Gaither says message gives music longevity

Bill and Gloria Gaither have achieved numerous honors,
including eight Grammy Awards.

By JOHN BENSON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

Considering the thousands of venues in which gospel singer Bill Gaither has performed in over the past 40 years, the notion of the Indiana native remembering his last visit to the Youngstown area over a quarter of a century ago is preposterous.

“It’s been a long time,” said Gaither, calling from his Hoosier State home. “They still have the Stambaugh Auditorium? I think the last time we were there was probably 25 or 30 years ago.”

An unbelievable memory for Gaither shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the unbelievable career the Christian singer-songwriter has enjoyed for decades. An avid fan of gospel quartets throughout his childhood, Gaither founded his first group, The Bill Gaither Trio, in 1956 while he was a college student. Gaither married his wife, Gloria, in 1962. Eventually he and his wife dove headfirst into music, becoming songwriting partners with incredible success.

Having collaborated on more than 700 popular gospel songs, including the hymnal standards “Because He Lives,” “The King Is Coming,” “Something Beautiful,” “He Touched Me,” “It Is Finished,” “There’s Something About That Name,” “Let’s Just Praise The Lord” and “Loving God, Loving Each Other,” Gaither and his wife have more than 40 albums, eight Grammy Awards and more to their credit. 

So is it the message or the music that has provided such longevity in the fickle music industry?

“I think the message is probably the biggest appeal, because it’s a message of hope in some pretty tough times,” Gaither said. “I think people are struggling. We have the political process on again with both parties promising they’re going to solve all of those problems, and it probably won’t happen.

“I think there’s always a spiritual hunger and thirst, which answers the question that man cannot live on bread alone.”

Averaging more than 60 shows a year, Gaither has become one of the biggest touring entities around, in both the Christian and secular music worlds. His Gaither Homecoming concerts, which began by happenstance in 1991 when after a television taping various gospel artists hung out around a piano swapping stories and songs, are world renown.

The Gaither Homecoming “Throw Your Heart Wide Open — Give It Away” Tour 2007, which comes to Chevrolet Centre Friday , features the Gaither Vocal Band, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, Gordon Mote, Janet Paschal and Kevin Williams. 

“Really, it’s the same thing I said 25 or 30 years ago when we last played Youngstown, it will be a great evening,” Gaither said. “I think just across the border in Sharon, Pa., there is the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. I grew up listening to The Four Preps, The Four Lads, The Four Aces, The Ink Spots and The Mills Brothers.

“So if you like four-part male harmony, you’ll love that night because the emphasis is on the two quartets and the vocal band. It’s going to be a lot of wonderful music and a lot of fun. We have entertainment and comedy during the night.”

When pressed about his memory and the fact he remembers the Stambaugh, Gaither laughed, “And isn’t Warren close too, where they have Packard Music Hall? Gloria says to me ‘Bill, you are crazy. How can you remember all of the names of auditoriums and then you forget our anniversary or something like that?’

“I guess I just have some wonderful memories in some of those places.”