George Coles Stebbins was born in East Carlton, New York in 1846. He grew up in this rural community where hard work and determination were valued qualities. In turn these characteristics enabled him to pursue a successful career as a church musician. His first professional position was as Director of Music at the First Baptist Church in Chicago followed by a move to Boston to serve within the music department of Clarendon Street Baptist Church. Stebbins was soon after invited to begin work with the renowned evangelist, Dwight L. Moody, with whom he would work for the next twenty-five years. It was during this period of service that Stebbins wrote many of his hymn tunes, of which two of his most well-known tunes are CALLING TODAY set to Fanny Crosby's text Jesus is Tenderly Calling and ADELAIDE set to Adelaide Pollard's text Have Thine Own Way, Lord. After his retirement, Stebbins continued to be active in Christian evangelism, even as his hearing began to fade and he outlived his loved ones. His last few years were spent with his sister in Catskill, New York surrounded by a community that cherished both him and his work.
Biography contained in email message (6 February, 2017) from Jason Runnels, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, to SNAC.
