R. E. Winsett
Encyclopedia
Robert Emmett Winsett was an American composer and publisher of Gospel music
.
and Pentecostal churches of the American South. Pentecostal Power followed in 1907; that year Winsett completed postgraduate work at a conservatory.
He married Birdie Harris in 1908, and had three sons and two daughters with her. He settled in Fort Smith, Arkansas
, continuing to compose gospel songs, of which he would write over 1,000 in total. He became a minister in 1923, and was affiliated with the Church of God (7th Day).
Birdie Harris died late in the 1920s, and shortly thereafter Winsett moved back to Tennessee
. He founded a new company in Chattanooga, and published more shape note
music books. He remarried, to Mary Ruth Edmonton, in 1930, and had three further children.
Winsett's final publication, Best of All (1951), sold over 1 million copies, and in total his books sold over ten million copies. His song "Jesus Is Coming Soon" won a Dove Award for Gospel Song of the Year at the 1969 awards
. He has been inducted into the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame
.
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
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Early years
Winsett was born in Bledsoe County, Tennessee, and graduated from the Bowman Normal School of Music in 1899.Musical career
He founded his own publishing company in 1903, and his first publication, Winsett's Favorite Songs, quickly became popular among the BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
and Pentecostal churches of the American South. Pentecostal Power followed in 1907; that year Winsett completed postgraduate work at a conservatory.
He married Birdie Harris in 1908, and had three sons and two daughters with her. He settled in Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
, continuing to compose gospel songs, of which he would write over 1,000 in total. He became a minister in 1923, and was affiliated with the Church of God (7th Day).
Birdie Harris died late in the 1920s, and shortly thereafter Winsett moved back to Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. He founded a new company in Chattanooga, and published more shape note
Shape note
Shape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational and community singing. The notation, introduced in 1801, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools...
music books. He remarried, to Mary Ruth Edmonton, in 1930, and had three further children.
Winsett's final publication, Best of All (1951), sold over 1 million copies, and in total his books sold over ten million copies. His song "Jesus Is Coming Soon" won a Dove Award for Gospel Song of the Year at the 1969 awards
Dove Awards of 1969
The 1st Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on September 1969 during the National Quartet Convention in Memphis, Tennessee.-Award winners:*Song Of The Year**"Jesus is Coming Soon"; R. E. Winsett; R. E...
. He has been inducted into the Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame
Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame
150px|right|thumb|Entrance.The Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame is a site operated at Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, by the Southern Gospel Music Association. It was established in 1997...
.
Further reading
- Anderson, Robert and Gail North. Gospel Music Encyclopedia. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 1979, p. 205.
- Baxter, Mrs. J. R.J.R. BaxterJesse Randall Baxter Jr. , known professionally as J.R. Baxter and sometimes referred to as "Pap", was an American Southern Gospel composer and publisher.-Biography:...
and Videt Polk. Biographies of Gospel Song Writers. Dallas, Texas: Stamps-Baxter Music & Printing Company, 1971, pp. 226–228. - Stamps, Virgil O.. Radio Song Album. Dallas, Texas: The Stamps-Baxter Music Co., 1937.