Methodist Musician and Educator Who Edited Denomination’s Hymnal Dies
The Rev. Sam Young was a prominent figure in sacred music
The Rev. Carlton R. “Sam” Young, a prominent Christian musician and music educator known for editing The Methodist Hymnal of 1966 and The United Methodist Hymnal of 1989, has died at the age of 97.
Young was a music minister at local churches early in his career before teaching a generation of United Methodist music ministers at Perkins, the Candler School of Theology, and Scarritt College.
He directed the music for nine United Methodist Church General Conferences, including the 1968 gathering that officially formed The United Methodist Church. He led the United Methodist Youth Chorale in international concert tours for the decade from 1980 to 1990.
He also served as a visiting professor and lecturer on church music.
Young composed more than 200 sacred music pieces for choir and organ and wrote nearly 50 hymn tunes. His arrangements of others’ music, such as “Star-Child,” with text by Shirley Erena Murray, and “This Is a Day of New Beginnings,” with text by Brian Wren, appear in many songbooks and hymnals.
In 2022, he published a memoir titled, “I’ll Sing On: My First 96 years.”
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Young was born in 1926, in Hamilton, Ohio. His mother died when he was one year old, and he was raised by his grandparents and his father, a Methodist pastor.
He started piano lessons at a young age and became a jazz lover, playing brass instruments and string bass. Some of his church music reflects a jazz influence, and Duke Ellington’s sacred jazz piece “Come Sunday” was among the more modern songs included in the hymnal revisions he oversaw.
The United Methodist Hymnal of 1989 remains the denomination’s principal songbook, with cumulative sales of more than 4.6 million copies.
He also wrote “Companion to The United Methodist Hymnal,” a book giving background on hymns and their composers, and had a hand in songbooks including “Beams of Heaven: Hymns of Charles Albert Tindley,” “Steal Away to Jesus: A Collection of Spirituals,” “Africa Praise Songbook,” “Caribbean Praise” and “Songs for the Poor: Hymns by Charles Wesley.”
Young served in the Air Force and earned degrees from the Cincinnati College of Music, the University of Cincinnati, and the Boston University School of Theology under the GI Bill. He died May 21 at the VA Medical Center in Nashville.
Survivors include his wife of 76 years, Marjorie Lindner Young, their children Robert Young, James Young, Carol Young Wilson and Richard Young, and grandchildren Brook Young, Rebecca Sword, Dyami Wilson, Lena Wilson, Kirby Wilson and Raymond Young.
The family has not yet settled on plans for a memorial service, according to UM News.
Photo: Rev. Carlton R. “Sam” Young / Photo via Facebook
