Editing Rich Mullins

{{short description|American Christian musician (1955–1997)}}
{{About|the Christian musician|the desert rock musician|Rich Mullins (bassist)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name             = Rich Mullins
| background       = solo_singer
| image            = RichMullins7-19-1997.jpg
| image_size       = 
| caption          = Mullins in 1997
| birth_name       = Richard Wayne Mullins
| alias            = 
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1955|10|21|mf=y}}
| birth_place      = [[Richmond, Indiana]], U.S.
| origin           = 
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1997|9|19|1955|10|21|mf=y}}
| death_place      = [[Lostant, Illinois]], U.S.
| genre            = [[Contemporary Christian music|Contemporary Christian]]
| occupation       = Singer, songwriter
| instrument       = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* piano
* guitar
* hammered dulcimer
}}
| years_active     = 1981–1997
| label            = [[Reunion Records|Reunion]]
| past_member_of   = [[A Ragamuffin Band]]
}}

'''Richard Wayne Mullins''' (October 21, 1955 – September 19, 1997) was an American [[contemporary Christian music]] singer and songwriter best known for his [[contemporary worship music|worship songs]] "[[Awesome God]]" and "Sometimes by Step"<!-- while "Step by Step" was released first, the subsequent version, "Sometimes by Step", charted -->. Some of his albums were listed by ''[[CCM Magazine]]'' in their ranking of the 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music, including ''[[A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band]]'' (1993) at No. 3, ''[[The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume One]]'' (1991) at No. 7, and ''[[Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth]]'' (1988) at No. 31.<ref name="CCM">{{cite book |title=The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music |last=Granger |first=Thom |publisher=Harvest House Publishers |year=2001 |isbn=9780736902816 }}</ref> His songs have been performed by numerous artists, including [[Caedmon's Call]], [[Five Iron Frenzy]], [[Amy Grant]], [[Carolyn Arends]], [[Jars of Clay]], [[Michael W. Smith]], [[John Tesh]], [[Chris Rice]], [[Rebecca St. James]], [[Hillsong United]] and [[Third Day]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.kidbrothers.net/music/song-list-lo-res.html |title = Rich Mullins song list |publisher = Kidbrothers.net |access-date = October 31, 2012 |archive-date = October 25, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141025134608/http://www.kidbrothers.net/music/song-list-lo-res.html |url-status = live }}</ref> During the tribute to Rich Mullins' life at the 1998 [[GMA Dove Award|GMA Dove Awards]], Amy Grant described him as "the uneasy conscience of Christian music."<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNra3f8Hsl0 |title = R1998 - Rich Mullins Tribute |publisher = GMA Dove Awards |date = April 23, 1998 |access-date = December 16, 2018 |archive-date = February 29, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200229115849/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNra3f8Hsl0 |url-status = live }}</ref>

Mullins was devoted to the Christian faith and heavily influenced by [[St. Francis of Assisi]]. In 1997, he composed a musical called ''Canticle of the Plains'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kidbrothers.net/cotp.html|title=Rich Mullins - Canticle of the Plains|last=Mullins|first=Rich|access-date=November 11, 2017|archive-date=October 17, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017184412/http://www.kidbrothers.net/cotp.html|url-status=live}}</ref> a retelling of the life of St. Francis set in the [[Old West]].<ref name="Mullins Takes Risk with Show on Saint, But Fans Keep Faith">{{cite web |url = http://www.kidbrothers.net/words/newspaper-articles/chicago-tribune-apr2197.html |title = Mullins Takes Risk with Show on Saint, But Fans Keep Faith |access-date = September 5, 2008 |archive-date = October 25, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141025134718/http://www.kidbrothers.net/words/newspaper-articles/chicago-tribune-apr2197.html |url-status = live }}</ref>

== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
[[File:Black and White picture of Christian Music Singer Rich Mullins and his First Band.png|thumb|Mullins ''(third from right)'' performing in 1979, seen here with his band Zion]]

