Bill Sprouse Jr. (aka Willy Sprouse Jr., d. 5 September 1975) was a Christian

evangelist Evangelist may refer to: Religion * Four Evangelists, the authors of the canonical Christian Gospels * Evangelism, publicly preaching the Gospel with the intention of spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ * Evangelist (Anglican Church), a c ...

, singer and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

, and the musical force behind two groups (both called The Road Home) in the early 1970s. Bill recorded several songs for

Maranatha! Music Maranatha! Music is a Christian music record label which was founded as a nonprofit ministry of Calvary Chapel in 1971. The label is distributed by Capitol Christian Music Group, a division of Universal Music. Background In the early 1970s Cal ...

and traveled extensively sharing the Gospel through his music. He was severely overweight and died at age 26. Sprouse is best known for his songwriting, including "

Shotgun Angel ''Shotgun Angel'' is the second album by Christian rock band Daniel Amos, released in 1977. It was their final album for Maranatha! Music and their last album performed in their early country rock sound. Background The album is named after the S ...

", "Since I Met Jesus" and "Psalm Five". "Since I Met Jesus" first appeared on the compilation Maranatha 4, along with songs by such labelmates as

Love Song A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order ...

and The Way. The track was later released on "Best of Maranatha Vol. 1", "Maranatha Country Roundup", "Calvary Classics Vol. 1", "Maranatha Collection Vol. 2", and "Long Play Country Gospel". It was played on the influential country station KFAT in Gilroy, CA. "Long Play Country Gospel" also contains five other tracks written by Sprouse but performed by other artists, and is currently available on iTunes—the only Sprouse vocal performance currently in print. Prior to joining Maranatha, Sprouse led a secular incarnation of The Road Home which played extensively in Orange County, CA. They released an album on ABC/ Dunhill Records titled "Peaceful Children" S 50104in 1971. He is credited as "Willy Sprouse Jr." on percussion, vocals, and keyboard. Their song "Love's Gonna Get You Anyway" was supposedly sampled on the title track of

DJ Krush , better known by his stage name DJ Krush, is a record producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature and extensive use of jazz and soul samples. Early life Ishi was born in ...

's 1996 album

Meiso is the third studio album by Japanese hip hop producer DJ Krush. It was released on July 21, 1995 in Japan by Sony Music Entertainment. ''Meiso'' was issued in the United Kingdom on October 30, 1995 by the label Mo' Wax, peaking at number 64 on ...

, featuring

Black Thought Tariq Luqmaan Trotter (born October 3, 1973), better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove (Ahmir Thompson). Regarded a ...

and

Malik B. Malik Abdul-Basit Smart (November 14, 1972 – July 29, 2020), better known by his stage name Malik B., was an American rapper and singer who was a founding member of the Roots.Davis, Kimberly (2003)The Roots Redefine Hip-Hop's Past, ''Ebony'', J ...

of The Roots.Second Hand Songs
Retrieved December 16, 2008

External links

has pictures of Bill and The Road Home, along with an audio clip of "Since I Met Jesus". Click the drop-down list on the left and select "Road Home, The".

References

Year of birth missing Place of birth missing 1975 deaths Place of death missing American male singers {{Christianity-bio-stub