Larry's Songs of Praise and Worship - Frequently Asked Questions

May these songs glorify
the Lord Jesus Christ
and encourage you in
your daily walk with Him.

Serve the Lord with
gladness: come into His
presence with singing!
Psalm 100:2

How long have you been writing songs?
I wrote my first Christian song in 1972 shortly after my salvation. Prior to writing songs, I wrote poetry, which is probably why my skills lean toward the lyric writing.
How did you meet the other songwriters?
Back in 1997, Elton Smith sent me an email introducing himself and his website, which back then was called Songs of Praise by Gilberto and Friends. Later, I revisited his site and found some MIDI sequences that Elton was seeking lyrics for. I tried a couple, and it worked great. The collaborating continues now with nearly 70 songs written with Elton. Through the Internet and Elton, I was also introduced to Steve Israel and others. Prior to this, during my college years (1977 to 1981) I co-wrote some songs with my roommate, Dave Laborde. Aside from Dave, Elton, and Steve, I have never met any of the other songwriters face to face (although we'll have a great reunion in heaven, no doubt!)
Which comes first, the lyrics or the music?
It varies from song to song. Usually I have an idea for the theme of the song, so technically the lyrics tend to come first, but many times the music comes to mind almost as quickly as the lyrics. Other times I might write just lyrics or just music, and then wait for inspiration of the missing part. Now with collaboration, of course, it is a bit different. For most of my collaborations with Elton, for example, he'll send me a MIDI of the melody and a simple arrangement, and then I'll write lyrics to match the melody. In a few cases it's the other way around; for example, "Brother to Brother" and "Looking Through They Eyes of Faith" began as lyrics I sent to Elton, and then he composed the music to go with the lyrics I'd sent.
Where do the photos come from?
Back in 1997, I was searching the web for high-quality nature photos to include in a multimedia musical presentation at church. I contacted two photographers who graciously granted permission to use some photos for that presentation. Later, I obtained permission from one of them, Mary Saxton Griffin, a Christian and gifted photographer, to include several of her photographs on my song pages, which prior to that time were simply text. For more information, please visit my Photos Page.
Who is your web host?
This website is hosted by Christian Web Host (a.k.a. ilovejesus.com). I have been very pleased with their service and support. I use the pay-yearly plan that costs 107.40 a year, plus 19.00 per year to renew the domain name. My friends Elton Smith and Steve Israel, plus others, also use this host. Prior to this, I began putting my music on the web in 1995 using my web account at UT Martin (starting out as a simple webpage called "Larry's MIDI Page").
What software do you use for your music?
Be sure to visit my MIDI page, which discusses the software I use for MIDI and notation. MIDI has been a wonderful resource for preparing background tracks and instrumental versions of the songs such as you hear online. My original music webpages actually started with my MIDI page, back in 1995 when the web was just beginning to catch on with the public.
Can you help me find the song called...
When I need to find info online, I use Yahoo or Google or some other web search, just like other folks. Also CCLI has a song search database that can help determine the composer and publisher of many songs (and, if your church purchases the feature, lyrics can also be displayed). Aside from that, because there are too many websites out there with unlicensed copies of words or music for popular songs, I wish to avoid recommending anything that might incur copyright infringement, so please understand if I don't assist in searches for lyrics or music to songs that I do not have the rights to.
What do you believe?
I am a born-again Christian, totally depending upon the redemptive work of Jesus Christ for my salvation. I believe in the eternal security of the believer (Romans 8:38-39). I am a Southern Baptist by choice (I attend First Baptist Church in Martin, Tennessee), and I agree with the articles of The Baptist Faith and Message. My song lyrics are an expression of my belief.