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Song: Without Him (I Could Do Nothing)
Scripture: John 15:1-14
I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Mylon LeFevre has had a most unusual life, as a soldier, a songwriter, a singer and a gospel preacher. He was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, in 1944, and was one of five children born to Gospel Music Hall of Fame members, Urias and Eva Mae LeFevre. He said of his early years, “Everyone in my family played musical instruments, which lay all about the house. I learned to play them as soon as my hands were large enough, starting with the ukulele and the mandolin. As I grew older I learned to play the guitar and the bass.”
Mylon’s two brothers and one of his sisters, who were several years old than he, sang with their parents as a family group called “The LeFevres.” In addition, his brothers and one sister sang on many occasions as a touring group. He reported, “As a small child my parents stood me on the end of a piano bench to sing my first song in church. When you were a LeFevre you sang about Jesus whether you liked it or not. My parents were in church every time the doors were opened. When I was about twelve or thirteen years of age I gave my sins and my problems to Jesus, but I didn’t give Him my life. That did not happen until 1980, when I was thirty-five years of age."
“As a high school senior I had no desire to join the army, but because the draft was enforced at the time, I deemed it more desirable to volunteer for six months active duty, than to be drafted and have to serve for two years. I wanted to get the head shaving thing over with, because I intended to grow about two or three feet of hair. I wanted to get on with my life, so fourteen days after graduation I was gone."
“Although I knew very little about music, other than the playing of the instruments by ear, I began to write songs while still in high school. I wrote a song that I thought was quite good and I played and sang it for one of my heroes, a very dear friend of our family, J. D. Sumner -- also a Gospel Music Hall of Fame member. His response was, ‘Son, that’s not a complete song. You need verses as well as the chorus you have written.’ And so I wrote two verses to complete the song. My Uncle Alf, an excellent musician, put the song in manuscript form, and I titled it “Without Him.”
“While in the Army, stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, I received a phone call from my mother who wanted me to come to Memphis, Tennessee, to a quartet convention, where she and my dad were scheduled to sing. She wanted me to sing my song that she loved. After taking extreme measures, I secured a three-day pass from my sergeant and hit the highway -- hitchhiking."
“After hitching rides with truckers all through the night and the next day -- a distance of 500 miles -- and after being rained on several times, because I walked constantly between rides, I arrived at the convention hall just fifteen minutes before my parents were to go on stage. I was dirty, unshaven and still had my green army uniform on, but my mother introduced me and onto the stage I walked, shaved head and all."
“My mom said, ‘My son has written a song, and I want you to hear it.’ Little did I know it at the time, but my song was being recorded by Felton Jarvis, a producer for Elvis Presley. They had built a small “booth” -- recording studio -- for Elvis, just off stage, with a one-way mirror. He and his fiancee, Pricilla, were sitting in the booth at the time, watching my performance and hearing the song. Elvis, whose response was very favorable, invited me to join them in the booth. He recorded my song later that same week and it was put onto one of his religious projects, ‘How Great Thou Art,’ which became his biggest selling album. By the end of the year ‘Without Him,’ as well as other songs I had written, had been recorded by 126 artists.
In the lyrics LeFevre describes the plight of a man who might try with his own works or his own merit to gain favor with God. In the opening line of the first verse the theme of the song is emphasized. In the balance of the lyric there is a strong admission that “without Him” we would surely fail, be drifting, dying, enslaved, and hopelessly lost. He closes with a victorious line of thanksgiving that expresses, “with Jesus” we are saved.
Today this song, based on John 15:15, is a standard on the Southern Gospel music scene, and has appeared in choral arrangements and on countless recordings. Another influential factor in the song’s popularity, is that, since1963 it has been virtually impossible to pick up a major hymnal and find it omitted.
Mylon LeFevre continues to write songs, having written five to six hundred to date, with approximately 110 of them recorded. He has been involved in the recording of 49 albums and CDs, and has won Grammy Awards and Dove Awards, as well as Song of the Year Awards. Eighteen of his songs have risen to number one on the music charts.
Mylon and his wife, Christi, have one daughter, Summer. They make their home in Ft. Worth, Texas. Summer is the wife of Peter Furler, founding member of the contemporary Christian group, “News Boys.” When the Lord called Mylon to preach he had a Christian contemporary music band, “Mylon and Broken Heart.” Through the following years the group saw more than 200,000 young people come to know Christ in their concerts and services.
Mylon LeFevre continues to preach the Word of God in churches across America, and sings some praise and worship at each service.
Reflection:
My strength -- and yours -- is much too weak when confronting the trials of life, or even the everyday chores. We can only be victorious when we realize that our abilities, and our power emanates from Christ. I can accomplish every task that I ought to perform, if I do them through Christ and depend on Him for my strength. (Philippians 4:13)
Reader Comments
How kewl! I love hearing the story behind the songs. God bless you, Mylon.
God is good all the time & all the time God is good.
Elaine Harcourt
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Written: 10/01/2006 
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Category:
Behind the Songs
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