KWYG - Wyoming Gospel Radio

09/11/2024

This hymn, based on Psalm 23, was written by Sir Henry Baker in 1868. He was born in London in 1821 and was educated at Trinity College in Cambridge. He served...

Psalm 23 is the most familiar of all the Psalms. For centuries many composers have set the Shepherd’s Psalm to music with many different styles and forms. The words so beautifully express the Lord’s role in shepherding His sheep, and Christians find much comfort in them. This hymn, based on Psal...

09/04/2024

F***y Crosby, who was known as “the blind poet,” was one of the most prolific hymn writers in history. She wrote poems even as a young girl, but she didn’t begin to write hymns and gospel songs until she was in her forties. It’s estimated that she wrote between two thousand and eight thousand hymn poems. Some are still being discovered and are being put to music. It’s sometimes difficult to identify Crosby’s writing

F***y Crosby, who was known as “the blind poet,” was one of the most prolific hymn writers in history. She wrote poems even as a young girl, but she didn’t begin to write hymns and gospel songs until she was in her forties. It’s estimated that she wrote between two thousand and eight thousan...

08/28/2024

Mrs. Scott was born in Illinois in 1841, and she became a music teacher and composed much instrumental and vocal music. She taught music at a small rural high school in Iowa when she was quite young. Clara attended the first Chicago Musical Institute, conducted by Chauncey Cady and William Bradbury, pioneers in writing and publishing gospel music. She then taught music at the Ladies' Seminary in Iowa. During that time, she married Henry Clay Scott. In 1882, she was the first woman to publish a collection of sacred anthems, “The Royal Anthem Book.”

The exact date of the writing of "Open My Eyes That I May See" is unknown, but it first appeared in “Best Hymns No. 2,” published in 1895 by the Evangelical Publishing Company of Chicago. Clara H. Scott wrote both the words and music. The tune has sometimes been erroneously attributed to others,...

08/22/2024

New songs added 08-21-2024:
Booth Brothers , Greater Vision , Legacy Five - My House Is Full, But My Field Is Empty
The Brent Rochester Family - One Day I Will
The Browns - Going Home
Cody Shuler & Pine Mountain Railroad - How Beautiful Heaven Must Be
Harper Collective - Spirit Wind
Kingdom Heirs - Ever Since That Wonderful Day
The Mark Trammell Quartet - After All
The Perrys - Jesus Opened Up The Way
Sweetwater Revival - I'll See You in the Morning

08/21/2024

When the United States was preparing to celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1876, every village, town, and city was planning a special Fourth of July celebration for the occasion. Daniel C. Roberts, a young minister in rural Brandon, Vermont, was asked to write a hymn to be sung at the small town’s celebration. “God of Our Fathers” was first sung to “Russian Hymn,” the tune of the national anthem of Czarist Russia then. The tune was also one of the themes used by Tchaikovsky in his 1812 Overture.

When the United States was preparing to celebrate the one-hundredth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1876, every village, town, and city was planning a special Fourth of July celebration for the occasion. Daniel C. Roberts, a young minister in rural Brandon, Vermont,....

08/14/2024

Charles H. Gabriel was born in 1856 in rural Iowa, and he attended a country school. As a young boy, he showed a great interest in music and a gift for composing. His family bought a small pump organ, which he learned to play, and when he was only 16, he began to conduct singing schools and to compose and publish his songs. By the time he was twenty, his music was widely known.

The words and music of this gospel song were written by Charles H. Gabriel, who was considered the most popular gospel-song writer of the early 20th century. Gabriel’s songs reflected a change that was taking place in congregational singing. Hymns of the 1800s were often meditative and well-suited...

08/08/2024

Please pray for Kay Davis and family.

08/07/2024

The inspiration for “He’s a Wonderful Saviour to Me” came from the testimony of a traveling salesman who was a member of the Gideons, a group of Christian businessmen who put Bibles in hotels and other public places. When this man spoke at a meeting where the Brocks were involved, he said several times, “He’s a wonderful Saviour to me.” Virgil was so impressed with this thought that he went to sleep that night and woke up at four o’clock in the morning singing the refrain!

