William James Gaither (born March 28, 1936) is an American singer and songwriter of Southern gospel and contemporary Christian music. He has written numerous popular Christian songs with his wife Gloria; he is also known for performing as part of the Bill Gaither Trio and the Gaither Vocal Band. In the 1990s, his career gained a resurgence (as well as the careers of other southern gospel artists), as popularity grew for the

Gaither Homecoming ''Gaither Homecoming'' is the name applied to a series of videos, music recordings and concerts, which are organized, promoted and usually presented by Christian music songwriter and impresario Bill Gaither. To date, the ''Gaither Homecoming'' t ...

series.

Early life

Bill Gaither was born in

Alexandria, Indiana Alexandria is a city in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is about northeast of Indianapolis. According to the 2010 census, its population was 5,145, a decrease of 17.8% from 6,260 in 2000. History Alexandria was pl ...

in 1936 to George and Lela Gaither. He formed his first group the Bill Gaither Trio (consisting of Bill, his sister Mary Ann (1945–2018), and brother

Danny Gaither Danny Gaither (November 20, 1938April 6, 2001), was a gospel music singer from Alexandria, Indiana, and an original member of the Bill Gaither Trio. Early years Born Daniel Joseph Gaither, he was the son of George and Lela Gaither.Liverett, Da ...

) in 1956 while a college student at Anderson College, to which he had transferred after one year at

Taylor University Taylor University is a private, interdenominational, evangelical Christian university in Upland, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian universities in the country. The university is named after Bishop Willia ...

. He graduated from Anderson in 1959 with a major in English and a minor in music, after which he worked as an English teacher. He married the former Gloria Sickal in 1962. Gaither earned his masters degree from Ball State in 1961,Gaither entered into the fledgling Gospel Music Association, founded in 1964, and helped organize the first Dove Awards ceremony in 1969. He tried for a few years to manage both a music career and his full-time teaching job, but he quit his teaching job in 1967 and worked full-time in the

Christian music industry The Christian music industry is one aspect of the broader music industry, with a focus on Christian music and subgenres such as gospel music, southern gospel, contemporary Christian music, contemporary worship music, and even traditional church mus ...

. He recorded his breakthrough song " He Touched Me" in 1964. Gaither was influenced by Southern gospel singers such as

Jake Hess Jake Hess (December 24, 1927 – January 4, 2004) was an American Grammy Award-winning southern gospel singer.McNeil, W.K., Ed. (2010). ''Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music''. Routledge. . Pp. 201-202. Life The son of "a sharecropper who was ...

and

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 reno ...

and by groups such as the Speers, the Statesmen, and the Happy Goodmans.

Songwriter

Gaither and his wife, Gloria, have written many songs including: "The Longer I Serve Him," "

Because He Lives William James Gaither (born March 28, 1936) is an American singer and songwriter of Southern gospel and contemporary Christian music. He has written numerous popular Christian songs with his wife Gloria Gaither, Gloria; he is also known for perf ...

," "The King Is Coming," "Sinner Saved By Grace", "Something Beautiful," " He Touched Me", "It Is Finished," "Jesus, There's Something About That Name" "I'm Gonna Sing", and "Let's Just Praise The Lord." His songs have been performed by Christian artists (

David Crowder Band David Crowder Band (stylized as David Crowder*Band and The David Crowder*Band) was a six-piece Christian rock and modern worship band from Waco, Texas. Their final album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian and No. 2 on the B ...

Carman In Celtic mythology, Carman or Carmun was a warrior and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with her three sons, Dub ("black"), Dother ("evil") and Dian ("violence"). She used her magica ...

The Imperials The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been active for over 55 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many ...

Sandi Patty Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty (born July 12, 1956) is an American Christian music singer, known for her wide soprano vocal range and expressive flexibility. Biography Early life Patty was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, into a family of musician ...

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 ...

, The Speers and the

Heritage Singers Heritage Singers are an American gospel group founded by Max Mace and his wife Lucy, with their two children Valerie Ann and Gregory James. Based near Placerville, California, the group has traveled to over 65 countries, performed over 7,000 co ...

