His funeral was open to the public and had a massive gathering. He is buried in the Harrison Township Cemetery in Hollansburg, Ohio, alongside his baby brother who died as an infant and his father.[
Between 1974-78, Mullins attended Cincinnati Bible College. He worked in a parking garage to help pay for his schooling. [7] From 1975 -1978 he was also the Music Director and Youth Director at Erlanger United Methodist Church in nearby Erlanger, Kentucky. [8]
In the mid-1980s he moved to Nashville, Tennessee to begin his professional recording career.
Mullins is best known for his worship songs "Step by Step" (later incorporated into his hit single "Sometimes by Step") and "Awesome God", both of which have been embraced as modern classics by many Christians. Some of his albums are also considered among Christian music's best, including Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth (1988), The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume One (1991) and A Liturgy, A Legacy, & A Ragamuffin Band (1993). His music has been covered by many artists, including Caedmon's Call, Five Iron Frenzy, Amy Grant, Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, John Tesh, Chris Rice and Third Day.[1]
In 1988, Mullins moved to Wichita, Kansas where, in 1991, he enrolled as a student at Friends University and lived with his best friend, David Strasser (a.k.a. Beaker). He graduated with a B.A. in Music Education on May 14, 1995 [12]. After graduation, he and musician Mitch McVicker moved to a Navajo reservation in Tse Bonito, New Mexico to teach music to children. They lived in a hogan at the reservation until his death.
Rich Mullins is also remembered for his devotion to the Christian faith, which was often an inspiration to others. He was heavily influenced by St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). In 1997, he composed a musical called Canticle of the Plains, a retelling of the life of St. Francis set in the Old West. [2]
His biggest hits were the praise choruses Awesome God and Step by Step. Three of his albums are considered among Christian music's best: Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth (1988), The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume 1 (1991) and A Liturgy, a Legacy & a Ragamuffin Band (1993). The posthumous The Jesus Record include one disc of demos he had recorded shortly before his death, and a second disc of recordings of the songs completed by The Ragamuffin Band, several with guest vocalists.
Mullins often called St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) his hero. He modeled his life after St. Francis by showing great compassion towards the poor and adhering to a vow of poverty. In 1997, he composed a musical about the life of St. Francis set in the Old West titled Canticle of the Plains.
Mullins was seen as an enigma to the Christian music industry. Often barefoot, unshaven, and badly in need of a haircut, Mullins did not look like the average American Gospel music writer. He was very much at home among the non-Christians, and unafraid to name his own sin and inadequacies in public. This baffled some in the American Christian culture where he seemed an odd member. His lifestyle was unquestionably marked by devotion and discipline, yet his simultaneous refusal to subscribe to contemporary Christian "niceties" made him a bit of an uncomfortable presence in the Christian music culture. Although he achieved a significant amount of success on Christian radio, he never received a Dove Award until after his death.
Unlike most artists in Contemporary Christian music, Mullins did not consider his music his primary ministry, but rather a means to pay his bills. Instead, his ministry was the way he treated his neighbors, family, enemies, and those outside the church. Taking a vow of poverty, he accepted a small church salary and spent the last years of his life on a Navajo reservation teaching music to children.
Promenade
Rich Mullins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well my heart leapt high
And I was unafraid
Of the feeling I'd stifled for so many years
Tell me how do you
How do you feel
Well the band took their places and got all in tune
And then the caller's voice
And then the boys took their girls and they started to reel
And they were singin' how do you, how do you feel
And then the people in the town said that they'd call the police
If we didn't keep down all this disturbin' their peace
And Officer Black, you know he answered their pleas
And he ran up on the hill just to see
Well he hid in the bushes just a stone's throw away
And then we all saw this change comin' over his face
But he was bouncin' to the beat and started hoppin' on his heels
Singin', how do you do, how do you feel
And then the townspeople asked him if he'd make some arrests
Could they find peace and quiet so they could go back to bed
He said if it's peace that you want, you're gonna find it on the hill
But the silence that you keep is the silence that kills
So the townspeople all got so uptight and mad
You know they fired him on the spot
And then they threw away his badge
Then they asked him to leave and he said gladly I will
They said tell us now how do you feel
He said, when the dancers took to the promenade
Well my heart leapt high and I was unafraid
Of the feeling I'd stifled for so many years
Tell me how do you, how do you feel
In Promenade, Rich Mullins narrates his experience at a dance event where he sees people joyfully dancing and singing amidst objections from the townspeople. Initially, he too was hesitant to participate due to fear of judgment and criticism, but eventually, he embraces the moment and joins them. The chorus repeatedly asks, "how do you feel?" seemingly inviting listeners to check in with their emotions and feel comfortable expressing themselves freely. Officer Black, who was called by the townspeople to shut down the dance, too is caught up in the spirit of the moment and joins in the festivities. In the end, the townspeople fire him and ask him to leave, but he leaves gladly, proving that his heart lies with the dancers and their celebration.
