Joel Hemphill (August 1, 1939 - )
Biography
Joel Hemphill was born in Fresno, California, the son of Beatrice Brown Hemphill and Rev. W.T. Hemphill. When Joel was five years old, the family moved to West Monroe where his dad founded the Jesus Only Apostolic Church. Rev. Hemphill encouraged his young son to pursue the same love for music that he shared.
During his teen years, Hemphill began playing electric guitar in the church. He met LaBreeska Rogers when the Happy Goodman Family sang in West Monroe. LaBreeska was the daughter of Gussie Mae Goodman Rogers and the niece of Howard, Vestal, Sam, and Rusty Goodman. The couple was married in June of 1957. They were both seventeen years old at the time.
By this point, Hemphill was already serving as an associate pastor, and they soon began traveling and singing as evangelists. The couple signed with Canaan Records in 1966 to record as a duo. Soon they launched a group called The Hemphills with Tim and Dixie McKeithen. Their children Joel Jr. (Joey), Trent, and Candy would join the group during the 1970s.
Hemphill is the writer of more than 100 songs including “Consider The Lilies,” “Jesus Saves,” “Master Of The Wind,” “I Claim The Blood,” and The Hemphills’ biggest hit "He's Still Workin' On Me."
Around the time The Hemphills disbanded in 1990s, it was discovered that Joel had colon cancer. After a successful surgery, he descended into a time of depression that prevented him from preaching and singing for about two years. In November of 1992, he was able to continue again, and credited God for healing him of his depression. He and LaBreeska begin performing again as a duo and were frequently seen on the Gaither Homecoming videos from the mid-1990s until LaBreeska passed away in 2015.
During the 2000s, Hemphill took the position that Jesus Christ was not the incarnation of God, publishing controversial statements like “Jesus was not just a body full of God, he was a man full of God. He had a human mind, soul, spirit and will. Being full of God does not make a person God” and, “If we continue to give God’s glory to another, even His highly exalted, sinless, virgin-born son, after we have come to the knowledge of the truth, will it be accounted to us for idolatry?” (1)
Awards
Dove Awards Children’s Music Album Of The Year God Likes Kids (1987) (with LaBreeska)
SGMA Hall Of Fame (2007)
Songwriter Resume
(Partial List)
A Happy Forever
A Mansion Just For Me
A Preacher's Boy
A Song I Like To Sing
All In The Blood Of Jesus
All Is Forgiven Come Home
All That You Dream
All Under The Blood
And He Did
Angels All Around You
Beyond The Sun
Call Me Blessed
Can You See The Clock
Carry On Church
Chains
Changing Of The Seasons
Coming Back
Consider The Lilies
Could I Wish
Create In Me
Crying In The Garden
Don't Get Down On Jesus
Don't You Love To Sing About Home
Every Need Supplied
Eyes Of Jesus
Faith Gets The Job Done
Gentle Hands
God Has Planned Heaven So Well
God Likes People
God Still Loves The World
God's Gonna Shake This World Again
Good Things
Have You Made Your Reservation
He Filled A Longing
He'll Lead Me All The Way
Here's A Little Good News
He's Really Done A Work In My Life
He's Still Working On Me
Holy Ghost Revival
I Am Determined
I Came On Business For The King
I Can Almost See The End From Here
I Can Smile
I Cast My Bread Upon The Water
I Claim The Blood
I Found A Better Way
I Found The City
I Know You Would
I Laid It All Down
I Learned About Jesus In Grandma's Rocking Chair
I Need You
I Really Do Believe In The Lord
I Took A Look
I Wanna Do Right
I Wonder Where They Go
I'd Like To Say It Again
If I Could Talk With The Lord
I'll Be Glad When Everybody's Singing Jesus Songs
I'll Soon Be Gone
I'll Wish I'd Done More
I'm A Winner
I'm In This Church
I'm Not Perfect Just Forgiven
I'm So Excited
I'm Trusting The Blood
Incomparable God
It Might As Well Be Me
It Shall Be Well With The Righteous
It Wasn't Raining When Noah Built The Ark
It'll Be Worth Every Mile Of The Trip
It's All Right
Jesus Built This Church On Love
Jesus Held On To My Hand
Jesus Saves
Keep Coming Back To The Well
Lay Your Burdens Down At The Cross
Let Me Feel Your Spirit
Let Me Feel Your Spirit Once Again
Let The Blood Of Calvary Speak For Me
Let's Have A Revival
Lifting Up Jesus
Look What's Coming Down The Road
Lord Show Me Your Hands
Lord To Know That I Have You
Lord To Sing About You
Make Calvary Real To Me
Make The Lord A Good Soldier
Master Of The Wind
Minute By Minute
My Armor
Never A Man Spoke Like This Man
No Disappointment In Jesus
Not In A Million Years
Old Brush Arbor Days
On The Way Up
Only Jesus
Paid In Full
Pity The Man
Point Of No Return
Ready To Leave
Ring The Bells
Run To Jesus
Showing My Appreciation
Sing Me A Happy Song
Sing Me A Song
Sing The Glory Down
Small Men Cast Long Shadows
Somebody Up There Loves Me
Sometimes I Wonder
Sweet Zion's Song
Take Us Home With You
Testimony
Thank God For The Morning
Thank God For The Old Rugged Cross
Thank The Lord
Thank You Lord For Holding Me
That's What Calvary Means To Me
The Carpenter From Nazareth
The Courage To Try Again
The Eyes Of Jesus
The Kind My Grandma Had
The Miracle Man
The Night I Walked The Aisle
The Only Real Peace
The Party's Over
The Soldier Won The Battle
The Son Is Gonna Reign
The Sweetest Words He Ever Said
The Tomb Is Empty
The Way Is Made
The Weather Forecast
The World Lost A Friend
There'll Be Someone Looking For Me
There's A New World Coming
There's Been A Lot Of Changes
There's No Stopping Us Now
Thirty Minutes Of Silence
Undeserving Of Your Love
Visit Us Now
Well Of Grace
We'll Shake Hands
We're Bringing Back The King
We've Got The Devil On The Run
What Calvary Bought
What Else Could God Do
When Jesus Says It's Enough
When The Clouds Roll Back
Without A Doubt I'm Saved
You Loving Me
You're A Living Soul
You're All Invited To My Mansion