Rich Mullins

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Rich Mullins

Background information
Birth name	Richard Wayne Mullins
Born	October 21, 1955
Origin	Richmond, Indiana
Died	September 19, 1997
Genre(s)	Contemporary Christian
Occupation(s)	singer/songwriter
Instrument(s)	piano, guitar, hammered dulcimer
Years active	1984 - 1997
Label(s)	Reunion Records
Associated acts	A Ragamuffin Band
Website	www.kidbrothers.net

Richard Wayne Mullins (October 21, 1955 – September 19, 1997) was an American singer/songwriter born in Richmond, Indiana. He was a well-known Christian music artist until his untimely death in an automobile accident in 1997. He is best known for his praise choruses "Awesome God" and "Step by Step", which have been embraced as modern classics by many Christians. Three of his albums are considered among Christian music's best: Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth (1988), The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume One (1991) and A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band (1993). His songs have been covered by the likes of John Tesh, Rebecca St. James, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Third Day, Caedmon's Call, and Jars of Clay, but his influence on his colleagues in the music business reaches further.

As a musician, Mullins was primarily a pianist, but he showed a prodigious talent for unusual instruments. He was an expert player of the hammered dulcimer, lap dulcimer and the Irish tin whistle. Examples of this can be heard in Mullins' songs "Calling Out Your Name," "Creed," "Boy Like Me/Man Like You" and "The Color Green."

Mullins was also one of the most gifted composers in contemporary Christian music. He started his career by writing songs for established stars such as Amy Grant, and moved on to record a string of albums that were both musically innovative and spiritually powerful. A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band is generally considered his finest work. Mullins' compositions were distinctive in two ways: unusual and sometimes striking instrumentation, and complex, highly poetic lyrics that usually employed complex metaphors.

In addition to his music, Rich Mullins is remembered for his sincere devotion to the Christian faith. An example of this can be seen in the liner notes of any of his albums. He always referenced each song with a scripture verse that apparently was its inspiration. Mullins often called St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) his hero. He modeled his life after St. Francis by showing great compassion towards the poor and adhering to a vow of poverty. In 1997, he composed a musical about the life of St. Francis set in the Old West called Canticle of the Plains.

Mullins was seen as an enigma to the Christian music industry. Often barefoot, unshaven, and badly in need of a haircut, Mullins did not look like the average American Gospel music writer. He was very much at home among the non-Christians, and unafraid to name his own sin and inadequacies in public. This baffled some in the American Christian culture where he seemed an odd member. His lifestyle was unquestionably marked by devotion and discipline, yet his simultaneous refusal to subscribe to contemporary Christian "niceties" made him a bit of an uncomfortable presence in the Christian music culture. Although he achieved a significant amount of success on Christian radio, he never received a Dove Award until after his death.

Unlike most artists in Contemporary Christian music, Mullins did not consider his music his primary ministry, but rather a means to pay his bills. Instead, his ministry was the way he treated his neighbors, family, enemies, and those outside the church. Taking a vow of poverty, he accepted a small church salary and spent the last years of his life on a Navajo reservation teaching music to children.

1 Music career
2 Death
3 Legacy
4 Awards
5 Discography
- 5.1 With the Kid Brothers of St. Frank
- 5.2 Compilations
6 Greatest hits
7 Literature
8 External links

[edit] Music career

Rich Mullins grew up attending Arba Friends Meeting, a Quaker church in Lynn, Indiana [1]. The Quaker testimonies of peace and social justice inspired many of his lyrics.

Mullins began his musical career with Zion Ministries in the late 1970s, where he wrote music and performed with a band called Zion. The band released one album in 1981 entitled Behold the Man. While working for this ministry, Mullins penned a song called "Sing Your Praise To The Lord", which was recorded by singer Amy Grant in 1982 and became an immediate hit on Christian Radio.

In 1975 Mullins attended Cincinnati Bible College, where he became close friends with Sam Howard, the son of Minister Maurice Howard [2].

In 1983 Debby Boone recorded Mullins' "O Come All Ye Faithful" for her Surrender album. In 1984 the song was also featured in a TV movie called Sins of the Past.

Mullins became a songwriter in the Contemporary Christian music industry by 1984, penning songs for Pam Mark Hall, and Amy Grant ("Doubly Good to You" on the album Straight Ahead 1984 and "Love Of Another Kind" on Unguarded 1985).

By 1986 Mullins recorded his first, self-titled, solo project, followed in 1987 by Pictures in the Sky. Neither album had sold very well. It looked as though Pictures might be his last, until Mullins wrote a song called "Awesome God". Mullins recorded that song and released it on his third album, Winds of Heaven... Stuff of Earth and it quickly became a hit on Christian radio and a modern-day praise chorus sung in churches around the world to this day.

