Keith Getty Explained

Keith Getty

Birth Name:

Julian Keith Getty

Birth Date:

1974 12, df=yes

Birth Place:

Lisburn, Northern Ireland

Alma Mater:

St Chad's College, Durham (BA)

Years Active:

1995–present

Module:

Embed:	yes
Label:	Getty Music

Julian Keith Getty (born 16 December 1974) is a Northern Irish businessman, Christian singer and songwriter, best known for writing the song "In Christ Alone" in 2001 with veteran songwriter and worship leader Stuart Townend. Getty and his wife, Kristyn, also release music under the musical duo Keith & Kristyn Getty.

Early life

Getty was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, to Helen Getty (née Irwin) and John Getty. He is the eldest of four children.

Getty began making music at age 11, learning to play the classical guitar; at 12 years old he began playing the flute. During school, Getty was influenced by classical music, Irish music, and church music of all kinds. As a young adult, he studied music at St Chad's College, Durham University, graduating with his Bachelor of Arts in 1995.^[1] As a student, Getty completed special conducting opportunities at the Canford Summer School of Music and the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts. Getty participated in a summer master class under Irish flautist Sir James Galway.^[2]

Personal life

Kristyn met Keith Getty in 2002 after being introduced by Kristyn's uncle, John Lennox. Kristyn was attending a nearby university and asked Getty for some musical advice. After dating for two years, the couple married on 16 June 2004. The couple have four children.

Getty and his wife live between Portstewart, Northern Ireland and Nashville, Tennessee with their four daughters.

Career

Keith and Kristyn Getty

Keith and his wife Kristyn write and release hymns together.

Children's albums

Keith and Kristyn together have written and produced a number of children's worship albums.

2005: Songs That Jesus Said, a collection of songs for children
2016: Getty Kids Hymnal: In Christ Alone
2017: Getty Kids Hymnal: For the Cause
2018: Getty Kids Hymnal: Family Hymn Sing
2019: Getty Kids Hymnal: Family Carol Sing
2020: Evensong: Hymns and Lullabies at the Close of Day

Evensong: Hymns and Lullabies at the Close of Day went to Billboard number 1 in 2020.^[3]

Orchestrator

In addition to his work with his wife as Keith & Kristyn Getty, Getty has also orchestrated or produced music for a number of other projects. These include orchestrations for Michael W. Smith's 2004 Healing Rain album, McDonald's television commercials, and Silvascreen label movie soundtrack recordings Music from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy^[4] and Once upon a Time: The Essential Ennio Morricone.^[5] He wrote and produced the music for the 1998 C. S. Lewis International Centenary Celebrations.^[6]

"In Christ Alone" song

See main article: In Christ Alone. In 2001, Stuart Townend and Getty wrote the song "In Christ Alone" with the purpose of creating a modern hymn that would explain the life of Christ.^[7] They released it on the Kingsway album New Irish Hymns, featuring vocalists Máire Brennan, Margaret Becker, and Joanne Hogg. The song gained popularity, and by 2005 it was named by a BBC Songs of Praise survey as the ninth best loved hymn of all time, and in their 2010 survey was named second best hymn of all time.^[8] The British Hymn Society nominated "In Christ Alone" as one of the top five hymns of all time, and BBC One's "Songs of Praise" nominated "In Christ Alone" as a top 10 hymn in 2012.^[9]

Recognition

Keith Getty received the O.B.E. Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Queen Elizabeth II.

Getty has received honorary doctorates from Lancaster Bible College, a Bible college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Dallas Baptist University, a private Christian university in Dallas, Texas with three campuses, with an average SAT score of enrolled students of 1085.

They have connections with politicians. For example, in 2017, the hymn writers performed for US Vice-President Mike Pence and his wife Second Lady Karen Pence at the Vice-President's residence.^[10] In addition the couple have performed for President George W Bush, the United Nations, South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, the Enthronement of the Archbishop of Canterbury and for former UK Prime Minister Theresa May.^[11]