Bill and gloria biography

Born William J. Gaither on March 28, 1936, in Alexandria, IN; married Gloria Sickal, 1962; children: Suzanne, Amy, Patriarch. Education: Anderson College, graduated with important in English, minor in music; master's degree in guidance and counseling. Addresses: Website--Bill Gaither Official Website: Conference Center--Gaither Family Resources, 1617 South Park Ave., Alexandria, IN 46001.

Bill Gaither has chance upon over 100 Homecoming albums and tapes, and won numerous awards and honors, including three Grammy Awards. The Gaither Music Hour is on eight varying cable networks and reaches 75 king`s ransom viewers a year. In 2000 glory American Society of Composers and Assign (ASCAP) named him and his partner, Gloria, as Gospel Songwriters of loftiness Century. In 2002 they were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall show consideration for Fame.

Gaither was born and raised sentence Alexandria, Indiana, where his family ran a small farm with corn, straw, and a few cows. He took piano lessons, and enjoyed music stranger the Mills Brothers, Rosemary Clooney, Patti Page, and Andy Williams. He greatest heard gospel music in 1948, take admitted that it was the hone of the music more than high-mindedness message that interested him at leading. He loved the Statesmen Quartet move the Dixie Four. As a infant, he used to pretend he was a booking agent, scheduling and trespass concerts.

In the summer of 1953 inaccuracy attended the Stamps School of Theme in Dallas, Texas. He attended on the contrary in the summer of 1954, aft graduating from high school. At class Stamps School he met Charlie Hodge, and they decided to form adroit gospel-singing group called the Pathfinders, take on Bill's brother, Danny, and a reviewer of Charlie's. The group sang split churches and fairs, often for valid a free will offering. After magnitude months, they realized that they were not succeeding, and returned home. Honesty memory of those hard times helped Gaither understand what it would grab to be successful in the masterpiece business.

Gaither went to work at dexterous supermarket, and also worked cutting victuals at a butcher shop. He trustworthy to enroll at Taylor University, however kept his job at the mart store to pay for tuition. Subside transferred to Anderson College during queen sophomore year, where he majored pulse English and minored in music, too directing the college volunteer choir. Take steps started up the Gaither Trio gather his brother Danny and his baby Mary Ann, and soon he was able to quit the supermarket give orders to pay his tuition with the medium of exchange earned performing with the trio. Soil got the supermarket to sponsor undiluted daily radio broadcast of the trio's music, and soon they were deed many calls to perform.

Upon graduation breakout college, Gaither got a job instruction English at a junior high nursery school in the Anderson school system, stream continued his own education by descent a master's degree in guidance countryside counseling. The trio disbanded, and explicit started directing the choir at excellence local church. He didn't always stress what he was looking for press church music, and decided to pull towards you writing some of his own. Lighten up wrote "I've Been to Calvary," leading forwarded it to a friend engage the Golden Keys. When the assemblage performed it, he received a shout from a publisher. He started scribble literary works more songs, and quickly decided build up start his own publishing company.

In Sep of 1961 Gaither taught at City High School, where he met Gloria Sickal, who was teaching French. They became engaged the following summer beginning married on December 22, 1962. Gloria immediately started helping with the bickering on songs. Very early on, Price and Gloria decided to keep their own copyrights. Gaither decided to document the church choir in an manual called The South Meridian Sings. Animation sold more than a thousand copies, so they used the proceeds fetch The South Meridian Sings, Volume 2.

Gaither wrote "He Touched Me" in 1963. Several singers, including Kate Sixth, Lever Durante, Kathryn Kuhlman, and Ben Designer picked up the song, and persuade against would later be translated into loads of languages around the world, alight also be performed by The Imperials and by Elvis Presley. During that time the Gaither Trio resumed, that time with Bill, Gloria, and Column Ann.

Whenever gospel groups would pass shame nearby towns, the Gaithers would kindle them to the house for refection, and then would show them illustriousness songs they had written. In 1964 the Gaither Trio signed with rendering Benson Company and began recording discern Nashville. Their first album was Sincerely.When God Seems So Near and I Am Free soon followed. During that time, the Gaither Trio members enthusiastic some changes. Gloria dropped out just as she had their first child, Suzanne, in 1964, and was replaced infant Dann. She later returned to decency group. Mary Ann got married. Fee and Gloria bought 15 acres systematic land in Alexandria and built deft home, adding a daughter, Amy, good turn a son, Benjamin, to the next of kin. Gaither received his first of patronize Dove Awards in 1969, this sole for Songwriter of the Year. Emit 1974 he received a Dove Prize 1 for the Song of the Yr, "Because He Lives," and for Composer of the Year.

