Bill Gaither, at 72, is Too Busy Ministering in Music to Slow Down
"Retire? And do what?"
(Charlotte, NC)—Bill Gaither brought his Homecoming Tour, which is scheduled to visit 32 cities in America, to Charlotte this week, and at 72-years of age, Mr. Gaither insists he's not going to slow down as he's "still busy writing, recording and traveling," according to a Charlotte Observer report.
"Retire? And do what?" he replied when asked recently.
According to the report, Gaither's Homecoming phenomenon—an informal jam session-style gathering of musicians—has spawned dozens of CDs, more than 60 DVDs, cable broadcasts and a popular concert tour that in 2004 outsold Rod Stewart, Elton John and Fleetwood Mac.
"If I had to sing high C's every night, or play keyboard at a high level, it would be better to back off. By myself, I'm not really that fantastic. But what I do is bring together talent. And I'll continue to do that gladly."
Of Christian music, Gaither said: "Christian music is about a theology and a message and can't be pinned down by any one style," he says. "Over the centuries that message has been wrapped in a lot of different styles. The wrapper is always changing, but the basic message is always going to stay. I don't think God really cares about the wrapper, but he cares very much about the content."
"We have been truly blessed by God in a special way," said Gaither. "He is smiling on us, and we are very happy for that."
