Gene Ezell ’70
June 23, 2022
Gene Ezell ’70 was featured in the gospel music magazine “Singing News” for his acclaimed accomplishments in the Christian music industry.
During his years at Asbury, most of Ezell’s writing was primarily academic, except for creative endeavors like poetry. As a physical education major, his only exposure to singing was during halftime of the University’s tumbling team performance. Upon graduation, Ezell multitasked in teaching as a professor full-time at the University of Tennessee and pitching his Christian music-centered song ideas to publishers in Nashville.
“Within a year of doing that, I started getting interest from several publishers and one of those publishers, Daywind Publishing in Nashville, Tenn., started publishing my songs,” said Ezell. “Within three years of that process, I signed an exclusive publishing agreement with Sunset Gallery Music in Santa Barbara, Calif.”
Years later, Ezell has written more than 800 songs with multitudes included on contemporary Christian albums and played on the radio. He is an exclusive writer with Crossroads Music in Asheville, N.C.
He has worked with Christian artists such as Old Path, writing the #1 Gospel song, “Look at All I Lost,” The Triumphant Quartet, and The Kingsmen Quartet, with which he has written “Just Climb,” a song that reached #1 on the billboard chart and was nominated for a Dove Award.
“I pray that my songwriting will bless people in their faith walk and help them to get through the hurt and pain that life can throw at us sometimes,” concluded Ezell. “I also pray that I will be a faithful vessel for any lyrics and music that I write and that the songs will be used to further the Kingdom rather than myself.”