Dick Anthony (born December 8, 1932; died December 20, 2019 ) was an American musician who composed, conducted, produced, sang and performed sacred music.
Background and personal life
Anthony was born in Waukegan, Illinois, the second of five sons of Joseph and Ruth Anthony. He was born into a Baptist family which was very involved with religious music. His aunt was the organist for the Waukegan church his family attended and both of his parents were members of the church choir. He began studying music at age seven; his parents hoped he would be able to play for church services. He graduated in 1949 from Waukegan Township High School, attended Bethel College, St. Paul, Minnesota, and majored in vocal performance at American Conservatory of Music, Chicago. Anthony served in the U.S. Navy as a chaplain's assistant. He was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal; during his time on the carrier, Anthony organized and led a large choral group. Anthony, a baritone, is also a pianist and organist.
Anthony married Dorothy Bartlett, a harpist and educator in 1954. Dick and Dorothy had three children, Karyn, Scott and Cheryl.
Career
Radio and television
Anthony worked as a radio presenter with Jack Wyrtzen's "Word of Life" radio broadcasts and "Songtime" weekly show on the ABC television network from New York City. Anthony did not begin singing professionally until he became the arranger for the quartet who performed on the Word of Life. He joined the staff of Chicago radio station WMBI in 1952, performing about 25 broadcasts each week. He worked with gospel songwriter John W. Peterson on a daily radio program called "Cheer Up. Anthony also appeared on "The Songsters" and "Keep Praising" at WMBI. Anthony frequently performed duets with singer Bill Pearce on broadcasts, recordings and live concerts. Anthony and Pearce met when both worked at WMBI Radio; Pearce was also a member of WMBI's "The Melody Four" quartet. Both Anthony and Pearce also performed as members of "16 Singing Men".
In 1963 Anthony left WMBI and moved his family to Long Beach, California to direct music at the First Baptist Church of Lakewood. There they expanded the music program from a single choir to ten choirs involving 500 singers and musicians. Anthony left Long Beach in 1967 for an opportunity to work with the newly established television department of "Radio Bible Class". Anthony became the executive producer and musical director for the "Day of Discovery", a nationally syndicated television series, and for the "Radio Bible Class" ministry with Richard DeHaan. The telecasts originated first from St. Petersburg, Florida and later from Winter Haven, Florida. The radio broadcasts came from Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 1983 Anthony produced a television series called " Praise Song" for the Southern Baptist Radio and TV Commission. It consisted of various musicians (including 16 Singing Men, Bruce McCoy and Kim Boyce) performing Christian songs in unusual settings. It was broadcast on the ACTS TV network.
Composing, producing, arranging and conducting
Anthony was arranger, accompanist and orchestral conductor for other musicians and for several albums with "The Melody Four" quartet. He organized, arranged and conducted about a dozen albums with "16 Singing Men" for Word Records and Zondervan Records. In all, in recording studios in Chicago, Hollywood and London, he produced more than 100 Christian music albums. Anthony published more than 30 collections of original compositions and arrangements for various vocal and instrumental groups, including four cantatas and a youth musical.
Anthony received many offers to work with non-religious music, but was not interested as he preferred to work solely with religious music. He had no bias against secular music and often arranged and composed his religious music with an ear toward popular music as he saw it as a way to reach people. In 1965, he opened Anthony Publishing Company/Anthony Music in Long Beach, which published both religious music and books about it.