Richard Wayne Mullins was born to John Mullins, a tree farmer, and Neva Mullins, whose ancestors were [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]].<ref>An Arrow Pointing to Heaven Smith, JB (2000) B & H Publishing Group Nashville, Tennessee {{ISBN|978-0-8054-2635-9}} p. 12, 13</ref> He had two sisters and two brothers. The family called him by his middle name, Wayne, which he went by until college, when his friends called him Richard. Mullins grew up attending Arba Friends Meeting, a church in [[Lynn, Indiana]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last = Selleck |first = Linda |date = April 3, 1998 |title = A Ragamuffin Music Man: Rich Mullins |magazine = Quaker Magazine }}</ref> The Quaker testimonies of [[peace testimony|peace]] and [[social justice]] later inspired many of his lyrics. When Mullins was in elementary school, his family moved and started attending Whitewater Christian Church, which he attended until he graduated.<ref name="The Life of a Ragamuffin">{{cite web |url = http://www.candletothesun.com/richard-wayne-rich-mullins.html |title = The Life of a Ragamuffin |publisher = A Candle to the Sun |access-date = May 25, 2016 |archive-date = May 18, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160518131746/http://www.candletothesun.com/richard-wayne-rich-mullins.html |url-status = live }}</ref> Mullins was baptized when he was in the 3rd grade.<ref name="Lufkin, Texas, July '97">{{cite web |url = http://www.kidbrothers.net/words/concert-transcripts/lufkin-texas-jul1997.html |title = Lufkin Texas, July '97 |access-date = August 16, 2008 |archive-date = September 19, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140919025142/http://www.kidbrothers.net/words/concert-transcripts/lufkin-texas-jul1997.html |url-status = live }}</ref> His great-grandmother taught him to play hymns and sing in [[four-part harmony]] when he was very young,<ref>{{cite web |last = Lewis |first = Jack |url = http://jacklewis.net/weblog/archives/2002/09/in_memory_of_ri.php |title = Danny Carlton – alias "Jack Lewis": In memory of Rich Mullins |publisher = Jacklewis.net |date = September 19, 2002 |access-date = October 31, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130502235534/http://jacklewis.net/weblog/archives/2002/09/in_memory_of_ri.php |archive-date = May 2, 2013 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}</ref> and he began to study classical piano with a Quaker teacher while in elementary school. He graduated from [[Northeastern High School (Indiana)|Northeastern High School]] in 1974.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.courierpress.com/features/movies/ind-art-museum-to-feature-film-on-late-musician-ep-296664338-324751881.html |title = Ind. art museum to feature film on late musician |newspaper = Evansville Courier & Press |date = December 29, 2013 |access-date = May 25, 2016 |archive-date = August 5, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160805031247/http://www.courierpress.com/features/movies/ind-art-museum-to-feature-film-on-late-musician-ep-296664338-324751881.html |url-status = live }}</ref>

Mullins was inspired when [[the Beatles]] first appeared on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' in 1964. The event helped Mullins understand the influence of music.<ref name="Newcomb">{{cite magazine |last = Newcomb |first = Brian |date = June 13, 1992 |title = Step By Step, A Conversation with Rich Mullins |magazine = CCM Magazine }}</ref> He was a fan of the Beatles music, and he was able to identify with [[John Lennon]] in particular, despite philosophical differences.<ref name="auto">{{cite video |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP0NGqymiMU |title = Rich Mullins - Michigan Interview, 1988 |access-date = June 15, 2016 |archive-date = November 13, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151113053051/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP0NGqymiMU |url-status = live }}</ref> In his song "Elijah", written around the time of Lennon's murder, he included the phrase "candlelight in [[Central Park]]." This was a reference to the [[candlelight vigil]]s held in the wake of the event.<ref name="Newcomb" /> The places of the vigils went on to become a permanent [[Strawberry Fields (memorial)|memorial to John Lennon]].

An important part of Mullins' early musical experience was being the pianist, songwriter and vocalist for the New Creations Choir in Richmond, Indiana, which was started by Tim and Bonnie Cummings in the early 1970s. The choir toured numerous states in its own bus and even produced an album. New Creations is a church and school for teens, and Mullins was a contributing factor in its beginning.<ref name="The Life of a Ragamuffin" />

From 1974 to 1978, Mullins attended [[Cincinnati Christian University|Cincinnati Bible College]]. He worked in a parking garage to help pay for his schooling. During this time, Mullins performed with a college band, and later the band Zion, who released one album, for which he wrote all the songs.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.kidbrothers.net/rmml/rmml03.html |title = Rich Mullins Mailing list 103 |publisher = kidbrothers.net |date = April 17, 1995 |access-date = October 31, 2012 |archive-date = October 25, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141025134539/http://www.kidbrothers.net/rmml/rmml03.html |url-status = live }}</ref>

From 1975 to 1978, he was the youth pastor and music director at the [[United Methodist Church]] in [[Erlanger, Kentucky|Erlanger]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20111005154601/http://www.erlangerumc.org/mullins.htm erlangerumc.org/mullins]}}</ref> Mullins was then focusing on his duties in the church, and performed minimally in public. He considered his music a hobby. His views on his music continued this way until 1978, when he took a group of teens from his church to the [[Ichthus Music Festival]] in [[Wilmore, Kentucky]]. He said that during this trip he witnessed the effect of music on the lives of young people, and decided to start pursuing music full-time.<ref>{{cite video |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WOiBYv5SHA |title = Rich Mullins discusses college, youth ministry and Zion Ministries |access-date = July 2, 2016 |archive-date = November 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231127021907/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WOiBYv5SHA |url-status = live }}</ref>