), country singers (

The Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers fo ...

) and pop artists (

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 ...

). A video of a man surreptitiously recorded playing "Jesus, There's Something About That Name" on a piano in his destroyed house was shared by many people following the

Tornado outbreak of December 10–11, 2021 A deadly late-season tornado outbreak, the deadliest on record in December, produced catastrophic damage and numerous fatalities across portions of the Southern United States and Ohio Valley from the evening of December 10 to the early morning ...

Gloria Gaither Gloria Gaither (born March 4, 1942) is a Christian singer-songwriter, author, speaker, editor, and academic. She is married to Bill Gaither and together they have written more than 700 songs. She performed, traveled and recorded with the Bill Ga ...

often writes the lyrics while Bill writes the music, although composing is usually a collaborative project between the two. As of 2005, they had composed 600 songs and by 2012 that number had increased to over 700.

Performer

After graduating high school, Gaither took a job in 1955 at

Worthington, Ohio Worthington is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, and is a northern suburb of Columbus. The population in the 2020 Census was 14,786. The city was founded in 1803 by the Scioto Company led by James Kilbourne, who was later elected to ...

's radio station

WRFD WRFD (880 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to both Columbus and Worthington, Ohio. It is owned by the Salem Media Group and broadcasts a Christian talk and teaching radio format. WRFD and sister station WTOH 98.9 FM share stud ...

as a member of the station's gospel quartet. Since Gaither first began singing with the Bill Gaither Trio in the 1950s, he has constantly been performing. The trio originally consisted of Bill, his brother

and his sister Mary Ann Gaither. In about 1964 Bill's wife, Gloria, took the place of Mary Ann. The trio sang traditional gospel songs along with original compositions by the Gaithers that gave them a more contemporary feel. Gaither has a high bass voice (or low baritone), and often sang while playing piano with the Bill Gaither Trio.

Entrepreneurship and influence

Gaither founded the Gaither Music Company, which includes the functions of record company, concert booking (Gaither Management Group), television production, copyright management (Gaither Copyright Management), retail store, recording studio (Gaither Studios, formerly Pinebrook Studios) and telemarketing for the Gaither organization reside. He also ran the Gaither Family Resources retail center. Included as part of the company is Live Bait Productions, an animation company run by Benjy Gaither, one of Bill's three children.

Record labels

In the 1980s, Gaither was involved with Paragon Associates, which formed a partnership with

Zondervan Zondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). They are a part of HarperCollins Christian Publ ...

to buy

Benson Records Benson Records was founded by Bob Benson and John T. Benson, who formed the John T. Benson Music Publishing Company in 1902. The record label started out as Heart Warming Records, creating house labels such as Impact Records, Greentree Records, R ...

, which is now part of

Sony BMG Music Entertainment Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout ...

. In 1994, Gaither and entrepreneur Leland Boren founded the Brentwood, Tennessee-based Chapel Hill Music Group, which later changed its name to

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 ...

. It was created as part of the Gaither Music Company to handle in-house productions, including the ''Gaither Homecoming'' series.

Industry Influence

Gaither has been a father figure and career booster to many younger performers in the

, while helping to prolong the careers of those who came before him for example by producing Homecoming recordings and tours. The following are all CCM artists who either got their start or became popular while touring with the Gaithers:

Mark Lowry Mark Alan Lowry (born June 24, 1958) is an American singer, comedian, minister and songwriter. He is best known for co-writing the song " Mary, Did You Know?" and being a member of the Gaither Vocal Band from 1988 to 2001, and 2009 to 2013, al ...

Michael W. Smith Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when " Place in This World" hit No. 6 on the '' ...

, Steve Green, Don Francisco,

Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christia ...

, Michael English,

Jonathan Pierce Jonathan Pierce Hildreth, better known as Jonathan Pierce (November 15, 1967—May 9, 2020), was an American CCM, gospel singer from Odessa, Texas and an interior designer in Nashville. Pierce used his first and middle name while omitting his ...

