Keith Gordon Green (October 21, 1953 - July 28, 1982) was an American
gospel singer, songwriter, and pianist originally from Sheepshead Bay, New York. Green is best known for his strong devotion to Christianity and his unwavering efforts to stir others to the same. Notable songs written by Green and/or his wife include those listed below as well as the modern hymns "O Lord, You're Beautiful", "There Is A Redeemer", and "Create In Me A Clean Heart".
Keith Green also released a variety of singles prior to becoming a Christian. Those singles are not listed here. See the Wikipedia page on Keith for more information.
Early Life[]
Green was born in 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish parents. They moved to the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles when Keith was 3 years old. As a child, he appeared in television adverts and theatre performances, and was signed to Decca Records at the age of 11.[1] He was the youngest member to sign a contract for the ASCAP at the time. Keith was groomed into stardom to become the next teen idol until someone else took his place, leaving him disappointed and upset as a teenager. He ran away from home at the age of 15, and from that point onward, he dove deeper into trying to find his purpose in life. Green started dabbling into drugs and eastern mysticism but quickly found out neither of these things gave him answers.
In 1972, he met Melody Steiner, a fellow seeker, and the two were married on Christmas Day of 1973, in honor of Jesus. The pair started writing music for CBS in 1974. Keith often played on Saturdays at a small coffeehouse in western L.A. known as 'The Bla-Bla.'
Career[]
In 1976, he sang a duet with Barry McGuire on the song 'Walk and Talk' for a collaborative Christian musical called Firewind. The following year, after signing a contract with Sparrow Records on a napkin, he released his debut Christian album, For Him Who Has Ears To Hear. His second album, No Compromise, was released in 1978.[1] Both of these albums became instant classics.
Green's third album, So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt, was released in 1980, on a whatever-you-can-afford policy; it was reported that a third of the records distributed were given away for free. In order to keep the contract with Sparrow, Keith gave his record producers an OK to produce a fourth album, a compilation, called The Keith Green Collection. His fifth and final release, a worship album entitled Songs for the Shepherd, was published on April 12th, 1982, just barely three months before his death.[2]
In 1982, Keith performed at a charity concert raising money for the MV Anastasis mercy ship. At the concert, he stated: 'This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls all over the world.'[1]
Faith[]
After buying a cross necklace, Keith prayed 'Jesus, if You're there, show Yourself to me', and later recalling that 'He did'. Keith and Melody Green soon started attending a small congregation called The Vineyard National Fellowship in early 1975, and the two of them, after searching for answers for so long, finally decided to become Christians. In 1977, the two of them founded Last Days Ministries.[1]
Death[]
Green and two of his four children died on July 28th 1982, after a small plane he boarded crashed.[1] His wife reported that, in his final conversation, Green remarked 'If I don’t come back, raise Rebekah [his daughter] to be a woman of God'.[2]
Albums[]
- For Him Who has Ears to Hear -- 1977
- No Compromise -- 1978
- So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt... -- 1980
- The Keith Green Collection -- 1981
- Songs for the Shepherd -- 1982
- The Prodigal Son -- 1983†
- I Only Want to See You There -- 1983†
- Jesus Commands Us to Go! -- 1984†
- The Ministry Years
(2 volumes, each with 2 discs) -- 1987, 1988, and 1999† - The Ultimate Collection -- 2002†
†Posthumously released. These albums were either built from unreleased material or were compilations of previously released recordings of Keith Green.
Notable Songs Released Over the Years[]
- 1977
- He'll Take Care Of The Rest
- Your Love Broke Through
- Trials Turned To Gold
- 1978
- How Can They Live Without Jesus?
- Asleep in the Light
- I Don't Wanna Fall Away from You
- 1980
- So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt
- Lies
- Oh Lord, You're Beautiful
- 1982
- You are the One
- Until That Final Day
- Holy, Holy, Holy
- 1983
- The Prodigal Son Suite
- Keep All That Junk to Yourself
- Song for Josiah