Albert E. Brumley
Encyclopedia
Albert Edward Brumley was a shape note
gospel music composer and publisher.
Brumley was born near Spiro, Oklahoma
on October 29, 1905. Pre-Dustbowl Oklahoma was primarily made up of sparse agricultural communities; Brumley's family was no different. He spent much of his early life chopping and picking cotton on his family's farm. In 1926, he enrolled in the Hartford Musical Institute of Hartford, Arkansas
, and studied there through 1931. The Institute was led by Eugene Monroe Bartlett (1884–1941), owner of the Hartford Music Company. Brumley purchased Hartford Music Company in 1948.
Albert Brumley married Goldie Edith Schell in 1931. They lived on the banks of Big Sugar Creek
in Powell, Missouri
, where they raised six children.
"I'll Fly Away
", "Turn Your Radio On", "I'll Meet You In The Morning", "He Set Me Free" are among a host of favorites written by Albert E. Brumley. He wrote over 800 songs. He established the Albert E. Brumley Sundown to Sunup Gospel Sing (now Albert E. Brumley Gospel Sing) in 1969 in Springdale, Arkansas
. Brumley has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
Albert Brumley was a member of the Church of Christ and is buried at Fox Church of Christ Cemetery near Powell. He died November 15, 1977. Brumley's son Tom
, who would die in 2009, later became a respected steel guitar
ist in country music and songleader in the Church of Christ, Powel Mo.
Shape note
Shape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational and community singing. The notation, introduced in 1801, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools...
gospel music composer and publisher.
Brumley was born near Spiro, Oklahoma
Spiro, Oklahoma
Spiro is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,227 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Spiro is located at ....
on October 29, 1905. Pre-Dustbowl Oklahoma was primarily made up of sparse agricultural communities; Brumley's family was no different. He spent much of his early life chopping and picking cotton on his family's farm. In 1926, he enrolled in the Hartford Musical Institute of Hartford, Arkansas
Hartford, Arkansas
Hartford is a city in Sebastian County, Arkansas, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 642 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hartford is located at ....
, and studied there through 1931. The Institute was led by Eugene Monroe Bartlett (1884–1941), owner of the Hartford Music Company. Brumley purchased Hartford Music Company in 1948.
Albert Brumley married Goldie Edith Schell in 1931. They lived on the banks of Big Sugar Creek
Big Sugar Creek
Big Sugar Creek is a waterway in the Ozark Mountains of southwest Missouri. The creek starts near the Arkansas state line. Only about of this is floatable during the spring and summer. The gradient is near 9 feet per mile from Highway 90 to Cyclone and 6 feet per mile to Pineville, Missouri. Big...
in Powell, Missouri
Powell, Missouri
Powell is an unincorporated community in eastern McDonald County, Missouri, United States. It is located on Missouri Supplemental Route E about ten miles east of Pineville. It is located on Big Sugar Creek in a scenic area. The community includes some homes, a couple of businesses, and a post...
, where they raised six children.
"I'll Fly Away
I'll Fly Away (hymn)
"I'll Fly Away", is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled Wonderful Message...
", "Turn Your Radio On", "I'll Meet You In The Morning", "He Set Me Free" are among a host of favorites written by Albert E. Brumley. He wrote over 800 songs. He established the Albert E. Brumley Sundown to Sunup Gospel Sing (now Albert E. Brumley Gospel Sing) in 1969 in Springdale, Arkansas
Springdale, Arkansas
As of the census of 2010, there were 69,797 people, 22,805 households, and 16,640 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 64.7% White, 0.82% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 5.7% Pacific Islander, 22% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more...
. Brumley has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
Albert Brumley was a member of the Church of Christ and is buried at Fox Church of Christ Cemetery near Powell. He died November 15, 1977. Brumley's son Tom
Tom Brumley
Tom Brumley was an American steel guitarist who played with Buck Owens and the Buckaroos in the 1960s, contributing to the group's "Bakersfield sound", and later spent a decade with Rick Nelson.-Biography:...
, who would die in 2009, later became a respected steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
ist in country music and songleader in the Church of Christ, Powel Mo.