User:Justaxn/sandbox/Strathdee

Jim and Jean Strathdee are American musicians working in the Methodist tradition of choral and congregational singing. Their music invites all who sing it into the love and sharing that can be found in following the Way of Jesus. They have created, performed, and led worship music together since 1971 throughout the United States and Canada as well as in India, Mexico, Nicaragua, Palestine, and more "in ministry to the church-at-large." Their music is published in at least a dozen hymnals across denominations and around the world. Their focus is "Christian roots—Social justice—Interfaith respect." They provide free access through their website to more than 100 sing-along videos for worship use in churches without skilled music leaders.

Their repertoire covers most forms of music, because they try to find the best of all worlds through their music. Their songs include folk, rock, jazz and international accompanied with guitar, piano, mandolin, harmonica and African drums, resulting in a wide range of emotional diversity, from prayerful to playful. "We look on our music as an enrichment to the old traditional hymns," Jim said. "There should be something in there for everyone," Jean added. They like to get the audience singing along, even dancing in the aisles. That joyful spirit of ministry is central. As Jim said, "Our goal is to energize. Religion is how we all have to act together." Jean is particularly known for her skill in teaching songs to crowds by using one hand to direct up and down the musical scale (example here ).

Jim's tune POXON, composed to accompany Shirley Erena Murray's "For One Great Peace," has been described as having the musical lightness of a simple folk tune through a rising sequence of mini-phrases in D major for guitar. That simplicity makes the music — and the texts — accessible to the greatest number of people.

(Use Portrait_photo_Jeanie&Jim_Strathdee.jpg from StrathdeeMusic_dot_com as non-free content, justified by: a simple identification headshot presented on the subjects' official website and used only in their WP biography)

Works
The Strathdees' most frequently used compositions include:

(limit this list to 5 items?)
 * I am the light of the world (1967)
 * Sunshine in the morning (1969)
 * Water me (1980)
 * What does the Lord require of you (1986)
 * Take this heart of mine (1995)
 * We are not alone (2004)
 * Stand for what is right (2006)

The copyright management agencies CCLI and OneLicense reported that NN of their compositions were used in NN instances across NN countries and 5 continents in 20XX. They represent an important part of the Christian folk genre. Their focus is "Christian roots—Social justice—Interfaith respect."

(get a full-year or longer summary of uses reported to each CCLI and OneLicense)

Their music has been published in at least 12 hymnals and song books around the world, including at least four compositions in each of these:
 * New Wine (1969)  (13 selections)
 * Songs for a Gospel People (1986)  (8 selections)
 * Servir a Dios (1987)  (12 selections)
 * Chalice Hymnal (1995) (4 selections)
 * Voices United (1996) (10 selections)
 * The Faith We Sing (2000) (4 selections)

Plus at least one in several others.


 * India?
 * China?
 * Light of the world is also in All Together Again 128 Publisher, date?
 * Canada/Presbyterian 1996?
 * Canada/Anglican 1997?
 * Canada/Catholic Book of Worship III 1995?

They provide free access through their website to more than 100 sing-along videos for worship use in churches without skilled music leaders. One database lists 19 texts and 28 tunes composed by Jim Strathdee. The creativity of two musicians in a long marriage cannot reasonably be assigned to just one, even as traditionally male-oriented systems attached only Jim's name to much of their shared work.

Career
During the 1960's Jim Strathdee studied music at four universities in southern California, held paid and volunteer music positions at several churches, and performed across the United States. In 1963 he worked at Grand Canyon National Park and was choral director of the Community Church there. He was guest artist and song leader at the 1963 National Baptist Student Convention. In 1964, he organized youth at his father's southern California church to provide folk music in religious services; he toured the country with a group of 35, en route to performances at the New York World's Fair and the  Democratic National Convention.

In 1969 Jim adapted a poem by Howard Thurman, The Work of Christmas, and set it to music as I am the light of the world. It is one of his most enduring works. From 1969 to 1977, Jim provided music resources for the National Conference of Christians and Jews.