=== Beginnings as a recording artist ===
Mullins' start in the [[Christian music industry]] occurred in mid-1981 when [[Amy Grant]] recorded his song "Sing Your Praise to the Lord."<ref name="cartoons">{{cite news |last = Yonke |first = David |date = November 18, 1995 |title = Rich Mullins 'cartoons' in catchy tunes |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YOE0AAAAIBAJ&pg=6075%2C5328078 |newspaper = Toledo Blade |access-date = May 5, 2016 |archive-date = November 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231127021908/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=YOE0AAAAIBAJ&pg=6075,5328078 |url-status = live }}</ref> The decision was made to stop touring as "Zion," and for Mullins to start his [[Solo artist|solo]] career. He moved to [[Bellsburg, Tennessee]],<ref name="auto"/> approximately 45 minutes from [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], to begin his professional recording career.<ref name="Rich Mullins time line 1">{{cite web |url = http://audiori.net/richmullins/timeline19551974.html |title = Rich Mullins timeline 1 – audiori.net |access-date = July 21, 2023 |archive-date = July 21, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230721185336/http://audiori.net/richmullins/timeline19551974.html |url-status = live }}</ref> Mullins got engaged sometime between the late 70s and early 80s, and wrote the song "Doubly Good to You" (recorded by Amy Grant on her album ''Straight Ahead'') for his upcoming wedding. However, his fiancée broke off the engagement in 1982.<ref name="auto"/> In response to the breakup, Mullins wrote "Damascus Road".<ref>{{cite web |url = http://kidbrothers.net/words/interviews/brothers-keeper-radio-special-oct95.html |title = Brothers Keeper radio special |publisher = Kidbrothers.net |access-date = October 31, 2012 |archive-date = December 3, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131203025634/http://kidbrothers.net/words/interviews/brothers-keeper-radio-special-oct95.html |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author = Rick Tarrant |url = http://kidbrothers.net/words/interviews/20-the-countdown-magazine-oct1197.html |title = 20: the Countdown Magazine remembers Rich Mullins |publisher = Kidbrothers.net |date = October 11, 1997 |access-date = October 31, 2012 |archive-date = July 25, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120725003455/http://kidbrothers.net/words/interviews/20-the-countdown-magazine-oct1197.html |url-status = live }}</ref>

Years later, Mullins shared thoughts about his relationships and personal life in a radio interview with Rick Tarrant:

{{blockquote|quote=I would always be frustrated with all those relationships even when I was engaged. I had a ten-year thing with this girl and I would often wonder why, even in those most intimate moments of our relationship, I would still feel really lonely. And it was just a few years ago that I finally realized that friendship is not a remedy for loneliness. Loneliness is a part of our experience and if we are looking for relief from loneliness in friendship, we are only going to frustrate the friendship. Friendship, camaraderie, intimacy, all those things, and loneliness live together in the same experience.<ref name="Heaven Smith 2000 p. 131, 13">An Arrow Pointing to Heaven Smith, JB (2000) B & H Publishing Group Nashville, Tennessee {{ISBN|978-0-8054-2635-9}} p. 131, 13</ref>}}

In 1987, Mullins spent time teaching conversational English in a South Korean seminary. He then served briefly as a [[Christian mission|missionary]] in Thailand where he became involved with a ministry teaching trades and providing medical care to Chinese refugees.<ref name="auto"/> He wrote the song "The Other Side of the World" about his time in Asia.

=== Kansas and the move to Navajo Nation ===
[[File:DineBikeyahBe'elyaigii.svg|thumb|The location of the [[Navajo Nation]] territory in the United States]]
During the late 1980s, Mullins desired change and formulated a plan to leave Tennessee.<ref name="Newcomb" /> He took steps to become a music teacher on a [[Native American reservation]] he had visited before.<ref name="cartoons" /><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/04/25/christian-rocker-finds-new-life-in-the-desert/ |title = Christian Rocker Finds New Life in the Desert |publisher = Chicago Tribune. |date = April 25, 1996 |access-date = June 1, 2016 |archive-date = June 25, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160625071446/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-04-25/features/9604250272_1_mullins-friends-rich-mullins-awesome-god |url-status = live }}</ref> In 1988, Mullins moved from Bellsburg to [[Wichita, Kansas]] where, in 1991, he attended [[Friends University]]. During this time he lived with his best friend, David "Beaker" Strasser. As part of his degree program, Mullins served as the choir director at West Evangelical Free Church. While in Wichita, he also regularly attended Central Christian Church. He graduated with a [[bachelor's degree]] (BA) in Music Education from Friends University on May 14, 1995.<ref>{{cite news |last = Denison |first = Paul |date = October 29, 1995 |title = Stepping Out in Faith |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qEZWAAAAIBAJ&pg=5230%2C7343759 |newspaper = Eugene Register-Guard |access-date = May 26, 2016 |archive-date = November 27, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231127021907/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qEZWAAAAIBAJ&pg=5230,7343759 |url-status = live }}</ref> His 1991 song "Calling Out Your Name" included a reference to [[The Keeper of the Plains]], a 44&nbsp;ft tall sculpture in Wichita.<ref name="Heaven Smith 2000 p. 104">An Arrow Pointing to Heaven Smith, JB (2000) B & H Publishing Group Nashville, Tennessee {{ISBN|978-0-8054-2635-9}} p. 104</ref>
{{quote box
|width=20%
|align=left
|quote=You have to figure out where you're most alive, most vital, and go there. For some people, that's a music career or being a housewife. For me, it's being here.|source=– Mullins on his move<ref name="Tribune">{{cite web |url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/04/25/christian-rocker-finds-new-life-in-the-desert/ |title = Christian Rocker Finds New Life in the Desert |work = Chicago Tribune |date = April 25, 1996 |access-date = June 1, 2016 |archive-date = June 25, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160625071446/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-04-25/features/9604250272_1_mullins-friends-rich-mullins-awesome-god |url-status = live }}</ref>}}

