Ronnie Dunn, Reba McEntire, Alabama featuring The Oak Ridge Boys and more are part of a forthcoming Gaither tribute album, honoring gospel music pioneers, Bill and Gloria Gaither. Gaither Tribute: Honoring the Songs of Bill & Gloria Gaither will be out on August 26, featuring ten of their most successful songs as songwriters, including.”Because He Lives,” “Gentle Shepherd,” “He Touched Me,” “Going Home” and more.
Other artists appearing on Gaither Tribute include Josh Turner, Jamey Johnson, Ronnie Milsap, Lee Ann Womack, The SteelDrivers, Hillary Scott & The Scott Family and CeCe Winans. Each artist chose the song they wanted to sing, with veteran producer Tony Brown producing Gaither Tribute.
“This recording is a special one for all involved,” says Paul Sizelove, President of Gaither Music Group. “Each of these artists selected a song from Bill and Gloria’s renowned catalog and created new renditions of these classics. Tony worked with them to create a collection that truly represents the heart and style of each of these talented artists. We are so proud of the art they have created, and what an honor to the Gaither legacy to have these heartfelt recordings from these highly-respected performers.”
Dunn’s version of “Because He Lives,” is available now. The song, released in 1971, was born from a challenging chapter in the Gaithers’ personal lives.
“Bill’s sister was going through a divorce, and we’d never had divorce in either of our families,” Gloria recalled to WorshipLeader.com. “It was very painful because she was in trouble and in a situation that was quite volatile and could have been dangerous. Bill got mononucleosis at that same time and became physically weak. There were circumstances in our life we couldn’t control. There we were so happy, yet we had this contradiction of things that we couldn’t fix. … It dawned on us that the Resurrection is a true thing. It’s true in every situation.
“It’s true in the world to come,” she continued. “God’s got a plan. Resurrection is a fact of life and I think it was built into the earth as a metaphor for Christ in the very beginning of Creation. It’s the principle that life wins. If we put our trust in Him, we are victors.”
The Gaithers have won eight Grammy Awards and more than two dozen Dove Awards. They have penned more than 700 popular gospel songs, and were named Songwriters of the Century by ASCAP.
See a track list for Gaither Tribute: Honoring the Songs of Bill & Gloria Gaither below. Find all of the Gaither’s music at Gaither.com.
Gaither Tribute Track Listing:
1. Jesus and John Wayne – Alabama featuring The Oak Ridge Boys
2. He Touched Me / Something Beautiful – Reba & Susie McEntire with Sonya & Becky Isaacs
3. Going Home – Josh Turner
4. It Won’t Rain Always – Jamey Johnson featuring Alison Krauss on strings
5. Because He Lives – Ronnie Dunn
6. I Just Feel Like Something Good Is About to Happen – Ronnie Milsap
7. Gentle Shepherd – Lee Ann Womack
8. I Believe in a Hill Called Mount Calvary – The SteelDrivers
9. There’s Something About That Name – Hillary Scott & The Scott Family
10. The Center of My Joy – CeCe Winans
