Songs I Love to Sing: The Billy Graham Crusades and the Shaping of Modern Worship
Digital Verbum Edition
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Overview
Learn the surprising history shared by some of today’s most popular hymns.
How did “How Great Thou Art,” an obscure Swedish hymn, get covered by Elvis? How did “Just as I Am” save Johnny Cash? How did dc Talk sanctify ’90s pop rock?
In short: the Billy Graham Crusades.
Music animated these evangelistic extravaganzas, all of it carefully orchestrated by the “chord of three”: celebrated preacher Billy Graham, Gospel Music Hall of Fame baritone George Beverly Shea, and choral conductor and emcee Clifford Barrows. And the Crusades went on to change the larger face of American music, influencing iconic popular artists in the second half of the twentieth century. The Crusade songbook also took root in churches, its use spreading beyond evangelical soil into mainline Protestant and Catholic congregations.
In Songs I Love to Sing, Edith L. Blumhofer narrates the “biographies” of some of the most beloved songs in modern hymnody with verve and affection. Move beyond mere nostalgia. Discover the fascinating stories behind the soundtrack of American Christianity.
This is a Logos Reader Edition. Learn more.
- Explores the fascinating stories behind the soundtrack of American Christianity
- Narrates the “biographies” of some of the most beloved songs in modern hymnody
Reviews
1 rating
Glenn Crouch
4/17/2025
I really enjoyed this book. Having read a couple of Biographies of Billy Graham over the years, I appreciated having a different approach. Namely the role that music played in the Crusades over the years, and how that evolved - and how music tied the three key people (Billy Graham, George Beverly Shea and Clifford Burrows) together. We get brief biographies of these three men, which I thought the author did well in keeping short and relevant to the topic. We get backgrounds of magnificent songs such as “How Great Thou Art”. We also get a lot of the 19th and early 20th Century history of music and crusades. The author provides many valuable insights, and I appreciated the journey she took me on. Nicely referenced, including an Index of Songs - and it is quite surprising how many songs are referred to in just over 150 pages. Highly recommended for those interested in the history of Christian Music as well interested in Billy Graham and his crusades.
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