Babbie Yvett Robie Wade Mason (born February 1, 1955) is an American

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

singer, songwriter, writer, and adjunct professor of songwriting at

Point University Point University is a private evangelical Christian university in West Point, Georgia. It was founded in 1937 as Atlanta Christian College in East Point. The college announced its name change to Point University in 2011 and relocated its main ...

and

Lee University Lee University is a private Christian university in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was originally the Church of God Bible Training School, a small Bible institute founded in 1918 with twelve students and one teacher, Nora I. Chambers. The school grew ...

, and also a television talk-show host. Born to Georgie and George W. Wade. Mason's father was a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

pastor and she hails from at least five generations of ministers. Mason started playing as church pianist in 1964 and was the choir director for the church her father pastored.

Biography

Before becoming a recording artist, Mason was a teacher in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

. She later relocated to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

in 1980 and continued in her teaching profession. In 1984, Mason left teaching and began the first stages of her musical career. In 1985 she received first place honors in both the songwriting and vocal categories at the Christian Artist Music Seminar in the Rockies. In 1988, Mason signed her first record deal with Word Records out of

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

Career

Mason taught music at East Cobb Middle School in the early 1980s. She went on to pen chart-topping singles such as "Each One, Reach One" and "A World of Difference." Some of her songs have become church standards and songs such as "All Rise," "With All My Heart," and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" can be found among the regular song line ups in weekly church worship services. Her song "All Rise" was one of the most-recorded contemporary Christian songs of the 1990s. In 1996, the album ''Heritage of Faith'' featured an arrangement of "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

" which included excerpts from her late father's sermon recordings. The album also highlighted "Stop by the Church," written by Sullivan Pugh that earned Mason a

Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Awar ...

from the

Gospel Music Association The Gospel Music Association (GMA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of gospel music. As of 2011, there are about 4,000 members worldwide. The GMA's membership co ...

and featured a duet with her mother. In 1999, Mason signed with

Spring Hill Music Group Spring Hill Music Group is a contemporary Christian music record label based in the United States. As of July 2007, the Spring Hill Music Group is home to nineteen different Christian artists and produces the Shout! series and Songtime Kids recor ...

and released ''No Better Place''. This project included the single "The House That Love Built," a song she co-wrote with longtime friend and veteran producer Cheryl Rogers. Mason has always blended pop and contemporary praise, inspirational ballads, and soulful gospel into her music style. However, Mason had longed to record a 1940s-era project à la

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

, in which Spring Hill granted her wish request and recorded ''Timeless'' (2001). Highlights of this collection include "Theme on the 37th (He Can Work It Out)," a song written by

Danniebelle Hall Danniebelle Hall (October 6, 1938 – December 28, 2000), was an American gospel musician, recording artist, songwriter. Biography Early life Danniebelle Hall was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the fourth of eight children. She was born ...

, an early Mason influence, and "Black and Blue," which was a poignant reflection on racism that Mason wrote with Turner Lawton. Mason has performed before U.S. presidents, including

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

, and sung at

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

's evangelistic crusades. Appearing with

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pla ...

and Gloria Gaither and their 'Homecoming Friends' at such major annual concert events as Praise Gathering and Jubilate. She has also been featured on several of their best-selling projects, including the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

–winning ''

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

Homecoming'' (1999). Mason is involved in Christian women's conferences and has been a popular guest on the Women of Faith tour. Mason has authored two books, ''Treasures of Heaven in the Stuff of Earth'' (2000) and ''FaithLift: Put Wings to Your Faith Walk and Soar"'' (2003). She hosts a television talk show called ''Babbie's House'', which is broadcast on

WATC-DT WATC-DT (channel 57) is a religious broadcasting independent station (North America), independent television station in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Owned by Carolina Christian Broadcasting, the station maintains studios on Enterpr ...

out of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, Georgia to a national audience as well as throughout Europe and Africa.

Community involvement

Involved in helping aspiring recording artists and songwriters, Mason annually presents her Babbie Mason Music Conference International. She joined the faculty at

Atlanta Christian College Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

in East Point and

in Cleveland, Tennessee, as an adjunct professor teaching songwriting.

Personal life

Mason lives on a farm in

Carroll County, Georgia Carroll County is a county located in the northwestern part of the State of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, its population was 119,148. Its county seat is the city of Carrollton. Carroll County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, ...

, with her husband of over twenty-three years, Charles and their two sons. Mason's sons are both aspiring musicians and are active in the music industry.

Discography

* 1988: ''Carry On'' * 1990: ''With All My Heart'' * 1991: ''A World of Difference'' * 1992: ''Comfort and Joy'' * 1993: ''Standing in the Gap'' * 1996: ''Heritage of Faith'' * 1997: ''Praise Celebration'' * 1999: ''No Better Place'' * 2000: ''The Finest Hour'' * 2001: ''Timeless'' * 2004: ''Right Where You Are'' * 2006: ''All the Best'' * 2007: ''Everything'' * 2013: ''This I Know for Sure'' * 2017: ''Hymns and Blessings''

References

External links

Interview with Babbie Mason
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Babbie 1955 births Living people African-American songwriters American gospel singers Songwriters from Michigan American women writers Point University Lee University American women songwriters African-American women musicians 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women