Michael Perry (hymnwriter)

Michael Perry
Born	1942 Beckenham, Kent
Died	1996 Tonbridge, Kent
Education	Dulwich College University College London Oak Hill Theological College Ridley Hall, Cambridge
Church	Church of England
Writings	The Dramatised Bible

Michael Arnold Perry (1942-1996) was one of the UK's leading hymnwriters of the 20th century.^[1] He was closely associated with Jubilate Hymns.

Early life

Michael Perry was born in Beckenham, Kent on 8 March 1942. He was educated at Dulwich College and went on to study at University College London; Oak Hill Theological College, London; Ridley Hall, Cambridge; and University of Southampton.^[2]

It was during his student days at Oak Hill in 1964 that he wrote his best-known hymn, the Calypso Carol, the first line of which is "See him lying on a bed of straw".^[3] He wrote this for a college concert, and it only became famous by accident when Cliff Richard substituted it for a missing recording in a radio show.^[4]

Ministry

After ordination in the Church of England Diocese of Liverpool, he ministered at St Helens, Merseyside.

The Perrys moved to Bitterne, Southampton, Hampshire, where Michael was curate and then vicar. During his time at Bitterne he was on the committees that produced the popular hymn books Psalm Praise (1973) and Hymns for Today's Church (1982).

From 1981 to 1989 Perry served as Rector of Eversley, Hampshire. In 1982 he became Secretary of Jubilate Hymns, and was involved in editing most of their books. In addition, he worked as Chaplain and lecturer at the National Police Staff College, Bramshill. He was also elected to the Church of England's General Synod in 1985.

His last posting was as Vicar of Tonbridge in his native Kent from 1989 until 1996. He was appointed Chairman of the Church Pastoral Aid Society in 1993, and again to the General Synod in 1994.

Personal life

He married Beatrice Mary at St Helens Parish Church in 1967. They had two children, Helen and Simon.^[2]

From early 1996 he was increasingly disabled by an inoperable brain tumour, and he died at home on 9 December 1996.

Legacy

His contemporary, hymn-writer Chris Idle, paid tribute to Perry's compositions, his constructive criticism of others' works, and his business acumen in "sorting out what had been a copyright jungle" (referring to critics who expected songwriters to make no charge since their work was "for the Lord"). He concluded that few people matched Perry's influence on evangelical praise and worship over the 1970s to '90s.^[4]

Selected works

He wrote over 300 hymns. The following works are a selection.^[3][4]

Hymns

• "See him lying on a bed of straw" (Calypso Carol)
• "O God Beyond All Praising" (to Holst's melody Thaxted)
• "Bring to the Lord a Glad New Song" (to Hubert Parry's tune Jerusalem)

Books

• The Dramatised Bible
• Preparing for Worship, Zondervan 1995, ISBN 978-0551028951
• Singing to God, Hope Publications, 1995. ISBN 978-0916642594. His own collected hymns

References

1. ^ The nation's favourite carols, BBC, 2005
2. ^ ^{a b} Michael Perry at Jubilate Group website
3. ^ ^{a b} Obituary, The Hymn Society
4. ^ ^{a b c} Christopher Idle, "Not just a calypso", obituary of Michael Perry in Evangelicals Now, February 1997

Persondata
Name	Perry, Michael
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1942
Place of birth	Beckenham, Kent
Date of death	1996
Place of death	Tonbridge, Kent