Charles E. Moody

Short Name: Charles E. Moody
Full Name: Moody, Charles E.
Birth Year: 1891
Death Year: 1977

Biography:
Charles Ernest Moody was a 20th‑century American gospel songwriter and hymnwriter from Gordon County, Georgia, United States. He was born on October 8, 1891 and died on June 21, 1977. Moody studied music in Dalton, Georgia, under A. J. Sims and then at the Southern Development Normal School in Asheville, North Carolina, while serving as music director for a Methodist church in Tunnel Hill, Georgia. Before 1927 he moved to Calhoun, Georgia, where he joined and performed with the popular 1920s string band the Georgia Yellow Hammers. After the band disbanded, he served for many years as choir director of the Calhoun First Methodist Church.

Moody was a prolific hymnwriter, composing more than a hundred gospel songs and hymns that have become standards in American worship traditions. His music blends traditional gospel sentiment with practical encouragement for Christian life and discipleship.

Hymns in Common Use:
Among his best‑known hymns and gospel songs are:

• Kneel at the Cross (1924) — one of his most widely sung gospel standards

• Drifting Too Far from the Shore (1923) — a favorite in Southern gospel circles

• I Was Wandering in the Night (He Turned My Night to Day) (1919)

• Cling to Christ, He Is the Solid Rock (1935)

• Will You Be Ready (Jesus Is Coming Again Some Day) (1937)

• Keep the Singing Spirit in Your Soul (As You Go Adown Life’s Rugged Way) (1935)

• As I Travel Down Life’s Road (O Lord Remember Me) (1947)

• It Will Be Glory (When I Shall Reach That City Fair) (1951)

Other songs attributed to him include All the Heroes of the Nation (They’ll Be Marching) and There’s a Happy Land Somewhere Free, both included in later hymnals.

Notes:

• Moody began his musical career in gospel and string band music before focusing on church and hymn compositions.

• His hymns remain part of many gospel and hymn collections, especially within the Southern gospel tradition.

SOurce: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_E._Moody