Rich Mullins

Rich Mullins' ministry ended far too early when a 1997 car crash took his life. His influence, however, was just beginning to grow. His musical skills were stacked a mile high—from being versed in piano, guitar and dulcimer to his colorful, folksy voice—but despite his excellent musicianship, he was most celebrated for his songwriting skills. He penned probably the most overall-recognizable worship song, "Awesome God," which was voted one of the top three songs of the decade in 1989 by the Christian Research Report. "Sing Your Praise to the Lord" received its initial boost when Amy Grant covered it on her album Age to Age. The hit list of signature songs went on to include "If I Stand," "Sometimes by Step," "Creed," "Calling Out Your Name," "My One Thing," and that was just the tip of his artistic iceberg. Mullins weaved everything from his spiritual roots, raised on "Indian! a Clay" (as he says in his song "First Family"), to his later life spent on a Navajo reservation. Include innate levels of folk, Celtic influences, and the stellar arrangements of his own songs, and Mullins is all things earthy and was a venerated beloved force in CCM.