Gowans and Larsson Special

This week's Salvation Meeting - the 25th in the series of meetings prepared since the start of the Coronavirus Pandemic - uses songs and other music written by (or based on songs by) Generals John Gowans and John Larsson.

Young composer/officer John Larsson was teamed with another poet/officer John Gowans in the 1960s to work together on a 'new venture' for The Salvation Army: they were asked to write a stage musical.  The result was 'Take Over Bid' - a greatsuccess.

The rest, as they say, is history! TEN very successful musicals later and many, many songs added to the Army's songbooks both young officers rose through the ranks eventually to the top rank of all - and their music and lyrics have become an intrinsic part of every Salvationist's life.

This evening all the music featured in the meeting is from their pens - but there is more than that...much of the spoken content of the meeting is also directly from the 'Two Johns'.Music used in this meeting include Hundreds and Thousands - in a vintage LP recording from 1972 by the Goulburn Singing Company, 'Bill Broughton's 'Gowans and Larsson Overture' played by the Enfield Citadel Band and 'I'll Not Turn Back' by Portsmouth Citadel Songsters...as well as a very fine testimony from our friend Freddie - who has always struggled to keep himself on the 'straight and narrow'...Several of John Gowans's own poems are included, read by the author - and the sermon is led by General Larsson.