George Beverly Shea | |
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| Born | (1909-02-01)February 1, 1909 Winchester, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | April 16, 2013(2013-04-16) (aged 104) Montreat, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Resting place | Billy Graham Library |
| Nationality | Canadian, American[1] |
| Years active | 1929–2013 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
George Beverly Shea (February 1, 1909 – April 16, 2013) was a Canadian-born American[1]gospelsinger and hymn composer. Shea was often described as "America's beloved gospel singer"[2] and was considered "the first international singing 'star' of the gospel world," as a consequence of his solos atBilly Graham Crusades and his exposure on radio, records and television. Because of the large attendance at Graham's Crusades, it is estimated that Shea sang live before more people than anyone else in history.[3][4]
George Beverly Shea was born inWinchester, Ontario, Canada, on February 1, 1909, the fourth of eight children of the Rev. Adam Joseph Shea (1872–1946),[5] a Wesleyan Methodist Church—nowWesleyan Church—minister, and his wife, Maude Mary Theodora (Whitney) Shea[6] (1881–1971).[2][5] His uncle, Isaac Shea (1865–1946) ofWinchester had fought in theSecond Boer War with theRoyal Canadian Dragoons.
The Shea family served at the Wesleyan Methodist church inWinchester, Ontario, Canada;[7]Houghton, New York (1917–1921); the Sunnyside Wesleyan Methodist church in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from 1921;[8][9] at the Willett Memorial Wesleyan Methodist Church at Midler Avenue,Syracuse, New York;[10] and theJersey City, New Jersey Wesleyan Methodist church during his youth.[11]
Shea himself said that he became a Christian at the age of five or six,[7] but made a rededication to Christ when he was 18, at the Sunnyside Wesleyan Methodist Church in Ottawa:
[T]here were times when I needed to rededicate my life to the Lord Jesus. When I was 18, my dad was pastoring a church in Ottawa, and I was feeling not too spiritual. The church was having a "special effort," as they called it, for a week. I remember that on Friday night Dad came down from the pulpit and tenderly placed his hand on my shoulder. He whispered, "I think tonight might be the night, son, when you come back to the Lord." Whatever Dad did or said, I listened to him and respected him. And, yes, that was the night!
Shea was taught to play the violin by his father, and the piano andorgan by his mother.[12] Shea'sbass-baritone voice brought early recognition and provided many opportunities for him to sing in his father's church.[13] He began singing at religious meetings in the Ottawa Valley.[12]
Shea attended Annesley College in Ottawa, before transferring in 1928 toHoughton College (Houghton, New York), where he studied singing with Herman Baker.[12] While studying atHoughton College, Shea sang with the Houghton College Glee Club.[14] Financial difficulties made it necessary for him to terminate his studies in 1929.[13]
After leaving college, Shea became a clerk in the medical department in theNew York City offices of theMutual of New York life insurance company, where he worked for the next nine years.[13][15]
Shea married his childhood sweetheart,[15] Erma L. Scharfe (1908–1976)[5] on 16 June 1934.[16] Shea and Erma had two children: Ronnie and Elaine.[13][16]
Shea's children became Christians at an early age. Shea's daughter Elaine became a Christian at the age of 8 during a Billy Graham Crusade at theCow Palace,San Francisco, California, in 1958.[7][17][18] In 1959 Ron responded to an invitation by Billy Graham during one of the Crusade meetings inSydney, Australia and was counseled byGrady Wilson.[7][19][20] Erma Shea died in September 1976, andmemorial services were held atWestern Springs, Illinois, on 8 September 1976.[21]
On 19 December 1985 Shea married Karlene Aceto[22] (1942 -), a 1972 graduate ofMontreat College,[23][24] inMontreat, North Carolina.[22] In a September 2007 interview Shea recalled how he met and married his second wife, Karlene:
