| “I’ve never had anyone approach me in an obstinate way about the scriptural basis of a song but I have had questions before about how I arrived at my ‘theology’,” he shared. “I write a lot of story songs that are ‘what if’ scenarios. I write songs about how people in the Bible might have reacted to the resurrection of Jesus. I write about what might have been the motivations for Jesus to cry at Lazarus’ tomb. I have written about what was going through the mind of the woman at the well and the reasoning behind the thinking of Job’s wife. This is all pure speculation, but very akin to what a preacher does when exploring the scriptures for a sermon. Most people that hear my music know my style of thought and know that they will be thinking about an old subject in a new way.”
Each of us has our favorite song penned by specific gospel song writers. I was curious what Rebecca Peck’s favorite song among the ones she has written is.
“I don’t really have a favorite, but one comes to mind that is a very personal song for me. It is called ‘Every Step,’ and it was recorded by the Crist Family several years back. There are two dear ladies in my family who have both had many disappointments, tragedies, sorrow and sickness throughout their lives. Yet, they have remained faithful to the Lord and are tremendous testimonies of what deep, abiding faith in the Lord can carry you through. The song was written from my heart about that.”
Mark Bishop has favorite songs to suit his mood but songs about prayer hold a place in his heart. “Each song is unique and for the moment, just like each verse of the Bible has an application for different aspects of our lives,” he explains. “Some songs are there for when you’re happy; some songs are there for where you’re sad, so picking an over-all favorite is hard. That being said, just like folks have favorite Scriptures, folks have favorite songs too. I still enjoy singing a song I wrote for our old group entitled ‘You Can’t Ask Too Much of My God.’ I also really like singing songs about prayer like ‘Can I Pray for You’ and ‘Pray on the Little Days.’ I believe that prayer changes things and so I write a lot of songs about that important part of our Christian walk.”
When asked what the difference is between a gospel song and a hymn, it is easy to quip, “If it’s in a hymnal, it’s a hymn.” I asked Joseph Habedank how he would address this question.
“I think a lot of it has to do with the musical style, but also, the hymnic language is typically much more profound and deep,” he replied. “Some of the greatest songs that have ever been written, in my opinion, are hymns. And this is coming from a guy who also likes worship music. I just feel the hymns have so much heart and history to them.”
I also asked him how he feels new technologies have changed the writing and pitching of songs.
“Well, most people don't write on a notepad anymore. Almost everyone writes on their laptop or iPad now, so that leaves you without the original written lyric in most cases,” he responded. “However, now that you can send songs via email, it has become much more convenient to pitch songs to the artists.”
Dianne Wilkinson had good advice for aspiring gospel song writers when I asked her what words of wisdom she would offer.
“There are many important things involved in crafting a song well...but the most important thing a Gospel songwriter can do to be effective and used of God is to commit to being a lifelong student of the Word of God,” she urged. “The songs must contain Biblical Truth. The lyrics should be substantive!”
While it is true that not all southern gospel music fans live in the south, it is also true that not all southern gospel style song writers live there. In closing, I asked Ms. Wilkinson what advice she would offer to those who are not in the immediate circle of the business. |
