McGranahan, James
McGranahan, James
McGranahan, James, American composer of Sunday-school and gospel hymns and hymnbook compiler; b. near Adamsville, Pa., July 4, 1840; d. Kinsman, Ohio, July 7, 1907. He studied with G.J. Webb, C. Zerrahn, RW. Root, and G. Macfarren. After serving as a teacher and director of the National Normal Inst. (1875–77), he was music director for the evangelist Daniel Whittle, who provided the texts to many of his tunes. With Sankey and Stebbins, McGranahan ed. the standard compilation Gospel Hymns and Sacred Songs (Vols. 3-6, Cincinnati, 1878–91; the entire collection was publ, as Gospel Hymns nos. 1-6 Complete, 1894), which included many of his own hymns, among them Hallelujah for the Cross (1882), Showers of Blessing (1883), and I Will Sing of My Redeemer (1887).
—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire