to go to Tim Gracyk's web page with a biography of Rodeheaver and detailed information on his recordings.
Restrictions
There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.
Biography
Full name |
Homer Alvan Rodeheaver |
|
Birth |
October 4, 1880, in Union Furnace, Ohio |
|
Death |
December 18, 1955 at his home in Winona Lake, IN |
|
Education |
||
|
? |
Attended Ohio Wesleyan University, but did not graduate |
|
1942 |
Honorary Doctorate of Sacred Music from Bob Jones University |
Career |
||
|
1890s |
Trombonist for Fourth Tennessee Regimental Band, including during the Spanish-American War |
|
1909-1931 |
Soloist, musical director and master of ceremonies for Billy Sunday’s evangelistic campaigns (also worked with other evangelists) |
|
1909-1955 |
Published around 80 different religious song books through his publishing company, known at various times as the Rodeheaver-Ackley Co., the Rodeheaver Hall-Mack Co. and the Rodeheaver Co. Owned copyrights to hundreds of religious songs. |
|
1913-1942 |
Musical recording artist |
|
1920-1955 |
Founded and headed the Rodeheaver Record Co. with the Rainbow record label. |
|
1923 |
Accompanied evangelist William E. Biederwolf on a world-wide evangelistic tour |
|
1940s |
Music leader at Bob Jones University |
|
1950s |
Sung, played trombone and preached at evangelistic sacred concerts |
Other significant information |
||
|
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Involved with a disparate array of groups and organizations. Rodeheaver was a Mason, worked with the Y.M.C.A. in France, founded Rodeheaver's Boys Ranch, Inc., and started the Summer School of Sacred Music at Winona Lake, Indiana |
Scope and Content
This collection consists mostly of materials from the Homer A. Rodeheaver Company, a
publisher of gospel music. There are several different types of order blanks and promotional
materials. One newspaper clipping from 1937 refers to his appearance on a CBS radio affiliate
playing his trombone. Other items include two issues of Rodeheaver's Musical News which
includes a biography of Rodeheaver, various hymns, song lyrics, and articles pertaining to the
religious music community. Also included are two audio tapes of selected hymns and nine phonograph records. The phonograph records are listed alphabetically by the title of the song on side A of the record.
*****
Provenance
The materials in this collection were received by the Archives from September 1977 to September 1997.
Accession: 77-18, 79-15, 80-27, 80-31
June 27, 1980Accession: 82-73, 84-52, 84-64, 97-76
July 28, 2004, updated
Christian Sawyer
LOCATION RECORD
Accession 80-27, 82-73
Type of material: Audio Tape
The following items are located in the AUDIO TAPE FILE. Request by the T# at the beginning
of each entry below:
# |
R/C |
speed |
Length |
Sides |
Contents |
Dates |
T1 |
C |
3-3/4 |
36 |
1 |
The audio tape contains twelve selected hymns sung by Homer Rodeheaver. Five of the hymns are sung as duets with Mrs. William (Virginia) Asher. One of these is a hymn composed by Fanny Crosby, "Calling Thee." “Molly and the Baby, Don’t You Know” is a prohibition hymn. The titles and credits of the other songs are as follows: “All the Way to Calvary,” by Rev. A. H. Ackley; “Forgive Me, Lord,” by Rev. A. H. Ackley--B. D. Ackley; “In the Garden,” duet with Virginia Asher by C. Austin Miles; “My Wonderful Dream,” by Jessie Brown Pounds--Charles H. Gabriel; “Old Rugged Cross,” duet with Virginia Asher by Rev. George Bennard; “When I Look in His Face,” duet with Virginia Asher by Lizzie DeArmond--Charles H. Gabriel; “When the World Forgets,” by Rev. A. H. Ackley; “Where the Gates Swing Outward Never,” duet with Virginia Asher by Charles H. Gabriel |
N.d. |
T2 |
C |
3-3/4 |
18 |
1 |
The audio tape contains Six selected hymns sung by Homer Rodeheaver, three of the hymns are sung in duet with Mrs. William (Virginia) Asher. This audio cassette tape is a privately copied recording of three phonograph records. The titles and credits of all songs on the tape are as follows: “Where the Gates Swing Outward Never,” duet with Virginia Asher by Charles H. Gabriel, Victor Record 18780B, n.d.; “In the Garden,” duet with Virginia Asher by C. Austin Miles, Victor Record 18020B, n.d.; “When the World Forgets,” by A.H. Ackley, Victor Record 18020A, n.d.; “The Old Rugged Cross,” duet with Virginia Asher by Rev. George Bennard, Rainbow Record 1015B, n.d.; “The Half Has Never Been Told,” by R.E. Hudson, Rainbow Record 1015A, n.d.; “All the Way to Calvary,” by A.H. Ackley, Victor Record 18780A, n.d.; Chimes |
N.d. |
Phonograph records are listed alphabetically by title of song on side A.
