Wayne Hillard Hooper (July 4, 1920 – February 27, 2007) was widely known as a
gospel music
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...
composer, arranger and as a singer in the
King's Heralds
The King's Heralds is a male gospel music quartet that began in 1927 and have recorded over 100 albums encompassing 30 languages.
They are primarily known for their a cappella singing and close harmony.
History
The ''King's Heralds'' began in 1 ...
quartet for the
Voice of Prophecy
The ''Voice of Prophecy'', founded in 1929 by H.M.S. Richards, Sr., is a Seventh-day Adventist religious radio ministry headquartered in Loveland, Colorado. Initially airing in 1929 on a single radio station in Los Angeles the ''Voice of Proph ...
radio program.
During his prolific career he produced nine volumes of gospel
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
vocal arrangements, and a number of solo songs and choral music.
The ''Hooper style'' arrangements of male quartet music performed by the King's Heralds were widely copied throughout the world.
Approximately 100 of his arrangements are now in the public domain and are available online.
His best known song, "''We Have This Hope''," was created as the theme song for the 1962
Seventh-day Adventist General Conference Session The General Conference Session is the official world meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, held every five years. At the session, delegates from around the world elect the Church's World Leaders, discuss and vote on changes ...
in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
.
The song was used again as the theme song for the General Conference sessions of 1966, 1975, 1995 and 2000 and has been translated into numerous languages.
Hooper traveled widely with the King's Heralds throughout the United States and Canada, as well as tours to Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Europe.
He sang in several languages used by Voice of Prophecy affiliates around the world.
Known as
Los Heraldos del Rey in Spanish, the quartet was also featured regularly on
La Voz de la Esperanza, a Spanish-language Seventh-day Adventist radio ministry.
Biography
''Wayne Hooper'' was born in
Little Rock, Arkansas
(The Little Rock, The "Little Rock")
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, leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_ ...
on July 4, 1920 as the child of a chorister and voice teacher.
He received his
high school diploma
A high school diploma or high school degree is a North American academic school leaving qualification awarded upon high school graduation. The high school diploma is typically obtained after a course of study lasting four years, from grade 9 to gra ...
from
Gem State Academy,
Caldwell, Idaho
Caldwell (locally CALL-dwel) is a city in and the county seat of Canyon County, Idaho. The population was 59,996 at the time of the 2020 United States census.
Caldwell is considered part of the Boise metropolitan area. Caldwell is the location of ...
.
After completing an associate of arts degree in music at Southern California Junior College (now
La Sierra University,
Riverside
Riverside may refer to:
Places Australia
* Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania
Canada
* Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon
* Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta
* Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...
), he taught music at
Portland Adventist Academy
Portland Adventist Academy (PAA) is a private high school located in Portland, Oregon, United States operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist education system, the world's second largest Christian ...
, was a soloist for
The Quiet Hour radio broadcast, and was a singing evangelist for the
Potomac Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
He joined the
King's Heralds
The King's Heralds is a male gospel music quartet that began in 1927 and have recorded over 100 albums encompassing 30 languages.
They are primarily known for their a cappella singing and close harmony.
History
The ''King's Heralds'' began in 1 ...
quartet as baritone at the
Voice of Prophecy
The ''Voice of Prophecy'', founded in 1929 by H.M.S. Richards, Sr., is a Seventh-day Adventist religious radio ministry headquartered in Loveland, Colorado. Initially airing in 1929 on a single radio station in Los Angeles the ''Voice of Proph ...
in 1943.
After 4 years he moved to
Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...
where he continued his music education, completing his bachelor's degree in 1947 at
Union College
Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...
.
Returning to the Voice of Prophecy in 1949, he became part of a quartet consisting of Hooper, Bob Edwards, Bob Seamount and Jerry Dill that performed together until 1962.
Following the King's Herald's he continued his service at the Voice of Prophecy as music director, producer of the Sunday radio broadcast, and trust services director until his retirement in 1980.
Hooper earned a master's degree in composition, choral conducting, and radio broadcasting at
Occidental College
Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
and was awarded honorary doctor of music degrees by
Andrews University and La Sierra University.
Hooper was married to Harriet Schwender in 1941 and had four children.
He was ordained as a Seventh-day Adventist minister in 1955.
He and his wife operated Key Music Company publishing music arrangements and books sent worldwide to customers.
During retirement Hooper continued actively in music until his death on February 27, 2007 in
Newbury Park, California
Newbury Park is a populated place and townReal Estate Communications, Inc. (1984). ''California Real Estate Directory''. Page 201. in Ventura County, California, United States.
Most of it lies within the western Thousand Oaks city limits, while ...
.
He was musical co-editor of the 1985
Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal as well as a companion volume () giving the history of the 695 selections and composers.
More recently he spent many months restoring and transferring to CDs, the original reel-to-reel recordings of music by the King's Heralds,
Del Delker
Ardella V. Delker (October 21, 1924 – January 31, 2018) was an American contralto sacred music female vocalist who sang on the Voice of Prophecy radio ministry beginning in 1947.
Biography
Delker was born in Java, South Dakota, in 1924. She s ...
, and other Voice of Prophecy musicians.
A special project that he continued until a few months before his death was setting Bible verses to music to aid children in memorization.
Online music repository
The family of Wayne Hooper has made his original compositions and arrangements of public domain music available on a web site repository at http://www.vop.com/hoopermusic.
This repository includes his six quartet books, more than 300 Bible memory verse compositions and over 1,000 unpublished works used during recording sessions by Del Delker, the King's Heralds and other soloists and groups.
See also
*
King's Heralds
The King's Heralds is a male gospel music quartet that began in 1927 and have recorded over 100 albums encompassing 30 languages.
They are primarily known for their a cappella singing and close harmony.
History
The ''King's Heralds'' began in 1 ...
*
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath, and ...
*
Voice of Prophecy
The ''Voice of Prophecy'', founded in 1929 by H.M.S. Richards, Sr., is a Seventh-day Adventist religious radio ministry headquartered in Loveland, Colorado. Initially airing in 1929 on a single radio station in Los Angeles the ''Voice of Proph ...
References
External links
Lonnie Melanshanko Tribute to Wayne Hooper*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hooper, Wayne
1920 births
2007 deaths
American gospel singers
American male composers
American Seventh-day Adventists
People from Caldwell, Idaho
Union College (Nebraska) alumni
20th-century American male singers
20th-century American singers
20th-century American composers