It has been 20 years of bliss. I was a widower for 10 years in a suburb of Chicago and that's a long time. When we were over in Korea in 1984, Billy brought me into his room and said, 'I've been talking to Ruth, my wife,[clarification needed] in Montreat this morning on the phone and we think that 10 years is enough,' and so he mentioned Karlene's name. Mr. Graham didn't do the service. We had the pastor of our church here and he put on his nice robe and we were married in Billy's home.[25]
Shea, who became a naturalized American citizen in 1941,[26] and his wife, Karlene, who was 33 years his junior, lived in Montreat, North Carolina,[27] on the same road as Billy Graham's home.[28]
A centenarian, Shea died on April 16, 2013, at the age of 104 from complications following a stroke. He was buried on the grounds of theBilly Graham Library inCharlotte, North Carolina.[29]
Areed organ owned by Shea now belongs toArt Robinson.[30]
As a result of the recommendation of AmericanoperabaritoneJohn Charles Thomas (born 6 September 1891 – died 13 December 1960), Shea studied singing under Gino Monaco, Thomas's own vocal coach.[14][11]
While working for Mutual Life in New York City Shea appeared on an amateur hour program hosted byFred Allen onNBC radio. Despite losing to ayodeler, Shea earned second place, and a spot singingpopular music on Allen's program, probably a precursor to Allen'sTown Hall Tonight. Although Shea "impressed the critics and scores of fans", he still didn't feel he had discovered a direction for his life.[31]
In 1933 a network radio director heard Shea sing and arranged anaudition to sing popularsecular songs forYour Hit Parade, a national program with theLyn Murray Singers broadcast on theNBC network. Shea passed the audition and was offered a job, but reluctantly turned the position down because he didn't feel right about performing secular music.[13][15]
Shea sang regularly on radio stationWHN, and on Erling C. Olsen'sMeditations in the Psalms broadcast on radio stationWMCA, as well as doing 30-minute programs from 7-7:30 am onWKBO inJersey City, New Jersey. Shea also appeared onWKBO's "the Old Fashioned Gospel Hour."[32]
Shea sang on theYoung Person's Church of the Air radio program, which had been started byPercy Crawford (1902–60)[33] in Philadelphia in 1931 on Radio stationWIP.[34][35]
Shea began his recording career at the U.S. branch ofDecca Records after being signed byA & R representativeJack Kapp, who told Shea: "If you do better than the singer we have in mind, we will give you a contract. If not, you'll have to take the records on yourself. Shea recorded "Jesus Whispers Peace," "Lead Me Gently Home, Father," "I'd Rather Have Jesus," and "God Understands," accompanied by Ruth Crawford (wife of Percy Crawford) on the organ. About 7,000 copies were sold, and they are prized by music lovers today, the majority being Protestant Christians like Shea.[citation needed]
In 1939 Shea auditioned unsuccessfully for a spot[clarification needed] on aCBS radio program that originated inChicago, Illinois.[31]
WMBI (1939–1944)Soon after Dr.Will Houghton, president of theMoody Bible Institute (MBI) offered Shea a staff position with "duties that included emceeing, interviewing, news-casting, continuity writing, programming, administration, auditioning, and singing"[36] on radio stationWMBI,[2] "the powerhouse of evangelical radio",[37] the first non-commercialChristian radio station in America, which was owned and operated by theMoody Bible Institute originally on its campus inChicago.[13] Initially Shea sang on Houghton'sLet's Go Back to the Bible, from 1939.[38] Later he was also involved inMiracles and Melodies, which started on 67 radio stations across the US in 1940, and was broadcast on 187 different stations in 45 US states, Canada, Latin America and China;[37] and inHymns From the Chapel each morning at 8:15.[38]
