Mrs. J. M. Hunter, hymn writer. Two questions.

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Robert Vaughn

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Jun 22, 2022, 5:02:10 PM6/22/22
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Mrs. J. M. Hunter was an active hymn writer in the late 19th and much of the first half of the 20th century. However, her identify seems to have been forgotten and she eluded identification until the 21st century. 

Most of her songs were used in 7-shape gospel songbooks, but two of her hymns were used by Sacred Harp composers B. F. Faust and T. J. Allen. The hymn used by Allen is well documented, but I have been unable to locate the one Faust used. The first stanza and chorus are:

God’s Unchanging Hand.

Thro’ a sinful world I journey,
Dangers thick on ev’ry side,
Seeing not the path before me,
Knowing not what shall betide;
Oh, I need a guide and helper,
One who can my foes withstand,
This the pray’r I lift to heaven,
Give me God's unchanging hand.

Chorus:
Give me God’s unchanging hand,
Give me God’s unchanging hand,
While I live and when I’m dying,
Give me God’s unchanging hand;
I’m a pilgrim, I’m a stranger,
In a dark and dreary land,
’Till I reach the gates of glory,
Give me God’s unchanging hand.

Have any of you ever seen this hymn elsewhere?

Second question.

A newspaper blurb mentions that while in Chattanooga, Mrs. J. M. Hunter visited her publishers. Any idea how the music business worked for hymn writers in the early 20th century? Did she possibly receive some compensation for her hymns from a publisher, who in turn supplied them for use to composers of music? Most of her hymns I’ve seen are in songs copyrighted by the composers rather than Mrs. Hunter.

Thanks!

Blessings,
Robert Vaughn 
Mount Enterprise, TX
Ask for the old paths, where is the good way
For ask now of the days that are past...
Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.

Steven Rowe

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Jul 1, 2022, 12:16:31 AM7/1/22
to Robert Vaughn, Fasola Discussions
I don't see that anyone answered this, so while I don't know anything
definite, I do have a possibility.

A. J. Showalter of Dalton, Ga had published hymns by Mrs Hunter from
at least the first decade of 1900s, and at the time of his death in
1924, had an office in nearby
Chattanooga, TN. As far as I know, there is no record of when he
opened that office, so there is a possibility that he is the publisher
that she visited in 1919.
He was also a Presbytherian, although I dont know if the same group of
Presbytheirans or if that would have made any difference.

He is also on record as working with lyricists, as when he wrote
the music and words to the refrain of "Leaning on the Everlasting
Arms".

Steven Rowe
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Robert Vaughn

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Jul 1, 2022, 7:54:28 AM7/1/22
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Hi, Steven,

Thanks for this information. That certainly seems like a reasonable possibility, with the different circumstantial evidence. I notice in Showalter's book The Best Gospel Songs and Their Composers, A. J. Showalter considers her among the prominent gospel hymn writers. I will keep an eye out for information along this line.

His glories sing,
Robert Vaughn 
Mount Enterprise, TX
Ask for the old paths, where is the good way
For ask now of the days that are past...
Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.
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Linda Sides

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Jul 1, 2022, 10:36:13 AM7/1/22
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G’mornin! 
I am currently out/about and cannot do the research for this, but before it was Stamps-Baxter, Stamps Music Co. Was based in Chattanooga as well.... another possibility?

Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand is a personal favorite, and I found the alternate text to be interesting. I look forward to learning more about it and also about Mrs. Hunter.

Linda J. Sides
Fort Payne, Alabama 
“...tune my heart to Sing Thy Grace!”

On Jul 1, 2022, at 6:54 AM, 'Robert Vaughn' via Fasola Discussions <fasola-di...@googlegroups.com> wrote:


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Robert Vaughn

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Jul 2, 2022, 11:11:45 AM7/2/22
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Thanks, Linda.

From a quick look online I did not find much. It said that Stamps formed a music company in 1924 and that Baxter joined him in 1926. So maybe before that Baxter was operating in Chattanooga?

His glories sing,
Robert Vaughn 
Mount Enterprise, TX
Ask for the old paths, where is the good way
For ask now of the days that are past...
Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.

jason.t.stanford

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Jul 3, 2022, 11:17:18 PM7/3/22
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Hello all,
Before Baxter bought a stake of Stamps publishing company in 1926 he studied with Thomas B. Mosley and Anthony Johnson Showalter. It seems very probable that Baxter worked with Showalter Music Company of Dalton, GA and helped publish Mrs. Hunter in addition to other composers. It is very likely Hunter was visiting Showalter in 1919. Showalter died in 1924. It's very possible Baxter assumed the Showalter catalog somehow and then created a merger of sorts with Virgil Stamps. Thus bringing Mrs. Hunter's songs in addition to other former Showalter Music composers under the umbrella of Stamps-Baxter. From 1926-1940 Baxter ran the Chattanooga office of Stamps-Baxter. After Stamp's death in 1940 he moved to Dallas to run the company from there.

Virgil Stamps also worked for the Tennessee Music Company, Samuel Beazley and J. D. Vaughan from 1914–24. All of these were gospel music publishers that Mrs. Hunter could have been visiting in 1919, but not as likely as Showalter. In 1924 Stamps formed his own company that merged with Baxter in 1926.

Copyrighted songs work very similar today, though now the recording method is digital instead of written. The composer would be entitled to royalties, so we must assume Mrs. Hunter collected royalties on her work. Showalter and Stamps-Baxter were publishing houses that sold sheet music and books. They collected royalties from those sales to pay the composers. They probably had a set amount they would pay for a song, for example $.10 for every 100 songs sold.

It might be possible to find a royalty sheet or song catalog from Showalter or Stamps-Baxter to definitively answer the questions.

Hope this helps
Jason Stanford
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