Newspaper Page Text
(Continued from page 7)
II
M; V. ' £JB| j
Bill and Gloria were named Christian Songwriters of the Year in 2000 by the musical organization ASCAP.
Gaither Vocal Band, which celebrates its 25th anni
versary this year, and the groups new live-performance
DVD/video that debuts this month.
A ministry offieCpina otftcrs
Gaither’s success has enabled him to be gen
erous with his time, money and influence. He’s
donated millions of dollars to charities and indi
viduals, sometimes anonymously, whether to Hur
ricane Katrina victims on the Gulf Coast or a child
in need of surgery in Guatemala. It became his
personal mission to raise money for the Gospel
Music Trust Fund, which helps aging gospel stars
who have fallen on hard times. Through his per
sonal donations and industry fund-raising efforts,
the fund has grown from about $20,000 to $2.5
mi 11 ion -i n two -decades.
"There's a phrase that 1 heard when I was a
teenager: Blessed people bless people, and hurt
people hurt people, " says gospel performer Amy
Grant, who often toured with Gaither when she
was launching her own career in the 1980 s. "Bill
Gaither is a blessed man, and he has lavished amaz
ing things on the people around him."
Gaither has his own sayings about his philoso
special c d & dvd offer Hear Bill and The Gaither Vocal Band!
They love to sing gospel music! With 2 million
albums sold, this is one of the greatest and
most-loved gospel quartets ever. We know you'll
enjoy their latest, Give It Away. Hear I Will Go On,
Give It Away, Bread Upon The Water, I Catch ‘Em, God
Cleans ‘Em and many more. Order now!
phy of life. I say this to young artists all the time:
You are probably going to be successful and create
some resources. What are you going to do with
those resources? Are you going to blow it all?' Most
of them do," he says. "Or you can be frugal, put
some away, help some other people and do some
thing with the resources God has given you."
Helping others has become the cornerstone of
Gaither's music ministry. He schedules the Gaither
Vocal Band’s cour dates on Friday and Saturday
nights so the band’s younger members can spend
more weekday time with their families. Often,
Gaither travels overnight by bus so other band
members can use the company airplane and spend
one more night at home. "It's a pretty good way of
keeping families together,” he says.
He uses iiis tours as a platform to launch the
careers of other young Christian singers, while
his Homecoming videos, which feature an ensem
ble of gospel greats, have provided much-needed
income—as well as a feeling of appreciation—to
older, less active singers and performers.
Gaither’s belief in God and humanity hasn't
wavered, though in recent years he's faced the
deaths of both parents, his brother, Danny, and
To order Give It Away, please have your credit
card ready and call (800) 715-6248 or visit
www.americanprofile.com/store or send check for
-$23.48 for full-length CD only
-$25.48 for 2 hour DVD only
-$35.45 for CD & DVD-Save 20%
to Gaither - Dept. AP
P.O. Box 340
Harrison, AR 72602.
(A. IN. I!.. AR. NY residents add state
sides tax. NSF checks automatically
debited for amount of check plus appli
cable tecsOiler expires 10/27''06 Please
allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.
jk % mLm
L Mttßmfmm
Gaither meets with the Rev. Billy Graham in 2001.
several close friends, such as beloved gospel sing
ers Jake Hess and Hovie Lister, as well as Anthony
Burger, a pianist who collapsed and died in April
while on a Gaither Homecoming Caribbean cruise.
"1 think you have to figure out a pretty good
theology of death before you can have a good theol
ogy of living," he says. "It's going to come sooner or
later to all of us. Once you get that part of theology
put in place, you can have a whole lot of fun.
“People ask me how much longer I am going
to do this,” he says. “1 don't even think of that. 1
am just running this car as fast as I can run it, and
when I hit a wall, I’m out of here.
“In the meantime, it's going to be a lot of fun." 2^-
Gaither (front) formed the first Gaither Vocal Band
in 1981 with Gary McSpadden (left), Lee Young (top)
and Steve Green.
V - aM l
Rate This Story
How did you like this story? Log on
to www.americanprofile.com/rate
page 8
•American Profile