RICH MULLINS

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Rich Mullins (October 21, 1955 – September 19, 1997) was an American Christian music singer and songwriter born in Richmond, Indiana.

He died in an automobile accident in September of 1997.

Richard Wayne Mullins is best known for his worship songs "Step by Step" (later incorporated into his hit single "Sometimes by Step") and

"Awesome God", both of which have been embraced as modern classics by many Christians.

Some of his albums are also considered among Christian music's best, including 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 music has been covered by many artists, including Caedmon's Call, Five Iron Frenzy, Amy Grant, Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, John Tesh, and Third Day.

Rich Mullins is also remembered for his devotion to the Christian faith, which was often an inspiration to others. He was heavily influenced by St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). In 1997, he composed a musical called Canticle of the Plains, a retelling of the life of St. Francis set in the Old West.

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

In 1974-78, Mullins attended Cincinnati Bible College. He worked in a parking garage to help pay for his schooling. From 1975 to 1978 he was the Music Director and Youth Director near Cincinnati at Erlanger United Methodist Church, Erlanger, Kentucky.

In the 1980s Rich Mullins moved to Nashville, Tennessee to begin his professional recording career.

In 1988, Rich Mullins moved to Wichita, Kansas where, in 1991, he enrolled as a student at Friends University and lived with his best friend, Mark Hoffmann. He graduated with a B.A. in Music Education on May 14, 1995. After graduation, he and Mitch McVicker moved to a Navajo reservation in Tse Bonito, New Mexico to teach music to children. They lived in a hogan at the reservation until his death.

The profits from his tours and the sale of each album went to his church, which divided it up, paid Mullins the average salary in the U.S. for that year, and gave the rest to charity. Mullins was also a major supporter of Compassion International and Compassion USA. His faith can be understood by a quote he gave at a concert shortly before his death. He stated that:

“Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these my brothers you’ve done it to me. And this is what I’ve come to think. That if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my savior and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor.

This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers. But they’re just wrong. They’re not bad, they’re just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you.

Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken.”

As a musician, Rich 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' compositions were distinctive in two ways: unusual and sometimes striking instrumentation, and highly poetic lyrics that usually employed complex metaphors.

Rich Mullins formed his first band in 1976-77 while attending Cincinnati Bible College.

His musical career formally began 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 1983 Debby Boone recorded Mullins' "O Come All Ye Faithful" (formerly titled "In Worship of the Coming King" - one of the CBC Band songs), for her Surrender album.

In 1984 the song was also featured in a TV movie called Sins of the Past.

In 1986, Rich Mullins released his eponymous debut album, followed in 1987 by Pictures in the Sky. Neither album sold very well, but the Christian radio hit "Awesome God" on his third album, Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth, brought his music to a wider audience.

In the early 1990s, Mullins released a pair of albums entitled The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume One and Two. These albums featured more of a stripped-back, acoustic feel than his earlier work, with nods to Irish music.

"Step By Step", a song written by good friend Beaker and included on both volumes in different versions, became an instant hit on Christian Radio, and, like "Awesome God", it became a popular praise chorus.

In 1993, Mullins assembled a group of Nashville musicians (including Jimmy Abegg, Beaker, Phil Madeira, Rick Elias, and Aaron Smith) to form A Ragamuffin Band, whose name was inspired by the Christian book 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. The Ragamuffins also appeared on Mullin's 1995 record Brother's Keeper.

In 1997, Rich 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.

Rich Mullins was killed in a car accident on September 19, 1997. He and his friend Mitch McVicker were traveling 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.

Shortly before his death, Mullins had been working on his next project, which was to be a concept album based on the life of Jesus Christ and was to be called "Ten Songs About Jesus".

On September 10, 1997, nine days before his death, he made a rough micro cassette recording of the album's songs in an abandoned church. This tape was released as disc 1 of The Jesus Record, which featured new recordings of the songs on disc 2 by the Ragamuffin Band, with guest vocalists Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Ashley Cleveland, and Phil Keaggy.

Ironically, "Heaven In His Eyes" was not a new song, but one that had been written over two decades earlier, a beloved favorite of Rich's.

Mullins was supposed to be baptized into the Catholic Faith on the Monday after his death, Mullins had been studying the faith for a few years prior and had taken classes on the faith before he made his decision.

In 1998, the tribute album Awesome God: A Tribute to Rich Mullins was released, featuring favorite Mullins songs reinterpreted by his Christian music peers.

