B. B. McKinney

Baylus McKinney
Birth name	Baylus Benjamin McKinney
Also known as	B. B. McKinney
Born	(1886-07-22)July 22, 1886 Heflin, Webster Parish Louisiana, USA
Died	September 7, 1952(1952-09-07) (aged 66)
Genres	Gospel
Occupation(s)	Singer, song writer, teacher, and music editor

Bistineau Baptist Church near Heflin, Louisiana, was McKinney's home congregation.

McKinney historical marker at Bistineau Baptist Church in south Webster Parish, Louisiana; click to enlarge.

Baylus Benjamin McKinney or B. B. McKinney (July 22, 1886 – September 7, 1952), was an American singer, song writer, teacher, and music editor.

Biography

Early year

McKinney was a native of rural Heflin in south Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana. His home church was Bistineau Baptist Church near Heflin, which holds an annual McKinney song service in July and bears an historical marker in his memory. He was an alumnus of Louisiana College in Pineville, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Siegel-Myers School of Music and the Bush Conservatory of Music, both in Chicago, Illinois.

Musical career

McKinney wrote the words and music to 149 hymns and gospel songs. His most famous are "The Nail Scarred Hand" (1924), "Let Others See Jesus in You" (1924), "Satisfied with Jesus" (1926), "Speak to My Heart" (1927), "'Neath the Old Olive Trees" (1934), "Breathe on Me" (1937), and "Wherever He Leads I'll Go" (1937). He was also the editor of the widely-used Broadman Hymnal (1940, Nashville).

Legacy

B.B. McKinney Chapel, on the ground of the Falls Creek Baptist Encampment in Davis, Oklahoma, is named in his honor. He was posthumously inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1982.