Voices only: Garrison Keillor leads ‘It is Well with My Soul’

Welcome to Voices only, your occasional dose of great a cappella.

Our good friend Grant Rampy posted this to social media a few days ago and it caught our attention — “It is Well with My Soul,” a worship staple of Churches of Christ, led by none other than Garrison Keillor of Prairie Home Companion fame.

I don’t believe Mr. Keillor has any connection to our fellowship, but I’m pretty sure he’s heard of us. Back in the 1990s there was a big gathering of church members in Nashville, Tenn., called Jubilee. Keillor was doing a show at whatever venue Jubilee was scheduled to use and, I’m told, he made some reference along the lines of “people from the Churches of Christ are going to be gathering here next week. They’ll be confiscating harmonicas at the door.”

This a cappella rendition of the 1876 Horatio Spafford classic happened at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville during a Prairie Home Companion revival show.

Keillor “led the crowd in singing old hymns during intermission,” Rampy said. “You’ll see from the video that very few folks walked out to stretch their legs and almost everyone sang along.

“You’ll be tempted to say, ‘Only in Nashville,’ but Keillor has taken to leading his audiences in brief, a cappella singing breaks everywhere he goes. If only people from all walks of life had occasion to come together like this more often!”

My wife and I caught the Steep Canyon Rangers at the Ryman a few years ago. You might remember the a cappella “atheist hymn” they did with Steve Martin. If not, here it is:

What’s your favorite a cappella song? Send us a video link and a short description of what the song means to you. We might use your selection in a future Voices Only.

Filed under: a cappella a cappella worship Churches of Christ Nashville Garrison Keillor Nashville Prairie Home Companion Ryman Auditorium Steep Canyon Rangers Steve Martin Voices Only