Also in 1969, Jim was commissioned by the United Methodist Church in southern California as musical editor of the songbook New Wine to bring new dimensions to contemporary worship. It has been described as a unique collection of multi-ethnic hymns, spirituals, and folk songs. New Wine includes new songs, new music for familiar ancient texts, and songs in Hebrew and Latin. Light of the world was first published there. The book invites singers to live into the Spirit, reborn in the Way of love. It sold more than 60,000 copies through November 1971 and was followed in 1972 by New Wine II.

In 1971, Jim and Jean married and moved to Hawaii, where he worked for a year at Mid-Pacific Institute with chaplain and songwriter Jim Manley; Jim Strathdee taught music history and directed the choir and glee club.

By 1973, Jim was touring extensively in Canada, sponsored by the Naramata Centre, a conference and educational center in British Columbia for the United Church of Canada. Jim first shared his music at Naramata in 1969, and it became the most constant and favorite of their venues every year after they began touring together in 1976. In 1983 they were musicians in residence and worship music leaders during one of the two weeks of the Sixth Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Vancouver, British Columbia.

In 1974, they established their home base at Ridgecrest, California, where Jean had graduated high school. They formed a music recording and publishing company, Caliche Records/Desert Flower Music and directed music at the local United Methodist church. They provide free access to more than 100 sing-along videos for worship use in churches without skilled music leaders. Their sale catalog includes 17 collections of songs, most with both audio recordings and score books.

In 1985, they first visited war-torn Nicaragua. Jim said, "At home we worry about [trivialities]. They're forgiving each other for killing each other's family in the war, using bullets supplied by my government. We learned all about faith from them. It's been the biggest gift of all for us." They returned regularly and translated some of their music into Spanish.

In the late 1980s they participated regularly in antinuclear weapons protests at the Nevada Test Site.

In 1990 they became the Music Directors for Saint Mark's United Methodist Church in Sacramento, California, continuing there until 2006. They then worked again "in ministry to the church-at-large," and returned to St. Mark's in 2017 as Musicians in Residence.

In early 1995 they performed at nine churches in Canada to again support the Naramata Centre and were interviewed at length by one reporter. Their repertoire covers most forms of music, because they try to find the best of all worlds through their music. "We look on our music as an enrichment to the old traditional hymns," Jim said. "There should be something in there for everyone," Jean added. They like to get the audience singing along, even dancing in the aisles. That joyful spirit of ministry is central. As Jim said, "Our goal is to energize. Religion is how we all have to act together." Individuals need to "stand up and be counted" to transform the world through Jesus' Way of love. The themes of New Wine were still obvious 25 years later.

Personal life
Jim [formal/legal name?] Strathdee was born on May 9, 1941, in, California, to Rev. Fred and Lorraine Strathdee, the first of their 3 children. His father served Methodist churches in southern California for over 50 years. Jim began singing in church choirs at age fourteen and began directing at 16. He graduated high school in Big Pine, California, in 1959. He studied music at the University of Redlands and Occidental College, as well as the California State Universities at Northridge and Los Angeles.

Claudia Jean Stevens was born November 15, 1944, in Lincoln, California to Lewis "Steve" Stevens, later a U.S. Navy physicist, and Inez Ingersoll Stevens, a teacher and school principal, as the second of their three children. She attended public schools in Ridgecrest, California, graduating high school there in 1961. She began playing piano at age 6, and by 12 she was the organist for Ridgecrest United Methodist Church. She studied music and Latin American history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, then worked in the civil rights movement in Mississippi in the summer of 1965, learning nonviolence from Jim Lawson. She earned her Bachelor's degree from Chico State College in 1966 and a Master's degree in Education from Boston University in 1967.

Jim and Jean married in September 1971 and had three children.

Notes for talk page
Conflict of interest: I have known the subjects of this article for more than 20 years, through church. They are notable for their professional music career exceeding 50 years, but no other editor created an article, so I have. Input by other editors will be appreciated. I've tried to be careful with RS, but fresh eyes will see things I didn't. See my other work since 2015 to measure my judgement.

Double subject: The vast majority of Jim and Jean Strathdee's writing credits list only Jim, but they always perform together. The creative intimacy of musicians in a long marriage cannot reasonably be assigned to only one. They are a team and thus this article is about both.