Songs in the Night (1944–1952)On 2 January 1944 Shea began his ministry as a featured soloist on Billy Graham'sSongs in the Night weekly radio program,[39] which was broadcast live on Sunday evenings for 45 minutes from 10.15pm[40] from the basement of the Village (Baptist) Church at 4475 Wolf Road,Western Springs, Illinois,[41] pastored by Graham,[42] and transmitted on radio stationWCFL originating fromChicago, Illinois. The popularity of Shea helped make the previously financially struggling program self-sustaining within weeks.[43] The Drummonds indicate that Shea "skyrocketed the broadcast into a great success," so that soonSongs in the Night was broadcast twice on Sundays.[40]
After eight years Shea turned over his duties on this program to Glenn Jorian so that he could devote his energies full-time to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA).[44]
Club Time (1944–1952)In June 1944 Shea resigned from WMBI to sing gospel on a 15-minute weekday radio program,Club Time,[38] the second oldest hymn program on commercial radio.[2][13]Club Time, initially broadcast on Radio station WCFL, was sponsored byHerbert J. Taylor (18 April 1893 – 1 May 1978), a Christian businessman who headed Club Aluminum of Chicago.[2][13] According to Cusic:
Shea's job was to host the program and sing several songs, including the favorite hymn of various famous people. It was on "Club Time" that Beverly Shea became George Beverly Shea at the insistence of the advertising agency; it seems they felt most listeners were confused by a man named "Beverly."[38]
Club Time was broadcast nationally from September 1945 for the next seven years over theABC Radio andArmed Forces Networks and many independent stations.[2][13] This show brought Shea national recognition,[15] and by 1951 Shea was the most prominent male soloist in gospel music.[45]
Singspiration (1947)By the summer of 1947 Shea was signed to the Singspiration Sacred Recordings label,[46] which had been founded by Dr. Alfred B. Smith (8 November 1916 – 9 August 2001)[32] in 1941, where he sang on a number of78 rpm albums, includingBass Baritone (Singspiration "Treasure Chest Series" LP S-100) andLead Me Gently Home, Father (Singspiration LP 156).[47]
Summer of 1942In the summer of 1942 Shea took a leave of absence from WMBI to joinWord Of Life (WOL) evangelistJack Wyrtzen for evangelistic crusades in the New York area. He spent this summer traveling throughoutNew Jersey,New York, andConnecticut, singing at youth rallies while also singing onWHN on Sunday mornings.[38]
Youth for Christ (1942)When Shea returned to Chicago in September 1942, he talked withTorrey Johnson about conducting youth meetings in that area and soon "ChicagolandYouth For Christ" was held inOrchestra Hall onMichigan Avenue, Chicago, with Shea singing andBilly Graham speaking. From this initial concert, Johnson foundedYouth for Christ (YFC).[38] Shea sang in YFC rallies across the U.S. and Canada.[13]
According to Don Cusic, "Shea and Billy Graham are the prime examples of an evangelical Christianity with mainstream appeal after World War II. Previously theevangelicals andfundamentalists were on the fringes of American religion; Shea and Graham put it in the mainstream."[48] According to David Poling, "central to Billy's successful ministry are the years of loyal service of people like George Beverly Shea, the first staff member to be hired by Graham back in the Chicago radio days."[49] Shea has been involved as a soloist withBilly Graham and his ministry since 1947.[25]
Shea first met Billy Graham in 1940 while Graham was pastor of the Village Church inWestern Springs, Illinois. In a September 2007 interview Shea recalled how he first met Billy Graham:
One morning, there was a rap on my office door. I looked out and there was a tall young man with blond hair and we shook hands. He was 21 and I was 31. It was Billy Graham and he had traveled in fromWheaton College on a train just to say 'hello.' He said he listened to my morning hymn show called 'Hymns From The Chapel.' That's how we first got acquainted. I came into this work with Mr. Graham in 1947 after we had exchanged letters and talked on the phone. He said he wanted me to be his gospel singer. I thanked him but told him the only gospel singers I've ever heard about would sing a verse or two and stop and talk a while. 'Would I have to do that?' I asked him. He chuckled and said, 'I hope not.' With that, I said, 'Well, I'd like to come with you.' That was in November of 1947 and I've been with him ever since.[25]
