Barney Elliott Warren

Barney Elliott Warren (1867–1951) was an American Christian hymnwriter and minister known for his prolific contribution to gospel song and hymnody. He was born in Lewiston, New York, on February 20, 1867, and grew up in a time and place where revival meetings and sacred music were a central part of religious life. As a young man he experienced his own conversion in 1884 at a revival meeting at Grand Junction near Bangor, Michigan, which set the course for his lifelong service in Christian ministry and music.

Shortly after his conversion, Warren joined the evangelistic singing company led by Daniel Sidney Warner as a bass vocalist. There he met fellow musician Nannie Kigar, whom he later married. As both a minister and a musician Warren served several congregations and devoted much of his life to writing and compiling sacred songs. From 1888 until 1940 he was deeply involved with the Gospel Trumpet Company, the publishing arm of the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), where he worked on numerous songbooks and hymnals that shaped the repertoire of American gospel music in his era.

Warren has been credited with composing the words, the music, or both for thousands of hymns and children’s gospel songs. Although many of these have since faded from widespread use, several remain cherished in various congregations and gospel traditions. His legacy includes well‑loved pieces such as “It is Truly Wonderful,” “Joy Unspeakable,” and the arrangement of “Farther Along.”

He died on April 21, 1951, in Springfield, Ohio, and was laid to rest in Vale Cemetery.