PROGRAM TITLE/RUNNING TIME:

The Gaither Gospel Hour / 60 Minutes

BROADCAST DATES:

Fridays, 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT

DESCRIPTION:

They’ve been in the business as long as the Rolling Stones, made more albums than U2 and Aerosmith combined, and won more Grammy Awards than James Brown or the Beatles.Former high school English teacher Bill Gaither and his wife Gloria preside over a gospel music empire. They have recorded 40-plus albums and co-written more than 500 songs, including Elvis Presley’s 1969 hit “He Touched Me.” A successful line of Gaither gospel videos has racked up gold and platinum sales.

The hour-long program features the four-member Gaither Vocal Band and a host of other outstanding gospel artists performing all over the U.S.Born on a farm in Alexandria, Indiana, Bill Gaither grew up dreaming of becoming a gospel singer. In 1962, he married teaching colleague Gloria Sickal, who would later become his songwriting partner. The Gaither Vocal Band was founded a year later.In the early 1990s, he began producing a series of videotapes chronicling the history of southern gospel, a genre that blends four-part harmonies with elements of country, bluegrass, blues and even a touch of New Orleans jazz.

The popularity of these videos led to a 1995 special on The Nashville Network, and eventually to The Gaither Gospel Hour series.The Gaithers tour relentlessly, and their “Homecoming” concerts – featuring artists such as Lynda Randle, Jessy Dixon, Ben Speer and Jake Hess – regularly draw sellout crowds throughout North America. Their recent concert DVDs Let Freedom Ring and God Bless America were recorded live at Carnegie Hall. In 2000, Bill and Gloria Gaither earned the first-ever “Songwriter of the Century Award” from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).