Graham Kendrick

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Graham Kendrick
Kendrick performing in 2019
Kendrick performing in 2019
Background information
Birth nameGraham Kendrick
Born (1950-08-02) 2 August 1950 (age 73)
OriginBlisworth, Northamptonshire, England[1]
GenresContemporary worship music
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1971–present
Labels
Websitegrahamkendrick.co.uk

Graham Kendrick (born 2 August 1950) is a British Christian singer, songwriter and worship leader.

He is the son of Baptist pastor M. D. Kendrick and grew up in Laindon, Essex, and Putney.[1] He now lives in Tunbridge Wells and is a member of Christ Church, Tunbridge Wells. He was a member of Ichthus Christian Fellowship. Together with Roger Forster, Gerald Coates and Lynn Green, he was a founder of March for Jesus.

Career[edit]

Kendrick began his songwriting career in the late 1960s. His most successful accomplishment is his authorship of the lyrics and music for the song, "Shine, Jesus, Shine", which is among the most widely heard songs in contemporary Christian worship worldwide. His other songs have been primarily used by worshippers in Britain. Kendrick is a co-founder of the March for Jesus. He received a Dove Award in 1995 for his international work. In 2000, London School of Theology and Brunel University awarded Kendrick an honorary doctorate in Divinity ('DD') in "recognition of his contribution to the worship life of the Church".[2] He was awarded another DD in May 2008, from Wycliffe College in Toronto, Canada.[3]

Although now best known as a worship leader and writer of worship songs, Kendrick began his career as a member of the Christian beat group Whispers of Truth (formerly the "Forerunners"). Later, he began working as a solo concert performer and recording artist in the singer/songwriter tradition. He was closely associated with the organisation Musical Gospel Outreach and recorded several albums for their record labels. On the first, Footsteps on the Sea, released in 1972, he worked with the virtuoso guitarist Gordon Giltrap.

Kendrick worked for a time as a member of "In the Name of Jesus", a mission team led by Clive Calver. He was based at St Michael le Belfrey, York in the late 1970s and was involved in student and university ministry with British Youth for Christ. At this time he recorded the albums Triumph in the Air and Cresta Run. Calver went on to run British Youth for Christ and the Evangelical Alliance, and then left the United Kingdom for the Evangelical Church in the United States.

Kendrick also released "Let the Flame Burn Brighter" as a single in 1989, which reached 55 in the UK Singles Chart.

He is a member of Compassionart, a charity founded by Martin Smith from Delirious?.

In more recent years Kendrick has developed the concept of "Psalm Surfing".[4]

In May 2020 he took part in The UK Blessing, a worship song video collaboration of 65 churches released during the national coronavirus lockdown.[5]

Popularity[edit]

"Shine, Jesus, Shine" is regularly highly placed in hymn popularity polls.[6][7] Fellow songwriter and former Kendrick bandmember Stuart Townend has said, "I have no doubt that in 100 years time the name of Kendrick will be alongside Watts and Wesley in the list of the UK's greatest hymnwriters".[8] Kendrick also has his critics, among them the journalist Quentin Letts, who has described him as "king of the happy-clappy banalities".[9]

Discography[edit]

Albums[edit]

