Grammy-winning Christian artist Bill Gaither hopes to inspire with concert in Macon
Bill Gaither hopes you'll be at his concert tonight.
He hopes you'll have a lot of fun and enjoy breathtaking four-part vocal harmony.
When you leave, he hopes you'll be encouraged.
"I hope people think they've gotten some great entertainment, that's for sure," he said in a telephone interview. "But I also hope they'll find moments that inspire them. These are tough times in our country, in our world, and sadly, in a lot of churches. I hope there will be things that bring us together and, bottom line, show us there's hope no matter what the circumstances. After all, the person we're singing about, the person who's the reason for Christmas, was born in very unstable times and he understands where we're at."
Gaither is appearing tonight with the Gaither Vocal Band at the Gaither Christmas Homecoming concert. It's at 6 p.m. at the Macon Coliseum. The Gaither Vocal Band is comprised of Gaither, David Phelps, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb and Todd Suttles.
Artists appearing with the Vocal Band include the Martins, the Isaacs, the Nelons, Charlotte Ritchie, Gene McDonald and Kevin Williams.
And Macon-native Buddy Greene also will be there.
Greene, who is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and renowned harmonica player, has toured frequently with Gaither and has been featured in Gaither's Homecoming video series.
"Buddy will be here," Giather said. "He's not on this tour but we didn't want to come to Macon without him. Buddy co-wrote 'Mary, Did You Know' with Mark Lowry who was a long-time member of the Vocal Band. Buddy told me it would be great to be in his hometown."
Gaither and his wife, Gloria, have been prolific songwriter-performers since the early 1960s, first while both were school teachers, then full time in music since 1967.
The two have composed more than 700 popular gospel songs including classics like "Because He Lives," "The King Is Coming," "Something Beautiful," "He Touched Me," "It Is Finished," "There's Something About That Name" and "Let's Just Praise The Lord."
Out of more than a dozen nominations, they've won eight Grammy Awards, received two-dozen-plus Dove Awards and earned the Gospel Music Association's "Songwriter of the Year" award eight times.
Plus, they were named by ASCAP the Christian Songwriters of the Century.
Though the accolades are many and continue to mount, Gaither has said making music isn't the couple's primary calling. He said their primary calling is genuinely communicating the reality of Christ.
Doing that, he said, means he and his wife's faith has to work at home as well as on stage.
"We live in the same house in Indiana we lived in when we taught school and where we raised our kids," Gaither said. "We know our neighbors, like the Wilsons who've lived there longer than us. Mrs. Wilson just passed away. We recently had Penny, one of their daughters, over for dinner and stayed up talking past 10:30 p.m., my usual bedtime. How we relate to that sweet family and to others is just as much part of communicating the joy of knowing Christ as anything. If what we have doesn't make a difference on our street, it won't work on stage in Miami or Dallas or anywhere else. I'm not claiming we do everything right, but we try to do as many things in the plus category as we can."
Mixed with a great love for music, the attempt "to do as many things in the plus category as we can" has helped give longevity and breadth to the Gaither's career.
"I grew up loving music, period," he said. "An early favorite was Hank Williams' 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry.' What a great song then and now. I love pop, county, classical -- I love all kinds. But I don't think I could get motivated to do pop music or any other kind for these 30, 40, 50 years without the message we have in ours. I just believe in the message and love the art form. You get a since there's a slice of eternity involved."
Through the years, Gaither has expanded his role as award-winning writer and performer to that of being an innovator as a band leader, music publisher, entrepreneur-businessman, entertainment technology visionary and more.
With such diverse abilities, what does Gaither consider his real gift?
"I hope it's giving others a helping hand and a chance to grow," he said. "I've certainly not done everything by myself all these years. I've had incredibly intelligent and gifted people to work and perform alongside me. I do rejoice in teaching somebody something and then seeing them do so well they go far beyond where I'm at. At 79 years old, I think that's worked pretty well for me. Giving away is kind of like a boomerang. Jesus said whoever tries to protect their own life loses it, but whoever loses their life -- gives it away -- saves it."
Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.
Bill Gaither on songs
Biggest-selling song: " 'Because He Lives.' It's also big in a lot of hymnals."
Favorite song he's written: "It varies day-to-day, but I'd say 'I Believe, Help Thou My Unbelief.' It's not one of our most popular, but it means a lot to me."
Song people most often say is their favorite: "That would be 'Because He Lives,' 'He Touched Me' or 'Something About That Name.' "
His favorite song by another artist? "No problem there, it's 'Through It All' by Andre Crouch."
The most influential song on his own life and career? "'I Know Who Holds Tomorrow' by Ira Stamfield."
Is there a catchy phrase buzzing around his head right now that's turning into a new song? "Buzzing around right now? Not really. But there's something we just finished. ... It's called 'Transformation.' ... I wouldn't give you a dime for any theology that doesn't have an element of change in it -- an element of God's transforming power in people's lives."
Gaither Christmas Homecoming
When: 6 p.m. Dec. 5
Where: Macon Coliseum, 200 Coliseum Drive
Cost: $23-$74
Tickets: Macon Coliseum Box Office, 800-745-3000
This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 9:33 PM with the headline "Grammy-winning Christian artist Bill Gaither hopes to inspire with concert in Macon ."