The Story of James McGranahan

Posted by Lily Topolski Music on Jan 19th 2026

A farmer's son may not be the most likely candidate that you would expect for a famous hymn writer. However, with the Lord's providence and persistence on both his part and others', James McGranahan went from a farm worker to a prolific hymn writer associated with some of the biggest names in evangelicalism at the time and to this day.

James McGranahan was born to Geroge and Jane McGranahan in West Fallowfield, Pennsylvania on the fourth of July in 1840. He grew up on his father's farm but had a love for music and wanted to study the subject. McGranahan worked hard, attending a singing school and beginning to teach singing classes by the time he was 19 years of age. This allowed him to make enough money to hire a replacement for himself at the farm, allowing his father to agree to his leaving for the William B. Bradbury's Normal Music School in Genesco, New York in 1861.

At music school, McGranahan met musician and hymn writer Addie Vickery whom he married in 1863. He continued in his music career and became more popular over time, some suggesting he should use his talented tenor voice in the opera. However, his friend Philip P. Bliss suggested another route. He urged McGranahan to use his talent for the Lord's work and become involved in evangelism.

Bliss remained persistent in asking McGranahan to use his talent for the type of work he himself was doing until Bliss' tragic death in 1876. This event brought about the meeting of McGranahan and Bliss' partner in evangelism, Major Daniel Webster Whittle. The two began working together and McGranahan wrote the music for the unfinished hymn Bliss was writing before his passing, I Will Sing of My Redeemer. Whittle recognized that McGranahan would be Bliss' successor and they worked together in evangelism for 11 years.

McGranahan then had a decline in his health in 1887 which put him into a partial retirement for many years. These years, however, allowed him to focus on writing music, and it has been said that some of his best songs were written during this time. Many of the hymns he wrote music for are favorites among the church today, including I Know Whom I have Believed, I Will Sing of My Redeemer, and There Shall Be Showers of Blessing. James McGranahan passed away in 1907, but his music lives on in the life of the church!

Piano solo sheet music for hymns by James McGranahan: