Keith Green

Keith Gordon Green (October 21, 1953 – July 28, 1982) was an American gospel singer, songwriter, and pianist originally from Sheepshead Bay, New York. Green is best known for his strong devotion to Christianity and his unwavering efforts to stir others to the same. Notable songs written by Green and/or his wife, Melody Green, include "Your Love Broke Through", "Make My Life A Prayer to You", "Asleep In The Light", and "The Prodigal Son Suite", as well as the popular modern hymns "O Lord, You're Beautiful" and "There Is A Redeemer".

Early life

Green took to music at a young age, beginning with the ukulele at age 3, the guitar at 5, and the piano at 7. His talents were noted by a major newspaper by the time he was only eight years old. Following a performance of Arthur Laurents' The Time of the Cuckoo, a local review by the Los Angeles Times wrote that "roguish-looking, eight-year-old Keith Green gave a winning [character] portrayal" as "the little Italian street urchin, Mauro"; another review commented that he "stole the show". The show was Keith's first appearance in live theater, which was held in Chatsworth, California, in September 1962. According to the LA Times, Keith had already "done a number of television commercials and...made a TV pilot."

At ten years old, Green went on to play "Kurt von Trapp" in a major production of The Sound of Music at the Valley Music Theater in Woodland Hills, California, part of the San Fernando Valley.

Keith Green's first disc release. The other side has the song The Way I Used To Be.

At age eleven in February 1965, with 40 original songs already under his belt, Green signed a 5-year contract with Decca Records (with his father, Harvey Green (1924-1999), as business manager). The first song released on disc was "The Way I Used to Be" in May 1965 (produced by Gary Usher), which he had earlier composed and published before signing on with Decca. Upon publication of this song, Green became the youngest person ever to sign with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

Decca Records planned to make Green a teen-idol, regularly getting the young pre-teenager featured in fanzines like Teen Scene and on popular television shows like The Jack Benny Show and Steve Allen's show. Time magazine called Green "a prepubescent dreamboat". His dreams of stardom were shattered, however, when Donny Osmond stole his short-lived spotlight and Green was quickly forgotten.

By his mid-teens, Green became heavily involved in drug use, eastern religion, astrology, and mysticism. After experiencing a horrifying "bad trip", he abandoned drug use and also became bitter towards philosophy and theology in general. In the midst of his skepticism, as Green described it, God's love "broke through" his "calloused heart". He began on a new path "with Christ as his guru", but had many "spiritual struggles" and hardships along the way. He married Melody Steiner on Christmas day 1973, and the two became involved in the Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Southern California, where they were introduced to Bob Dylan.

Ministry

In 1975, the Greens began an outreach program in the suburbs of San Fernando Valley, California, by purchasing a home next door to theirs and renting an additional five in the same community to provide housing and care for prostitutes, drug addicts, and homeless people. This outreach ministry was dubbed Last Days Ministries (LDM) 2 years later.

Recording

Green was signed to Contemporary Christian music label Sparrow Records in 1976 and worked on the album Firewind (1976) with 2nd Chapter of Acts, Terry Talbot, John Talbot, and Barry McGuire. His first solo project, For Him Who Has Ears to Hear, was released in 1977. No Compromise followed in 1978.

In 1979, Green surprised many in the music industry by refusing to charge money for concerts or albums. He negotiated a release from his contract with Sparrow. The Greens then mortgaged their home to privately finance the album So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt (with a guest appearance by Bob Dylan), which was then offered through mail-order and at concerts for a price determined by the purchaser. As of May 1982, Green had shipped out more than 200,000 units of his album – 61,000 for free. Subsequent albums included The Keith Green Collection (1981) and Songs For The Shepherd (1982).

Last Days Ministries

In 1978, Last Days Ministries began publishing the Last Days Newsletter. Originally printed on a few pages of loose paper, it grew in content to eventually become self-described as a "small, colorful magazine", renamed in mid-1985 as Last Days Magazine. The magazine featured articles by Keith and Melody as well as contemporary authors such as David Wilkerson, Leonard Ravenhill, and Winkie Pratney, all of whom lived in the area, as well as reprinted works written by earlier Christian workers such as Charles Finney, John Wesley, and William Booth and his wife Catherine. Due to popularity of the magazine, most of the articles were reprinted as tracts. At the peak of its popularity, the Last Days Magazine was sent out to over 300,000 people worldwide.

In 1979, the ministry relocated from the San Fernando Valley in California to a 40-acre plot of land in Garden Valley, Texas, a crossroads community about 9 miles west of Lindale, Texas. Within a few years, 100 more acres were added for a total of 140 acres. In Texan parlance, a plot of land the size of large acreages is referred to as a "ranch", hence the name Last Days Ministries Ranch. In this article, the word "property" is used. Melody Green described in her biography of Keith that the ministry had a close association with YWAM.

Plane crash

File:Greens-grave.jpg

Gravesite at Garden Valley Cemetery

Green died on July 28 1982, when a small airplane leased by Last Days Ministries crashed after taking off from a private airport in Texas referred to in the NTSB crash report as Garden Valley Airport. Green had planned to give visiting friends an aerial view of the Last Days Ministries property. Two of Green's children, three year old Josiah, and two year old Bethany, were on board the plane, as was pilot Don Burmeister, and friends John and Dede Smalley and all six of their children. All passengers were killed in the crash. Crash investigators determined that the aircraft was nearly 450 lbs. (202 kg) overweight with 12 passengers and only 7 seats.

Keith, Josiah, and Bethany Green are interred at Garden Valley Cemetery behind the Garden Valley Baptist Church, less than a half-mile from Last Days Ministries property. He was survived by his wife and two daughters, the youngest of whom was born after Green's death.

The Smalley family are interred in a cemetery in Midland, Texas.

The airplane involved was a Cessna 414, similar to that shown here.

Legacy

Two full albums of original Green songs were released posthumously: The Prodigal Son (1983) and Jesus Commands Us to Go! (1984), continuing Green's policy of charging whatever the recipient was willing to pay. Another release, I Only Want to See You There (1983) contained mostly previously released material. A complete volume of his work, The Ministry Years, was released in 1987 and 1988, including a few more previously unreleased songs.

The final unreleased Christian song known to have been recorded by Keith was "Born Again", which was finally released 17 years later in 1999 on the First Love compilation video and CD, which features a two-song tribute to Keith by other artists. Keith was working on other songs at the time of his death. Melody has not made them available to the public. She has released excerpts of his writings as books: Cry In The Wilderness (Sparrow, 1993), If You Love the Lord (Harvest House, 2000), and Make My Life a Prayer (Harvest House, 2001).

Tribute Recordings

In 1992, several artists joined together to re-record many of Green's best-known songs for a tribute album called No Compromise: Remembering the Music of Keith Green under the Sparrow Records label. Artists contributing to that record included Charlie Peacock, PFR, Susan Ashton, Margaret Becker, Michael Card, GLAD, Rich Mullins, Steven Curtis Chapman and Russ Taff.

In 2001, BEC Records released a second, more modern, tribute record Start Right Here: Remembering the Life of Keith Green. That tribute was produced by Derri Daugherty and included performances by MxPx, Joy Electric and others.

In 2002, upon the twentieth anniversary of Keith's death, Sparrow Records released another tribute album. Your Love Broke Through: The Worship Songs of Keith Green contains re-recordings by Rebecca St. James, Michelle Tumes, Chris Tomlin, Twila Paris, Darlene Zschech, Jason Upton, Martin Smith, Charlie Hall, Joanne Hogg, Matt Redman, Paul Oakley, and Sarah Sadler. This album includes "There Is One" performed by Michael W. Smith, which was an unfinished work completed by Michael W. Smith and Martin Smith.

