Cliff Barrows

He had undeniable charisma for sure.

in his later years he became much more poignant and bittersweet because they had to help him to the stage 2005 was his last crusade at the world's fairgrounds in new york and he could barely stand there for a few minutes so his charisma certainly is one he surrounded himself with really gifted people on stage and behind the stage so george beverly shea became so defined with and by billy graham Cliff Barrows would be the musical director, and what that would involve is before he would come to Charlotte, say, they'd put out the word to sing in the choir behind him, and they'd have 8,000 voices in the choir, and Cliff Barrows did that.

But behind the scenes, there was a gentleman still with us named David Bruce, who was his right-hand man.

Anybody remember lawyer Joe Greer in town? He was his personal lawyer and sort of advisor.

So, uh, I went and I got a cassette of my first recording, and I handed it to her, and I said, "You know, I just feel impressed to share this with you." She said, "Thank you so much.

I've been having a really rough time." Well, three weeks later, she was working another flight and saw Cliff Barrows.

And she said, "Mr.

Barrows, it's such a pleasure to have you on my flight." She said, "Can I ask you something? Have you ever heard of a young man by the name of Wintley Phipps?" And he said, "No, I've never heard of him." She said, "Hold on a minute." And she went back to her purse and got a cassette, the same cassette I gave her, and gave it to Cliff Barrows.

Three weeks later, I get a call from Cliff Barrows, "We want you to be one of the soloists with the Billy Graham Crusades." Hook-up from heaven, I call it.

[applause] And God told me to share this with you.

It is in the quiet crucible of your personal private sufferings that your noblest dreams are born and God's greatest gifts are given in compensation for what you've been through.

I mean, it was a different generation, right? It was the generation above us, but they had, to your point, very strict boundaries about what was allowed and whatever.

But when they traveled, it was, it was just the guys, right? It was Cliff Barrows and Billy and, you know, and it, and the team, right? They, you know, it, you know, probably back in, you know, in the modern world they'd be going, "They're misogynists," right? "They don't let women in." But they, I think they understood that there's problems, right? It's like just- Things happen and so they were protecting their integrity, right? Because again, everybody, it, it, and, uh, so there's, you know, we talk about predators and prey, right, the two Ps.

The reason I bring in a third P, which is proximity, is because it's not always predator and prey.

[laughs] Sometimes it's just proximity, right? Two people having, you know, difficult situations in their marriages or their own brokenness, and you put these two things together, and boom, it happens.

That makes a great trombone solo, doesn't it? Maybe you can imagine yourself in an old-time Youth for Christ rally with your favorite local song leader playing his trombone.

Or maybe Cliff Barrows in an early Billy Graham meeting, as Cliff Barrows used to play his trombone.

Or Homer Rodeheaver led the singing with his trombone back in the days of Billy Sunday.

For God so loved the world. . . .