Rodeheaver, Homer A(lvan)

Rodeheaver, Homer A(lvan) , American composer of gospel hymns and music publisher; b. Union Furnace, Ohio, Oct. 4, 1880; d. Winona Lake, Ind., Dec. 18, 1955. Taken to Jellicoe, Term., as a child, he grew up helping in his father’s lumber business and learning to play the trombone from a local musician. During the Spanish-American War, he enlisted as trombonist in the 4^th Term. Regimental Band. After the war, he became interested in gospel songs and evangelism; accompanied the evangelist Billy Sunday on his tours (1910–30), leading the singing with his trombone. With Bentley DeForrest Ackley, he founded the Rodeheaver-Ackley publishing firm in Chicago in 1910; it became the Rodeheaver Co. in 1911 and the Rodeheaver Hall-Mack Co. in 1936. After he removed the firm to Winona Lake, Ind., in 1941, it once again became the Rodeheaver Co. He composed the music for many gospel songs, of which the best known is Then Jesus Came. His theme song was Brighten the Corner, composed by Charles H. Gabriel. Besides editing some 80 gospel song collections, he publ. Song Stories of the Sawdust Trail (N.Y., 1917), 20 Years with Billy Sunday (Nashville, 1936), and Letter from a Missionary in Africa (Chicago, 1936). Rode-heaver was one of the most influential figures in American musical evangelism of his day.

Bibliography

T. Porter , H.A. R. (1880–1955): Evangelistic Musicianand Publisher (diss., New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1981).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire