James Rowe
James Rowe was born in Ireland and worked for the Irish Government before emigrating to the USA at the age of 24. Rowe was the son of a copper miner. Once he arrived in the states he worked for the railroads in Albany, NY for 10 years.
In later years, Rowe worked with in the music publishing industry-with companies such as the A.J. Showalter Music Company in Chattanooga, TN; and the James D. Vaughan Music Company, Lawrenceburg, TN. Before Rowe’s death he moved to Vermont where he and his daughter wrote greeting card verses.
The Hymntime.com website offers the following quote from Rowe’s daughter regarding the most famous song he penned-Love Lifted Me. She describes the composer, Howard E. Smith, who wrote the music for the song as Rowe described it to him.
“Howard E. Smith was a little man whose hands were so knotted with arthritis that you would wonder how he could use them at all, much less play the piano…I can see them now, my father [James Rowe] striding up and down humming a bar or two and Howard E. playing it and jotting it down.”
In recent weeks the Blind Pig Gang has been giving the song a try-see what you think of our version of Love Lifted Me.
Hope you enjoyed the the history and the song!
Tipper
This post was originially published here on the Blind Pig and The Acorn in May of 2014.
*Source: Hymntime.com
great job loved hearing it again
Joyous to hear and fun to watch. They got some pretty good guitar licks in, too
I remember my mother singing snippets of this old hymn as she worked around the house. I never heard her sing the whole thing, so it was good to hear this nice rendition. Mama was raised in the Presbyterian church, but in her area of Edgemont/Roseboro, NC, way back in the sticks, they evidently sang a lot of old hymns that I associate with other church traditions.Thanks for filling in a hole from my old memories!
Thank you for the wonderful hymn. It was just beautiful. May God bless you for blessing all of us.
Great harmony on a great song. Tipper, I hope you are feeling better.
So wonderful to hear a hymn from my childhood. I still remember all the words.
You know, God doesn’t show us his face but shows himself through his people. The love we receive from others is God working through them, even though they might not realize it or might even deny it. There is a lot of love lifting you right now. More than you know!
Tipper,
What a way to start Sunday morning! I love the history and singing. When I came in today, got the cats fed and everything all done, I turned on our cable channel 25 to our Christian Radio Station and the first song played was Pap and Paul. I’m not as familiar to this song as I am usually, but anything they sing is a blessing. I like to watch 1,2, and 3 videos a the Blairsville Courthouse. Paul and Pap and the gang do an excellent job on “Until Then”. …Ken
Tipper,
I’ve always loved this beautiful hymn…The harmony by Pap and Paul will never be surpassed…
Wonderful listening on a Sunday morning. Thanks for posting.
Hope you are feeling some better today.
Thanks for all you do,
Absolutely lovely. After listening, I noticed my cheeks were mysteriously wet.
How lovely to see your Dad playing and singing here, Tipper. It’s a beautiful song, and they did it full justice.
Can’t get any better than this.
I love that song, Tipper, and Pap and Paul did a beautiful job singing it as usual. We had our Sunday School Picnic at Country and Town Baptist Church in Mechanicsburg, Pa., yesterday. Great food and fellowship but we had a hymn sing too and singing those old songs are a blessing. I didn’t know about the gentleman that wrote the song so thanks for the information!
What a good start on a Sunday morning. I like the backstories of hymns because they are a testimony of lives changed and grace received. The hymn books are a compilation of inspiration given and passed forward. The old songs I know and love were by folks whose “works do follow them”. And so is the video.
Hope and pray you are better today and better still each succeeding day.
Oh Tipper, I held my breath for the chorus to hear Paps lovely sweet harmony. It’s just beautiful, the song and Pap’s and Paul’s harmony!