After graduation, he and [[Mitch McVicker]] moved to a [[Navajo Nation|Navajo]] reservation in [[Tse Bonito, New Mexico]] to teach music to children. Mullins and McVicker lived in a small [[hogan]] on the reservation until Mullins' death in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/1996/04/25/christian-rocker-finds-new-life-in-the-desert/ |title = Christian Rocker Finds New Life in the Desert |date = April 25, 1996 |publisher = Chicago Tribune. |access-date = June 1, 2016 |archive-date = June 25, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160625071446/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-04-25/features/9604250272_1_mullins-friends-rich-mullins-awesome-god |url-status = live }}</ref>

In 1996, at the Ichthus music festival, Mullins cited personal reasons for his move. He was asked if he made the move because God had called him to [[Proselytism#Christianity|proselytize]] and convert the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]]. To this Mullins responded, "no. I think I just got tired of a White, [[Evangelical]], middle class perspective on God, and I thought I would have more luck finding Christ among the Pagan Navajos. I'm teaching music."<ref>{{cite video |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zQOX8NmC0c |title = Rich Mullins Interview – Ichthus Festival, 1996 |access-date = May 25, 2016 |archive-date = April 16, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170416073010/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zQOX8NmC0c |url-status = live }}</ref>

=== Philosophy and philanthropy ===
The profits from his tours and the sale of each album were entrusted to his church elders, who divided it up, paid Mullins the average salary for a laborer in the U.S. for that year, and gave the rest to charity.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.kidbrothers.net/legacy/homeless-man-video.html |title = Homeless Man video transcript |publisher = kidbrothers.net |access-date = October 31, 2012 |archive-date = July 25, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120725013647/http://www.kidbrothers.net/legacy/homeless-man-video.html |url-status = live }}</ref> Mullins was also a major supporter of [[Compassion International]]<ref name="Music and More Interview with Jon Rivers">{{cite web |url = http://kidbrothers.net/interviews/musicandmore.html |title = Music and More Interview with Jon Rivers |access-date = September 8, 2008 |archive-date = February 11, 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090211135020/http://kidbrothers.net/interviews/musicandmore.html |url-status = live }}</ref> and Compassion USA.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://kidbrothers.net/webpage/rmml/rmml143.html |title = Rich Mullins Mailing List 143 |publisher = kidbrothers.net |access-date = October 31, 2012 |archive-date = July 25, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120725010641/http://kidbrothers.net/webpage/rmml/rmml143.html |url-status = live }}</ref>

His philosophy can be understood by a quote he gave at a concert shortly before his death. He said,

{{blockquote|quote=Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these my brothers you've done it to me. And this is what I've come to think.  That if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my Savior and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor. This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers.  But they're just wrong.  They're not bad, they're just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you.  Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved, and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken-hearted.<ref name="Lufkin, Texas, July '97" /><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQnFU5JvuWY {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506084729/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQnFU5JvuWY |date=May 6, 2017 }}
''(The quoted speech begins at 7:40 of this video reference.)''</ref>}}

=== Roman Catholicism===
Mullins's interest in the life of Saint Francis of Assisi led to an attraction to Roman Catholicism in his final years. There was no daily Protestant service on his area of the Navajo reservation, so Mullins frequently attended daily Mass. The night before his accident, Mullins spoke to his spiritual director, Fr. Matt McGuinness, on the phone and made arrangements to formally enter the Catholic Church that weekend. He stated "This may sound strange, but I need to receive the Body and Blood of Christ."<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=5876 |title = Catholic World News : Christian Singer Rich Mullins Dies; Planned To Become Catholic |publisher = Cwnews.com |date = September 22, 1997 |access-date = October 31, 2012 |archive-date = July 1, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160701220552/http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=5876 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://tmatt.gospelcom.net/column/1998/05/06/ |title = Rich Mullins, Enigmatic, restless, Catholic |work = gospelcom.net |access-date = June 1, 2016 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://archive.today/20020618221716/http://tmatt.gospelcom.net/column/1998/05/06/ |archive-date = June 18, 2002 |df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>An Arrow Pointing to Heaven, James Bryan Smith, pp53-54{{Dead link|date=October 2015}}</ref>

