Bill Gaither (gospel singer)
William James Gaither (born March 28, 1936) is an American singer and songwriter of Southern gospel and contemporary Christian music. He has written numerous popular Christian songs with his wife Gloria; he is also known for performing as part of the Bill Gaither Trio and the Gaither Vocal Band. In the 1990s, his career gained a resurgence (as well as the careers of other southern gospel artists), as popularity grew for the Gaither Homecoming series. In 2023 he released a secular music album with the Gaither Vocal Band entitled “Love Songs”.
For other people with similar names, see Bill Gaither.
Bill Gaither
William James Gaither
March 28, 1936
Alexandria, Indiana, U.S.
Singer, songwriter, record producer
1950s–present
Spring House Productions, Gaither Music Group
Early life[edit]
Bill Gaither was born in Alexandria, Indiana, in 1936 to George and Lela Gaither. He formed his first group the Bill Gaither Trio (consisting of Bill, his sister Mary Ann (1945–2018),[1] and brother Danny Gaither (1938–2001) in 1956 while a college student at Anderson College, to which he had transferred after one year at Taylor University. He graduated from Anderson in 1959 with a major in English and a minor in music,[2] after which he worked as an English teacher. He married the former Gloria Sickal in 1962.
Gaither earned his master's degree from Ball State in 1961,Gaither entered into the fledgling Gospel Music Association, founded in 1964, and helped organize the first Dove Awards ceremony in 1969.[3]
He tried for a few years to manage both a music career and his full-time teaching job, but he quit his teaching job in 1967 and worked full-time in the Christian music industry. He recorded his breakthrough song "He Touched Me" in 1964.[4]
Gaither was influenced by Southern gospel singers such as Jake Hess and Hovie Lister and by groups such as the Speers, the Statesmen, and the Happy Goodmans.
(This list excludes books of music and books that are companions to his "Homecoming" series.)