Kevin Mayhew - A Tribute

Kevin Mayhew

Kevin Mayhew died on 14 January 2021 at the age of 78.

I will remember him at his Suffolk farmhouse in the living room, accompanying himself on his grand piano singing 'Peace Perfect Peace'. He loved revisiting his famous compositions which have had such a significant influence on parish liturgy. This hymn dates from 1976. I was singing along with him at his home in 2013, but I had known his name for three decades before I met him.

It was the late seventies when I joined one of the first parish folk groups starting up in Chiswick, West London. The Mayhew-McCrimmon series '20th Century Folk Hymnal' was our key resource. Kevin wrote the words and music to such classics as, 'May the peace of Christ be with you today' and the music to many others, such as a version of 'I am the bread of life'. Making use of folk songs for hymns and parts of the Mass were very popular and easy for amateur musicians to learn. The work of Estelle White and John Glynn first came to popular attention through these books, and such hymns as Kevin Nichols, 'In bread we bring you Lord' are still heard regularly today. 'I Watch the Sunrise' appeared in Volume 2, and it remains incredibly popular for funerals - at least it did before the music died in churches during coronavirus. My favourite Gloria remains the 'Peruvian Gloria' from Volume 2. It is no longer authorised, but when the drums started up, congregations enthusiastically praised God and joined in the responses.

The composer Mike Anderson knew of him even before that. "As a student in the 70s, I saw his group 'Flame' at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and it was like the scales falling from my eyes," he says. "Here were ordinary people, playing instruments that ordinary people could play, using music of faith that wasn't restricted to people who had diplomas, helping people to worship," and he described it as "a seminal moment." Mike felt the '20th Century Folk Hymnal' series encouraged and resourced a generation of church musicians who maybe thought they didn't have the musical education and experience to contribute through traditional Church music. Kevin's later collaboration with Damien Lundy, 'Songs of the Spirit', was a similar watershed publication for many Church musicians. He says, "I count Kevin as one of the most influential contributors to Church music and worship over many decades," recalling that, "when I met Kevin over 20 years later I was not disappointed for he was an encourager and inspirer" and "I count myself very lucky to have been associated with him." Mike, of course, went on himself to compose such favourites as 'The Kingdom of Heaven' and the 'Clapping Gloria' which several generations of children in my current parish in Harrow absolutely loved, even if some liturgy 'experts' sneered.

Catholic writer Tony Castle knew him in the 60s when Kevin, originally from Essex, was a journalist with the 'Catholic Herald', "but he was also a very gifted musician". When Vatican ll inspired an opening up of the liturgy, he told me that Kevin was quick to start collecting popular music - particularly folk songs - that groups were using. The Wild Goose Resource Group of the Iona Community does the same today.

Tony said Kevin first left journalism to move into publishing as one half of Mayhew-McCrimmon, but walked out in 1976 to set up Kevin Mayhew Ltd at Buxhall in Suffolk. Tony highlights that "he could be pushy" but "he was gifted and smart, quick to recognise opportunities such as getting into the Anglican market." Stephen Dean told me, "Kevin Mayhew embraced the post-Vatican II liturgy and had a great desire to see Catholic parishes sing, an objective in which he succeeded, although in ways that did not always please liturgical purists." He introduced many hymns and songs which are standard repertoire, particularly in collections such as 'Songs of the Spirit', and published many collections of 'serious' choral and organ music. Some criticisms included the 'metrical mass settings' such as the Israeli Mass, but they were very popular. "There is no doubt that he had an immense influence on singing in Catholic parishes and the good things he achieved will last", says Stephen. Composer Bernadette Farrell describes Kevin as, "very astute at reading the market and finding things he thought parishes would find helpful."

Kevin had great commercial success and expanded his publishing. Nicholas King SJ highlights the publishing of his translation of the New Testament in 2004. Fr Nicholas had produced a fresh translation of the gospels of Mark and John for a summer school attended by Kevin's wife Barbara. Soon afterwards Kevin contacted him about translating the whole Bible. "My response, after some nagging from him, was to say that there was absolutely no possibility of my translating the Bible," but Fr Nicholas agreed to translate the New Testament. The work took two years and he says, "Kevin Mayhew produced a beautiful edition - Kevin was a wonderful publisher." However, he noticed that the last sentence of what was said about the author had, "he is currently working on a translation of the entire Old Testament". He remembers "sulking for a while" but then did set out on the task. He describes Kevin as being "unfailingly helpful and put before me the very considerable resources of the firm that he had built up with such vision and determination." This translation of the whole Bible was published in 2013. "Then Kevin organised a wonderful launch party at Heythrop College of happy memory" reports Fr Nicholas, "and - such was Kevin's drawing power - Emeritus Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor and former Dominican General Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP came and made splendid speeches in favour of buying the book - a good many copies were sold that night, and that has continued." He felt Kevin was a man with "vision, determination and sheer professional competence," and "he was also a very good man, who is much missed."

