Thomas Mosie Lister (September 8, 1921 – February 12, 2015) was an American singer and Baptist minister. He was best known for writing the Gospel songs "Where No One Stands Alone", "Till the Storm Passes By", "Then I Met the Master" and "How Long Has It Been?" As a singer, he was an original member in
The Statesmen Quartet
The Statesmen Quartet (also known as Hovie Lister and The Statesmen Quartet) were an American southern gospel quartet founded in 1948 by Baptist Minister Hovie Lister. Along with the Blackwood Brothers, the Statesmen Quartet were considered the ...
, the Sunny South Quartet, and the
Melody Master
The Melody Masters were a series of first-rate big band musical film shorts produced by Warner Brothers, under the supervision of Samuel Sax at their Vitaphone studio in New York between 1931 and 1939, and in Burbank, California with producer Gordo ...
s. In 1976 Lister was inducted into the
Gospel Music Hall of Fame
The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, created in 1972 by the Gospel Music Association, is a Hall of Fame dedicated exclusively to recognizing meaningful contributions by individuals and groups in all forms of gospel music.
Inductees
This is an incompl ...
and the Southern Gospel Music Association in 1997. His songs have been recorded by nearly every Southern Gospel artist.
Personal background
Thomas Mosie Lister was born in Cochran, Georgia, to Willis and Pearl Lister who were both musical and attempted to teach their son music at an early age on their farm in the Empire District of Dodge County.
They placed the young Lister in the church choir, but soon discovered that he could not distinguish musical tones.
It wasn't until he began studying the violin that his ear training abilities began to improve and by the time he was a teenager he was already studying harmony and composition. He studied music at the Vaughan School of Music in Tennessee in 1939.
Lister joined the Navy in World War II. At the end of his tour, he enrolled in Middle Georgia College where he continued to study harmony, counterpoint, arranging, piano and organ. In 1946 he met Wylene Whitten. They married that same year, moved to Atlanta, and in 1949 gave birth to identical twin daughters. After three decades as a Gospel singer, songwriter, and arranger, Lister, became an ordained Baptist minister.
[ He was also an ordained deacon at the Riverside Baptist Church of Tampa.][ Following the death of Wylene in 2001, he married Martha Jean Hunter April 7, 2002.
]
Career
Lister's first professional singing employment was as a member with the Sunny South Quartet, which also included Jim "Big Chief" Wetherington; whom he left with to form the Melody Masters Quartet.[ In 1948, ]Hovie Lister
Hovie Franklin Lister (September 17, 1926 – December 28, 2001) was an American gospel musician, Baptist Minister, and politician. Lister was best known for his time as the front man of the Statesmen Quartet, perhaps the most well known and renow ...
(no relation) invited him to be the original lead singer for the Statesmen Quartet
The Statesmen Quartet (also known as Hovie Lister and The Statesmen Quartet) were an American southern gospel quartet founded in 1948 by Baptist Minister Hovie Lister. Along with the Blackwood Brothers, the Statesmen Quartet were considered the ...
. Shortly thereafter, he retired from professional singing and devoted his attention to writing, and in 1953 he formed the Mosie Lister Publishing Company which later merged into Lillenas Publishing Company of Kansas City, Missouri in October 1969.[
As of 2014, Lister's songs catalog over 700 in numbers, with thousands more in arrangements. His music has been recorded by some of the greatest Southern Gospel Quartets including the ]Statesmen Quartet
The Statesmen Quartet (also known as Hovie Lister and The Statesmen Quartet) were an American southern gospel quartet founded in 1948 by Baptist Minister Hovie Lister. Along with the Blackwood Brothers, the Statesmen Quartet were considered the ...
, Cathedral Quartet
The Cathedral Quartet, also known as the Cathedrals, was an American southern gospel quartet who performed from 1964 to December 1999. The group's final lineup consisted of Glen Payne (lead), George Younce (bass), Ernie Haase (tenor), Scott Fow ...
, the Blackwoods, the Blue Ridge Quartet, the Jordanaires, and the LeFevres. Legendary solo artists have also recorded his songs such as George Beverly Shea
George Beverly Shea (February 1, 1909 – April 16, 2013) was a Canadian-born American gospel singer and hymn composer. Shea was often described as "America's beloved gospel singer"Michael Ireland, "America's 'Beloved Gospel Singer,' George Bever ...
, Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour.
In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...
, Bill Gaither, Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
, Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as " You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My M ...
, and Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, who recorded three of Lister's songs in the 1960s: "Where No One Stands Alone" "He Knows Just What I Need" and "His Hand in Mine".[
Lister was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall Of Fame in 1976 and into the Southern Gospel Music Association Hall Of Fame in 1997. The Dove Brothers released a project titled ''A Tribute To Mosie Lister'' in 2004, which Lister also produced.][ He died on February 12, 2015, aged 93.]
Awards and nominations
References
External links
Discography & Songwriters Resume (partial list)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lister, Mosie
1921 births
2015 deaths
Baptist ministers from the United States
American male composers
American composers
American male singer-songwriters
Gospel music composers
People from Bleckley County, Georgia
Southern gospel performers
Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)