It's More Than the Music: Life Lessons for Loving God, Loving Each Other [Hardcover]

Bill Gaither (Author), Ken Abraham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2003

Growing up in the rural town of Alexandria, Indiana, Bill Gaither dreamed of becoming a gospel singer. He set out to do just that during his college years and after much frustration, ended up teaching high school English. It was hardly the life he had hoped for. From this humble beginning, he would go on to write more than 600 songs, record 40 albums, and win three Grammys. In IT'S MORE THAN THE MUSIC, he recalls the remarkable journey of his life. From the Gaither Trio to The Gaither Vocal Band, from performing in small churches to playing sold out arenas, Gaither reveals the triumphs and tragedies along the way. Readers will witness how God has blessed him as a songwriter, performer, entrepreneur and ultimately gospel music's elder statesman. His story will inspire and uplift as many people as his songs have touched lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this enthusiastic narrative, Gaither (ASCAP Christian Songwriter of the Century) tells the story of his life, from his beginnings as a boy obsessed with gospel music to his current success in the Christian music industry. Gaither and his wife, Gloria, have written, published, performed and recorded hundreds of songs together, and here, he relates how their innate gift for turning any idea into a song made them prolific writers, and how their music won them the respect of the record industry and audiences everywhere. Gaither acknowledges his accomplishments while remaining realistic about fame and its fickleness. "I believe that I'm being honest with myself when I say that I have never gotten caught up in my own success, enamored with it, or fooled into thinking that I am somebody special because of it," he declares. While making music is one of his greatest loves (he's a self-proclaimed "non-recovering workaholic"), Gaither is also a dedicated family man; he paints a loving portrait of his family as genuine, devoted and dedicated servants of God. But he is also quite candid about the difficult times he and his loved ones have gone through, admitting to harboring doubt and having struggled to learn to trust God in the face of hopeless situations (like his brother's death from cancer). Gaither can switch abruptly back and forth between different decades, and this switching can occasionally make his story disjointed and needlessly repetitious. However, this is a small flaw in a warm and enjoyable autobiography, which also provides an educational overview of the intricacies of the music business.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Christian music's elder statesman has amassed some 600 songs, some 40 albums, and three Grammys: not bad for a boy from Alexandria, Indiana (still his home), who dreamed of being a gospel singer. He writes of his early years, including the three weeks at the Stamps School of Music in Dallas, where he learned the fundamentals of music, and of the fits and starts of a long career. He realized early that his first group wasn't good enough to go professional. Extremely humbled, he returned home to work as a meat cutter and attend Taylor University, a Christian liberal arts college. He communicates the thrills of composing and publishing his first song, "I've Been to Calvary," of his marriage at 26, and of the surprise success of his album Back Home in Indiana, its record company's best-seller up to that time. There are also hard times: bouts of depression and the death of his brother Danny. He makes no surprising revelations--the book is really quite sweet--and Christian music fans certainly won't complain. June Sawyers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: FaithWords; First Edition edition (October 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446530417
• ISBN-13: 978-0446530415
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #729,426 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slice of Americana, August 19, 2011

By 

Sioux City Sue (Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's More Than the Music : Life Lessons on Friends, Faith, and What Matters Most (Paperback)

I didn't know a lot about Bill Gaither, except for what I'd seen on TV, until a friend told me about Henry Slaughter's autobiography, IN SEARCH OF THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE. After reading that wonderful book, it was only natural to do a search on Amazon.com about some of the other people who were part of Mr. Slaughter's story...and Bill Gaither's IT'S MORE THAN THE MUSIC was one of those.

I'm glad I ordered it. It's a great slice of Americana, filled with stories that eventually turned the "every day" Gaithers into such extraordinary people who have impacted people all over the world with their music.

If you love Gospel music, as I do, then you'll love Bill Gaither's remarkable, revealing book!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A life serving God, February 26, 2005

By 

M. CUNNINGHAM "Valerie" (Columbia, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It's More Than the Music: Life Lessons for Loving God, Loving Each Other (Hardcover)

Have you ever sung, "He Touched Me" or "Because He Lives" or "Let's Just Praise the Lord" in church? If you read Bill Gaither's book, you'll find out the stories behind these classic songs which he and his wife Gloria wrote. You'll also find out how Gaither first met and helped launch the careers of Sandi Patty, Michael English, Mark Lowry and many others. The first chapter of "It's More Than the Music" tells how the very popular homecoming videos and concert tours got started.
This is a book any fan of Christian music should definitely read.

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Legend, August 30, 2011

By 

Mountain Man 1949 - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's More Than the Music : Life Lessons on Friends, Faith, and What Matters Most (Paperback)

Like a few other reviewers, my interest grew about the story of Bill Gaither through reading Henry Slaughter's In Search of the Pearl of Great Price: The Unforgettable Autobiography of Henry Slaughter.

Like's Henry's book, It's More Than the Music book is an amazing story through the eyes of a man whose music has literally changed Gospel music history. And what an amazing history it has been. It's a must-read.

Bill Gaither is truly a living legend!