In 1997 Mullins declared,

{{blockquote|quote=A lot of the stuff which I thought was so different between Protestants and Catholics [was] not, but at the end of going through an RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) course, I also realized that there are some real and significant differences. I'm not sure which side of the issues I come down on. My openness to Catholicism was very scary to me because, when you grow up in a church where they don't even put up a cross, many things were foreign to me. I went to an older Protestant gentleman that I've respected for years and years, and I asked him, "When does faithfulness to Jesus call us to lay aside our biases and when does it call us to stand beside them?" His answer to me was that it is not about being Catholic or Protestant. It is about being faithful to Jesus. The issue is not about which church you go to, it is about following Jesus where He leads you. “If God leads you to the Catholic Church, follow Him. So, the last couple of years now, I have been in Limbo about the whole thing. For me, it all comes down to the Eucharist. Is it really Jesus and is He present there? I think, after some pretty honest searching, I’ve come to a few dead ends that I am not going to be able to bridge by getting more information. It will just require a little more faith on my part, and it is not there yet.”<ref>Radio interview with Artie Terry, "The Exchange," WETN, Wheaton, Ill., April 1997, quoted in An Arrow Pointing to Heaven, James Bryan Smith, p54</ref>}}

== Music career ==
Mullins had a distinctive talent both as a performer and a songwriter. His compositions showed distinction in two ways: unusual and sometimes striking [[Instrumentation (music)|instrumentation]], and complex [[lyrics]] that usually employed elaborate [[metaphor]]s.

Mullins did most of his composing and performing on piano and acoustic guitar, but he also had a prodigious talent for obscure instruments. He displayed arguably virtuoso skills on the [[hammered dulcimer]] (in "Calling out Your Name" and "Creed"), [[lap dulcimer]] (in "Who God is Gonna Use" and "Where You Are"), and the [[Irish tin whistle]] (in "Boy Like Me/Man Like You" and "The Color Green").

Mullins formed his first band in 1976 to 77 while attending [[Cincinnati Christian University|Cincinnati Bible College]].<ref name="Rich Mullins time line 1" />  In 1983 [[Debby Boone]] recorded Mullins' "O Come All Ye Faithful", for her ''Surrender'' album. In 1984, the song was also featured in a TV film, ''Sins of the Past''.<ref name="Rich Mullins time line 1" />

[[File:Chrisian Music Singer Rich Mullins with his First Formal Band, Zion.png|thumb|Mullins ''(second from right)'' pictured with his band Zion {{circa|1978}}|alt=]]

His musical career formally began with Zion Ministries in the late 1970s, where he wrote music and performed with a band called Zion.<ref name="Rich Mullins time line 1" />
The band released one album in 1981, ''Behold the Man''.<ref name="Rich Mullins time line 1" /> While working for this ministry, Mullins wrote a song called "[[Age to Age#Chart history|Sing Your Praise to the Lord]]", which was recorded by singer [[Amy Grant]] in 1982 and became an immediate hit on [[Christian radio]].<ref name="Rich Mullins time line 1" />

In 1986, Mullins released his eponymous [[Rich Mullins (album)|debut album]], followed in 1987 by ''[[Pictures in the Sky]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://audiori.net/richmullins/timeline1987.html |title = Rich Mullins timeline 1987 – audiori.net |publisher = Audiori.net |access-date = October 31, 2012 |archive-date = October 3, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151003001902/http://audiori.net/richmullins/timeline1987.html |url-status = live }}</ref> Neither album sold very well,<ref name="Music and More Interview with Jon Rivers" /> but the Christian radio hit "[[Awesome God]]" on his third album, ''[[Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth]]'', brought his music to a wider audience. The song "Awesome God" was written either at Rock Lake Christian Assembly camp in Michigan, or on the way to a youth conference in Bolivar, Missouri in July 1987. The details of the song’s composition are sketchy. As is often true of the work of touring musicians, a song will incubate for several weeks, months, or even years, before it coheres into something recognizable to the writer. It seems this was the case for “Awesome God” as well.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Hymns: 'Our God is an Awesome God' |url=https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/history-of-hymns-our-god-is-an-awesome-god |access-date=2023-02-28 |website=Discipleship Ministries |language=en-US |archive-date=February 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228011123/https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/history-of-hymns-our-god-is-an-awesome-god |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the early 1990s, Mullins released a pair of albums entitled ''[[The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume One]]'' and ''[[The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume Two|Volume Two]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://audiori.net/richmullins/timeline1992.html |title = Rich Mullins timeline 1992 – audiori.net |publisher = Audiori.net |access-date = October 31, 2012 |archive-date = October 3, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151003013828/http://audiori.net/richmullins/timeline1992.html |url-status = live }}</ref> These featured a more stripped-back, acoustic feel than his earlier work, with nods to [[Irish music]]. "Step By Step", a song written by his friend [[David Strasser|Beaker]] and included on volume one, and incorporated into "Sometimes By Step" with additional lyrics by Mullins on volume two, became an instant hit on Christian radio, and, like "Awesome God", it became a popular praise chorus. Both during and after Mullins' college years, Beaker was a substantial influence on Mullins and his music. Beaker co-wrote, performed, and toured with Mullins for several years. The first song they wrote together was "Boy Like Me, Man Like You", a 1991 hit for Mullins. Mullins wrote his hit song "Let Mercy Lead" for Beaker's son Aidan.

