The Harding Family consist of:
(Dad) Donald Harding, Jr. ...age 45, who usually plays the banjo and mandolin.
(Mom) Tammy Harding ......age 40, who usually plays the bass.
(Oldest daughter) Tabitha (Harding) Shepherd...age 20, plays guitar.
(Youngest daughter) Abigail Harding....age 17, plays mandolin.
(Son) Donald Harding III......age 15,........plays lead guitar
(Son-in-law) Mike Shepherd....age 29,.......plays bass and guitar.
As of Feb. 22, 2008
Each member of the family sings lead and harmony on certain featured songs.
The Harding family began singing Gospel music around 1973-74, shortly after their conversion to
Christ in '73. The original group consisted of seven members. Dad, mom, four daughters and one son.
They sung as a family group until Dec.10, 1980, when the oldest daughter Joyce Ann, who was also
the lead singer, was killed by a drunken driver. Also badly injured in the accident was one of her
sisters, Kaye, who also sung with the group. After a grieving period of a few months, the rest of the
family decided that the "will of God" would be for them to pick up the pieces and to carry on the
singing ministry that God had called them into.
And that, they have continued to do over the years. However, there have been many
changes to the group over the past 25 years. First of all marriage and other committments
gradually took Donna, the next to the eldest, and Mary, the youngest, from the group. And when
Donald Sr.(dad) was called to preach the Gospel, and began pastoring in '99, that took both dad
and mom out of the group, and left Donald Jr. as the last remaining original member of the
"Harding Family".
However, as God began to bless Donald Jr. and his wife Tammy to have children in the
late 80's, it became apparent that the three children were gifted of God to sing and play musical
instruments at an early age, and as the need arose, the children stepped right into the empty spots
to continue the family tradition of singing Bluegrass gospel & Southern style gospel music along
with their dad and mom. The children all were singing in church and on t.v. by the age of two.
Tabitha, the eldest, started at the age of twenty-two months singing in church and in tent revivals.
Since February '90, Donald Jr. has been in full-time evangelism ministry, preaching revivals
from Northern Ohio, to Southern Mississippi with his wife and three children right by his side,
helping in revivals with their singing and playing and unity of the Spirit in their efforts to lead people
to Jesus Christ.
Below is a grainy picture of the original Harding Family taken off of our 3rd album, around 1979.
(Note# Mike and Tabitha was married on Feb. 24th, 2006.)
The Harding Family Singers