Ever Gentle Ever Sweet

This song was written by Steve Adams, an American songwriter, organist, and pianist. This song was recorded by Doug Oldham and the Gaithers and
copyright in 1971 by Dimension Music. Stephen Robert Adams was born in 1943 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and is the son of Nathan and Mary Adams.  He was raised in parsonages in New England and Indiana as his father was a Nazarene Pastor for more than 25 years.  Steve and his brother Nate were singing on network radio before they were school age.  Adams even began studying music at the age of 7.  A Nazarene pastor's wife named, Rita Rundlett was his piano instructor. By the time he was 13 he had felt the call of God to be a music writer.  He composed his first song while attending the Portsmouth, Rhode Island Camp.  In 1960 he was the organist at the church his father pastored.   

After recording this hymn in 1971, Adams began accompanying Doug Oldham in 1973.  He married Janet "Jane" and they have two sons.  The next seven years he became a full time minister of the music in Xenia, Ohio.  It is here where he survived a devastating tornado in April 1974.  He ran from his car after seeing the funnel cloud into a nearby furniture store where he hid under a sofa he overturned.  His son Craig recounts his father's story saying it took his dad over an hour to slowly pull enough rubble towards him to make a hole big enough to escape.  He went back couple day later with his pastor and found out the National Guard had been digging for him and that everyone else in that store that day had been found dead.  His pastor told him, "God doesn't promise to take us out of the storms of life.  He does promise, however, that he will be right in the middle of them with us. From this disaster he wrote the song "Peace in the Midst of the Storm." as that is what Adams had described during that moment of time.  As if this wasn't bad enough, in that same year he had an allergic reaction to propane gas from his trailer that took his voice for the next two and a half years.  He regained his voice one night while traveling as an accompanist with Doug Oldham.  

New update: I have been blessed to be able to not only correspond with his son Craig; I have also been able to correspond with Steve Adams himself.  He said there was no big inspiration with this song like there was with "Peace in the Midst of the Storm." He says most of his songs came from the result of life situations and religious experiences.  Sometimes they are momentary inspiration such as the song, "Where the Spirit of the Lord Is" which he wrote while playing an invitation in a local church.  He simply said he wants the Lord to sing His songs through him.  It was an honor to be able to hear from him and hope this blessed him as well as others.  

Lyrics:

His love is like a rolling river

A clear and cool retreat

Flowing on and calm and beauty

Gentle, ever sweet

Ever gentle, ever sweet

Gentle, ever sweet

His love is like a rolling river

Gentle, ever sweet

His love is like an April shower

With a steady beat

Sprinkling drops of joy and beauty

Gentle, ever sweet

Ooohh

His love is like an April Shower

Gentle, ever sweet

His love is like a wind that's whispering

Softly through the breeze

Scattering the seeds of beauty

Gentle, ever sweet

Ever gentle, ever sweet

Gentle, ever sweet

His love is like a wind that's whispering

Gentle, ever sweet

Gentle, ever sweet

Gentle, ever sweet

Gentle, ever sweet

Ever gentle, ever sweet

Gentle, ever sweet

His love is like a wind that's whispering

Gentle, ever sweet

Gentle, ever sweet

Gentle, ever sweet

More modern sweet version by the Collingsworth Family

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCesi0bZ_Mw9sRzBjUIIR3Vw

                                                                                                                                                                          

Other songs written by Stephen R Adams

Peace in the Midst of the Storm

Found Steve and son Craig singing this song together

uploaded on April 26, 2020 by Oakland Church of the Nazarene

This song is one of my favorites as I have seem some very strong storms in my lifetime. Some I wasn't sure I was going to make it out of at the time.  All I knew to do was hang on to the anchor for dear life and wait out the storm.  

Where the Spirit of the Lord Is

Found a CD Album of Steve Adams and his two sons

Sources: 

https://songselect.ccli.com/Search/Results?List=contributor_P400042_Stephen%20R.%20Adams http://composers-classical-music.com/a/AdamsStephenR.htm

https://www.whdl.org/sites/default/files/publications/1991-07%20HOH%20Vol%2080%20No%2007.pdf

Brother Steve Adams himself email correspondence.  I appreciate the information and pictures.