Both  Ralph  Carmichael’s   mother, who  was  a  Bible teacher and his father, who was a preacher, played the piano. His dad also liked to play the fiddle but the church said it was the devil’s instrument and he had to give it up. So it probably was not coincidence when Ralph’s father gave him a violin and arranged private lessons for him while he was only three and a half years old. Later, trumpet and piano lessons were added. After high school, he attended Southern California Bible College (now Vanguard University) in the late 1940’s.

Carmichael, enamored with the popular big bands and orchestras of the ‘40s and how they reached large audiences, began experimenting with these music styles as vehicles to more effectively reach people with the Gospel. Realizing his musical talents, the college hired him after graduation to set up their first department of evangelistic music.  
 
There Carmichael put together a band comprised of seminary students that landed a spot on a local TV station with a program called the ‘The Campus Christian Hour.’ The college wanted their name kept off the credits (what would people think of a Gospel Big Band?) -- that is, until the program went on to win an Emmy Award in 1950!

Carmichael left secular music by 1970 and became very much involved with his Christian record company, Light Records and music publishing business, Lexicon Music. He wrote new songs and musicals, signed up new artists, did a radio show, and produced new albums aimed at young people. He also composed, arranged and conducted music scores for various Christian films in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s including those for Billy Graham’s World Wide Pictures.

Carmichael was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1985 and into the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2001. In 1997, Ralph Carmichael celebrated his 50th year in Christian music and was presented with an Honorary Music Doctorate from Vanguard University, which was known as Southern California Bible College (SCBC) when he was a student in the class of 1947.

The late 90s and millenium years saw Carmichael actively “making music” with new big band Gospel, Christmas, swing and orchestral recordings, as well as traveling around the U.S. doing big band concerts in over 50 cities. His latest CD, ”Amazing Grace“, features the London Symphony Orchestra and Choir, and was released in 2006 by Crystal River Records. [ posted on MyMusicWay ]