In 1993, Mullins assembled a group of Nashville musicians (including [[Jimmy Abegg]], Beaker, Billy Crockett, [[Phil Madeira]], [[Rick Elias]], and [[Aaron Smith (musician)|Aaron Smith]]) to form [[A Ragamuffin Band]], whose name was inspired by the Christian book ''[[The Ragamuffin Gospel]]'' by [[Brennan Manning]]. The band recorded ''[[A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band]]'', which was later named the No. 3 best Christian album of all time by ''[[CCM Magazine]]''. ''Liturgy'' was a [[concept album]] that drew its inspiration, in part, from the [[Roman Catholic liturgy|Catholic liturgy]]. The Ragamuffins also appeared on Mullins' 1995 record ''[[Brother's Keeper (Rich Mullins album)|Brother's Keeper]]'' and his 1998 record ''The Jesus Record''. [[Mark Robertson (bassist)|Mark Robertson]] joined the Ragamuffins as the band's bass player for touring and ''The Jesus Record''.

In 1997, Mullins teamed up with Beaker and Mitch McVicker to write a musical based on the life of [[St. Francis of Assisi]]: ''The Canticle of the Plains''.<ref name="Mullins Takes Risk with Show on Saint, But Fans Keep Faith" /> Mullins had great respect for St. Francis, and even formed "The Kid Brothers of St. Frank" in the late 1980s with Beaker.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richmullins.com/kidbrothers.html |title=richmullins.com/kidbrothers |publisher=Richmullins.com |access-date=October 31, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529035529/http://www.richmullins.com/kidbrothers.html |archive-date=May 29, 2010 }}</ref>

Shortly before his death, Mullins had been working on his next project, which was to be a concept album based on the life of [[Jesus Christ]] and was to be called ''Ten Songs About Jesus''. On September 10, 1997, nine days before his death, he made a rough [[microcassette]] recording of the album's songs in an abandoned church. This tape was released as disc 1 of ''[[The Jesus Record]]'', which featured new recordings of the songs on disc 2 by the Ragamuffin Band, with guest vocalists Amy Grant, [[Michael W. Smith]], [[Ashley Cleveland]], and [[Phil Keaggy]]. "Heaven in His Eyes" was not a new song, but had been written more than two decades earlier, and was a beloved favorite of Mullins'.

Mullins recorded the duet "I Believe" with [[Hokus Pick]] on the album ''Brothers From Different Mothers'' in 1994. In addition to vocals, Mullins performed on the lap and hammered dulcimers.<ref name=duet>{{cite book |last = Hokus Pick |title = Bothers From Different Mothers |year = 1994 |publisher = Vision Artists |location = Liner Notes }}</ref>

== Death and legacy ==
On September 19, 1997, Mullins and his friend [[Mitch McVicker]] were traveling southbound on [[Interstate 39|I-39]] north of [[Bloomington, Illinois]], to a [[benefit concert]] at Wichita State University in Kansas, when they lost control of their Jeep. Neither occupant was wearing a seat belt, and both were ejected from the vehicle. Mullins died instantly. <ref>{{cite news |date = September 22, 1997 |title = Christian singer killed in accident |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nDofAAAAIBAJ&pg=6242%2C5959601 |newspaper = Herald-Journal |access-date = May 26, 2016 |archive-date = October 17, 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221017022338/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nDofAAAAIBAJ&pg=6242%2C5959601 |url-status = live }}</ref> A [[semi-trailer truck]] traveling in the same direction swerved to miss the overturned Jeep and hit Mullins, who was already deceased. <ref>{{cite news |date = September 22, 1997 |title = Christian singer killed in accident |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WYsfAAAAIBAJ&pg=2037%2C4386217 |newspaper = Sarasota Herald-Tribune – September 23, 1997 |access-date = May 26, 2016 |archive-date = August 5, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230805061820/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WYsfAAAAIBAJ&pg=2037,4386217 |url-status = live }}</ref> McVicker was seriously injured but survived.

Mullins' funeral was open to the public and attracted a large gathering. He is buried at the [[Harrison Township, Darke County, Ohio|Harrison Township]] cemetery in [[Hollansburg, Ohio]], alongside his brother, who died in infancy, and his parents.

In 1998, the tribute album ''[[Awesome God: A Tribute to Rich Mullins]]'' was released, featuring favorite Mullins songs reinterpreted by his Christian music peers.

Mullins' family founded The Legacy of a Kid Brother of [[Saint Francis of Assisi|St. Frank]] to continue his mission to develop programs of art, drama and music camps for Native American youth and provide a traveling music school serving remote areas of the reservations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richmullins.com/kidbrothers.html |title=Kid Brothers – Kid Brothers of St Frank |publisher=Richmullins.com |access-date=October 31, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529035529/http://www.richmullins.com/kidbrothers.html |archive-date=May 29, 2010 }}</ref>