Rich Mullins uses the dance and Officer Black's response to it as an analogy for a much larger concept. It represents the fear of expressing one's true emotions and personality due to societal pressure and judgment. The townspeople, in this case, represent those who conform to societal norms and expect everyone else to do the same. They are afraid of any form of disturbance and see everything outside of their set standards as a threat. Officer Black's response, on the other hand, represents the possibility of embracing one's true self and finding joy in it, no matter how different it might seem.
In terms of the musical composition, Promenade has a folk-rock feel to it, with the use of acoustic guitar, harmonica, and percussive elements. It features Mullin's signature eloquent storytelling and thought-provoking lyrics. The song was first released as part of his album, The World as Best as I Remember It, Volume 2 (1992), and has been covered by several artists over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
When the dancers took to the promenade
The start of the dance excited the singer
Well my heart leapt high
The singer's heart raced in anticipation
And I was unafraid
The singer was unafraid of expressing their emotions
Of the feeling I'd stifled for so many years
The artist had suppressed their feelings for a long time
Tell me how do you
The artist is curious about someone else's feelings
How do you feel
The singer wants to know how someone else is feeling
Well the band took their places and got all in tune
The band prepared to play music for the dance
And then the caller's voice
The caller announced the dance moves
Well it rang out beneath the moon
The caller's voice echoed in the night
And then the boys took their girls and they started to reel
The couples began dancing together
And they were singin' how do you, how do you feel
The dancers were celebrating their emotions through dance
And then the people in the town said that they'd call the police
The townspeople were bothered by the noise of the dance
If we didn't keep down all this disturbin' their peace
The townspeople wanted the dance to be quieter
And Officer Black, you know he answered their pleas
Officer Black responded to the townspeople's complaints
And he ran up on the hill just to see
Officer Black went to investigate the dance from a distance
Well he hid in the bushes just a stone's throw away
Officer Black watched the dance secretly
And then we all saw this change comin' over his face
Officer Black's expression changed as he watched the dance
But he was bouncin' to the beat and started hoppin' on his heels
Officer Black couldn't resist the music and started dancing
Singin', how do you do, how do you feel
Officer Black joined the dancers in celebrating their emotions
And then the townspeople asked him if he'd make some arrests
The townspeople wanted Officer Black to arrest the dancers
Could they find peace and quiet so they could go back to bed
The townspeople wanted to rest without the noise of the dance
He said if it's peace that you want, you're gonna find it on the hill
Officer Black suggested that the townspeople seek peace elsewhere
But the silence that you keep is the silence that kills
Officer Black hinted that keeping silent emotions can be harmful
So the townspeople all got so uptight and mad
The townspeople were angry because Officer Black didn't help them
You know they fired him on the spot
The townspeople dismissed Officer Black from his job immediately
And then they threw away his badge
The townspeople stripped Officer Black of his authority
Then they asked him to leave and he said gladly I will
Officer Black was happy to leave the town
They said tell us now how do you feel
The townspeople asked Officer Black about his emotions
He said, when the dancers took to the promenade
Officer Black enjoyed watching the dancers
Well my heart leapt high and I was unafraid
Officer Black was excited and fearless while watching the dance
Of the feeling I'd stifled for so many years
Officer Black had suppressed his own emotions for a long time
Tell me how do you, how do you feel
Officer Black still wanted to know how the townspeople were feeling
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: RICHARD MULLINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind