Jimmy Swaggart

Jimmy Lee Swaggart (1935–2025) was an American Pentecostal televangelist, pastor, and gospel music artist. Born in Ferriday, Louisiana, he was a cousin of musicians Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley. Ordained as a pastor by the Assemblies of God, he later became a non-denominational minister. He founded Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, which owns and operates the SonLife Broadcasting Network (SBN), and served as the senior pastor of the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Throughout his career, Swaggart recorded more than 60 gospel album titles and sold over 15 million to 20 million records worldwide as a gospel artist. His catalog includes songs such as "Mercy Rewrote My Life," "No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus," "Burdens Are Lifted At Calvary," "Some Golden Daybreak" (1958), "Looking For A City," "God Took Away My Yesterdays," and "There Is A River." He also recorded the hymn "I Surrender All." Swaggart received several honors for his music. He won the Singing News Fan Award for Favorite Gospel Music Artist in 1974 and was named Male Vocalist of the Year by Record World Magazine in 1977. He was a Gospel Music Association Dove Award finalist in 1977, 1978, and 1980, and received Grammy Award nominations for the albums "Live From Nashville" (1976) and "Worship" (1980). In 2025, he was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame.