Larnelle Steward Harris (born July 6, 1947) 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 an ...

singer and songwriter. During his 40-plus years of ministry, Harris has recorded 18 albums, won five

Grammy Awards 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 pres ...

and 11

Dove Awards 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 Award ...

, and has had several number one songs on the inspirational music charts.

Early life

A native of

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a home rule-class city in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 Census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes ...

, Harris started playing the drums at the age of nine. His first formal vocal training came when he attended college at

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtow ...

, from which he graduated in 1969. Harris then became a part of the popular gospel touring group The Spurrlows (beginning as drummer). He received notability for his solo work and as member of the

Gaither Vocal Band The Gaither Vocal Band is an American southern gospel vocal group, named after its founder and leader Bill Gaither. On March 1, 2017, it was announced that the Gaither Vocal Band lineup consisted of Reggie Smith, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd ...

from 1984 through 1987.

Music

Perhaps Harris' best-known songs are his duets with

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 ...

, "More than Wonderful" (1983) and "I've Just Seen Jesus" (1985). Others of his well received and popular songs are his self-penned "I Miss My Time With You" (1986) and "In It After All", written by Constant Change, a.k.a. Dawn Thomas, on his album ''I Can Begin Again'' (1989), on Benson Records. The song was a No. 1 radio hit. Harris' song, "Mighty Spirit" was featured in a 1993 television campaign for the Points of Light Foundation, headed by President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

. He performed the song for Bush and his wife Barbara at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

. His recording of "All Along the Way", co-written by Greg Nelson and Dan Schafer, reached the No. 1 spot on the CCM Inspirational chart, and stayed for five weeks. His 1995 album, ''Unbelievable Love'', received the 1996

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 Awards ...

as Inspirational Album of The Year. Rick Moore
Nashville Songwriter Series: Robert White Johnson
''

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

'', January 3, 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2016. Harris has received an honorary doctorate of music from

Campbellsville University Campbellsville University (CU) is a private Christian university in Campbellsville, Kentucky. It was founded as Russell Creek Academy and enrolls more than 12,000 students. The university offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees. In 2 ...

in central Kentucky. He was inducted into the

Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 1993.

Television work

Harris has appeared live on television series such as ''

Live with Regis and Kathie Lee ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...

'', ''

The 700 Club ''The 700 Club'' is the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing each weekday in syndication in the United States and available worldwide on CBN.com. The news magazine program features live guests, daily news, co ...

'', several

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 ...

crusades, and the

Trinity Broadcasting Network The Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is an international Christian-based broadcast television network and the world's largest religious television network. TBN was headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, until March 3, 2017, when it sold its ...

. He has appeared on numerous ''

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 ...

'' shows, and his own Christmas special. In his hometown of

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, Harris has made many appearances on the

WHAS Crusade for Children The WHAS Crusade for Children is an annual telethon broadcast by WHAS-TV and WHAS (AM) Radio in Louisville, Kentucky. The telethon benefits a wide range of children's charities throughout Kentucky and southern Indiana. The Crusade was begun in 19 ...

, a long-running local telethon benefitting children's charities.

Personal life

Harris met his wife Cynthia (Mitzi) while both were students at

. They have two children Lonnie (Larnelle Jr.) and Teresa. They have lived in Louisville for more than three decades. Despite his schedule, Harris serves as a deacon in his home church, and previously served as its treasurer. Harris is well-known within the gospel music industry for his reluctance to schedule performances that take him away from his family for any length of time.

Discography

With First Gear

*1972: ''First Gear featuring Larnelle Harris'' (Myrrh 6505) *1974: ''Caution!Steep Hill Use First Gear'' (Myrrh 6515)

Solo

*1975: Tell It To Jesus *1977: ''Larnelle...More'' *1978: ''Free'' *1980: ''Give Me More Love in My Heart'' *1982: ''Touch Me Lord'' *1985: ''I've Just Seen Jesus'' *1986: ''From a Servant's Heart'' *1987: ''The Father Hath Provided'' *1988: ''Larnelle...Christmas'' *1989: ''I Can Begin Again'' *1990: ''Larnelle Live...Psalms Hymns & Spiritual Songs'' (with the

Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...

) *1992: ''I Choose Joy'' *1994: ''Beyond All the Limits'' *1995: ''Unbelievable Love'' (

, Inspirational Album of The Year) *1998: ''First Love'' *2001: ''A Story to Tell'' *2003: ''Pass the Love'' *2005: ''I Want to Be a Star'' *2017: ''Disturb Us, Lord''

Compilations

*1991: ''The Best of 10 Years'', Vol. 1&2 *1986: ''The Best of Larnelle''

Appearances on other albums

*1991: ''Live with Friends'' The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir; "I Can Be Glad" *1992: ''Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration'' *1993: ''The New Young Messiah''; "Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted", "Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs" *1994: ''

Promise Keepers Promise Keepers is an Evangelical Christian parachurch organization for men. It originated in the United States, but independent branches have also been established in Canada and New Zealand. Promise Keepers describes its goal as "to bring abo ...

: A Life That Shows''; "In a Way That Matters" *1994: ''Stories & Songs of Christmas''; "

Silent Night "Silent Night" (german: "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht", links=no, italic=no) is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in the small town of Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an ...

" *1994: ''Saviour: The Story of God's Passion for His People'' (with Steve Green,

Twila Paris Twyla (also Twila) is a given name. Notable people with the name include: Twyla * Twyla Hansen (born 1949), American poet, a Nebraska State Poet * Twyla Herbert (1921–2009), American songwriter * Twyla King (1937-2022), American newspaper edito ...

Wayne Watson Wayne may refer to: People with the given name and surname * Wayne (given name) * Wayne (surname) Geographical Places with name ''Wayne'' may take their name from a person with that surname; the most famous such person was Gen. "Mad" Antho ...

Wintley Phipps Wintley Augustus Phipps, Sr. (born January 7, 1955) is a Trinidadian-American singer, songwriter, record producer, and minister, and founder of the U.S. Dream Academy, Songs of Freedom Publishing Company, and Coral Records Recording Company. He ...

) *1995: ''Christmas Carols of the Young Messiah''; "Amen" *1995: ''Master Pieces – Classic Songs Made New''; "Just A Little Talk With Jesus" *1995: ''Hymns & Voices''; " It Is Well with My Soul", "

The Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

" *1996: ''Emmanuel: A Musical Celebration of the Life of Christ''; "Rejoice Emmanuel" *1997: ''God With Us: A Celebration of Christmas Carols & Classics''; " Go Tell It on the Mountain" *1998: ''

Ralph Carmichael Ralph Carmichael (May 27, 1927 – October 18, 2021) was an American composer and arranger of both secular pop music and contemporary Christian music. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music. Early Life and Career ...

and Friends Live''; "Here and Now I Believe" *2000: ''Vestal & Friends, Vol. 2''

Vestal Goodman Vestal Goodman (December 13, 1929 – December 27, 2003) was a singer who performed in the Southern gospel genre for more than half a century. She was known for her work as a solo performer and as a member of the Happy Goodman Family—which orig ...

; "The Lamb Has Brought Us Home"

Video

*1991: ''Larnelle Live: My Time With You'' (VHS) *1992: ''I Choose Joy'' (VHS) *1994: ''Sparrow TV Dinners'' (VHS) various artists; "Teach Me to Love", duet with Steve Green *2002: ''More Than the Music ...Live'' (VHS) various artists; "The Lord's Prayer" *2005: ''Timeless: Concert of Faith & Inspiration'' (various artists) *2013: ''Live in Nashville''

Gaither Homecoming performances

*1993: ''A Christmas Homecoming'' "Amen" *1996: ''Homecoming Texas Style'' "Amen" *1998: ''Down By The Tabernacle'' "I Go To The Rock" *1999: ''Kennedy Center Homecoming'' "

America, the Beautiful "America the Beautiful" is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two never m ...

