With Light Records now back on the scene, you knew it wouldn’t be long before their solid catalogue material started becoming available once again.

Enter the first three albums in the label’s new Legends of Gospel series. It’s hard to get names any bigger than Walter Hawkins, Andrae Crouch and The Winans —and we’re given an album’s worth of hit material from each to pour over and reminisce.

The ten tracks on the Walter Hawkins tribute bring back classics such as “He Brought Me” as well as “Jesus Christ Is The Way” from the 1977 album of the same name.

While previous compilations have put the focus on the Love Alive projects, this one detours from that series to zoom in on some of the other albums that Hawkins released on Light. There’s a heavy lean on material from the Walter Hawkins Family project from 1980, with “Love Is God”, “Goin To A Place”, “What Is This?”, “Keep on Fighting” and others pulled from that winning recording.

It's all here —Tramaine’s unmistakeable leads, Daniel on piano and the ever-present Hawkins Gospel sound, heavy on organ, live drums and guitar. And of course, Walter. Compiled together, there's even more reason to marvel at the powerful gift that God has given to the Hawkins Family.

The Andrae Crouch compilation pulls out all the Crouch classics, the songs that have become so engrained in the church hymnal that it’s scarcely believable to imagine a time they didn’t exist.

“Soon and Very Soon”, “Bless His Holy Name” and “Jesus Is The Name” are here. Others such as “I Surrender All” from Crouch’s Autograph album and “Just Like He Said He Would”, from the 1982 album Take Me Back, are also in the mix.

Crouch’s ability to meld the best of pop, rock and country, and roll it authentically into a Gospel package remains unrivalled.

The Winans’ set also touches on their early smashes. It wouldn’t be fair for hits such as “Tomorrow”, “The Question Is” and “Bring Back The Days of Yea and Nay” not to be included —they are.

But also included are the still groovesome “Restoration” from their first album, Introducing the Winans, and the equally infectious “If I Labor” from the Long Time Comin’ project.

Relive why these four Detroit brothers were so very popular, and are listed by nearly every Gospel artist today as one of their biggest influences.

For more information on the re-emergence of Light Records, check out our interview with the label's VP and GM, Phillip White.