Kevin Mayhew

Kevin Mayhew was a composer, choirmaster, and the founder of a major Christian music publishing house. Born on December 13, 1942, he was educated at Westminster Cathedral Choir School and served as a chorister at Westminster Cathedral. In the mid-1960s, he became the choirmaster of the Sacred Heart Choir in Southend-on-Sea. Mayhew gained early recognition as a composer after self-publishing a setting for the Roman Catholic mass in English, which sold over 100,000 copies. He co-founded the publishing house Mayhew-McCrimmon before establishing Kevin Mayhew Ltd in 1976. His company grew into a prominent publisher of Christian music, hymn books, and liturgical resources for various denominations. Among his compositions is the hymn "Peace, perfect peace, is the gift of Christ our Lord," written in 1976. His company also recorded and published well-known songs such as "O Jesus, I Have Promised," "Here Am I, Lord," "O Lord, My Heart Is Not Proud," and "Give Me Joy in My Heart (Sing Hosanna)." Mayhew also compiled and edited the "20th Century Folk Hymnal." Kevin Mayhew died on January 14, 2021.