On April 29, 2014, Mullins was posthumously inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2014/04/29/take-d-bobby-jones-among-gospel-honorees/8495449/ |title = Take 6, Dr. Bobby Jones among Gospel honorees |date = April 29, 2014 |work = The Tennessean |access-date = October 13, 2015 }}</ref> His brother, David, was on hand to accept on behalf of the family.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=2818 |title = Gospel Music Association (GMA) Announces Rich Mullins as 2014 Hall of Fame Inductee |date = April 14, 2014 |work = ChristianCinema.com |access-date = October 13, 2015 |archive-date = October 16, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151016145522/http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=2818 |url-status = live }}</ref>

Musicians [[Andrew Peterson (musician)|Andrew Peterson]], [[Matt Maher]], and activist [[Shane Claiborne]] have cited Mullins as influential.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://rabbitroom.com/2011/09/beaten-up-and-carried-home-remembering-rich-mullins/ |title = Beaten Up and Carried Home: Remembering Rich Mullins |date = September 21, 2011 |work = The Rabbit Room |access-date = December 12, 2018 |archive-date = December 15, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181215223311/https://rabbitroom.com/2011/09/beaten-up-and-carried-home-remembering-rich-mullins/ |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://thesoundopinion.com/2015/05/06/matt-maher-on-the-record-2/ |title = Matt Maher On The Record |date = June 5, 2015 |work = thesoundopinion.com |access-date = December 12, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181217064308/http://thesoundopinion.com/2015/05/06/matt-maher-on-the-record-2/ |archive-date = December 17, 2018 |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UpDbOR-En74C&q=shane%252520claiborne%252520rich%252520mullins&pg=PA52 |title = The Irresistible Revolution: Living As an Ordinary Radical |date = February 1, 2006 |isbn = 9781458759955 |access-date = December 12, 2018|last1 = Claiborne |first1 = Shane |publisher = ReadHowYouWant.com }}</ref> Claiborne listed Rich Mullins on his list of contemporary Christian saints and martyrs deserving a "feast day" of remembrance.<ref>Jesus for President Claiborne, Shane; Haw, Chris (2008) Zondervan Press Grand Rapids, Michigan {{ISBN|978-0310278429}} p. 322</ref>
 
Color Green Films, with Kid Brothers of St. Frank Co., developed a full-length feature film, as well as a documentary, based on Mullins' life and legacy. The film, ''Ragamuffin'', finished filming in October 2012 and premiered in Wichita, Kansas on January 9, 2014.<ref>''Ragamuffin'', [[DVD]], Millennium Entertainment, ME-15609.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2412568/ |title = Ragamuffin (2014) |author = Grant English |date = January 9, 2014 |work = IMDb |access-date = June 29, 2015 |archive-date = June 12, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150612200118/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2412568/ |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = https://twitter.com/RichMullinsfilm/status/254731690730213376 |title = Twitter |publisher = Twitter |access-date = October 31, 2012 |archive-date = January 22, 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140122043107/https://twitter.com/RichMullinsfilm/status/254731690730213376 |url-status = live }}</ref>

Singer/songwriter [[John Darnielle]] of [[The Mountain Goats]], an [[indie folk]] band, mentioned his appreciation for Mullins' songs during a difficult time in his life.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Shellnut |first= Kate |date= September 1, 2016 |title= The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle Loves Amy Grant, Rich Mullins, and the Book of Jonah:The indie rocker discusses his spiritual hunger with CT |url= https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/august-web-only/mountain-goats-john-darnielle-loves-amy-grant-rich-mullins-.html |magazine= Christianity Today |location= Carol Stream, IL |publisher= Christianity Today International |access-date= December 16, 2018 |archive-date= November 20, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181120083823/https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2016/august-web-only/mountain-goats-john-darnielle-loves-amy-grant-rich-mullins-.html |url-status= live }}</ref>

== Discography ==
{{Main|Rich Mullins discography}}
* ''Behold the Man'' (1981, with Zion)
* ''[[Rich Mullins (album)|Rich Mullins]]'' (1986)
* ''[[Pictures in the Sky]]'' (1987)
* ''[[Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth]]'' (1988)
* ''[[Never Picture Perfect]]'' (1989)
* ''[[The World as Best as I Remember It, Volume One]]'' (1991)
* ''[[The World as Best as I Remember It, Volume Two]]'' (1992)
* ''[[A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Brother's Keeper (Rich Mullins album)|Brother's Keeper]]'' (1995)
* ''[[Songs (Rich Mullins album)|Songs]]'' (1996)
* ''Canticle of the Plains'' (1997, contributor)
* ''[[The Jesus Record]]'' (1998, posthumous)
* ''[[Awesome God: A Tribute to Rich Mullins]]'' (1998)
* ''Songs 2'' (1999, posthumous)
* ''[[Here In America]]'' (2003)
* ''Music Inspired by Motion Picture Ragamuffin (Based on the life of Rich Mullins)'' (2014)
* ''Deep Valley'' (live, 2023, posthumous)

