Bob MacKenzie died at his home, aged 62

ONE OF American Christian music's most renowned behind-the-scenes figures, Bob MacKenzie, died at his home in Brentwood, Tennessee aged 62. A multiple Grammy winner, MacKenzie first came to Nashville in 1964 as the manager of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra before becoming involved in the Christian music industry. As creative director with the John T Benson Publishing Company, MacKenzie produced numerous albums for Benson in the 1960s and 1970s, working with such artists as The Imperials, The Cathedrals, the Oak Ridge Boys and Buddy Greene. He also played a major role in the early song-writing career of Michael W Smith. "Bob and Randy Cox gave me my first song-writing contract," Smith told The CCM Update. "He was one of the first people who absolutely believed in me. He was so passionate, a fireball. He had so much energy. It was contagious to be around him. He's going to be missed big time. Bob was a big part of growing the industry as a whole... He was a pioneer in getting (Christian music) to take off."

MacKenzie's long association with Bill Gaither led to the formation of Paragon Associates. A subsequent partnership between Paragon and Zondervan purchased the Benson Company, making MacKenzie president. "Bob MacKenzie came into the gospel music field in the early 1960s at a time when we desperately needed a breath of fresh air and a visionary with the courage to take us into daring new territory," Gaither said. "Bob was that sort of visionary. The list of artists and music related business talent that he brought to this field is endless. He acted as a catalyst and motivator for us all, to move us to new and higher levels of excellence. Still today his fingerprints remain on what we now know as the broad Christian music field. This industry has lost a giant. I have lost a very dear friend."