Songwriters

The other day, several of us here in the office got into a discussion about Southern Gospel songwriters. When it was all said and done, we were still trying to decide who was the single-most influential songwriter in Southern Gospel History.

While there is no right or wrong answer, it's still a question that is worth considering. After all, someone someday will be charged with the task of writing the complete Southern Gospel history and as we all know, in Southern Gospel Music, it all starts with the song.

Here is a list of names that we came up with (in no particular order):

Dottie Rambo

Albert E Brumley

Squire Parsons

Mosie Lister

Rodney Griffin

Gerald Crabb

Sandy Knight

Phil Cross

Bill/Gloria Gaither

Rusty Goodman

Aaron Wilburn

Ronnie Hinson

Now, there were many other songwriters that we considered, but as we looked back over time, these names that I've just listed are the ones that seemed to keep popping up more often as we reviewed airplay charts, album and cd liners. Each of these have certainly contributed a wealth of songs to the Southern Gospel chest and as a result, picking just one from this list would be very difficult.

So, we're going to seek your opinion. Feel free to choose one from the list above or suggest another that we may have simply overlooked (or I've forgotten to write down because I've slept since this discussion came up!). And, if you don't mind, give me your thoughts on why the one you've chosen should be considered as the most influential writer in Southern Gospel Music. Any songwriter, past or present, is open for discussion.

I'll be looking for your comments.