Gloria Gaither (born March 4, 1942) is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, speaker, editor, and

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

. She is married to Bill Gaither and together they have written more than 700 songs. She performed, traveled and recorded with the

Bill Gaither Trio The Bill Gaither Trio, originally simply The Gaither Trio, was an American gospel music group, last consisting of Bill, his wife Gloria Gaither, and Michael English. History By 1957, The Gaither Trio—consisting of siblings Bill, Danny, and Ma ...

from 1965 through 1991. Since 1991, she has served as a performer, recording artist, songwriter, scriptwriter and narrator for the

Gaither Homecoming ''Gaither Homecoming'' is the name applied to a series of videos, music recordings and concerts, which are organized, promoted and usually presented by Christian music songwriter and impresario Bill Gaither. To date, the ''Gaither Homecoming'' t ...

series of television broadcasts, video and DVD releases, and audio recordings.

Early years

She was born Gloria Lee Sickal in 1942 in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, a daughter of Pastor Lee Sickal and Dorothy Sickal. She spent some of her childhood and high school years in the

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which en ...

area of Michigan, working a brief time for the

Kellogg Company The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toas ...

Education

When Gloria graduated from Clare High School in

Clare, Michigan Clare is a city mostly in Clare County, Michigan, Clare County in the U.S. State of Michigan. A small portion of the city extends south into Isabella County, Michigan, Isabella County. The population was 3,254 at the 2020 United States census, 20 ...

, she attended Anderson University in

Anderson, Indiana Anderson, named after Chief William Anderson, is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Anderson, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses Madison County. Anderson is ...

. There, she triple majored in English, French, and Sociology. Her extracurricular activities at the college included participation in the Drama Club, Alpha Chi National College Honor Society and

Sigma Tau Delta Sigma Tau Delta () is an international excelled English honor society for students of English at four-year colleges and universities who are within the top 30% of their class and have a 3.5 GPA or higher. It presently has over 850 chapters in ...

honor society. Upon her graduation, she took a job at Alexandria Monroe High School as a French teacher. There, she met Bill Gaither, who was teaching English at the time. She married Gaither in 1962, and they began writing songs recreationally. In 1991, she attended Ball State University and received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in British and American

Literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

Career

Bill and Gloria Gaither began writing songs in the 1960s, and many those songs (including "Because He Lives", "I Am Loved", "Something Beautiful") would go on to become church hymn book standards across North America and around the world. By the end of the 1960s, Gloria,

Bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

, and Bill's brother

Danny Gaither Danny Gaither (November 20, 1938April 6, 2001), was a gospel music singer from Alexandria, Indiana, and an original member of the Bill Gaither Trio. Early years Born Daniel Joseph Gaither, he was the son of George and Lela Gaither.Liverett, Da ...

were touring steadily as the

, singing and recording songs Bill and Gloria had written. After touring with the

for nearly thirty years, Gaither drew her focus to the

series. She has been an active presence in every video production. In 1996, she spearheaded the creation of Gaither Family Resources in

Alexandria, Indiana Alexandria is a city in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana, United States. It is about northeast of Indianapolis. According to the 2010 census, its population was 5,145, a decrease of 17.8% from 6,260 in 2000. History Alexandria was pl ...

, and currently serves as co-owner and managing director. In 2002, Gaither launched Homecoming: The Magazine, and she currently acts as writer, interviewer, and contributing editor. In 2000, Bill and Gloria were named Christian Songwriters of the Century by the

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

(ASCAP), an award based on the songwriters who have had the most songs recorded over the past 100 years. Gloria is the recipient of seven honorary doctorate degrees, and she is the author of more than 40 books including 20 children's books.

Awards and honors

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

(

National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy A ...

) **1973: Best Inspirational Performance, "Let's Just Praise The Lord", Bill Gaither Trio **1975: Best Inspirational Performance, "Jesus, We Just Want to Thank You", Bill Gaither Trio **1999: Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album: ''Kennedy Center Homecoming'' – Bill and Gloria Gaither and Their Homecoming Friends **2001: Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album: ''Bill & Gloria Gaither Present a Billy Graham Music Homecoming'' Bill & Gloria Gaither and the Homecoming Friends **2002: Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album, "A Billy Graham Music Homecoming", Bill and Gloria Gaither *

GMA Dove Awards A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Awards ...

(

Gospel Music Association The Gospel Music Association (GMA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of gospel music. As of 2011, there are about 4,000 members worldwide. The GMA's membership co ...

) **1976: Inspirational Album of the Year, ''Jesus, We Just Want to Thank You'', Bill Gaither Trio **1978: Inspirational Album of the Year, ''Pilgrim's Progress'', Bill Gaither Trio **1980: Mixed Group of the Year, Bill Gaither Trio **1981: Gospel Album of the Year, Children's Music, ''The Very Best of the Very Best, For Kids'', Bill Gaither Trio **1982: Children's Music Album of the Year, ''Kids Under Construction'', Bill and Gloria Gaither, Ronn Huff and Joy MacKenzie **1985: Song of the Year: "Upon This Rock", Gloria Gaither and Dony McGuire **1986: Songwriter of the Year, Gloria Gaither **1988: Song of the Year: "In the Name of the Lord", Phil McHugh, Gloria Gaither and

Sandi Patti Helvering Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty (born July 12, 1956) is an American Christian music singer, known for her wide soprano vocal range and expressive flexibility. Biography Early life Patty was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, into a family of musician ...

, River Oaks Music, Gaither Music, Sandi's Songs **1993: Southern Gospel Album: ''Reunion: A Gospel Homecoming Celebration,'' Bill Gaither, Gloria Gaither **1994: Lifetime Achievement Award, The Gaither Companies **1999: Induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Bill Gaither Trio **1999: Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year, "I Believe In A Hill Called Mount Calvary"; Gaither Vocal Band (performer); Bill and Gloria Gaither (writers) **2002: Induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, in recognition of past and continuing efforts to promote the furtherance of quality gospel music in the world today **2007: Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year, "Give It Away", Gaither Vocal Band, music: Benjamin Gaither, lyrics: Gloria Gaither *Academic Awards **2002: Indiana Academy Induction, in recognition of outstanding individuals for service and accomplishments, Independent Colleges of Indiana Foundation **2002: Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters

Indiana Wesleyan University Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) is a private evangelical Christian university headquartered in Marion, Indiana, and affiliated with the Wesleyan Church. It is the largest private university in Indiana. The university system includes IWU—Mari ...

recipient **2010: Honorary Doctorate of Arts,

Taylor University Taylor University is a private, interdenominational, evangelical Christian university in Upland, Indiana. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest evangelical Christian universities in the country. The university is named after Bishop Willia ...

**2011: Honorary Alumni Degree,

Olivet Nazarene University Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) is a private Nazarene university in Bourbonnais, Illinois. Named for its founding location, Olivet, Illinois, ONU was originally established as a grammar school in east-central Illinois in 1907. In the late 1930 ...

**2012: Honorary Doctorate of Music,

Nyack College Alliance University (formerly Nyack College ()) is a private Christian college affiliated with the Christian and Missionary Alliance and located in New York, New York. Enrolling just over 1,000 students, the school is organized in three academ ...

*Other Awards & Honors **1997: Inducted into the GMA Hall of Fame **2002: Cherub Award, to honor those who have made outstanding contributions within the area of worship, International Worship Institute **2003: American Inspiration Award, Presidential Prayer Team **2005: Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame Induction **2006: Living Legends Award, Indiana Historical Society **2008: ASCAP Award of Merit, Song of the Year Nominee to Bill and Gloria Gaither for "I Am Loved" **2008: Indiana Broadcasters Association & Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame Induction, Bill and Gloria Gaither **2008: Christian Music Publishers Association Founder's Award, presented for song, "Something Beautiful" **2008: Sachem Award: Indiana's highest honor, selected by the Indiana governor, awarded to Hoosiers for a lifetime of excellence and virtue that has brought honor to Indiana. **2010: Indiana Wesleyan University ''Society of World Changers'' inductee

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaither, Gloria 1942 births Living people 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century Christians 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century Christians 21st-century American women singers American Christian hymnwriters American Christian writers American gospel singers American performers of Christian music Anderson University (Indiana) alumni Christians from Indiana Grammy Award winners Members of the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) People from Alexandria, Indiana People from Battle Creek, Michigan Southern gospel performers American women hymnwriters American women non-fiction writers