The Winds of Heaven... Stuff of Earth album also introduced fans to the hammered dulcimer, an instrument that would become a Rich Mullins trademark; he also played the Appalachian dulcimer (lap dulcimer).

In 1988 Mullins moved to Wichita, Kansas to be part of Maurice Howard's congregation at Central Christian Church. Mullins developed a love for Kansas that was later demonstrated in the song "Calling Out Your Name" (which mentions, for example "The Keeper of the Plains," a sculpture in Wichita). In several of his concerts he would always say with sarcasm, "I tried to write this only focusing on Kansas, but honestly there's not much to write about. So I included a few other prairie states." Kansas was home to him.

In the early 1990s Mullins released a pair of albums entitled The World As Best As I Remember It, Volumes One and Two. These albums featured more of a stripped-back, acoustic feel than his earlier work, with nods to Irish music. "Sometimes By Step", a song written by good friend Beaker and included on both volumes, became an instant hit on Christian Radio, and, like Awesome God, with worship leaders. "Calling Out Your Name," while not an instant hit like "Awesome God," indicated a step forward in Mullins' songwriting style, with its intensely poetic lyrics and innovative use of the hammer dulcimer.

In 1991 Mullins enrolled at Friends University. He would later draw inspiration from a lecture at Friends by author Brennan Manning. This is also where he met Jim Smith (his posthumous biographer), and Mitch McVicker.

In 1993 Mullins assembled a group of Nashville musicians (including Jimmy Abegg, Beaker, Phil Madeira, Rick Elias, Aaron Smith) to form A Ragamuffin Band, which was named after The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. The band recorded A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band, which was later named the #3 best Christian Album of All time by CCM Magazine. Liturgy was a concept album that drew its inspiration, in part, from the Roman Catholic liturgy. Five of the songs on the album, in addition to having a scripture reference, also have a Latin subtitle that reference different sections of the Roman Catholic liturgy. The song Creed, for example, is subtitled Credo. The song "Hold Me Jesus" is subtitled Dona nobis pacem, and so on.

The Ragamuffins got together again in 1995 to record Brother's Keeper.

Mullins graduated with a B.A. in Music Education from Friends University on May 14, 1995 [3]. After graduation, he and Mitch McVicker moved to a reservation in Tse Bonito, New Mexico near the capitol of the Navajo Nation in Window Rock, Arizona to teach music to children. They lived in a hogan at the reservation until his death.

In 1997 Mullins teamed up with Beaker and Mitch McVicker to write a musical based on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, entitled The Canticle of the Plains. Mullins had great respect for St. Francis, and even formed "the Kid Brothers of St. Frank" in the late 1980s with several friends, each taking a vow of poverty. Mullins was never really aware of how well his records sold, because the profits from his tours and the sale of each album went to his church, which divided it up, paid Mullins a small salary, and gave the rest to charity. Mullins was also a major supporter of Compassion International and Compassion USA.

[edit] Death

Mullins was killed in a car accident on September 19, 1997. He and his friend Mitch McVicker were travelling on I-39 north of Bloomington, Illinois to a benefit concert in Wichita, Kansas when his Jeep flipped over. Neither man wore a seat belt. Both were thrown from the vehicle. A passing tractor-trailer swerving to avoid the Jeep killed Mullins. McVicker was badly injured but survived.

His funeral was open to the public and had a massive gathering. He was buried alongside his baby brother who died as an infant and his father in Hollansburg, Ohio.[4]

[edit] Legacy

Shortly before his death, Mullins had made a rough tape of songs for what would have been his next album on Myrrh Records; he was going to call the album Ten Songs About Jesus. This rough micro cassette recording became the basis for The Jesus Record, which A Ragamuffin Band recorded after Mullins' death. Mullins and McVicker had also recorded what would become Mitch's first true solo album (aside from lead vocals on four songs on the Canticle of the Plains album).

Furthermore, the family founded The Legacy Of A Kid Brother Of St. Frank to continue his mission to develop programs of art, drama and music camps for Native American youth and provide a traveling music school serving remote areas of the reservations. Today it is administered by Alyssa Loukota and Tammy Pruitt.

My Deliverer was named "Song of the Year" at the 1999 GMA Dove Awards. In the strangest of ironies, the presenters were Dove winner Kathy Troccoli, the first artist signed to Reunion Records in 1982 (Rich was on Reunion until 1996, then signed with Myrrh Records in 1997), and three-time NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion Darrell Waltrip.

