Gloria Lee Gaither

Gloria Lee Gaither, born Gloria Sickal in Battle Creek, Michigan, on March 4, 1942, is an American lyricist, author, editor, speaker, and scholar. Her father, W. Lee Sickal, was a Church of God pastor, and her mother, Dorothy, was an artist and writer who encouraged Gloria’s literary interests. At Anderson College she studied English, French, and sociology, earning a BS in 1963. She later completed an MA at Ball State University in 1991 with work centered on John Steinbeck. While serving as a French teacher at Alexandria High School, she met English teacher and gospel musician Bill Gaither; they married in 1962.

Gloria supplied the text of Something Beautiful, while Bill composed its tune. Their collaboration grew alongside the Bill Gaither Trio, with which she traveled for about twenty years. Their joint catalogue includes Because He Lives, The King Is Coming, There’s Something About That Name, and hundreds of other gospel songs. Gloria’s work has also extended to more than forty books, scripts for the Gaither Homecoming video series, and fifteen years of editorial leadership for Homecoming Magazine. Anderson University has recognized her as an alumna and teacher of songwriting, while ASCAP named Bill and Gloria Christian Songwriters of the Century in 2000. Their honors also include induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Her contribution to gospel hymnody is especially literary: concise testimony, accessible theological language, and texts designed to be remembered and sung.