Canadians remember George Beverly Shea
OTTAWA, ON—One of the last of many awards given to George Beverly Shea, the Ontario-born gospel singer who went on to travel the world for close to 60 years with evangelist Billy Graham, may well have been among the most unusual.
During celebrations organized by his hometown of Winchester, at the Wesleyan church where his father previously served as minister, Shea was presented with a certificate making him an honorary member of the RCMP Pensioners Fund.
"The reason why was because he had thought of becoming a Mountie," says journalist and author Lloyd Mackey, who attended the event. "He liked to joke that when he found out he'd have to go up North for his first tour of duty, he decided to go into Christian music."
Bev Shea, as he was known, died at home on April 16. He was 104 years old.
"I have lost one of the best friends I have ever had, but he and I look forward to seeing each other in heaven relatively soon," said Graham, 94, in a prepared statement.
The two first met in Chicago in 1943, after Graham had heard him singing on the radio, and was impressed by his powerful bass-baritone vocals. Shea joined the Billy Graham crusades in 1947. They travelled and ministered together until Graham retired in 2005.
During those years, Shea recorded more than 70 albums, and sang before an estimated 220 million people—a Guinness world record.
Yet for all his fame and achievements, Shea is widely remembered as a humble man who enjoyed meeting people.
Martin Smith, president of the Gospel Music Association of Canada, recalls one dinner party with Shea that lasted several hours. "He was so gracious, as people asked questions I'm sure he had heard a hundred times over," he recalls. "He answered them all, and just seemed to have no sense of hurry."
"And he was a good interview, a great storyteller," says Mackey. "He was a good communicator of the gospel in many ways."
Nor did Shea forget his Canadian roots. For years, his family would spend the summer at their cottage in western Quebec. He also stayed in touch with the Wesleyan churches in Winchester and Ottawa where his father had been the minister.
In 2004, GMA Canada brought back after an absence of about 20 years its Lifetime Achievement Award. The first artist to receive the award was George Beverly Shea.
"We wanted to start there," Smith says, "because it's pretty remarkable how he influenced people, even those who don't even know he's influenced them."
And in November, Smith says the association will recognize "I'd Rather Have Jesus," a much-loved song that Shea co-wrote. "It's a way of telling younger generations, 'Look where we came from. There's something very, very valuable in remembering.'"
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