Garth Hewitt

Garth Hewitt (born December 1946) is an English Christian (singer)‑songwriter and Anglican priest, active since the early 1970s to the present.

He graduated from St John's College, Durham in 1968 and from London College of Divinity in 1970.

He began his ministry as curate at St Luke's Church in the Diocese of Canterbury and was ordained by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, in 1971.

Performing and writing songs from an early age, in 1973 Hewitt's musical talent was noted by well-known hymn writer Timothy Dudley-Smith of the Anglican Church Pastoral Aid Society, which then employed him for the next six years to develop his music for the benefit of young people within the church.

As his songs became known to Anglican audiences, he played in schools, churches, and larger venues.

By age 40 he achieved recognition as "the elder statesman of the British gospel music scene."

Hewitt sang at several events organised by American evangelist Billy Graham: in 1973 at the UK Spree '73 festival; in 1975 at Eurofest '75, held in Heysel Stadium, Brussels; and in 1980 in evangelistic campaigns at Oxford and Cambridge universities.

An early partnership with Sir Cliff Richard was formed in 1977 when Hewitt wrote the music for a film about third world poverty, in which Richard performed, called A World of Difference.

Backed by the Christian relief agency, Tearfund, the film featured Hewitt singing the title song "A World of Difference."

The following year Richard provided backing vocals on Hewitt's album I'm Grateful.

A year later, he produced Hewitt's album Did He Jump... or Was He Pushed? Richard subsequently covered two tracks from that record.

First was the single issued from it, "Did He Jump," which did not chart.

Hewitt was ambivalent about its release in any event since the long playing album was his preferred medium as he later recalled.

Having been influenced in his early thinking and theology by Martin Luther King Jr, Archbishop Trevor Huddleston, Canon John Collins, Monsignor Bruce Kent among others, Hewitt's invitation by Tearfund to travel with the organisation to Haiti in 1978 confirmed the direction of his music and ministry.

From that point he began to focus his understanding of the role of a priest in the context of activism and protest.

Hewitt traces his awareness of social issues to a sermon he heard as a teenager by Martin Luther King Jr when King was guest preacher at London's St Paul's Cathedral.

King, who was on his way to Oslo, Norway, to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, attracted a congregation of more than 4,000 that afternoon.

He had been invited by another of Hewitt's exemplars, the canon of St Paul's, John Collins, and he spoke on "The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life"—the love you should have for yourself, the love you should show to your neighbour, and love for God.

However, Richard recorded the song live at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1979, when he spoke of Hewitt as "a fine singer-songwriter."

The second track was "A World of Difference", which Richard knew from the Tearfund film.

With backing vocals by DJ Kenny Everett, Richard recorded Hewitt's 1981 track "Under the Influence" for the B side of his single "The Only Way Out" in 1982.

In 1983 Hewitt won wide acclaim in the developing world upon the release of his Indian and African influenced album, Road to Freedom.

It featured the track "Namirembe" about a hill in Kampala, Uganda.

The track became so popular in that country that the people of Uganda nicknamed him "Namirembe."

His commitment to social justice pervades his music and led him to found the human rights charity Amos Trust in 1985.

He continues to raise awareness of social justice issues by recording and releasing albums, and also through writing books and articles.

The son of Anglican Reverend Thomas Hewitt and brother of broadcaster, Gavin Hewitt, Garth Hewitt attended St John's School in Leatherhead, Surrey.

He sang it at the Live Aid after‑party at a nightclub in London in 1985.

In 1988 he was named International Artist of the Year at the Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards in Nashville.

The award was for what the judges said was his many years of commitment to the disadvantaged.

One song specifically mentioned was Hewitt's "A Child is the Future" with its concern for children born into poverty.

In 1989 Hewitt controversially gave open support to Viraj Mendis, a Sri Lankan refugee who claimed sanctuary in a Manchester church in an attempt to avoid deportation from the UK.

An example of Hewitt using his lyrics for protest and awareness-raising was his song, "You Are Loved Stephen Lawrence", written on the murder of 18-year-old Stephen Lawrence, killed in a racist attack in Eltham, London, in 1993.

Stephen's mother Doreen Lawrence selected the song as a choice when she appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.

Richard later added the track to his album Now You See Me, Now You Don't on the album's re‑release in 2002.

Hewitt has also worked with an eclectic array of singers, arrangers, and instrumentalists on his records.

They include fellow Christian musicians Bryn Haworth and Paul Field, pedal steel guitarist B. J. Cole, gospel singer Jessy Dixon, protest singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph, vocalist Denise Ogbeide, contemporary Christian artist Randy Stonehill, producer and world musician Ben Okafor, Palestinian singer Reem Kelani, folk-rock singer Mark Heard, experimental composer Paul Pilot, pianist and singer Duke Special, and renowned harpsichordist Penelope Cave.

Hewitt has regularly toured in Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Poland, US, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia (once), and Canada (once).

He has performed in venues ranging from high security prisons in Singapore and Bolivia to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, after being invited by country singer George Hamilton IV.

Another instance was his song for American peace activist Rachel Corrie on her death in Gaza in 2003, "Light a Candle in the Darkness."