Graham Kendrick
Encyclopedia
Graham Kendrick is a prolific British
Christian
singer-songwriter
and worship leader. He is the son of a Baptist
pastor
. He now lives in Croydon and is a former member of Ichthus Christian Fellowship
. Together with Roger Forster
, Gerald Coates
and Lynne Green, he was a founder of March for Jesus
.
career in the late sixties. His most enduring accomplishment is his authorship of the words
and music
for the song
, "Shine, Jesus, Shine
", which is among the most widely heard songs in contemporary Christian worship worldwide. His other songs have been primarily used by worshippers in Britain
. Kendrick is a co-founder of the March for Jesus
. He received a Dove Award in 1995 for his international work. In 2000, Brunel University
awarded Kendrick an honorary doctorate in Divinity
('DD') in "recognition of his contribution to the worship life of the Church".
He was awarded another DD in May 2008, from Wycliffe College
in Toronto
, Canada
.
Although now best known as a worship leader and writer of worship songs, Graham Kendrick began his career as a member of the Christian beat group Whispers of Truth. Later, he began working as a solo concert performer and recording artist in the singer/songwriter tradition. He was closely associated with the organisation Musical Gospel Outreach and recorded several albums for their record labels. On the first, Footsteps on the Sea, released in 1972, he worked with the virtuoso guitarist Gordon Giltrap.
Kendrick worked for a time as a member of "In The Name Of Jesus," the ground-breaking mission team led by the Rev. Clive Calver
. Calver went on to run British Youth for Christ
and the Evangelical Alliance
, and then left the UK
for the Evangelical Church
in the U.S.
Kendrick, however, has remained firmly fixed in the UK church, as probably the most influential Christian songwriter of his generation.
Kendrick also released "Let the Flame Burn Brighter" as a single
in 1989, which reached 55 in the UK Singles Chart
.
He is a member of Compassionart
, a charity
founded by Martin Smith
from Delirious?
.
has said, "I have no doubt that in 100 years time the name of Kendrick will be alongside Watts
and Wesley
in the list of the UK’s greatest hymnwriters". Kendrick also has his critics, among them the right wing journalist Quentin Letts
, who has described him as "king of the happy-clappy banalities" and "the nation's pre-eminent churner-outer of evangelical bilge".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and worship leader. He is the son of a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
. He now lives in Croydon and is a former member of Ichthus Christian Fellowship
Ichthus Christian Fellowship
Ichthus Christian Fellowship is a neocharismatic Christian church movement and Apostolic network based in London, United Kingdom. It is part of the British New Church Movement and has links with other BNCM leaders and movements, especially Gerald Coates of Pioneer Network.-History:Ichthus...
. Together with Roger Forster
Roger T. Forster
Roger Thomas Forster is the leader of Ichthus Christian Fellowship, a neocharismatic Evangelical Christian Church that forms part of the British New Church Movement. In 1965 he married Faith Forster and has three children.-Cambridge:...
, Gerald Coates
Gerald Coates
Gerald Coates is the founder of Pioneer, a Christian community established to "develop new churches across the UK and engage in mission globally." The Pioneer network is a neocharismatic group of evangelical churches. It is part of the British New Church Movement and can also be described as...
and Lynne Green, he was a founder of March for Jesus
March for Jesus
March for Jesus is an annual interdenominational event in which Christians march through towns and cities.March for Jesus began as City March in London in 1987. It emerged out of the friendship of three church groups: Pioneer, led by Gerald Coates; Ichthus led by Roger Forster; and Youth with a...
.
Career
Kendrick began his songwritingSongwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
career in the late sixties. His most enduring accomplishment is his authorship of the words
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
for the song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, "Shine, Jesus, Shine
Shine, Jesus, Shine
"Shine, Jesus, Shine" is a Christian praise song written in 1987 by Graham Kendrick....
", which is among the most widely heard songs in contemporary Christian worship worldwide. His other songs have been primarily used by worshippers in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Kendrick is a co-founder of the March for Jesus
March for Jesus
March for Jesus is an annual interdenominational event in which Christians march through towns and cities.March for Jesus began as City March in London in 1987. It emerged out of the friendship of three church groups: Pioneer, led by Gerald Coates; Ichthus led by Roger Forster; and Youth with a...
. He received a Dove Award in 1995 for his international work. In 2000, Brunel University
Brunel University
Brunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
awarded Kendrick an honorary doctorate in Divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
('DD') in "recognition of his contribution to the worship life of the Church".
He was awarded another DD in May 2008, from Wycliffe College
Wycliffe College
Wycliffe College is an Anglican Church of Canada seminary federated with the University of Toronto. It is evangelical and Low church in orientation. On the other hand, the University of Toronto's other Anglican college, the University of Trinity College is Anglo-Catholic in outlook. While being an...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Although now best known as a worship leader and writer of worship songs, Graham Kendrick began his career as a member of the Christian beat group Whispers of Truth. Later, he began working as a solo concert performer and recording artist in the singer/songwriter tradition. He was closely associated with the organisation Musical Gospel Outreach and recorded several albums for their record labels. On the first, Footsteps on the Sea, released in 1972, he worked with the virtuoso guitarist Gordon Giltrap.
Kendrick worked for a time as a member of "In The Name Of Jesus," the ground-breaking mission team led by the Rev. Clive Calver
Clive Calver
Clive Calver is an Evangelical Christian leader, teacher, author and international speaker. He is the senior pastor of Walnut Hill Community Church, Bethel, Connecticut. For seven years he was president of World Relief and he traveled around the world, ministering to the poor and networking with...
. Calver went on to run British Youth for Christ
Youth for Christ
Youth for Christ is the name of a number of previously unaffiliated evangelical Protestant religious campaigns which led to the creation of Youth for Christ International in 1946....
and the Evangelical Alliance
Evangelical Alliance
The Evangelical Alliance is a London-based charitable organization founded in 1846. It has a claimed representation of over 1,000,000 evangelical Christians in the United Kingdom and is the oldest alliance of evangelical Christians in the world....
, and then left the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for the Evangelical Church
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Kendrick, however, has remained firmly fixed in the UK church, as probably the most influential Christian songwriter of his generation.
Kendrick also released "Let the Flame Burn Brighter" as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1989, which reached 55 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
He is a member of Compassionart
Compassionart
CompassionArt is a charity based in Littlehampton, England founded by songwriter Martin Smith and his wife Anna, with the aim of generating income from works of art to assist in the relief of suffering around the planet.-Retreat in Scotland:...
, a charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
founded by Martin Smith
Martin Smith (songwriter)
Martin James Smith is an English vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. He was the front man of the Christian rock and worship band Delirious? He co-wrote three songs on Michael W. Smith's 2004 album Healing Rain and is going to be collaborating with Michael W. Smith on his upcoming album...
from Delirious?
Delirious?
Delirious? were an English Christian rock and worship band. For the majority of their career, the lineup featured Martin Smith on vocals and guitar, Stu G on guitar and backing vocals, Jon Thatcher on bass guitar, Tim Jupp on keys and piano, and Stew Smith on drums and percussion...
.
Popularity
Shine, Jesus, Shine is regularly highly placed in hymn popularity polls. Fellow songwriter and former Kendrick bandmember Stuart TownendStuart Townend
Stuart Townend is a British Christian worship leader and writer of hymns and contemporary worship music. His songs include "In Christ Alone" , "How Deep The Father's Love For Us", "Beautiful Saviour" and "The King Of Love".As of 2008, CCLI lists the "In Christ Alone" in its Top 25 CCLI Songs...
has said, "I have no doubt that in 100 years time the name of Kendrick will be alongside Watts
Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts was an English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. A prolific and popular hymnwriter, he was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns...
and Wesley
Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement, son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of Anglican clergyman John Wesley and Anglican clergyman Samuel Wesley , and father of musician Samuel Wesley, and grandfather of musician Samuel Sebastian Wesley...
in the list of the UK’s greatest hymnwriters". Kendrick also has his critics, among them the right wing journalist Quentin Letts
Quentin Letts
Quentin Richard Stephen Letts is a British journalist and theatre critic, writing for The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, The Oldie and New Statesman, and previously for The Times.- Early life :...
, who has described him as "king of the happy-clappy banalities" and "the nation's pre-eminent churner-outer of evangelical bilge".