# |
Size |
Speed (rpm) |
Min. per side |
Contents |
Dates |
P1 |
10" |
78 |
-- |
Side A: “Brighten the Corner Where You Are,” by Charles H. Gabriel, sung by Homer A. Rodeheaver with orchestra accompaniment; Side B: “If Your Heart Keeps Right,” by B.D. Ackley, sung by Homer A. Rodeheaver with orchestra accompaniment; Columbia Graphophone Company #1990. |
1916 [?] |
P2 |
10" |
78 |
-- |
Side A: “The Half Has Never Been Told,” by R.E. Hudson, sung by Homer A. Rodeheaver with orchestra accompaniment; Side B: “The Old Rugged Cross,” by Rev. George Bennard, duet sung by Mrs. William (Virginia) Asher and Homer Rodeheaver with Orloff Trio accompaniment; Rainbow #1015, Rodeheaver Record Company. |
N.d. |
P3 |
10" |
78 |
-- |
Side A: “Into the Woods My Master Went,” by Sidney C. Lanier and Herbert, sung by Homer Rodeheaver with orchestra accompaniment; Side B: “A Rainbow on the Cloud,” by Hewitt and Gabriel, sung by Homer A. Rodeheaver with orchestra accompaniment; Vocalion #14627, the Aeolian Company. |
1921 |
P4 |
10" |
78 |
-- |
Side A: “The Old Rugged Cross,” by George Bennard, sung by Homer Rodeheaver, Virginia Asher and Criterion Quartette with orchestra accompaniment; Side B: “Open My Eyes That I May See,” by Clara H. Scott, sung by Homer Rodeheaver with orchestra accompaniment; Gennett #4894, Starr Piano Company. |
1920s |
P5 |
10" |
78 |
-- |
Side A: “One Day,” by John Wilbur Chapman and Charles H. Marsh, sung by Homer Rodeheaver with orchestra accompaniment; Side B: “Sweeter as the Years Roll By,” by Mrs. C.H. Morris, sung by Homer Rodeheaver and Virginia Asher with orchestra accompaniment; Gennett #4914, Starr Piano Company. |
1920s |
P6 |
10" |
78 |
-- |
Side A: “Safe in the Arms of Jesus,” by Fanny Crosby and William H. Doane, sung and trombone played by Homer Rodeheaver; Side B: “I Walk with the King,” by James Rowe and B.D. Ackley, with organ and piano accompaniment; Rainbow #1001, Rodeheaver Record Company. |
N.d. |
P7 |
10" |
78 |
-- |
Side A: “Some O’ These Days,” from book Plantation Melodies, duet sung by Virginia Asher and Homer A. Rodeheaver with orchestra accompaniment; Side B: “Heab’n,” from book Plantation Melodies, duet sung by Virginia Asher and Homer A. Rodeheaver with orchestra accompaniment; Columbia Graphophone Company #3559. |
1922 [?] |
P8 |
10" |
78 |
-- |
Side A: “When God is Near,” by A.H. Ackley, sung by Homer A. Rodeheaver with instrumental trio; Side B: “Wonderful,” by A.H. Ackley, sung by Homer A. Rodeheaver with instrumental trio; Decca Records #2621. |
1939 [?] |
P9 |
10" |
78 |
-- |
Side A: “When the World Forgets,” by A.H. Ackley, sung by Homer Rodeheaver with pipe organ; Side B: “In the Garden,” by C. Austin Miles, duet sung by Mrs. William (Virginia) Asher and Homer Rodeheaver with pipe organ; Victor Talking Machine Company #20385. |
N.d. |
LOCATION RECORD
Accession 97-76
Type of material: Photographs
The following items are located in the PHOTO FILE. Request by the folder title (in bold) at the
beginning of each entry below:
RODEHEAVER, HOMER. 1 b&w. Posed side-view image of Homer Rodeheaver playing the
trombone outside, n.d.
CONTAINER LIST |
|||
Box |
Folder |
Item |
|
|
|
Homer Rodeheaver Company |
|
1 |
1 |
|
Order Blanks; ca. 1917, n.d. |
1 |
2 |
|
Promotional Pieces; ca. 1916, n.d. |
1 |
3 |
Newspaper Clippings; 1937 |
|
1 |
4 |
Rodeheaver's Musical News: Volume 1, numbers 1, 2; n.d. |
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