Posted on 12/31/2010 10:45:52 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The Recording Academy recently announced that gospel recording artist George Beverly Shea, a longtime Billy Graham Crusade soloist, will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2011 Grammy Week in February.
The Grammy Award winner mirthfully told The Christian Post, “I was surprised at this recognition and so grateful at my age 102. It almost broke me up.”
Shea is among one of the oldest living persons to be honored at the Grammy’s. He reflected on his 80 years in the music industry and how being a gospel singer was not his original plan for life.
He shared, “Sometimes I don’t know how to go about this because I never planned to be a gospel singer. But Mr. Graham when he got into this type of work in 1947 – I met him in ‘43 but he began his work in ’47 – he asked if I could go along and sing a quiet hymn or gospel song just before he would speak.”
The 101-year-old, soon to be 102 on Feb. 1, reminisced about his early years before he started co-working with Graham.
He said, “I was a radio announcer in Chicago in 1943. They gave me a program to sing. I called the program ‘Hymns from the Chapel’ and he [Billy Graham] was nearby Wheaton College and he offered to come in one day to my studio. He was 21 [and] I was 31 and that's the same ten-year difference today."
Following his nomination, his long time friend, who lives about a mile from him, called him to congratulate him.
“I've been with him 63 years; he lives one mile away from me. I see him quite often.”
Shea holds the Guinness World Record for singing in person to the most people ever. He recalled, “You know, I got in the Guinness Book of Records saying that I sung in person to 210 million people. But I just have to say that they didn't come to hear me, they came to see Billy Graham.”
The "America's Beloved Gospel Singer" has recorded more than 70 albums of hymns. Recently, he joined Billy Graham and Cliff Barrows for the 60th anniversary celebration of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
The 2011 Special Merit Award will also honor Julie Andrews, Roy Haynes, the Juilliard String Quartet, the Kingston Trio, Dolly Parton, and the Ramones. The vote was determined by The Recording Academy's National Board of Trustees. Recipients of the award will be honored at a special invitation-only ceremony during Grammy Week on Feb. 12, 2011. A formal acknowledgement will be made during the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards telecast on Feb. 13.
Here’s George Beverly Shea singing his most famous composition:
I’D RATHER HAVE JESUS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5jAfvYQNyg
Here he is singing it again in 1987 at age 78 :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBT8tw_8To8&feature=fvst
Congratulations and well deserved. Oh, my gosh 101 going on 102? Wow.
WOW PING!!!
A humble man who walks with God daily.
Ahhhh! An uplifting post- that is a rare commodity and so refreshing.
A wonderful man with a marvelous voice. God Bless!
I associate “How Great Thou Art” with GBS.
May God continue to bless Mr. Shea and congratulations to him for the earthly recognition of his music ministry!
RE: I associate “How Great Thou Art” with GBS.
George Beverly Shea singing HOW GREAT THOU ART in 1969 :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88Xv3vgH3dw
Here he is singing the same song at age : 100 (AMAZING !)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czWJfkDCB74
Me, too, as well as His Eye is on the Sparrow.
Woo, local boy makes good!
And still singing strong at 102, too.
I once had a dream that I was invited to the First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City for the sole purpose of introducing Mr. Shea to the congregation as he prepared to sing. The dream made me happy for days.
God bless you, Bev Shea!
BLESS HIM LORD.
I’m still quite mindful . . .
that when Billy Graham Graduates,
the END TIMES DRAMA stuff is going to quicken dramatically in pace and in intensity.
I have pondered this myself.
Is BG part of “this generation”
that will not pass away until
they see the coming of the Lord?
Or is BG a reflection of the
“restrainer”?
i THINK he represents a huge symbol of passing the torch . . . from the CHURCH ERA into the Great Tribulation and thence to The Millenium.
I just know that when I was watching or listening or reading about him—I forget which—I had this overwhelmingly intense KNOWING
that his graduation from this life would be MAJOR MILESTONE
in prophetic terms vis a vis the END TIMES—that soon after, things would dramatically change forever.
Quix... I will bear witness to your sense
that BG represents a tick in the prophetic
clock. I have had the same ... the EXACT
same sense whenever I think about him.
PRAISE GOD.
THX for your confirmation.
Thanks
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