Well-known songs
- "Knowing You"
- "Shine, Jesus, ShineShine, Jesus, Shine"Shine, Jesus, Shine" is a Christian praise song written in 1987 by Graham Kendrick....
" - "Amazing Love"
- "The Servant King (From Heaven You Came)"
- "Meekness and Majesty"
- "God With Us"
- "O Lord, Your Tenderness"
- "He That Is In Us"
- "Go Forth In His Name"
- "Lead Me To The Cross"
- "History Makers"
- "For This Purpose"
Discography
- Footsteps on the Sea (Key Records) 1971
- Bright Side Up (Key Records) 1972
- Paid on the nail (Key Records) 1974
- Breaking of the dawn (Dovetail) 1976
- Fighter (Dovetail) 1978
- Jesus Stand Among Us (Dovetail) 1979
- Triumph in the Air (Glenmore Music) 1980
- 18 classics (Kingsway) 1981
- Cresta Run (Kingsway) 1981
- The king is among us (Kingsway) 1981
- Nightwatch(Kingsway) 1983
- The blame (Kingsway) 1983
- Let God Arise (Kingsway) 1984
- Magnificent Warrior(Kingsway) 1985
- Make Way for the King of Kings -A Carnival of Praise (Kingsway) 1986
- Make Way for Jesus -Shine Jesus Shine (Make Way Music) 1988
- Make Way for Christmas -The Gift (Make Way Music) 1988
- Let the Flame Burn Brighter (single) (Make Way Music) 1989
- Make Way for the Cross - Let the Flame Burn Brighter (Make Way Music) 1989
- We Believe (Star Song) 1989
- Amazing Love (Integrity)Amazing Love (Integrity)-Background:Amazing Love is one of the many albums of Christian worship music recorded by Graham Kendrick. This album contains simple Christian songs of praise and worship for the goodness, mercy, thanksgiving, and grace of the Lord...
(Integrity's Hosanna! MusicHosanna! MusicHosanna! Music is a subsidiary of a record label that publishes contemporary Praise and Worship Music, a genre of Christian music. It is part of the Integrity Music Group, which was headquartered in Mobile, Alabama. As of the spring of 2011, The David C...
) 1990 - Crown HimCrown HimCrown Him is the second Christian worship music album recorded by Graham Kendrick. The album was recorded live in Los Angeles, California during a praise march. It was released in 1991 by Integrity/Hosanna! Music/Sparrow Records. Crown Him was written and recorded at a time when the phenomenon of...
(Integrity'sHosanna! MusicHosanna! MusicHosanna! Music is a subsidiary of a record label that publishes contemporary Praise and Worship Music, a genre of Christian music. It is part of the Integrity Music Group, which was headquartered in Mobile, Alabama. As of the spring of 2011, The David C...
) 1991 - King of the Nations (Word UK) 1992
- Crown Him - The Worship Musical (Word UK) 1992
- Spark to a Flame (Megaphone/Word UK) 1993
- Rumours of Angels (Megaphone/Alliance) 1994
- Is Anyone Thirsty? (Megaphone/Alliance) 1995
- Illuminations (Megaphone/Alliance) 1996
- No More Walls (Make Way Music/Alliance) 1997
- No scenes of stately majesty (E.P) (Megaphone/Alliance) 1998
- The Millennium Chorus (Millennium Chorus Ltd) 2000
- The Easter Collection (Make Way Music/World Wide Worship) 2001
- What Grace (Make Way Music/Fierce!) 2001
- Rumours of Angels / The Gift Double CD (Make Way Music/Fierce!) 2001
- The Prayer Song Collection (Make Way Music/World Wide Worship) 2002
- The Psalm Collection (Make Way Music/World Wide Worship) 2002
- Do Something Beautiful (Make Way Music/Fierce!) 2003
- Sacred Journey (Make Way Music/Fierce!) 2004
- USA Live Worship (Make Way Music) 2005
- Out Of The Ordinary (Make Way Music/Fierce!) 2006
- Dreaming of a Holy Night (Make Way Music/Fierce!) 2007
- The Acoustic Gospels (Make Way Music) 2010
External links
- Official web site Requires - Apple Quicktime
- Discography 1
- Discography 2