Janice Kapp Perry facts for kids
Janice Kapp Perry (born October 1, 1938) is an American composer, songwriter, and author. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has written over 3,000 songs. Some of her songs are in the church's official songbooks, like the Children's Songbook. Two of her most famous songs are "I Love to See the Temple" and "A Child's Prayer."
Perry has also created music albums in many languages. These include Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
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Janice Kapp Perry's Early Life
Perry was born on October 1, 1938, in Ogden, Utah. She grew up on a farm in Vale, Oregon. Her family was very musical. Her mother, Ruth, played the piano and wrote musicals. Her father, Jacob, played the drums. Perry later played the drums in the family band.
In high school, she played the snare drum and tympani in the band. She also wrote her first song, "I Walked in God's Garden." Even though music was important, Perry loved playing sports. She enjoyed volleyball, basketball, football, and especially softball.
Perry went to Brigham Young University (BYU). There, she studied how to write and understand music. She played in the BYU concert band and orchestra. She also sang in the choir.
How Janice Kapp Perry Started Composing
When Perry was 38, she broke her ankle playing basketball. Her television also broke around the same time. With more free time, her church group asked her to write music for a show. She started entering church songwriting contests. She also wrote new songs for her local church community.
At first, Perry tried writing pop music. She sent her songs to Nashville and Los Angeles. When pop music didn't work out, she began writing gospel music. Her first church song, "I'll Follow Jesus," was written in 1976. She worked with musician Merrill Jenson to make more music. In 1978, Perry released her first album, Where is Heaven.
Two years later, she created a traveling musical called "It's a Miracle." This show was performed in 239 different places. She and her husband started their own music company called Prime Recordings.
Writing Music with Others
Perry first wrote both the music and the words for her songs. Later, she also wrote music for words written by others. She created melodies for words by Emily H. Woodmansee and Gordon B. Hinckley. She also worked with Orrin Hatch to create six albums. In 2001, their song "Heal our Land" was performed at the National Prayer Breakfast. It was also sung in 2005 for the presidential inauguration of George W. Bush.
In 2008, Perry set a poem by church president Gordon B. Hinckley to music. The poem was called "What is this Thing Called Death." She wrote it after one of her nieces passed away. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang it at Hinckley's funeral.
Perry has written nearly 3,000 songs. These songs are on more than 108 albums. She has also written eight cantatas (long musical pieces). Two of these were performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle. She has also written many musicals. Perry is part of the Utah Composers Guild. She has traveled to places like Japan and Taiwan to perform her music.
The Story Behind "A Child's Prayer"
During her career, Perry had a mysterious pain that made one of her hands unable to move. Doctors could not find a cure. This made it very hard to play the piano and write music. Even so, she kept writing songs. She learned to create them in her mind instead.
When she felt very sad about her hand, Perry wrote a song called "Lord Are You There?" She later changed and simplified it to become her famous song, "A Child's Prayer." There was a small discussion about the song's words. Some church leaders thought the lyrics should use formal prayer words like "thee" and "thou." But Perry felt that a child would not use those words when praying. The song stayed the same.
Performances of Her Music
Many people and groups have performed Janice Kapp Perry's music. These include Brooks & Dunn, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and Gladys Knight. Her music has also been on TV shows. These include Robert Schuller's program Hour of Power and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her music was featured on Oprah's show after the attacks on 9/11. Pianist Marvin Goldstein has also made albums covering Perry's songs.
Janice Kapp Perry's Personal Life
Perry met her husband, Doug, in a music class at BYU. They were married on September 26, 1958, in the Logan Utah Temple. They had five children and also cared for many other children. Doug passed away in July 2018.
While raising her family, Perry played in and started community softball leagues. Her teams won many tournaments. She also enjoyed volleyball, racquetball, and basketball. She sang in church and local choirs. She was chosen to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. She sang first alto in the choir from 1993 to 1999.
Later, she and her husband served as missionaries in Chile. When they finished their mission, they had organized four choirs there. These choirs were made up of local church members and young missionaries.
She currently lives in Provo, Utah.
Awards and Documentaries About Janice Kapp Perry
In 1994, Perry received the Exemplary Woman Award from Ricks College (now BYU–Idaho). In 1997, she won the BYU Alumni Distinguished Service Award. In 1998, she was given the National George Washington Medal of Honor. This was for an album she wrote with Orrin Hatch.
In 1999, Perry won two more awards. These were the Exceptional Merit Award and the Heritage Award. In 2001, the Faith Centered Music Association gave Perry their Lifetime Achievement Award.
LDS Living magazine made a list of the 100 greatest LDS songs of all time. Perry's "A Child's Prayer" was number one on this list. Other songs by her also made the list:
- "We'll Bring the World His Truth" (#8)
- "No Ordinary Man" (#13)
- "Love is Spoken Here" (#19)
- "In the Hollow of Thy Hand" (#21)
- "I Love to See the Temple" (#22)
- "His Image in Your Countenance" (#24)
- "I Walk By Faith" (#27)
In 2000, Perry wrote a book called Songs From My Heart. It shared the stories behind her songs. A documentary about her, Janice Kapp Perry: A Life of Service and Song, came out in 2009.
In April 2020, BYU gave her an honorary degree. This was a doctor of Christian service in music.
Selected Music Albums
- Where is Heaven (1978)
- In the Hollow of Thy Hand (1980)
- We'll Bring the World His Truth (1982)
- The Things of Eternity (1982)
- I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus (1982)
- With All My Heart (1983)
- A Time to Share (1986)
- Su Luz en Mi (1986)
- There Will Be Light (1988)
- The Church of Jesus Christ (1989)
- Scripture Scouts: Musical Adventures in the New Testament (1992)
- Scripture Scouts: Musical Adventures with the Articles of Faith (1992)
- A Song of the Heart (1998)
- 70 Favorite Children's Songs (1998)
- When a Prophet Speaks (2000)
- Janice Kapp Perry's Celtic Variations (2002)
- Los Clásicos de Janice Kapp Perry Vol. 1, 2 (2004)
- Canta Mi Corazón (2004)
- A Woman's Heart (2009)
- Let's Sing About Latter-Day Prophets (2009)
- Por Meios Pequenos e Simples (2009)
- When Love Leads the Way: 11 Songs in Japanese (2009)
- Sua Luz Em Mim (2009)
- Let Me Be A Light: 11 Songs in Japanese (2009)
- In the Arms of His Love (2009)
- A Gift of Love (2009)
- Soft Sounds for a Soothing Sunday, Vol. 1,2,3,& 4 (2010)
- He Brought Me Light (2010)
- The Book of Mormon Has Come Forth (2011)
- Soft Sounds for a Soothing Sunday, Vol. V, VI (2011)
- Beloved Double Melodies of Janice Kapp Perry (2011)
- As A Child of God (2012)
- Soft Sounds for a Soothing Sunday, Vol. VII, VIII (2012)
- Soft Sounds for a Soothing Sunday, Vol. IX, X (2013)
- Merry Christmas to You (2013)
- Christmas Magic All Around (2013)
- My Faith in Jesus Leads Me On (2013)
- Soft Sounds for a Soothing Sunday, Vol XII, XIII (2014)
- Book of Mormon Heroes (2017)