Mullins' 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 Tammy Pruitt.

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	Songs, Compact Disc [CD] By Rich Mullins / Provident Music Distribution
Rich Mullins wrote the songs that made the Christian world sing---and you get his very best in this greatest hits collection! Prepare yourself for a blessing with classics like "Awesome God," "Sometimes by Step," "Creed" . . . and a few surprises.

	Songs 2, Compact Disc [CD] By Provident Music Distribution
Delve deeper into Rich's impressive catalog of songs. This best-of collection gives greater insight into the theology of a man whose love for Christ was boundless. Includes "Where You Are," "The Just Shall Live," "Growing Young," "Brother's Keeper," and more.

	Pictures in the Sky, Compact Disc [CD] By Rich Mullins / Provident Music Distribution
Beloved singer/songwriter Rich Mullins' second studio album is brimming with contemporary pop & AC goodness, including the fan favorite "Screen Door," as well as "Be With You,""Verge of a Miracle," "Steal at Any Price," and more.

	The Jesus Record, Compact Disc [CD] By Word Entertainment Inc
In loving tribute, this double CD features a remastered demo tape of 10 songs Rich recorded just days before his tragic death. It also includes performances of those songs by Rich's Ragamuffin Band, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Phil Keaggy, and more.

The World As Best As I Remember It, Vol. 1 & 2, 3 CDs By Provident Music Distribution

Three full albums- one great price! The Triple Feature series combines past releases from prominent artists, offering three albums for the price of one. Rich Mullins Rich Mullins self-titled album is full of upbeat songs and great lyrics. Includes "Save Me," "Both Feet On The Ground," "Elijah," "Nothing But A Miracle," and more. The World As Best As I Remember It Vol. 1 Rich Mullins contemporary folk pop and orchestral ballads fill out the first of his The World As Best As I Remember It Vol. 1 set, featuring captivating lyrics and stories of faith amidst beautiful songs of praise. Includes "Step By Step," "Calling Out Your Name," "The River," and more. The World As Best As I Remember It Vol. 2 Rich Mullins contemporary folk pop and orchestral ballads fill out the first of his The World As Best As I Remember It Vol. 2 set, featuring captivating lyrics and stories of faith amidst beautiful songs of praise. Includes "The Just Shall Live," "Waiting," "Growing Young," and more.

Here In America, Compact Disc [CD] By Provident Music Distribution

Celebrate the abundant life of Rich Mullins! Featuring intimate live recordings of "Awesome God," "Here in America," and two more never-before-released songs, this audio CD offers some of Rich's famous "mini-sermons" and "rambling introductions"---often as inspirational as the music. The companion DVD includes over 2.5 hours of concert footage and candid reflections about his life, his music, and his God! CD and DVD.

	Brother's Keeper, Compact Disc [CD] By Rich Mullins / Provident Music Distribution
Legendary singer/songwriter Rich Mullins teamed up with The Ragamuffin Band for Brother's Keeper, one of the last recordings Mullins would make before his untimely death. This inspirational album includes "Damascus Road", "Eli's Song", "Let Mercy Lead", and more.

	A Liturgy, a Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band, Compact Disc [CD] By Rich Mullins / Provident Music Distribution
A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band captures the wit, wisdom, and grace of singer/songwriter Rich Mullins in his creative prime. This 12 song release features thought-provoking contemporary numbers alongside heartfelt ballads, including "Hold Me Jesus," "78 Eatonwood Green," "Here In America," and more.

	Sometimes By Step, Accompaniment CD By Rich Mullins & Bebo Norman / Provident Music Distribution
Mastertrax are the original artist performance masters in three keys. Includes the artist's original background vocal track, plus a high, medium and low key track without background vocals. Demonstration is in the medium range as originally recorded by the artist. Lyrics and sheet music included.

The World as I Remember It: Through the Eyes of a Ragamuffin - eBook By Rich Mullins / Multnomah Books

Rich once said, "A faith that moves mountains is a faith that expands horizons. It does not bring us into a smaller world of easy answers; but into a larger one where there is room for wonder." Thus, it is fitting that in this wonderful devotional Rich reminds us that the children of God are characterized by eyes that are full of wonder and hearts that are given over to God's glory. This beautiful collection, which includes twenty columns that Rich wrote for Release Magazine as well as a number of breathtaking black and white photos, will encourage and inspire you.

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