Prolific Baptist composer and hymn writer Buryl Red died April 1 at the age of 76.
Red was the founding musical director and conductor of The CenturyMen, a men’s choir made up of Baptist church music directors from around the world.
In addition to his work with The CenturyMen, Red is perhaps best remembered as composer of “Celebrate Life,” a musical created with lyricist Ragan Courtney, considered a landmark in church music. Released in 1972, “Celebrate Life” is still in print.
LifeWay worship director Mike Harland remembered Red in a blog post April 2.
“I’ll never forget the first time I saw a set of drums in a church,” Harland wrote. “It was there to be part of the groundbreaking youth musical, ‘Celebrate Life.’
“And I’ll never forget the first time I saw an accompaniment track. It was on a reel-to-reel deck, and with it we sang Buryl’s classic collection, ‘The Old Songs,’ another groundbreaking idea. Imagine modern, rhythmic versions of old hymns for a new generation. Who did that first? Not Chris Tomlin – no, it was Buryl Red.”
The song “In Remembrance” from “Celebrate Life” has become a standard and is included in the latest edition of the Baptist Hymnal. Red conducted a choral performance of the song at the hymnal’s dedication ceremony in 2008, calling it a highlight of his career, Harland recounted.
Red’s output includes more than 2,500 published works; production of more than 4,000 recordings; the musical supervision, composition and arranging for several hundred shows, documentaries and musical specials for network and cable television; and the writing and editing of more than 50 music textbooks, according to information from a working program for an upcoming concert in Red’s honor.
A native of Little Rock, Ark., Red graduated from the music schools of Baylor University and Yale University before making his home in New York City. In the early 1960s, he served as music minister of Manhattan Baptist Church, the first Southern Baptist Church in New York City.
Red died in New York City after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Virginia, son Eric and grandson Adrian.