"Kevin's heart was very much with the peace movement," according to Valerie Flessati of Pax Christi. In 1988 he published 'Prayers for Peacemakers' - a handbook of worship resources which she edited. In collaboration with the Movement for the Abolition of Waw (MAW), where Peace campaigner Bruce Kent was President, he published a booklet/DVD on 'War No More'. "Kevin and Barbara became increasingly passionate about justice for the Palestinians" says Valerie. At Christmas one year he published 'Remember Bethlehem,' two sets of photographs taken in the Holy Land to illustrate the carols 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' and 'Silent Night'. They were hard hitting, powerful images illustrating the siege of Bethlehem of 2000-2002, and the eight-metre high 'separation' wall. "It would have been quite controversial and courageous" she suggests. Then there was a joint publication of a book by Valerie and Pat Gaffney of 'Peace People who changed the world' (2008) for Key stage 4 upwards. Pat says, "I would just say how open Kevin was to cooperating and publicising materials that linked faith and action for peace and justice."

In 2017 he wrote the music for 'A People of Peace' - a reflection in words and music for choir, congregation and narrator' on the horror of war and hopes for a peaceful future, with a text by Nick Fawcett, a writer and former Baptist minister. Nick said this week, "I owe my writing career to him for Kevin not only published my first book when a number of other companies had turned it down, but constantly encouraged me to produce new material and explore fresh horizons."

This was echoed by Deborah Jones, former editor of the Catholic Herald and The Ark, who describes Kevin as "a man of enterprise, initiative and energy". She adds that, "he gave me my first writing commission, the 'Focus in Faith' (RCIA group) book in 1987 - still in print - and my first editing job on a hymn book," reflecting that "he was taking a risk, yet without those breaks my various careers ever since would have been quite different - I owe him so much." Deborah felt Kevin "could be both tough and tender, unstintingly kind and helpful, and with a ready laugh."

I myself was enormously flattered when he approached me in 2008 to write 'Becoming a Green Christian' and then 'Paint the Church Green', an ecumenical study programme exploring the relationship between faith and concern for the natural world. Again, he had spotted a growing interest in what was then a peripheral issue in the Catholic Church and wanted it to appeal to all Churches. In 2009 Kevin Mayhew produced my book of 'Green Assemblies for Primary Schools'. This was seven years before 'Laudato Si'. Indeed, when the environmental encyclical was produced in 2015, Kevin Mayhew Ltd, which owned the copyright for the hymn 'Laudato Si', made the sheet music available free for a limited period.

When I was with him in 2013, along with two members of MAW, including Bruce Kent, the occasion followed a business meeting for Kevin Mayhew Ltd to produce another booklet/DVD, 'Conflict and Climate Change'. The initial idea had come from Bruce, but Kevin and Barbara picked up on it. His office complex nearby included two barns full of resources - hymnbooks, backing tracks such as 'No pianist for Assembly? No Problem', candlesticks… communion wafers…. you name it. I was impressed. Yet, it was clear that Barbara would be our link person for the production, for Kevin was already showing signs of illness.

In battling Progressive Supranuclear Palsy for a number of years, his devoted wife, Barbara, and seven daughters, along with grandchildren and a large extended family, gave him much joy as he was gradually forced to withdrew from his work.

His mission continues. Just look at the business website today - do a search on 'Lent' and 29 pages of resources come up. In the last few days I have had an e-mail from 'Kevin Mayhew' advertising a new book, 'Lessons from Lockdown'. His name lives on and a part of his legacy is the fantastic marketing of resources for Christians of every denomination. Deborah Jones says, "his contribution to Catholic and Anglican liturgical and catechetical life was enormous, and his love for his faith and his family inspiring."

Bruce Kent says that Kevin was "an inventive publisher, a talented musician and a good friend," adding that "his hymns will still be sung in churches long after most of us have left to join him!" In fact, his death on 14 January came days before Peace Sunday in England and Wales, just as Pimlico RC parish in London, in liaison with Pax Christi, released a video of the parish folk group performing 'Peace Perfect Peace'. How fitting!

Watch Peace Perfect Peace - Pimlico Choir here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev4qz4AuwCA&feature=emb_logo