, Karla Worley, and

Cynthia Clawson Cynthia Clawson (born October 11, 1948 in Houston, Texas) is a Grammy Award-winning American gospel singer. She has been called "The most awesome voice in gospel music" by Billboard Magazine, and has received five Dove Awards, 15 Dove Award nom ...

. He has maintained the Gaither Vocal Band with a variety of singers through the years, including

Gary McSpadden Gary McSpadden (January 26, 1943 – April 15, 2020) was an American pastor, singer, songwriter, record producer, television host and motivational speaker. He had musical roots in quartet music and Southern gospel with The Statesmen, The Oak R ...

, Steve Green, Lee Young, Jon Mohr,

Larnelle Harris Larnelle Steward Harris (born July 6, 1947) is an American gospel singer and songwriter. During his 40-plus years of ministry, Harris has recorded 18 albums, won five Grammy Awards and 11 Dove Awards, and has had several number one songs on the ...

, Michael English, Lemuel Miller, Jim Murray, Mark Lowry, Terry Franklin, Buddy Mullins,

, Guy Penrod, David Phelps,

Russ Taff Russell Taff (born November 11, 1953) is an American gospel singer and songwriter who grew up in Farmersville, California. He has sung a variety of musical styles throughout his career including: pop rock, traditional Southern gospel, contempor ...

, Marshall Hall,

Wes Hampton Wesley Adam Hampton (born December 8, 1977) is a Christian music singer. He is a tenor for The Gaither Vocal Band. Hampton sang first tenor for the group from 2005 to 2009, then when it went from a quartet to a quintet, he became the second te ...

, Adam Crabb, Todd Suttles and Reggie Smith. Penrod, Lowry and Hampton were the members of the Gaither Vocal Band with the longest tenure besides Bill Gaither himself. Penrod was with the group from 1995 to 2008; Lowry from 1988 to 2001; and Hampton has been with the Gaither Vocal Band since 2005. It was announced in January 2009 that Lowry, English and Phelps were rejoining the group; at the same time the announcement was made that Penrod and Hall were leaving to pursue solo careers. Gaither's ''Homecoming'' tours, which started in 1991, brought together major stars of the southern gospel and CCM industry, sparking a revival of the genres. The tours have sold more than 1.1 million tickets across the world, and have included such notable venues as the

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 ...

and Carnegie Hall. Pollstar listed the tour as selling more tickets in 2004 than Elton John, Fleetwood Mac or Rod Stewart. Lynda Randle, the Isaacs, Russ Taff, the Hoppers, Jessy Dixon and many more have performed on the tours.

Personal life

Bill and Gloria live in Alexandria, Indiana, and have three grown children.

Discography

Gaither Trio

Solo

*2005: ''Bill Gaither''

Gaither Vocal Band

Homecoming Series

Bibliography

''(This list excludes books of music and books that are companions to his "Homecoming" series.)'' *2003: Gaither, Bill and Ken Abraham. ''It's More than Music: Life Lessons on Friends, Faith, and What Matters Most''. Anderson, Indiana: Warner Books. () *1992: Gaither, Bill and Jerry Jerkins. ''I Almost Missed the Sunset''. Thomas Nelson (pub). (). *1997: Gaither, Bill and Jerry Jerkins. ''Homecoming''. Zondervan. () *2000: Gaither, Bill and Gloria Gaither. ''God Gave Song''. Zondervan. ()

Awards and honors

Grammy Awards

*1973: Best Inspirational Performance for "Let's Just Praise The Lord"; Bill Gaither Trio *1975: Best Inspirational Performance for "Jesus, We Just Want To Thank You"; Bill Gaither Trio *1991: Best Southern Gospel Album for ''Homecoming''; Gaither Vocal Band *1999: Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album for ''Kennedy Center Homecoming'' *2001: Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album for ''A Billy Graham Music Homecoming'' *2008: Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album for ''Lovin' Life; Gaither Vocal Band''

GMA Dove Awards

*1969, 1970, 1972–'77: Songwriter of the Year *1974: Song of the Year for "Because He Lives" *1976: Inspirational Album of the Year for ''Jesus, We Just Want to Thank You''; Bill Gaither Trio *1978: Inspirational Album of the Year for ''Pilgrim's Progress''; Bill Gaither Trio *1980: Mixed Group of the Year – Bill Gaither Trio *1986: Praise and Worship Album of the Year for ''I’ve Just Seen Jesus'' (choral) *1987: Southern Gospel Album of the Year for ''The Master Builder'';

The Cathedrals 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 ...

