Memorabilia Monday
January 11, 2021
Categories: George Beverly Shea, The Archive Collection
The Archive Collection
A visit to The Journey of Faith inside the Billy Graham Library gives visitors a glimpse into the life and ministry of Rev. Billy Graham. Throughout the tour, personal memorabilia is on display from the personal collections of Billy Graham, Ruth Bell Graham, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and various other Graham family members and ministry team members.
Today we are sharing George Beverly Shea’s family piano.
One Sunday morning in 1932, when Bev Shea was 23 years old, he sat down at his mother’s piano and discovered a poem by Rhea F. Miller sitting on its music rack. Inspired by the words, he wrote music for them and performed the song that same day in his father’s church service. This is the piano he used to compose the melody for that now classic hymn, “I’d Rather Have Jesus.”