In 1948 Shea, along with Graham, Barrows and Grady Wilson, formulated a set of ethical guidelines, later designated The Modesto Manifesto, that became the cornerstone of the BGEA.[50] Shea, along with Graham, Barrows, Grady Wilson and George Wilson, is one of the five directors of the BGEA.[51]
Shea sang at the unofficial launching of Graham's crusades in the old Armory inCharlotte, North Carolina, in November 1947.[44] His first song was "I Will Sing the Wondrous Story."[52] In the early days of his association with Graham, Shea earned a wage for each meeting.[53]
Since the beginning of Graham's crusade ministry Shea andCliff Barrows have been the nucleus of the crusade musical team. Barrows is choir director, platformemcee and radio-television program director. They were joined in 1950 by pianist Tedd Smith, and through the years organists Don Hustad and John Innes have provided additional accompaniment.[54]
As the musical mainstay in Graham's crusades, Shea is often called "America's beloved Gospel singer."[2][54] In each crusade Shea "brings a quiet solo immediately preceding ... Graham's message. His solo serves as a transition from the song service into the message."[55] Collins indicates: "Shea's solos set the tone for the preacher's messages. With his full, rich baritone Shea not only charmed audiences, he also touched them with the message of each song he chose."[56] Graham said that Shea always prepared his crowds by singing before the message, and he felt the song was more powerful than the sermon.[57] According to Billy Graham in a 2002 interview inThe Ottawa Citizen,
I've been listening to Bev Shea sing for more than 50 years, and I would still rather hear him sing than anyone else I know.[58]
Shea himself indicated the importance of his solo: "Billy looks forward to the solo before the message as a time for people to quiet down and for him to gather strength."[55]
Shea also made a valuable contribution to the increased effectiveness of Graham's crusades. According to R. Alan Streett:
For a number of years the entire congregation sang the invitational hymn, until Bev Shea suggested that the choir alone handle the assignment. Shea remembered how he, as an eighteen-year-old lad, was convicted by the Spirit as a choir sang "Just As I Am." He felt the effects of a soft choir number could be used by God to touch people's hearts.[59]
One day Shea suggested to Graham:
Have you ever thought of saying, "As the choir sings, you come"? With just the choir singing there might be more contemplation upon the Holy Spirit's call. Soon after that, for the first time in his growing ministry, he began to say at the close of every service, "As the choir sings, you come!"[55]
TheHour of Decision radio program was produced in therecording studio ofArthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith inCharlotte, North Carolina. On 5 December 1950 theHour of Decision radio broadcasts began inAtlanta, Georgia, on 150 radio stations.[44] By its fifth weekHour of Decision had the largest audience of any religious radio program in history. By 1952 Shea sang regularly on this program.[44]
Because of Shea's weekly singing on theHour of Decision radio broadcast since 1950 and his numerous personal appearances, his voice is recognized now in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, South America, and throughout North America.[54]
Shea has recorded approximately 500 vocal solos[11] on more than seventyalbums (including ninecompact discs) of religious music on both theRCA Victor andWord Records labels.[2] Shea has recorded songs with orchestral accompaniment, as arranged and conducted by musical directors, such asHugo Winterhalter,Ralph Carmichael, Bill Walker,Nathan Scott,Norman Leyden,Jimmy Owens,Kurt Kaiser,Danny Davis,Charles Grean, andRadio City Music Hall organist,Ray Bohr.[11] His albums have been produced by RCA Victor'sSteve Sholes,Brad McCuen,Darol Rice,Cliff Barrows, Don Hustad,Bill Fasig, and John Innes.[11] His rich Canadian baritone voice can also be heard on Ricky Skaggs album Mosaic.
