Studio A at Capitol Records in Los Angeles
was Ralph Carmichael’s second home.
“I’ll never forget the day I
discovered that God could use my foolish music for His
glory.”
From the Ralph Carmichael autobiography,
He’s Everything To Me,
Word Books 1986
Available from:
ralphcarmichael.com
CHRISTIAN MUSIC:
Ralph Carmichael arranged and conducted
for Christian artists such as:
Vangie Carmichael, Redd Harper, Georgia Lee,
Albie Pearson, Roy Rogers & Dale Evans,
Thurl Ravenscroft, Anne Criswell, Greg
Loren,
Beth Farnum, Bob
Daniels, John Gustafson,
Carol Carmichael, Bill Carle, Sue Raney,
Jimmy Durante, Mary Jayne, The Good
Twins,
Dave Boyer, Charles
Turner, Anne Criswell,
Flo Price and
others.
SONGS WRITTEN BY
RALPH CARMICHAEL INCLUDE:
He’s Everything To Me • I
Found What I Wanted
The Man • Oh, I Never Shall Forget
The Day
Reach Out To Jesus • The Heart Is A
Rebel
Like A Lamb (Who Needs A Shepherd) •
Return
The Ballad Of St. Peter (Pray) •
Love Is Surrender
The Savior Is Waiting • The New 23rd
...and many more
ADDITIONAL READING:
Music In His Soul, a 5-page in-depth biography with large
pictures of alumus Ralph Carmichael from the Fall 2005 Vanguard
University Magazine.
[pdf file, the Adobe® Acrobat®
Reader™ for PDF
MORE:
Picture courtesy Crystal River Records
This page last updated May 1, 2008.
While he was busy arranging pop music in
the ‘50s and ‘60s, Carmichael was far more active
in Christian music. His name appeared on many labels for many
Christian artists. He made his first 102 Strings recording in
Tokyo in 1958.
In the late ‘60s and early
‘70s, he experimented with Christian music for the
younger generations, and is generally recognized as the father
of what is now known as contemporary Christian music (CCM).
He also composed, arranged and conducted
music scores for various Christian films in the ‘50s,
‘60s and ‘70s including those for Billy
Graham’s World Wide Pictures.
In the late ‘60s, Carmichael founded
Lexicon Music and Light Records as a joint venture with Jarrell
McCracken’s Word Records, and signed on such contemporary
artists as Andraé Crouch & The Disciples, The
Winans, Rez Band, Dino, and Bryan Duncan.
Carmichael was inducted into the GMA Gospel
Music Hall of Fame in 1985 and into the National Religious
Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2001 .
In 1997, Ralph Carmichael celebrated his
50th year in Christian music and was presented with an Honorary
Music Doctorate from Vanguard University, which was known as
Southern California Bible College (SCBC) when he was a student in the
class of 1947.
The late 90s and millenium years saw Carmichael
actively “making music” with new big band Gospel, Christmas, swing and
orchestral recordings, as well as traveling around the U.S. doing big band concerts
in over 50 cities. His latest CD, ”Amazing Grace“, features
the London Symphony Orchestra and Choir, and was released in 2006 by
Crystal River Records.
The year 2007 marked his 60th year in Christian music, and he is still at it!
If you are interested in having Ralph Carmichael with a Symphony
Orchestra and a Mass Choir, or a Big Band Gospel/Pop Concert (the musicians he uses are superb)
in your community or church, email him at:
For more pictures and an expanded biography, check
out the article, "Music In His Soul," from the Vanguard University (his alma mater)
Fall 2005 Magazine:
Based in part on the Ralph Carmichael
autobiography He's Everything
To Me, Word Books 1986,
Out-of-Print.