Last Days Ministries

Green Hall building, originally part of LDM property, named after Keith Green when Teen Mania bought the property

The LDM property was sold in 1996 and is now occupied by Teen Mania Ministries. Teen Mania has dedicated one of its dormitories, Green Hall, in memory of Keith. Melody Green continues to operate Last Days Ministries from Oceanside, California, and is a well-known speaker and author. With David Hazard she authored a biography of Keith, No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green (Harvest House Publishers, 1989; revised and expanded in 2000; also on the Compact Disc version of The Ministry Years, Volume Two album).

Honors

On November 27, 2001, Keith Green was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

He was honored with the ASCAP Crescendo Award at the 28th annual ASCAP Christian Music Awards presentation dinner on April 3, 2006. Melody was present to receive the award.

Quotes

"It's time to quit playing church and start being the Church (Matt. 18:20)" — Keith Green, as quoted by Melody Green in the introduction to A Cry in the Wilderness, Sparrow Press, 1993.

"I repent of ever having recorded one single song, and ever having performed one concert, if my music, and more importantly, my life has not provoked you into Godly jealousy or to sell out more completely to Jesus!" — Keith Green

"You shouldn't go to college unless God has definitely called you to go." — Keith Green, 'Why YOU should go to the mission field', 1982

"No Compromise is what the whole Gospel of Jesus is all about... 'For I tell you...no man can serve two masters...' (Matt. 6:24). In a day when believers seem to be trying to please both the world and the Lord (which is an impossible thing), when people are far more concerned about offending their friends than offending God, there is only one answer...Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him!" — Keith Green, No Compromise album, 1978.

"He, being dead, yet speaketh." — Leonard Ravenhill, Keith's mentor, borrowing from Hebrews 11:4 (KJV) in his 1990 2-page Memories of Keith tribute from a computer file, part of the Enhanced CD version of No Compromise by Melody Green with David Hazard.

Discography

Released while living

Early releases

Besides the first disc release in May 1965 (pictured above), two more Decca disc releases occurred before Donny Osmond took the spotlight.

Girl Don't Tell Me, Decca 31859, released October 1965. The other song was How To Be Your Guy.

Home Town Girls, Decca 31973, released July 1966. The other song was You're What's Happening Baby.

Later releases

• For Him Who Has Ears to Hear (1977)
• No Compromise (1978)
• So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt (1980)
• The Keith Green Collection (1981)
• Songs For The Shepherd (1982)

Released (officially) posthumously

• The Prodigal Son (1983)
• I Only Want To See You There (1983)
• Jesus Commands Us To Go (1984)
• The Ministry Years, Volume One (1977-1979) (1987)
• The Ministry Years, Volume Two (1980-1982) (LP Album Release) (1988)
• The Ministry Years, Volume Two (1980-1982) (CD Release) (1999)
• The Ultimate Collection (DVD/CD Release) (2002)

Tribute albums

• No Compromise: Remembering the Music of Keith Green (1993)
• Start Right Here: Remembering the Life of Keith Green (2001)
• Your Love Broke Through: The Worship Songs Of Keith Green (2002)

Bibliography

(All released posthumously)

• No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green (1989)
• A Cry In The Wilderness: Twelve Bold Messages About Uncompromising Faith (1993)
• If You Love The Lord (2000)
• Make My Life A Prayer (2001)

External links

• Last Days Ministries
• Keith Green's Music (Rhapsody Playlist)
• Index of Articles from the Last Days Newsletter
• Memories of Keith Green Yahoo! Group
• NTSB Report of Crash
• Aircraft Incident and Accident report (contains text of above NTSB report and a great deal more information)
• Famous People Who Died in Aviation Accidents, 1980s (This ties Keith Green to the Aircraft Registration Number in the NTSB report)
• Keith Green's Burial Site
• High Altitude Aerial Photo of Garden Valley, with a view of private runway inside the Last Days Ministries property (1995 satellite photo)