In 1951, Shea was signed toRCA Victor Records bySam Wallace andElmer Eades, after being "discovered" byPaul Barkmeyer. His first album for RCA Victor, released on 10-inch and 12-inchlong-playing records and on 45 RPM records, was entitledInspirational Songs, produced byStephen H. Sholes (12 February 1911 – 22 April 1968) and backed byHugo Winterhalter and his Orchestra. During Shea's first four years with RCA Victor, his records did not recover the cost of recording and pressing, but by the end of the 1950s, he enjoyed major success.[44] After a 24-year association with the label, he left it in favor ofWord Records in 1975.
Shea is best known for his rendition of "How Great Thou Art," the English translation by Rev. Stuart K. Hine of theSwedish song "O Store Gud," written in1886 by Rev.Carl Boberg (1859–1940). Arguably Shea's most popular hymn is "The Wonder of It All," the title of which was also used by theUniversity of North Carolina Center for Public Television for their 1998 production of his life story.[2][15]
In 1932 Shea composed the tune to "I'd Rather Have Jesus," the words of which were written by Rhea F. Miller (1894–1966),[60][61] the wife of Dr.Howard Miller, later a general superintendent of theChurch of the Nazarene.[62] When RCA Victor signed Shea to a recording contract, "the song that the company chose to initially spotlight their new singer was "I'd Rather Have Jesus."[56]
Shea also wrote both the lyrics and music for "The Wonder of It All," which wascopyrighted originally by Chancel Music in 1956.[63]
Shea authored a number of books including an autobiography,Then Sings My Soul (1968);Songs That Lift the Heart (1972);How Sweet the Sound (2004); and Stories Behind 50 Southern Gospel Favorites, Vol. 2 (2005).[2][15][64]
During his career, Shea was nominated for tenGrammy Awards, winning on March 15, 1966, the 1965Best Gospel or Other Religious Recording (Musical)[2][15] for his album "Southland Favorites" (RCA LSP-3440) recorded with theAnita Kerr Quartet.[69]
In 1978, he was inducted into theGospel Music Hall of Fame by theGospel Music Association and for his lifelong contribution to gospel music.[2][15] On 18 February 1982 Shea was awarded the Gold Angel Award for Country Music award byReligion in Media inHollywood, California.[70]
The Christian Holiness Association (nowChristian Holiness Partnership) presented Shea its Christian Service Award in 1993.[70] In 1996 the association ofNational Religious Broadcasters voted Shea into its "Religious Broadcasting Hall of Fame."[2][15]
On September 11, 1999, Shea received the Integrity Award from Marketplace Ministries inDallas, Texas.[70] Shea also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Gospel Music Association Canada (GMA Canada) in 2004. He was presented the Edwin P. Hubble Medal of Initiative, the highest honor of the city ofMarshfield, Missouri, in 2007 by friend Reverend Nicholas W. Inman.[citation needed] Shea sang at the dedication of the Billy Graham Library the following day.
On February 12, 2011, Shea received the 2010 Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award alongsideJulie Andrews,Roy Haynes, theJuilliard String Quartet, theKingston Trio,Dolly Parton and theRamones at a ceremony held at theWilshire Ebell Theater inLos Angeles,California.[71]
In 1956, Shea received anhonorary doctorate, theDoctor of Fine Arts, from hisalma mater,Houghton College.[2][15] In 1972, Shea received another honorary doctorate, the Doctor of Sacred Music (D Sacred MUS), from Trinity College (nowTrinity International University) ofDeerfield, Illinois.[2][15]
Shea is the subject of an authorized biography,George Beverly Shea: Tell Me the Story by Paul Davis, published on April 15, 2009.
Shea and "How Great Thou Art" are mentioned inPatricia Cornwell's 1998best-selling novelHornet's Nest.[72] There is anallusion to Shea in Brad Whittington'scoming of age novelLiving with Fred.[73] Shea is mentioned in the Christian novelThe Peacemakers, the final volume inJack Cavanaugh's "American Family Portrait" series.[74]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) . Retrieved 4 February 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) . Retrieved 4 February 2009.
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