David Pack has won international acclaim both for his solo work—most recently with the 2005 Concord/Peak release The Secret Of Movin’ On--and his stellar turn as frontman for Ambrosia. 
Billy Dean first gained national attention after appearing on the television talent competition Star Search. Active as a Thank You Billy Graham,
A Loving All-Star Tribute By
PAT BOONE And Friends,
Celebrates The Beloved Evangelist's Life And
Spirit.
In his spoken introduction to “Thank You Billy Graham,” an all-star recording paying tribute to the world renowned and universally beloved evangelist, U2 front man Bono perfectly captures the spirit of the heartfelt, inspiring project conceived by legendary singer and longtime Graham friend, Pat Boone. “I give thanks for that clear empathetic voice of his,” the singer intones, calling Graham “part poet, part preacher, a singer of the human spirit.”
A true labor of love some seven years in the making, featuring vocal contributions from top artists from the worlds of country, pop, R&B and gospel music-plus spoken passages from Larry King and Dr. Graham himself—“Thank You Billy Graham,” written and produced by Boone, former Ambrosia front man and Grammy winning gospel producer David Pack, and popular country singer Billy Dean, is the “We Are The World” of the current generation, the perfect way to celebrate the life and legacy of a Carolina farmer's son as he approaches his 90th birthday on November 7.
A portion of the proceeds from the DVD/CD will benefit Mercy Corps and Samaritan's Purse (a humanitarian organization run by Billy's son, Franklin Graham).
In addition to Bono's heartfelt spoken word introduction, the Pack-produced track includes vocal contributions from Lisa Bevill, Tony Brown, John Ford Coley, Andrae Crouch with the Christ Memorial Church Choir, Charlie Daniels, Destiny’s Child, John Elefante, Vestal Goodman, Faith Hill, Mark Kibble, Larry King, Kevin Max, Amy McDonald, Michael McDonald, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, MxPx, Jeffrey Osborne, Brad Paisley, Charley Pride, LeAnn Rimes, Kenny Rogers, Connie Smith, George Strait, James Stroud, Marty Stuart, Michael Tait, and tobyMac, in addition to Boone, Pack and Dean.
Opening with the line, “On the 7th of November, 1918 he was born/To a Carolina farmer and his wife,” ”Thank You Billy Graham” is a magnificent autobiographical journey through the evangelist's life, which recognizes his selfless service in bringing spiritual guidance and charity to the most impoverished and remote areas of the world. Each verse builds to the irresistible sing-along chorus: ”He Heard the word, got the call/ Took the message to us all/Said it so we all could understand/Around the world, here at home/He let us know we're not alone/Oh thank you, Billy Graham.”
Legendary for hits like “Love Letters In The Sand,” ”Ain't That A Shame” and ”Friendly Persuasion,” Boone is no stranger to great love songs, but “Thank You Billy Graham” is a love offering of a whole other kind, which points to the ultimate love of God. The initial inspiration for the project came in September 1997, when Boone noticed a powerful discrepancy in the way the world paid tribute to Princess Diana and Mother Teresa, who passed away the same week; the intense media coverage given to Diana seemed to relegate Mother Teresa and her humanitarian contributions.
”I started wondering, what will happen when Billy Graham goes to his eternal reward?” Boone says. ”Will some other news event that day push him back? We ought to honor Billy now, while he's still with us, to make sure he knows how millions of us feel about his work in spreading the simple gospel truth. The world needs to express appreciation for him before his time comes. Anything done afterwards would seem opportunistic.”
Boone pitched his original, folk-country flavored song, “We Call Him Billy (God Calls Him Son),” to the powers that be in Nashville, but they wanted something more contemporary. Enter David Pack, former front man for the hit ’70s-‘80s band Ambrosia and longtime pop and gospel producer, whom Boone met on a plane in one of those wonderful coincidences that even nonbelievers would have to attribute to divine appointment.
Boone sent Pack his original demo, and Pack asked if he and his friend, country singer Billy Dean, could take a crack at reworking the melody and making it more contemporary. They reconstructed many of Boone's original lyrics, added various elements (including a new bridge) and Pack hired some top Nashville musicians to record the backing tracks. A few years earlier, Pack had produced a Grammy-nominated all-star recording called “Songs of West Side Story: A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein,” and he envisioned “Thank You Billy Graham” in similar, “We Are the World”-like terms.
A deep love and commitment to the song and the spirit of Dr. Graham drove Dean, Pack and Boone (who fully funded the project) to persevere through several years of painstaking work, trials and tribulations-including countless recording sessions, mostly done individually at various studios all around the U.S., including Bono's spoken intro in Dublin.
”Billy has preached to more millions a simple and saving Gospel truth than anyone who has ever lived. Once when I appeared on Larry King Live with various pastors talking about God, Jesus and salvation, I turned to the ministers and asked, ”What would the Apostle Paul have given to be able to share Truth with this many people at one time?”
”Through all forms of media and on thousands of personal visits to all corners of the earth,” he adds, ”Billy has preached the same simple truth, and millions have responded to his altar call. God through him has been populating heaven for over 50 years, and it's important that we pay tribute to him in a meaningful way while he is still with us. Everyone who participated on this recording has the same admiration for the man and an equal appreciation for the influence he has had.”
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