", "I've Just Seen Jesus" duet with

*2002: ''God Bless America'' "Jesus Saves" *2002: ''Let Freedom Ring'' "More Than Wonderful" with Sandi Patty *2003: ''Going Home'' "Friends in High Places" *2004: ''Dottie Rambo with Homecoming Friends'' "I Go to the Rock" *2004: ''We Will Stand'' "Dream On" *2005: ''Israel Homecoming'' "Amen" *2005: ''Jerusalem Homecoming'' "I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked" *2009: ''Gaither Vocal Band Reunion'' Volume 1 "Your First Day in Heaven", "Can't Stop Talking About Him", "A Few Good Men" *2009: ''Gaither Vocal Band Reunion'' Volume 2 "Dream On", "Build An Ark", "The Love of God" *2011: ''Alaskan Homecoming'' "

How Great Thou Art "How Great Thou Art" is a Christian hymn based on an original Swedish hymn entitled "" written in 1885 by Carl Boberg (1859–1940). The English version of the hymn and its title are a loose translation by the English missionary Stuart K. Hine ...

", "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

" *2011: ''Majesty'' "I've Just Seen Jesus" with Ladye Love Smith *2011: ''Tent Revival Homecoming'' "I Don't Want to Get Adjusted" *2011: ''The Old Rugged Cross'' "His Eye Is on the Sparrow"

Awards and honors

Grammy Awards

*1983: Best Gospel Performance by Duo or Group for "More Than Wonderful" with Sandi Patty *1985: Best Gospel Performance by Duo or Group for "I've Just Seen Jesus" with Sandi Patty *1985: Best Solo Gospel Performance for "How Excellent Is Thy Name" *1987: Best Gospel Performance, Male for ''The Father Hath Provided'' *1988: Best Gospel Performance, Male for ''Larnelle...Christmas''

GMA Dove Awards

*1981: Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year for ''Give Me More Love in My Heart'' *1983: Male Vocalist of the Year *1983: Inspirational Album of the Year for ''Touch Me Lord'' *1986: Inspirational Album of the Year for ''I've Just Seen Jesus'' *1986: Male Vocalist of the Year *1988: Songwriter of the Year *1988: Male Vocalist of the Year *1992: Inspirational Album of the Year for ''Larnelle Live...Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs'' *1993: Inspirational Album of the Year for ''Generation 2 Generation'' *1996: Inspirational Album of the Year for ''Unbelievable Love'' 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 ...

Foundation

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

on October 29, 2007

Other honors

* Silver Bell Award for Distinguished Public Service presented by

Ad Council The Advertising Council, commonly known as the Ad Council, is an American nonprofit organization that produces, distributes, and promotes public service announcements on behalf of various sponsors, including nonprofit organizations, non-governme ...

* ''

Cashbox Magazine ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' Award for Contemporary Gospel Single of the Year for "I Can Begin Again" *

Stellar Award A Stellar Award is an award presented by SAGMA to recognize achievements in the gospel music industry.Sagma
The Stell ...

, Best Solo Performance by Male Contemporary for "The Father Hath Provided" *

Singing News Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Fan Award for Favorite Black Artist * The Christian Music Hall of Fame (inducted in 2007) * Western Kentucky University Hall of Distinguished Alumni – Inducted 1993

References

External links

* * *
Videos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Larnelle 1947 births Living people 20th-century American singers 20th-century Christians 21st-century American singers 21st-century Christians African-American Christians American gospel singers American performers of Christian music Grammy Award winners Musicians from Louisville, Kentucky Singers from Kentucky Songwriters from Kentucky Western Kentucky University alumni Writers from Danville, Kentucky 20th-century African-American musicians 21st-century African-American musicians