This uplifting gospel song was the first of many written by the husband and wife team of Virgil and Blanche Brock. Virgil Brock was ordained when he was nineteen, and he served as a church janitor, Sunday School teacher, song leader, and pastor. Blanche had studied at the Indianapolis Conservatory a...

08/06/2024

New songs added 08-05-24:
Adam's Voice - Fill My Cup, Lord
Bibletones Quartet - I'm Singing And Rejoicing
Blackwood Brothers Quartet - Righteousness Exalts a Nation
The Crabb Family - Please Forgive Me
Kingdom Heirs - The Lighthouse
The Perrys - But I Met A Nazarene
Simpson Family - Closer to Him
The Brent Rochester Family - In The Heat Of The Battle
The Whisnants - He Made A Way

08/06/2024

New songs added 07-29-24:
Adam's Voice - My Savior First of All
Bailes Brothers - Blessed Jesus Hold My Hand
Barry Rowland & Deliverance - Somebody Go Get God
Bibletones - I'm Looking Ahead
Bibletones - Standing Firm
Booth Brothers, Greater Vision, Legacy Five - Jesus Will Hear Me When I Pray
Jessy Dixon - Leavin' On My Mind
Perrys - Living A Life of Love
Triumphant Quartet - The Great I Am Still Is

07/31/2024

In 1901, 35-year-old McAfee was pastoring at First Presbyterian Church in Chicago, Illinois, when he learned of the sudden death of his two beloved nieces, stricken by diphtheria. In his stunned grief, the heartbroken pastor turned his eyes to the Lord for comfort. With his brother’s home under quarantine due to the illness, his method for aiding to bear this burden could not be of the usual kind. Reaching for some paper, a hymn of comfort flowed from his pen. The day of the funeral dawned, but those in the house that death had visited could not attend. McAfee stood outside his brother’s darkened home and brokenly sang the tender song “Near to the Heart of God” for the first time.

Dr. Cleland Boyd McAfee was born on September 25th, 1866, in Ashley, Missouri. After graduating from Union Theological Seminary, McAfee served in various ministerial capacities – as a professor in two different institutions, pastoring churches in Missouri, Chicago, and New York City, and authoring...

07/24/2024

Until the time of Isaac Watts (1674 -1748), the established Church and independents in the English-speaking world had sung rhymed, metrical translations of the Psalms. These were published in books called Psalters and used a few simple tunes for all the Psalms. Watts sensed the need to improve the churches’ poor singing and changed the course of congregational singing. He paraphrased the Psalms into hymn-like poems that were easily sung to well-chosen tunes. Watts wrote hundreds of hymns and greatly influenced many hymn writers who came after him.

On two different occasions, Paul spoke of singing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” (Ephesians 5:18-19 and Colossians 3:16). The apostle admonished believers to sing, using those three words to identify the variety of musical expressions to be used. Scholars don’t all agree on what Paul ...

07/17/2024

Phelps was pastor of the First Baptist Church in New Haven, Connecticut, for 28 years, and then he ministered briefly at the Jefferson Street Baptist Church in Providence, Rhode Island. He resigned to become editor of “The Christian Secretary,” a Baptist newspaper. He was the author of several hymns and co-editor of “The Baptist Praise Book” (1871).

The text for this song of consecration was written in 1862 by Sylvanus D. Phelps. It first appeared anonymously in “The Youth’s Companion” the following year and was titled “Something for Thee.” It was rewritten in its present form a few years later by Phelps at the request of hymnbook edi...

07/17/2024

New songs added 07-17-2024:
Bibletones Quartet - I Mean To Be There
Booth Brothers Greater Vision Legacy Five - Crown Him, He's My King
Canton Junction - Softly and Tenderly
The Crabb Family - I'd Rather Have Jesus
Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver - I'm Going to Heaven
Gold City Quartet - Those Same Hands
Greater Vision - Your Healing Is On The Way
The Oak Ridge Boys - Do You Know Jesus?
The Perrys - We Will Be Changed

07/17/2024

Please be in prayer for his family ...
At the Bench With Briley

It is with immeasurable sadness that we inform our precious Bench Family that Briley left us for that other beautiful shore while playing with his family on the beach today. He passed suddenly around 4 PM and was unable to be resuscitated. At this time, please, please refrain from reaching out to the family by phone or email or text message. The entire family is stunned and mourning and not one among us is capable of conversation. Pray for us. Celebrate Briley’s arrival in heaven.

