Homer Alvan Rodeheaver (1880 – 1955)
Inducted in 2003

Singer and music evangelist Homer Rodeheaver is generally considered the most prolific recorder of gospel songs in the acoustical recording era.

Rodeheaver began his professional career touring with the Billy Sunday evangelism campaign from 1909 to 1931. Afterward, he helped found the Rodeheaver-Ackley Company, a gospel music publisher which later became the Rodeheaver Hall-Mack Company, of which he served as President. Rodeheaver is credited with publishing eighty different songbooks. He also founded Rainbow Records, which specialized in gospel music. He was on nearly two dozen record labels during his twenty-nine year recording career (1913-42), with over 500 sides issued.

He was the first person to conduct a community sing program on radio, broadcast by NBC and CBS networks. Rodeheaver also started a summer school of music at Winona Lake, Indiana and the Rodeheaver Boys’ ranch at Palatka, Florida. Known as an outstanding baritone, Rodeheaver authored several books and owned the copyrights to hundreds of gospel songs. The two most famous are “The Old Rugged Cross” and “In The Garden.”

Through various capacities, Rodeheaver left a lasting mark and numerous contributions in Southern Gospel Music.