Bio
About The Guardians
John Darin Rowsey, Pat Barker, Paul Lancaster and Dale Forbes, collectively known as The Guardians are a southern gospel quartet with a unique sound, tight harmony and a passion for sharing the gospel through their music. Occasionally, they are joined on stage by founding member, Dean Hickman, who has been in southern gospel music for over 60 years. With three Dove Award nominations, multiple #1 songs and Fan Awards, the Lord has blessed The Guardians with an incredible journey since their inception. Each member of the Group brings a sincere commitment to glorifying Jesus Christ. Therefore, their mantra remains echoing John the Baptist’s words in John 3:30: “He must increase but I must decrease.”
John Darin Rowsey
John writes and arranges most of the The Guardians’ songs. He began his singing career in front of an audience at the age of 11. His first professional group was with New Journey in 1985 and subsequently with Karen Peck & New River in 2000. He joined The Guardians in 2012 and since then the Guardians have seen radio success and a growing fan base that can be attributed to John’s incredible songwriting and arrangements. He has written hundreds of songs, numerous of which have reached number one status on southern gospel charts and he is the recipient of the prestigious Dove Award.
Pat Barker
Pat Barker, the man with the legendary bass voice, a southern gospel icon in his own right, began singing with The Guardians in March 2018. He is well-known throughout the southern gospel community having performed with many incredible groups, such as: The Crystal River Boys, The Diplomats, The Dixie Echoes, The Second Half Quartet and The Mark Trammel Quartet. The Guardians are honored to have this world-class singer and emcee as a member of the group.
Paul Lancaster
Paul Lancaster has spent most of his life in gospel music. From singing locally in his home state of Alabama, to some of the largest stages in the country, Paul has dedicated himself to his craft. Many of us were first introduced to Paul through The Gaither Homecoming videos while he was with Mullins & Company. Later on, he sang with groups like The Nelons, The Martins, and The Booth Brothers. At the beginning of 2023 we asked Paul to come on full time to assist us at the tenor position in Dean’s absence. His voice and personality have fit us better than we could have ever imagined.