== Awards and nominations  ==

=== GMA Dove Awards ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Nominee / Work
!Category
!Result
!Ref.
|-
!1983
|"[[Age to Age|Sing Your Praise to the Lord]]" {{Small|(as songwriter)}}
| Song of the Year |Song of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
| rowspan="21" |<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rich Mullins |url=https://cmnexus.org/profiles/Rich_Mullins |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716085551/https://cmnexus.org/profiles/Rich_Mullins |archive-date=2024-07-16 |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=CMnexus}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan="3" |1991
|"[[Awesome God]]"
|Song of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
|"Bound to Come Some Trouble"
|Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
|"Higher Education and the Book of Love"
|Rock Recorded Song of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
! rowspan="2" |1993
| rowspan="2" |"Sometimes By Step"
|Song of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
|Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
! rowspan="3" |1994
| rowspan="2" |"Hold Me, Jesus"
|Song of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
|Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
|''[[A Liturgy, a Legacy, & a Ragamuffin Band]]''
|Recorded Music Packaging of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
!1995
|"Creed"
|Song of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
!1996
|Rich Mullins
|Songwriter of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
!1997
|''[[Songs (Rich Mullins album)|Songs]]''
|Recorded Music Packaging of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
! rowspan="4" |1998
| rowspan="2" |Rich Mullins
|Artist of the Year
|{{Won}}
|-
|Male Vocalist of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
|"Hope To Carry On"
|Song of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
|"Elijah"
|Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
! rowspan="4" |1999
|"My Deliverer"
|Song of the Year
|{{Won}}
|-
|Rich Mullins
|Songwriter of the Year
|{{Won}}
|-
| rowspan="2" |''[[The Jesus Record]]''
|Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|-
|Recorded Music Packaging of the Year
|{{Won}}
|-
!2004
|''[[Here in America]]''
|Recorded Music Packaging of the Year
|{{Nominated}}
|}

=== Billboard Music Video Awards ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Nominee / Work
!Category
!Result
!Ref.
|-
!1997
|"Hope To Carry On" (with ''[[Caedmon's Call]]'')
| Song of the Year |Best New Artist Clip (Contemporary Christian)
|{{Nominated}}
|<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Siegler |first=Dylan |date=1997-10-18 |title=Women Lead Billboard Music Video Awards Nominees |url=https://books.google.com.au/books?id=nAkEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA7-IA4&pg=PA97 |url-status= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250421042936/https://books.google.com.au/books?id=nAkEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA7-IA4&pg=PA97#v=onepage&q&f=false |archive-date=2025-04-21 |access-date=2025-04-21 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |publisher=Nielsen Business Media |page=97 |issn=0006-2510}}</ref>
|}
== Documentaries ==
* 1998: ''Homeless Man: The Restless Heart of Rich Mullins'', directed by Ben Pearson<ref>{{Citation |title=Homeless Man: The Restless Heart of Rich Mullins (Documentary, 1998) | date=January 16, 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mDAff2MzLU |access-date=2023-05-11 |language=en |archive-date=May 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511211821/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mDAff2MzLU&gl=US&hl=en |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 2014: ''Rich Mullins: A Ragamuffin's Legacy'', directed by David Leo Schultz<ref>{{Citation|title=Rich Mullins: A Ragamuffin's Legacy (2014) {{!}} Documentary {{!}} Shane Claiborne {{!}} Rick Elias {{!}} Amy Grant| date=December 13, 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GmG6HsCsD0|language=en|access-date=August 19, 2021|archive-date=August 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819204212/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GmG6HsCsD0|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 2020: ''The Work You Began: The Last Days of Rich Mullins'', directed by Andrew Montonera<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/uxLH3lbL0r4 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20210104033843/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxLH3lbL0r4 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{Citation|title=The Work You Began: The Last Days of Rich Mullins (Full Documentary, 2020)| date=December 31, 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxLH3lbL0r4|language=en|access-date=August 19, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* [[Brennan Manning|Manning, Brennan]]. ''[[The Ragamuffin Gospel]]: Embracing the Unconditional Love of God'' (Multnomah, July 1990) ({{ISBN|978-1514007341}})
* Smith, James Bryan. ''[https://www.amazon.com/Rich-Mullins-Arrow-Pointing-Heaven/dp/1514007347 Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven]''''[https://www.amazon.com/Rich-Mullins-Arrow-Pointing-Heaven/dp/1514007347]''''' (InterVarsity Press, 25th Anniversary Edition February 2023) ( {{ISBN|978-1514007341}})
* Mullins, Rich and Pearson, Ben. ''The World As I Remember It: Through the Eyes of a Ragamuffin'' (Multnomah, March 2004) ({{ISBN|1-59052-368-7}})

== See also ==
{{Portal|Biography|Christianity|Indiana|Music}}
{{Wikiquote}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website}}
* [http://kidbrothers.net/ Calling Out Your Name | The Words and Message of Rich Mullins]
* [https://audiori.net/richmullins/index.html audiori.net Rich Mullins timeline]
* [http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=5876 Obituary at Catholic World News]
* [https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1997/october27/7tc98c.html "Rich Mullins Killed in Crash"]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090906072832/http://www.christianmusic.org/cmp/close/mullins3.htm "Rich Mullins Dies in Car Accident"]
* {{Find a Grave|5826174}}

{{Rich Mullins}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mullins, Rich}}
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