trails”. Tracy wrote one song for the album – “Pretend”, recorded by Roy jr. (Dusty).
In summer of 1988, Tracy took the family on one more cross-country singing tour before the older kids headed off to college. It was during this tour, while in California, that Tracy was offered the pulpit of a little country church he had been singing at for years. That fall, Tracy, Sharon, and their youngest child, Stone, made the move from Texas to the West Coast and Tracy set aside song-writing as he focused on his new ministry as Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Auberry, California. During this time, Tracy was blessed to get back in touch with an old songwriting pal, Dan Adkins, who influenced Tracy to start writing new songs again. After many happy and fruitful years there, it was time for a new adventure in Gospel music ministry, and in June of 1995, Tracy formed a family gospel group, “The Dartts” – a ministry out of Napa Valley Baptist Church in Napa, California.
The Dartts, as a full-time family singing group, began in June of 1995 with Tracy, Sharon, and sons, Forrest and Stone Mountain. Forrest was with the group until April of 1996 and The Dartts carried on as a trio from that point until January 2005, when they became a quartet once again with the addition of vocalist, BJ Speer, who traveled with the group until The Dartts ended their touring in July of 2018. The Dartts traveled the USA from coast to coast and border to border, and frequently toured the Canadian Maritimes as well as Ontario. They also performed in France, Belgium, Norway, & Switzerland, and on 12 Gospel sailings to the Caribbean, to New England and the Canadian Maritimes, and to Alaska. The group averaged 200 concerts per year.
In 2008 The Dartts moved their home from the San Francisco Bay area to the Nashville, Tennessee area where they now reside Tracy & Sharon after a few years went back out on the road for much of the time the group continued to tour. Until May of 2018 when Tracy and Sharon started to enjoy a quieter phase of life and time spent together with the family in Tennessee.
In their final years of touring, The Dartts were blessed to release some of their biggest and best projects – Such as “The God On The Mountain Legacy” – a full-length film produced by Don Dartt that highlights the worldwide impact of Tracy’s song, “God On The Mountain”. Then came “The God On The Mountain Legacy – Music From The Motion Picture celebrating the songwriting legacy of Tracy Dartt – containing complete versions of many of the songs, orchestrations, and musical tidbits heard throughout the film, including the very first recording ever made of the song “God On The Mountain”. And last but not least, the 2 newest full length albums from The Dartts, “Get Up And Get Your Shoes On” and “The Colors Of Another World” – both featuring a bounty of original songs with unmistakable “Dartt” character, many of which quickly became fan favorites.
Tracy Dartt has written hundreds of gospel songs, many of which have been recorded by some of the finest groups and soloists in gospel music. Tracy’s songs include such notable titles as “The Last Sunday”, “Your Blesser Ain’t Never Been Blessed”, and “With Him” (recorded by The Cathedrals), “A Matter Of Policy (The Deacon Song)”, “God Stopped To Pick A Rose”, and of course his biggest hit song, “God On The Mountain”, which has been recorded over 200 times by artists such as The McKameys, Lynda Randle, Jason Crabb, Jake Hess, Tribute Quartet, The Weatherfords, Jessy Dixon, Dixie Melody Boys, John Starnes, and many more artists in at least 8 different languages.
In 1988, the McKameys’ recording of “God On The Mountain” from their recorded-live project “Gone To Meetin'” jumped to the top of the Southern Gospel charts, taking the #1 spot in the Singing News charts for 5 months in a row. The song was nominated for a Dove award, and during the 5 months that it was #1 on the charts, it drew more radio airplay points than any song in the history of Southern Gospel music up to that time. The song has been used on several of Bill Gaither’s “Homecoming” videos, and has been heavily used in the “Gaither Homecoming” live concerts.
Through everything, Tracy gave God the glory, for his meaningful ministry, his talent for writing, and most of all for the women that prayed for him many years before they met and the family they would make together.
In addition to his parents, Tracy is preceded in death by his son, Stone Mountain Dartt, and his brother, Donald Dartt.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Sharon Dartt; children, Donald (Deborah) Dartt, Florence (Steve) Dartt Mclain, and Forrest (Sabrina) Dartt; grandchildren, Taylor (Lindsey) Dartt, Rachel (Kevin) Harris, Marina Mclain, Nathan Mclain, Quinn Mclain, Evan Mclain, Neil (Amanda) Dartt, Rain (Nicole) Dartt, Rain, Mikaila (Jeff) Martin and Nolan Dartt; great-grandchildren, Amelia Datt, Locke Dartt, Azarel Dartt, Trinity Dartt, Madison Dartt, Jamie Dartt, and Emma Dartt.
A Life Celebration will be held on Good Friday, April 15, 2022 at 2 pm with Rev. Rudy Holland officiating. The family will receive friends on Friday from 12pm until the time of service at the Funeral Home. Online condolences and Floral Tributes can be sent at www.SpringfieldFH.com.
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