Squire Parsons: Remembering an SGM Legend

The Southern Gospel Music world sighed collectively with sorrow last night as news broke of the passing of a giant of the industry, Squire Parsons. After having been admitted to the hospital following a heart attack and being placed on ventilation in critical care, one of the greatest singer-songwriters in the history of gospel music stepped into the eternity he so eloquently and consistently wrote and sang about for over fifty-five years at the age of 77. In his wake he leaves behind a beloved yet grieving family and a sorrowful but thankful Christian body…but based on Psalm 116:15 which says, “precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints,” he now basks in the presence of Whom I would presume to be a quite satisfied and welcoming Lord Jesus Christ.

The impact of Squire’s contributions to Christian music cannot be overestimated. Since he began his musical ministry with the Calvarymen Quartet and service as a minister of music in various churches in 1969, he became a blessing to his field in a number of ways. The first thing people may have noticed about him was the nuanced timbre of his powerful baritone voice that was introduced to a national audience by the Kingsmen Quartet in 1975. However, it didn’t take long for his greatest and most important talent to evince itself: that of song-writer. Many of the songs he performed with the Kingsmen were songs he had written himself, such as “It Made News In Heaven,” “Hello Mama,” and “Master of the Sea.”

Of all his songs one stood out above them all, and that one was “Sweet Beulah Land.” If the Lord tarries, that song in particular will be sung by Christians of all backgrounds, denominations, and musical styles for decades, perhaps centuries, to come. Having won Song of the Year for the Kingsmen in 1981, it has gone on to be one of (if not the) most recorded songs in SGM history, and it has since become a staple of church specials and particularly funerary programs. With its focus on the heavenly home of the saved by grace and the desire to remain there, there is no wondering why to this day the poignant lyrics and lilting melody pulls the heartstrings of Christians around the world.

It certainly remains one of the most requested songs on Sunday Morning Gospel, and I’ve seen no sign of that changing in the near future.

Squire began a period of solo and self-owned groups after 1979 that he would maintain until his retirement in 2019. His fertile pen, fueled by a strong grasp of theological and not a small bit of divine inspiration continued to stream lyrics and tunes that would eventually make him a household name in the world of SGM. His music runs the gamut from toe-tapping, fun numbers like “It’s Not What’s Over the Door,” “I’m Not Giving Up,” and “Help Is on the Way;” to songs of encouragement like “It’s in the Savior’s Hands,” “I Sing Because,” and “You’re Not Alone;” to songs about our heavenly home such as “Look for Me at Jesus’ Feet,” “I Call It Home,” and “I’ve Got a Reservation.” There is something for everyone in his personal catalog…a catalog that numbers somewhere around 600 songs.

I’ve certainly been influenced by Squire’s work in a multitude of ways. His was a voice many younger baritones tried to emulate, as it was quite distinctive and beautifully melodic, and I was not immune to this. As a result, I find many of his songs fit my own vocal register, and as a result I use many of them in my personal repertoire. It helps that his songs, as I mentioned earlier, are of such lyrical and theological quality and cover so many thematic and circumstantial bases as to present a “one-stop shop”, if you will, when it comes to finding and selecting songs to fit any occasion. With Squire Parsons’ music, you simply can’t go wrong! Add the fact that so many of his songs have become beloved classics, and you’re almost guaranteed to find material that will touch someone in a special way.

When you take stock of the life and work of Squire Parsons, his was a life that was simultanously well-lived and far-too short. Had he continued longer he may have graced us with more and more wonderful works, but as he said in his most famous song:

I’m kind of homesick for a country
To which I’ve never been before.
No sad goodbyes will there be spoken,
For time won’t matter anymore.

I’m looking now, across the river,
To where my faith, shall end in sight.
There’s just a few more days to labor;
Then I will take my heavenly flight.

Beulah Land, I’m longing for you,
And some day on thee I’ll stand.
There my home shall be eternal:
Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land!

In remembrance of Brother Squire Parsons, please enjoy a few of his most wonderful songs, starting with the cream of the crop. Thanks for reading!