Babbie Mason | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1955-02-01)February 1, 1955 (age 70) Jackson, Michigan, United States |
| Genres | Gospel,inspirational |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, speaker, producer |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboards, piano, vocals |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels | Word, Mason Music Group |
Babbie Yvett Robie Wade Mason (born February 1, 1955) is an Americangospel singer, songwriter, writer, and adjunct professor of songwriting atPoint University andLee University, and also a television talk-show host. Born to Georgie and George W. Wade. Mason's father was aBaptist pastor and she hails from at least five generations of ministers. Mason started playing as church pianist in 1964 and was the choir director for the church her father pastored.[1]
Before becoming a recording artist, Mason was a teacher inMichigan. She later relocated toGeorgia in 1980 and continued in her teaching profession. In 1984, Mason left teaching and began the first stages of her musical career. In 1985 she received first place honors in both the songwriting and vocal categories at the Christian Artist Music Seminar in the Rockies. In 1988, Mason signed her first record deal withWord Records out ofNashville, Tennessee.
Mason taught music at East Cobb Middle School in the early 1980s. She went on to pen chart-topping singles such as "Each One, Reach One" and "A World of Difference." Some of her songs have become church standards and songs such as "All Rise," "With All My Heart," and "Hallowed Be Thy Name" can be found among the regular song line ups in weekly church worship services. Her song "All Rise" was one of the most-recorded contemporary Christian songs of the 1990s. In 1996, the albumHeritage of Faith featured an arrangement of "Amazing Grace" which included excerpts from her late father's sermon recordings. The album also highlighted "Stop by the Church," written by Sullivan Pugh that earned Mason aDove Award from theGospel Music Association and featured a duet with her mother.[2]
In 1999, Mason signed withSpring Hill Music Group and releasedNo Better Place. This project included the single "The House That Love Built," a song she co-wrote with longtime friend and veteran producer Cheryl Rogers.
Mason has always blended pop and contemporary praise, inspirational ballads, and soulful gospel into her music style. However, Mason had longed to record a 1940s-era project à laBillie Holiday, in which Spring Hill granted her wish request and recordedTimeless (2001). Highlights of this collection include "Theme on the 37th (He Can Work It Out)," a song written byDanniebelle Hall, an early Mason influence, and "Black and Blue," which was a poignant reflection on racism that Mason wrote with Turner Lawton.
Mason has performed before U.S. presidents, includingJimmy Carter, and sung atBilly Graham's evangelistic crusades. Appearing withBill andGloria Gaither and their 'Homecoming Friends' at such major annual concert events as Praise Gathering and Jubilate. She has also been featured on several of their best-selling projects, including theGrammy Award–winningKennedy Center Homecoming (1999). Mason is involved in Christian women's conferences and has been a popular guest on the Women of Faith tour.
Mason has authored two books,Treasures of Heaven in the Stuff of Earth (2000) andFaithLift: Put Wings to Your Faith Walk and Soar" (2003).[3] She hosts a television talk show calledBabbie's House, which is broadcast onWATC-DT out ofAtlanta, Georgia to a national audience as well as throughout Europe and Africa.[4]
Involved in helping aspiring recording artists and songwriters, Mason annually presents her Babbie Mason Music Conference International. She joined the faculty atAtlanta Christian College in East Point andLee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, as an adjunct professor teaching songwriting.
Mason lives on a farm inCarroll County, Georgia, with her husband of over forty-three years, Charles and their two sons.[5]
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