George Beverly Shea
George Beverly Shea (February 1, 1909 – April 16, 2013) was a Canadian-born American[1] gospel singer 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 at Billy 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
February 1, 1909
April 16, 2013 (aged 104)
Canadian, American[1]
1929–2013
2
Personal life[edit]
Early life and family[edit]
George Beverly Shea was born in Winchester, Ontario, Canada, on February 1, 1909, the fourth of eight children of the Rev. Adam Joseph Shea (1872–1946),[5] a Wesleyan Methodist Church—now Wesleyan Church—minister, and his wife, Maude Mary Theodora (Whitney) Shea[6] (1881–1971).[2][5] His uncle, Isaac Shea (1865-1946) of Winchester had fought in the Second Boer War with the Royal Canadian Dragoons.
Religious background[edit]
The Shea family served at the Wesleyan Methodist church in Winchester, 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 the Jersey 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:
Ministry[edit]
New York (1929–1939)[edit]
As a result of the recommendation of American opera baritone John 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 by Fred Allen on NBC radio. Despite losing to a yodeler, Shea earned second place, and a spot singing popular music on Allen's program, probably a precursor to Allen's Town 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 an audition to sing popular secular songs for Your Hit Parade, a national program with the Lyn Murray Singers broadcast on the NBC 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 station WHN, and on Erling C. Olsen's Meditations in the Psalms broadcast on radio station WMCA, as well as doing 30-minute programs from 7-7:30 am on WKBO in Jersey City, New Jersey. Shea also appeared on WKBO's "the Old Fashioned Gospel Hour."[32]
Shea sang on the Young Person's Church of the Air radio program, which had been started by Percy Crawford (1902–60)[33] in Philadelphia in 1931 on Radio station WIP.[34][35]
Shea began his recording career at the U.S. branch of Decca Records after being signed by A & R representative Jack 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.
Chicago (1939–1952)[edit]
In 1939 Shea auditioned unsuccessfully for a spot on a CBS radio program that originated in Chicago, Illinois.[31]
WMBI (1939–1944)
Soon after Dr. Will Houghton, president of the Moody 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 station WMBI,[2] "the powerhouse of evangelical radio",[37] the first non-commercial Christian radio station in America, which was owned and operated by the Moody Bible Institute originally on its campus in Chicago.[13] Initially Shea sang on Houghton's Let's Go Back to the Bible, from 1939.[38] Later he was also involved in Miracles and Melodies, which started on 67 radio stations across the USA in 1940, and was broadcast on 187 different stations in 45 US states, Canada, Latin America and China;[37] and in Hymns 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's Songs 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 station WCFL originating from Chicago, 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 soon Songs 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 by Herbert J. Taylor (18 April 1893 – 1 May 1978), a Christian businessman who headed Club Aluminum of Chicago.[2][13] According to Cusic:
Biographical book[edit]
Shea is the subject of an authorized biography, George Beverly Shea: Tell Me the Story by Paul Davis, published on April 15, 2009.
References in popular culture[edit]
Shea and "How Great Thou Art" are mentioned in Patricia Cornwell's 1998 best-selling novel Hornet's Nest.[72] There is an allusion to Shea in Brad Whittington's coming of age novel Living with Fred.[73] Shea is mentioned in the Christian novel The Peacemakers, the final volume in Jack Cavanaugh's "American Family Portrait" series.[74]