Jerry Sinclair

Jerry Sinclair was an American gospel singer, songwriter, preacher, and recording artist whose ministry developed during the period of the Jesus Movement. Manna Music records that he began singing and writing while still in his early teens as a preacher in northern Maine. His ministry later extended to Oklahoma and California, where his group, The Chosen Ones, worked in association with evangelist Arthur Blessitt. Sinclair also recorded for Capitol Records, and Manna Music credits him with introducing Alleluia, the short praise song published by the company in 1972.

Hymnal authorities generally give Sinclair's life dates as 1943–1993 and identify him as the composer of the tune now indexed as ALLELUIA (Sinclair) or SINCLAIR. The wording requires a qualification: many hymnals credit Sinclair as author as well as composer, while some later editors classify the repeated word “Alleluia” as traditional and credit Sinclair only with the music. That distinction is reasonable because the acclamation itself is ancient, even though Sinclair's particular musical setting and arrangement date from 1972.

Manna Music reports that Sinclair died in Los Angeles in January 1993. Reliable published biographical information remains relatively limited, so claims about his denomination, education, or the precise circumstances in which Alleluia was composed should not be made without further documentation.