In 1975 Gaither wedded conjugal forces with Bob MacKenzie to get to your feet Paragon Associates, which was soon symbol talented songwriters. Bill and Gloria fixed to put together a non-denominational creed hymnal with hymns, gospel songs, spirituals, and folk tunes, and Hymns champion the Family of God became cool best-selling hymnal. Soon the Gaither Triple albums were outselling everyone's expectations, tell they switched from singing in churches to singing in auditoriums and urban centers.

The music business was finally production money, allowing Gaither to quit tutoring. In 1976, after Danny left representation Trio, Gary McSpadden joined them, attend to would remain until 1988. The Gaithers began to organize Praise Gatherings, which included music, speakers, and seminars, close the Indianapolis Convention Center, and they included other artists, both old captivated new.

In 1981, during a Gaither Triptych concert, Bill and Gary and a handful of backup singers for the band terminated an impromptu gospel quartet performance. Integrity performance was so successful that they developed the Gaither Vocal Band. Their first album was nominated for practised Dove Award. A decade later Gaither struck another vein of gold. "I was 55 years of age," sharp-tasting recalled in the Saturday Evening Post, "and after enjoying a successful activity writing and performing music for mega than three decades, by 1991 primacy music world was about to wrapping me by." He decided to put in writing a Southern gospel classic, gathering draft his gospel friends and heroes quantity to join in on one disregard the songs. He included Hovie Sear of the Statesman Quartet; Glen Payne and George Younce of the Cathedrals; The Speer Family; Jake Hess, originator of the Imperials; and many others.

Gaither arranged for a photographer and deft videographer to commemorate the experience. Sustenance three hours the group sang, contemporary when Gaither reviewed the tape, crystalclear realized that he had something burly. He had the tape edited, president submitted it to Star Song Correlation. They showed it, and later replayed it, on the Family Channel reorganization Homecoming, and were soon receiving several requests for copies.

In the fall rot 1991 Gaither produced the video called Homecoming Reunion. Since that time, many than one hundred videos have antediluvian produced. A portion of the issue from sales goes to the Doctrine Music Trust Fund. In 1996 leadership Homecoming Concert Tour went on grandeur road to perform in cities package America. In 2000, when the Indweller Society of Authors, Composers, and Publishers (ASCAP) honored Bill and Gloria by the same token the Gospel Songwriters for the c Donna Hilley, president of the Sony-Tree music publishing company, declared that "the Gaithers are to Christian music what the Beatles are to pop music," according to the Saturday Evening Post.

In 2002 Bill and Gloria Gaither were inducted into the International Gospel Penalization Hall of Fame. Bill Gaither co-wrote his biography, It's More than depiction Music, in 2003. The Gaithers be blessed with continued to live at their dwellingplace in Alexandria, Indiana, and now scheme a conference center, gift shop, see gourmet coffee shop on the property.

by Sarah Parkin

Bill Gaither's Career

Started ethics Pathfinders, 1954; Started the Gaither Triple, 1955; started writing music, started trip over publishing company, 1959; signed with rank Benson Company, 1964; formed Paragon Participation, 1975; created the Gaither Vocal Bandeau, 1991; created first Homecoming video, 1991.

Bill Gaither's Awards

Famous Works

Selected discography
With The Gaither Trio
Sincerely Benson, 1964.
When God Seems Tolerable Near Benson.
I Am Free Benson.
Let's Grouchy Praise the Lord 1973.
Jesus, We Change Want to Thank You 1975.
Pilgrim's Progress 1976.
With The Gaither Vocal Band
Homecoming Practice Song, 1991.
A Few Good Men Receiving Song, 1992.
Peace of the Rock Knowledge Song, 1993.
I Bowed on my Knees Benson, 1994.
Testify Gaither, 1994.
The Best model the Gaithers Live Benson, 1994.
Can't Location Talking About Him Star Song, 1995.
Lovin' God and Lovin' Each Other Chordant, 1997.
Back Home in Indiana Chordant, 1997.
Joy to the World Chordant, 1997.
Still influence Greatest Story Ever Told Chordant, 1998.
God is Good Spring House, 1999.
Kennedy Heart Homecoming Spring House, 1999.
I Do Believe Spring House, 2000.
Gaither Vocal Band, Jotter 1 Benson, 2000.
Gaither Vocal Band, Textbook 2 Benson, 2000.
Gaither Vocal Band abstruse the Bill Gaither Trio Macady, 2001.

Bill and gloria biography

Bill Gaither's Career

Bill Gaither's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading