Rich Mullins
Rich Mullins was a Christian music pioneer, widely regarded for his songwriting and praise music compositions. Rising to prominence during the golden era of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) in the 1990s, Mullins became one of the most distinctive voices in the genre. His songs, including “Awesome God” and “Sometimes by Step,” became defining tracks not…
Read MoreRick Elias
April 7, 2019 – This past Tuesday, Rick Elias passed away from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was sixty-four. I grew up on his music, mainly through his work with one of my all-time favorite songwriters, the late Rich Mullins. Elias made numerous contributions to contemporary Christian music, or CCM, as it’s…
Read MoreKeith Green
When musician Keith Green died in a plane crash on July 28, 1982, the world lost a special man whose heart was aflame with the gospel message. Before his untimely end, Green took the world on his seven-year spiritual journey. He held back nothing and was consumed with loving Christ and the church. On October…
Read MoreLarry Norman
In the wild swirl of the 1960s counterculture, amid long hair, protest songs, and psychedelic rebellion, a lanky young man named Larry Norman strummed a different kind of tune. His lyrics were as bold as the times, but his message pointed toward Christ. With his electric guitar and disarming honesty, Norman invented a new genre…
Read MoreJohn Wimber
John Richard Wimber was born on February 25, 1934 in Peoria, Illinois and was raised in a non-Christian home. He loved music and by his early twenties, he was involved in the music industry. He was best known for helping to form the group “The Righteous Brothers” where he played keyboards. In 1963 his life…
Read MoreJohnny Cash
On January 13, 1968, Johnny Cash, considered by many one of the 20th century’s most influential musicians, performed two shows inside California’s Folsom Prison. It was an appropriate choice for a performer known as a bit of an outlaw, recognized with a fondness for dark clothing that earned him the nickname “The Man in Black.”…
Read MoreThomas A. Dorsey
Thomas A. Dorsey learned his religion from his Baptist minister father and piano from his music teacher mother in Villa Rica, Georgia, where he was born July 1, 1899. He came under the influence of local blues pianist when they moved to Atlanta in 1910. He and his family relocated to Chicago during World War…
Read MoreJohn Wesley Work Jr.
John Wesley Work is said to have been the first black collector of Negro folksongs, and was most likely born on August 6, 1871 in Nashville, Tennessee. His father, John Wesley Work, was a church choir director in Nashville, where he wrote and arranged music for his choirs. Some of his choristers were members of…
Read MoreJohn Francis Wade
John Francis Wade was a Catholic layman who lived in Lancashire, England. At the age of 32, Wade produced a Latin Christmas carol, Adeste Fidelis. Though scholars once thought the music was simply Wade’s copy of an ancient hymn, further research has led most to conclude that Wade composed the lyrics and music himself. Since that time,…
Read MoreGeorge Handel
Superlatives are often ascribed to those whom others wish to flatter. Rarely does the description of one’s person or work match the compliment given. One indication of authentic praise is when it comes from peers who know a person intimately or understand fully the intricacies of one’s profession. Such is the case with the contemporaries of George…
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