James Henry Fillmore

James Henry Fillmore was an American gospel composer, editor, singing-school teacher, and music publisher. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 1, 1849, he grew up in a family central to the music of the Christian Church and Disciples of Christ. His father, Augustus Damon Fillmore, was a minister, hymn writer, teacher, and publisher. After his father's death, James helped support the family by carrying on singing-school work and learning the practical trades of music printing and sales.

In 1874 he joined his brothers Charles and Frederick in establishing the Fillmore Brothers Music House in Cincinnati. The firm published church and Sunday school collections, sheet music, anthems, and the periodical The Musical Messenger. Fillmore composed tunes, anthems, and cantatas, edited more than twenty songbooks and hymnals, and maintained a long collaboration with lyricist Jessie Brown Pounds. His publishing network helped distribute gospel song throughout Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, especially in the American Midwest.

Representative tunes include the settings used for I Am Resolved, Purer in Heart, O God, Will You Not Tell It Today, and The Beautiful Garden of Prayer. Fillmore died in Cincinnati on February 8, 1936. He should not be confused with his son James Henry Fillmore Jr., the bandmaster and march composer who wrote under the name Harold Bennett.