Bill Gaither And The Gaither Family Trio

Bill Gaither was born and nurtured in Alexandria, Indiana. His family ran a small farm which consisted of corn, wheat and a few cows.

Bill took piano classes and so cherished music. He enjoyed listening to the Mill Brothers, Rosemary Clooney, Patti Page and Andy Williams. He was his church’s head gospel director in 1948, but he realized that it was the flair of the music that he was more interested in than in the message. He admired the Statesman Quartet and the Dixie Four.

Upon graduation from college, Gaither landed a job teaching in English at a junior high school in the Andover school district. He continued his education during this time in order to acquire his major in guidance and counseling.

He didn’t find other music fulfilling and therefore decided to write his own. His first song was entitled “I’ve Been To Calvary.” He forwarded a copy of it to a friend. He was shortly contacted by the Golden Keys, a publishing company. He began writing more songs and rapidly initiated his own publishing company.

In the fall of 1991, Bill produced his video labeled “Homecoming Reunion.” Since then he has published over one hundred songs of which the proceeds from the sales are donated to the Gospel Music Trust Fund. In 2000, the American Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) paid tribute to Bill and Gloria as the Gospel Songwriters of the Century. The Gaither’s are to gospel music what The Beatles are to pop music.