On Monday, February 17, GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi will welcome two of America’s greatest hymn writers, Bill and Gloria Gaither, for a special event featuring an intimate conversation and performance. The GRAMMY®-winning duo will appear for a matinee at 3 pm on February 17, followed by an evening event at 6:30 pm.
The program, which will launch the Museum’s 2020 quarterly Songwriter Series, will be held in the Sanders Soundstage and moderated by award-winning songwriter, Buddy Greene, who has toured with the Gaithers for more than 20 years. During both the matinee and evening programs, the Gaithers will discuss their celebrated songs, which continue to reverberate around the world, and the stories behind the songs.
Tickets are $40 each for the matinee and evening events and are currently on sale to GRAMMY Museum members and groups of 10 or more. Tickets for non-members are $50. More information on the Bill and Gloria Gaither: Words & Music Songwriter Series matinee and evening events can be found at www.grammymuseumms.org.
An avid fan of gospel quartets throughout his childhood, Bill Gaither founded his first group, the Bill Gaither Trio, in 1956, while he was a college student. He began teaching English in 1959 because his musical aspirations couldn’t support him full-time . . . yet. In 1962, Bill married Gloria Sickal, who became the best writing partner Bill could have asked for. The couple spent the first five years of their married life juggling full-time teaching jobs, writing, singing, recording, and publishing until music became their full-time career in 1967.
Gloria Gaither has long been a student of literature, with special interest in the works of John Steinbeck. She has contributed papers and reviews on his writing in a variety of academic settings. Additionally, Gloria has written more than 40 books and created scripts for over 100 videos in the chart-topping “Homecoming” series.
A respected voice in the academic community, Gloria holds Honorary Doctorates from eight universities, and she is currently advocating for songwriting majors at several Christian universities out of her sincere desire to see a new generation learn to create songs that are theologically sound, poetically beautiful and musically lasting.
The collaborations of Bill and Gloria have resulted in more than 700 popular gospel songs, including the hymnal standard “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.” Bill and Gloria have collectively won eight GRAMMY Awards® and more than a dozen nominations.
Additionally, they have received more than two dozen Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association, earning the title of Gospel Music Association’s Songwriter of the Year eight times. In recognition of Gloria and Bill’s vast contributions to the gospel music industry, they were named ASCAP’s Christian Songwriters of the Century in 2000. Additionally, on their long list of special honors is their induction into the Gospel Hall of Fame.
