Graham Kendrick

Graham Kendrick
Birth name Graham Kendrick
Born (1950-08-02) 2 August 1950
Origin Northamptonshire, England, United Kingdom
Genres Contemporary worship music
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 1992–present
Labels
Website grahamkendrick.co.uk

Graham Kendrick (born 2 August 1950) is a prolific English Christian singer, songwriter and worship leader. He is the son of Baptist pastor, M. D. Kendrick. He now lives in Tunbridge Wells and is a member of Holy Trinity with Christ Church, Tunbridge Wells. He is a member of Ichthus Christian Fellowship. Together with Roger Forster, Gerald Coates and Lynn Green, he was a founder of March for Jesus.

Career

Kendrick began his songwriting career in the late 1960s. His most enduring accomplishment is his authorship of the lyrics 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".[1] He was awarded another DD in May 2008, from Wycliffe College in Toronto, Canada.[2]

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 (formerly the "Forerunners"). 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", a mission team led by Clive Calver. He was based at St Michael le Belfrey church in York in the late 1970s and was involved in student and university ministry with British Youth for Christ. At this time he recorded the albums Triumph in the Air and Cresta Run. Calver went on to run British Youth for Christ and the Evangelical Alliance, and then left the United Kingdom for the Evangelical Church in the United States. Kendrick, however, 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?.

In more recent years Kendrick has developed the concept of "Psalm Surfing".[3]

Popularity

"Shine, Jesus, Shine" is regularly highly placed in hymn popularity polls.[4][5] Fellow songwriter and former Kendrick bandmember Stuart Townend 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".[6] Kendrick also has his critics, among them the journalist Quentin Letts, who has described him as "king of the happy-clappy banalities"[7] and "the nation's pre-eminent churner-outer of evangelical bilge".[8]

Discography

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ "Graham Kendrick interview". BBC. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  2. ↑ "Wycliffe College to bestow honorary doctorates on vital leaders in the Christian Community". Wycliffe College, Toronto. 30 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  3. ↑ "Graham Kendrick on Psalm Surfing - video and how-to guide". 14 September 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  4. ↑ Daykin, Tim (11 Sep 2006). "Top 40 Hymns". BBC. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  5. ↑ Petre, Jonathan (27 October 2005). "Hymns ancient and extremely modern top viewers' chart". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  6. ↑ Townend, Stuart (2009). "Songs of Praise - Top 10 Hymns". Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  7. ↑ Thompson, Damian (12 October 2008). "Will happy-clappy Graham Kendrick wage spiritual warfare on Quentin Letts?". The Daily Telegraph.
  8. ↑ Letts, Quentin (8 October 2008). "50 people who've wrecked Britain". Daily Mail.

External links

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