(producer) *1991: Southern Gospel Album of the Year for ''Climbing Higher & Higher''; The Cathedrals (producer) *1992: Southern Gospel Album of the Year for ''Homecoming'' Gaither Vocal Band *1993: Southern Gospel Album of the Year for ''Reunion: A Gospel Homecoming Celebration'' *1994: Southern Gospel Album of the Year for ''Southern Classics''; Gaither Vocal Band *1994: Southern Gospel Song of the Year for "Satisfied"; Gaither Vocal Band *1995: Southern Gospel Song of the Year for "I Bowed On My Knees" *1999: Southern Gospel Album of the Year for ''Still the Greatest Story Ever Told''; Gaither Vocal Band *1995: Southern Gospel Song of the Year for "I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary"; Gaither Vocal Band *2000: Southern Gospel Album of the Year for ''God is Good''; Gaither Vocal Band *2001: Southern Gospel Album of the Year for ''I Do Believe''; Gaither Vocal Band *2001: Southern Gospel Song of the Year for "God Is Good All The Time"; Gaither Vocal Band *2001: Long Form Video of the Year for ''A Farewell Celebration''; The Cathedrals (producer) *2002: Southern Gospel Album of the Year for ''Encore''; Old Friends Quartet (producer) *2002: Southern Gospel Song of the Year for "He's Watching Me"; Gaither Vocal Band *2007: Southern Gospel Album of the Year for ''Give It Away''; Gaither Vocal Band *2007: Southern Gospel Song of the Year for "Give It Away"; Gaither Vocal Band *2009: Southern Gospel Album of the Year for ''Lovin' Life''; Gaither Vocal Band *2010: Southern Gospel Album of the Year for ''Reunited''; Gaither Vocal Band *2010: Long Form Video of the Year for ''A Gospel Journey''; Oak Ridge Boys (producer) *2011: Southern Gospel Song of the Year for "Better Day"; Gaither Vocal Band *2011: Southern Gospel Album of the Year for ''Greatly Blessed''; Gaither Vocal Band

Other honors

*1974, 1980: ASCAP Best Gospel Song of the Year * 1983: Inducted into 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 ...

Hall of Fame *1997: Named among the top 75 American entrepreneurs: ''Entrepreneur Magazine'' *1997: Inducted into the SGMA Hall of Fame *2000: Christian "Songwriter of the Century" (with Gloria Gaither): American Society of Composers and Publishers ( ASCAP) *2006:

SPEBSQSA The Barbershop Harmony Society, legally and historically named the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. (SPEBSQSA), is the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbershop ...

Honorary Life Member *2010:

Indiana Wesleyan University Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) is a private evangelical Christian university headquartered in Marion, Indiana, and affiliated with the Wesleyan Church. It is the largest private university in Indiana. The university system includes IWU—Mari ...

Society of World Changers inductee and honorary doctorate recipient *2012: Concert Promotor of the Year: NQC Music Awards

References

External links

*
Short biography at jjonline.com
*

Bill Gaither on Allmusic.com 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 Plac ...

br>Interview with Bill Gaither on about.comProfile on CanadianChristianity.comGaither Family Resources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaither, Bill 1936 births Living people 20th-century American singers 20th-century Christians 21st-century American singers 21st-century Christians 20th-century American composers 21st-century American composers American Christian hymnwriters American gospel singers American male singer-songwriters Anderson University (Indiana) alumni Gospel music composers Gospel music pianists Grammy Award winners Members of the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) Record producers from Indiana People from Alexandria, Indiana Southern gospel performers American male non-fiction writers American male pianists 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from Indiana