Rebel to Redeemed…Sharing HIS Kind of Love
Elvis Presley is known for his love of gospel music and to often have hymn sings after his concerts. It is said he used it to “to rehearse and loosen up before concerts and at the beginning of recording sessions”. After the success of his single Peace in the Valley, Elvis was eager to record a full gospel album. His […]
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Our mothers help mold us into the people we become and is someone we never forget. As we celebrate our mother’s today, it seems a wonderful time for this song story. “That’s Someone You Never Forget” was written by Elvis Presley and his bodyguard, Red West. Presley came up with the idea and title himself. It is believed that the […]
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The chorus to Farther Along is one that is easy to get stuck in your heart and soul. Much of life we will only understand “farther along”. However, there are a lot of questions and uncertainty about the origins of this song. In 1911, Rev. W. A. Fletcher, an itinerant preacher, was struggling with his calling and family obligations. He […]
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All People That on Earth Do Dwell was written by William Kethe. Kethe was born in Scotland and fled to the continent during Queen Mary’s persecution in the late 1550s. While living in Geneva he traveled to visit other English refugees. It is believed he was one of the translators of the Geneva Bible–which was favored by the Pilgrim fathers. […]
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“Lying bedridden with a near fatal illness in 1866, William C. Dix found the hope to pen the words to the joyful hymn of victory, “Alleluia! Sing to Jesus!” Inspired by the words of Revelation to sing a new song, this hymn calls us to lift our voices and praise the ascended Christ, who yet remains with us and intercedes […]
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The Day of Resurrection was written by St. John of Damascus, an eighth-century Greek poet. He is known for his writing of six canons for the major festivals of the church year. He lived a life of wealth and honor until he became dissatisfied with his life at age forty. He gave away his possessions, freed his slaves and entered […]
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All Glory, Laud and Honour is based on Matthew 21:1-11 and often used for Palm Sunday. The hymn tells of the Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The song is from the Latin hymn “Gloria, laus et honor” which was written by Theodulf of Orléans in 820. Theodulf became the Bishop of Orléans under Charlemagne. After Charlemagne died, Theodulf was removed […]
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Go to dark Gethsemane was written by James Montgomery. He was born in 1771 Ayrshire, Scotland. His parents died on the mission field while he was at boarding school. He is said to have a passion for missions, be independent minded and express radical ideas and causes. Montgomery was imprisoned briefly when he printed a song that celebrated the fall […]
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And can it be that I should gain was written by Charles Wesley in 1738. He was the eighteenth child born to Samuel and Susanna Wesley on Dec. 18, 1707. It is believed he wrote at least 6500 hymns. He wrote of many personal experiences and feelings through his hymns. And Can It Be is said to have been written […]
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Alas, and Did My Savior Bleed was written by Isaac Watts. Watts was born on July 17, 1674 in Southampton, England. In 1702, he became a pastor and accepted a call to Abney Park, where he would make a home the remainder of his life. He wrote over two thousand hymns along with sermons, treatises and poems. Some of his […]
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Thomas Ken was born in 1637 Hertfordshire, England. He studied a Winchester College and became ordained in the Church of England in 1662. He is said to be “a man of conscience and independent mind who did not shirk from confrontations with royalty.” The story is told “when King Charles II came to visit Winchester, he took along his mistress, […]
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Children of the heavenly Father was written by Caroline W. Sandell Berg. She was born in 1832 Sweden and known as Lina Sandell, the “Fanny Crosby of Sweden.” “Lina”. She wrote hymns partly to cope with the fact that she witnessed her pastor father’s tragic death by drowning. She is said to have been very close to her father and […]
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Come down, O Love divine was written by Bianco da Siena an Italian poet and wool worker who was born at Anciolina, in the Val d’Arno around 1350. In 1367 he entered the Order of Jesuates, consisting of unordained men who followed the rule of St. Augustine. Little is known of Bianco beyond the fact that he is said to […]
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Blessed Jesus, at Thy word was written by Tobias Clausnitzer. He was born in 1619 Saxony. In 1644 he was appointed chaplain to a Swedish regiment. He preached the sermon at the accession of Christina as Queen of Sweden and the service for the conclusion of Peace at Westphalia in early 1649. In 1649, he was appointed first pastor at […]
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Christmas Canon is set to Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major. Paul O’Neill provided lyrics to Pachelbel’s music. The song is performed by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and a departure from their normal rock arrangements. The group is accompanied by a children’s choir and was released on the 1998 album The Christmas Attic. As on 2016, the song ranked 7th among the all-time […]
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The song originated as a spiritual The text was first published in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine in January 1891. The song appears in the middle of a story by Ruth McEnery Stuart and takes place at a place called Sucrier Plantation in Louisiana. It is believed Stuart transcribed the song from a real plantation song, rather than creating one herself. Stuart’s version was […]
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Mary’s Boy Child is a popular Christmas carol written in 1956 by Jester Hairston. Hairston roomed with a friend who asked him to write a song for a birthday party. He wrote the song with a calypso rhythm for the culture of those attending and titled the song “He Pone and Chocolate Tea”. However, the song was never recorded in this […]
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The Friendly Beasts is another strong contender as one of the oldest Christmas songs. It was written in French about the animals surrounded Christ at the nativity. The song is about the gifts that five animals {a donkey, cow, sheep, camel and dove} brought to baby Jesus. The song dates back to the 12th Century. The French lyrics were set to […]
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Of the Father’s Love Begotten is another song considered among the oldest Christmas hymns. It started as a Latin poem titled “Corde natus” and was written by the Roman poet Auerlius Prudentius. He wrote it for his Liber Cathemerinon. The song was paired with the plainchant, Medieval melody “Divinum mysterium”. Over the years the plainchant was musically embellished. The melody first appears in […]
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A friend was searching for the oldest Christmas hymns and stumbled upon this hymn. So, it lead me to search out the stories behind these old Christmas hymns. The song was composed in Latin by St. Hilary of Poitiers in the fourth century. The Latin translation is “Jesus refulsit omnium”. The song is said to have been composed after the first […]
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