  • Footsteps on the Sea (Key Records) 1972
  • Bright Side Up (Key Records) 1973
  • Paid on the Nail (with Peter Roe) (Key Records) 1974
  • Breaking of the Dawn (Dovetail) 1976
  • Fighter (Dovetail) 1978
  • Jesus Stand Among Us (Dovetail) 1979
  • Triumph in the Air (Glenmore Music) 1980
  • 18 Classics (Kingsway) 1981
  • Cresta Run (Kingsway) 1981
  • The King Is Among Us (Kingsway) 1981
  • Nightwatch (Kingsway) 1983 - cassette only release
  • The Blame (Kingsway) 1983
  • Let God Arise (Kingsway) 1984
  • Magnificent Warrior (Kingsway) 1985
  • Make Way for the King of Kings: A Carnival of Praise (Kingsway) 1986
  • Lamb of God (Integrity's Hosanna! Music) 1988 (British version of a 1987 album by Jim Gilbert)
  • Make Way for Jesus: Shine Jesus Shine (Make Way Music) 1988
  • Make Way for Christmas: The Gift (Make Way Music) 1988
  • Make Way for the Cross: Let the Flame Burn Brighter (Make Way Music) 1989
  • We Believe (Star Song) 1989
  • Amazing Love (Integrity's Hosanna! Music) 1990
  • Crown Him (Integrity's Hosanna! Music) 1991
  • King of the Nations (Word UK) 1992
  • Crown Him: The Worship Musical (Word UK) 1992
  • Spark to a Flame (Megaphone/Word UK) 1993
  • Rumours of Angels (Megaphone/Alliance) 1994
  • Is Anyone Thirsty? (Megaphone/Alliance) 1995
  • Illuminations (Megaphone/Alliance) 1996
  • No More Walls (Make Way Music/Alliance) 1997
  • The Millennium Chorus (Millennium Chorus Ltd) 2000
  • What Grace (Make Way Music/Furious!) 2001
  • Do Something Beautiful (Make Way Music/Furious!) 2003
  • Sacred Journey (Make Way Music/Furious!) 2004
  • USA Live Worship (Make Way Music) 2005
  • Out of the Ordinary (Make Way Music/Furious!) 2006
  • Dreaming of a Holy Night (Make Way Music/Furious!) 2007
  • The Acoustic Gospels (Make Way Music) 2010
  • Banquet (Make Way Music) 2011
  • Worship Duets (Make Way Music) 2013
  • Keep the Banner Flying High (Make Way Music) 2018

Singles[edit]

  • "Let the Flame Burn Brighter" (single) (Make Way Music) 1989

EP[edit]

  • No Scenes of Stately Majesty (E.P; Megaphone/Alliance) 1998
  • Where It Began (Make Way Music) 2022

Collections[edit]

  • The Easter Collection (Make Way Music/World Wide Worship) 2001
  • Rumours of Angels / The Gift Double CD (Make Way Music/Furious!) 2001
  • The Prayer Song Collection (Make Way Music/World Wide Worship) 2002
  • The Psalm Collection (Make Way Music/World Wide Worship) 2002

Bibliography[edit]

  • Graham Kendrick Worship (Eastbourne: Kingsway, 1984)
  • Graham Kendrick (Ed) Ten Worshipping Churches (London: Marc Europe, 1987)
  • Graham Kendrick, Gerald Coates, Roger Forster and Lynn Green with Catherine Butcher, March for Jesus (Eastbourne: Kingsway, 1992)
  • Graham Kendrick Public Praise (Altamonte Springs: Creation House, 1992)
  • Graham Kendrick, Clive Price Behind the Songs (Stowmarket: Kevin Mayhew Ltd, 2001)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Kendrick, Graham Andrew | Praise! Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Graham Kendrick interview". BBC. Archived from the original on 12 August 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
  3. ^ "Wycliffe College to bestow honorary doctorates on vital leaders in the Christian Community". Wycliffe College, Toronto. 30 April 2008. Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
  4. ^ "Graham Kendrick on Psalm Surfing - video and how-to guide". 14 September 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  5. ^ "The 'UK Blessing' is exactly that". THE DIOCESE OF SALISBURY. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  6. ^ Daykin, Tim (11 September 2006). "Top 40 Hymns". BBC. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  7. ^ Petre, Jonathan (27 October 2005). "Hymns ancient and extremely modern top viewers' chart". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  8. ^ Townend, Stuart (2009). "Songs of Praise - Top 10 Hymns". Archived from the original on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  9. ^ Thompson, Damian (12 October 2008). "Will happy-clappy Graham Kendrick wage spiritual warfare on Quentin Letts?". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011.

External links[edit]


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