Her panic gave way to a calmness and an assurance that only the Lord can give. Like an attentive mother bending over her baby, it was as if her heavenly Father saw His Gloria and came to her rescue. Then, suddenly and quite unexpectedly, she was filled with a sweet, calming peace. Across the nation, the educational system was being infiltrated with the “God is dead” idea, while drug abuse and racial tension were increasing. She remembers sitting in their living room in agony and fear on New Year’s Eve. With all the craziness surrounding her family, the thought of bringing another child into the world was taking its toll on her. It was a special time of fear and torment for Gloria. While Bill was recovering from a bout with mononucleosis, he and Gloria and other members in their church family were the objects of false accusations and belittlement.
During the late 1960s, while expecting their third child, they went through a rather traumatic time. The Gaithers’ lives have not always been smooth sailing, however. It is a boost to any songwriter to have his or her name appear at the top of a musical selection as a cowriter with Bill and Gloria. The Gaithers have cowritten with scores of songwriters in their home, in their Indiana studio, and in other locations. Of late, many older singers and songwriters who had all but gone into retirement are now back out on the road singing from church to church and from one Gaither Homecoming concert to the next-thanks to Bill and Gloria. During the course of the evening, he was greatly encouraged.
At least one teenager, who today is a famous songwriter and musician, just showed up unannounced at their home one afternoon in Alexandria. In my more than forty years of interviewing songwriters, I have met young people on several occasions who recounted to me their experiences with Bill and Gloria Gaither. One of the couple’s most admirable characteristics is their desire to assist other songwriters and musicians, especially youngsters. And both have authored or coauthored several books. They have now written some six hundred songs and produced sixty recordings and several musicals.
On some occasions, Gloria revealed in her book Fully Alive the whole lyric would come to her, and then Bill would write the music, either alone or with a cowriter. Usually, Bill would write a musical piece with an idea in mind, and then Gloria, using the same idea, would write the words. Their songs, almost without exception, started with an idea. Their joint efforts, which began during their years of teaching, blossomed into the most prolific husband and wife songwriting team of modern times.īill and Gloria wrote their first song together some forty years ago. Gloria, an English major in college, would become in later years the predominant writer of the lyrics in their songs, whereas Bill’s forte was the musical setting. When Bill and Gloria were single and teaching in the same high school, they met and began to share ideas about songs. One of the Gaithers’ best-known songs is the subject of this story. The Gaither Homecoming concerts and videos are the primary reason. Millions of Americans and people of other countries are coming to love Southern Gospel, and most of them can name more than one Gaither song. I daresay there is not a Southern Gospel Music fan on the face of the earth who has not heard at least one song written by Bill and Gloria Gaither. CBN.com Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
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