His songs are performed all over the world by musicians and churches, most notably "Awesome God" and "Step by Step". Caedmon's Call covered "Hope to Carry On" on their 1997 self-titled album. Michael W. Smith, a fellow recording artist with Mullins on Reunion who helped record on The Jesus Record, performed "Awesome God" for his live 2001 recording, Worship, and records "I See You" on both an artist-compilative album called Exodus that was released in 1998, and on his second live recording, Worship Again. "Awesome God" was also covered by The Insyderz on their 1998 ska praise album Skalleluia!. This rendition took the 1999 Dove Award for "Hard Music Recorded Song".

[edit] Awards

GMA Dove Awards (All were posthumously awarded)

1998 - Artist of the Year
1999 - Song of the Year, My Deliverer (with Mitch McVicker)

Both awards were accepted by Mullins' brother David. Mr. McVicker joined David Mullins for the Song of the Year presentation.

[edit] Discography

Behold the Man – Zion (1981, Independent)
Rich Mullins – Rich Mullins (1986, Reunion)
Pictures in the Sky – Rich Mullins (1987, Reunion)
Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth – Rich Mullins (1988, Reunion)
Never Picture Perfect – Rich Mullins (1989, Reunion)
The World as Best as I Remember It, Volume One – Rich Mullins (1991, Reunion)
The World as Best as I Remember It, Volume Two – Rich Mullins (1992, Reunion)
A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band – Rich Mullins & A Ragamuffin Band (1993, Reunion)
Brother's Keeper – Rich Mullins & A Ragamuffin Band (1995, Reunion)
Songs - Rich Mullins (1996, Reunion/Arista)
The Jesus Record – Rich Mullins & A Ragamuffin Band (1998, Myrrh)
Here In America – Rich Mullins (2003, Reunion)

[edit] With the Kid Brothers of St. Frank

Canticle of the Plains – Kid Brothers of St Frank (1997, Ragamuffin)

[edit] Compilations

Songs – Rich Mullins (1996, Reunion)
Songs 2 – Rich Mullins (1999, Reunion)
Simply – Rich Mullins (2005, Brentwood)

[edit] Greatest hits

Elijah, 1986
Verge Of A Miracle, 1987
Screen Door, 1987
Be With You, 1987
Awesome God, 1988
If I Stand, 1988
Home, 1988
Ready For The Storm, 1988
My One Thing, 1989
While The Nations Rage, 1989
Alrightokuhuhamen, 1989
Somewhere, 1989
I Will Sing, 1989
Hope To Carry On, 1989
Bound To Come Some Trouble, 1989
The Love Of God, 1989
Boy Like Me, Man Like You, 1991
Where You Are, 1991
Step By Step, 1991
Calling Out Your Name, 1991
I See You, 1991
Sometimes By Step, 1992
The Just Shall Live, 1992
Growing Young, 1992
Creed, 1993
Hold Me Jesus, 1993
Peace, 1993
Here In America, 1993
Let Mercy Lead, 1995
Brother's Keeper, 1995
Sing Your Praise To The Lord, 1996
We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are, 1996
My Deliverer, 1997
Nothing Is Beyond You, 1997
Heaven In His Eyes, 1997
That Where I Am, There You May Also Be, 1997

[edit] Literature

Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel: Embracing the Unconditional Love of God (Multnomah, July, 1990) (ISBN 0-88070-631-7)
James Bryan Smith, Rich Mullins: His Life and Legacy: An Arrow Pointing To Heaven (Broadman and Holman, September, 2000) (ISBN 0-8054-2135-1)
Rich Mullins, Ben Pearson The World As I Remember It: Through the Eyes of a Ragamuffin (Multnomah, March, 2004) (ISBN 1-59052-368-7)
Mount, Daniel J. (2005). A City on a Hilltop? The History of Contemporary Christian Music, 81-82. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Rich Mullins

v • d • e Rich Mullins
Studio Albums
Rich Mullins \| Pictures in the Sky \| Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth \| Never Picture Perfect The World as Best as I Remember It, Volume One \| The World as Best as I Remember It, Volume Two \| Songs
With A Ragamuffin Band
A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band \| Brother's Keeper \| The Jesus Record
With the Kid Brothers of St. Frank
The Canticle of the Plains
With Zion
Behold the Man
Posthumous Releases
Here In America \| Songs 2
Related Articles
A Ragamuffin Band \| Mitch McVicker \| This Train \| Brennan Manning \| Reed Arvin \| Hammered Dulcimer

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