-Madison Altman-Turner and Family

07/10/2024

“Lord, I’m Coming Home” expresses the thoughts of the prodigal son who returned to his father in the familiar parable found in Luke 15:13-20. William Kirkpatrick had no idea that this song, written for that one man, would help so many to recognize their need for a Savior and find Jesus’ arms open wide to welcome them. It’s a reminder that Christ is always ready and able to save and restore repentant souls. I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee (Luke 15:18).

Both the words and the music for this song of invitation were written by William J. Kirkpatrick in 1892. He had a natural love and talent for music and received formal piano, voice, and harmony training. He served as a music director for several churches at various times. He began composing music fo...

07/06/2024

New songs added 07-06-2024:
Bibletones Quartet - I Know My God Can Do It
Booth Brothers Greater Vision Legacy Five - Jesus Is Coming Soon
The Carolina Boys Quartet - Blood of Jesus
Central Baptist Church Choir (Featuring The Ben Rochester Family) - The Great Physician
The Crabb Family - Please Come Down To Me
Greater Vision - Cherish That Name
Harper Family - Through It All
Mylon Hayes Family - Come And See
The Whisnants - Privilege Of Prayer

07/03/2024

In 1961 Peterson was leading the singing at the Montrose Bible Conference in Pennsylvania. During a time of testimonies, an elderly gentleman known as “Old Jim” stood up and gave a glowing testimony of when he came to Christ. He described the experience as though “heaven came down, and glory filled my soul.” Inspired by the old man’s words, John wrote them down, and within a few days, he wrote the words and the music to the song as it is known today.

This song of testimony, which has blessed people worldwide, was written by John W. Peterson in 1961. He was a major influence in evangelical Christian music from the 1950s through the 1970s, and he wrote over one thousand songs and 35 cantatas. He edited and compiled many hymnals and served as presi...

06/26/2024

The tune of this hymn has contributed much to its popularity. This tune, known as “Victory,” was adapted by British composer William H. Monk from choral music written in 1591 by the prolific Italian Renaissance composer Giovanni Palestrina. Monk was the music editor for “Hymns Ancient and Modern,” which is one of the most important hymnals ever published. Monk was also the choir director and organist at King’s College in London.

This joyful hymn celebrates the battle that was won by Christ’s resurrection. The words first appeared anonymously in a Latin hymnal published in Germany in 1695, but some hymnologists believe the hymn to have been written much earlier. The famous British translator of Latin and Greek hymnody, Joh...

06/19/2024

The story is told that Evangelist Martin had been invited to speak at a church some distance away, but that Sunday morning, Mrs. Martin suddenly became ill and was confined to bed. Because he was concerned for his wife, he wanted to cancel the preaching engagement and stay with her. At that moment, their nine-year-old son spoke up, “Father, don’t you think that if God wants you to preach today, He will take care of Mother while you are away?”

This song of encouragement was written in 1904 by the Stillman Martins, a husband and wife team. They were active in evangelism and ministered throughout America. He preached, and she sang and helped with the music. The story is told that Evangelist Martin had been invited to speak at a church some....

06/19/2024

The story is told that Evangelist Martin had been invited to speak at a church some distance away, but that Sunday morning, Mrs. Martin suddenly became ill and was confined to bed. Because he was concerned for his wife, he wanted to cancel the preaching engagement and stay with her. At that moment, their nine-year-old son spoke up, “Father, don’t you think that if God wants you to preach today, He will take care of Mother while you are away?

This song of encouragement was written in 1904 by the Stillman Martins, a husband and wife team. They were active in evangelism and ministered throughout America. He preached, and she sang and helped with the music. The story is told that Evangelist Martin had been invited to speak at a church some....

06/19/2024

This hymn, written by Isaac Watts, was first published in 1707 and was entitled “Heavenly Joy on Earth.” Watts authored over 600 hymns and is known as “The Father of English Hymnody.” He profoundly influenced other hymn writers, including John and Charles Wesley, who studied his hymns and often used them in their meetings. In 1737, while ministering in America, John included it in the first hymnal published in America, “Psalms and Hymns, Charlestown Collection.” Wesley omitted two of the original stanzas and gave the hymn a different title, “Heaven Begun on Earth.”

This hymn, written by Isaac Watts, was first published in 1707 and was entitled “Heavenly Joy on Earth.” Watts authored over 600 hymns and is known as “The Father of English Hymnody.” He profoundly influenced other hymn writers, including John and Charles Wesley, who studied his hymns and of...

06/12/2024

When he was only nineteen years old, Chapman wrote words for the tune “Hyfrydol,” which had been composed by Rowland H. Prichard in 1830. One of the best-loved Welsh tunes, “Hyfrydol’ means “tuneful or pleasant.” This meaning is certainly descriptive of the tune as the range of the entire melody lies within the first five notes of the scale, with the exception of one note in the climactic last measure. It’s easy to sing because of the narrow range and the gentle contour of the melody. It’s a very popular hymn tune and is used for as many as six different hymns in some hymnals.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). This hymn that praises Christ for all that He means to the believer was written by Pastor and Evangelist J. Wilbur Chapman. It was published in 1910 and is titled “Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners” in ...

06/05/2024

Babcock loved spending time outdoors in what he called “his Father’s world.” When he served as a pastor in Lockport, he would get up early to hike to the top of a hill to enjoy the view of Lake Ontario and the surrounding countryside. Babcock wrote “My Father’s World” as a poem to celebrate God’s magnificent creation and His sovereign rule over all things, reflecting what he heard and saw. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (Revelation 4:11).

The author of this hymn, Maltbie D. Babcock, was said to have the singing voice of David, the zeal of Paul, and the heavenly spirit of John. He was born in New York in 1858 and was educated at Syracuse University and Auburn Theological Seminary. In school, he excelled in music, drama, athletics, and...

05/30/2024

New songs added 05-29-2024:
Barry Rowland & Deliverance - Because
Bruce Haynes - You Can Come Home
The Carolina Boys Quartet - Treasures in Heaven
Carr Family - Peace That Covers All the Pain
The Crabb Family - The Cross
The Dunaways - You Never Know
Easter Brothers - Only As I Am
Howard Goodman - Telling My Blues Goodby
The King James Boys - Superwater
Marshall Family - Amen, There's a Higher Power
Perrys - His Grace Will Lead Me Home
Perrys - His Name Was John
Various - Whatever You Decide Lord
Vestal Goodman - Angel Band

05/29/2024

Some critics say that F***y Crosby’s texts aren’t of a high literary quality, and she would have probably agreed with them since she wasn’t writing for literary critics. She prayed that her hymns would be used to bring many souls to Christ. They were written to be understood by common people, many of whom wouldn’t have listened to preaching. Many of her hymns were written for poor people, among whom she lived most of her life. Doane was surprised to find her living in a run-down tenement building in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

The words for this song of invitation were written in 1868, and it first appeared in 1870 in “Songs of Devotion,” a collection compiled by William H. Doane. The prolific and much-admired hymn writer F***y Crosby, was blind since she was six weeks old. She didn’t begin writing hymns until she w...

05/22/2024

Written in the early 1870s, the song saw moderate popularity in England thanks to Ira Sankey and the Moody evangelistic campaigns of the same era.

In America, however, the song was scarcely published for eighty years. After seeing the song's usefulness and success in a London campaign, Cliff Barrows (song leader of Billy Graham) brought it to Nashville, Tennessee in 1954. That spark blew into a wildfire that burned the lines into the familiarity it enjoys today.

Much of the work of the famed "Aunt F***y" centered on the Christian experience, speaking of prayer, hope, guidance, faith and more. These lines depart from her usual pattern, centering exclusively on the exalting of God himself. Written in the early 1870s, the song saw moderate popularity in Englan...

05/15/2024

Of all the hundreds of gospel songs that he wrote, “Now I Belong to Jesus” is probably the best-known one. It expresses the personal relationship that a believer has with Christ, emphasizing that the love of Jesus is forever, bringing salvation and joy to the soul: “Not for the years of time alone, But for eternity.” And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life (1 John 2:25).

This song of testimony and assurance has been popular in evangelical meetings since it was first published in 1943. The author and composer, Norman Clayton, was born in New York in 1903 and was one of the most talented gospel hymn writers of the twentieth century. His mother was a charter member of....