April 17, 2009

Shown here is the burial site of Oklahoma native Albert Brumley, one of the most successful gospel composers of the first half of the twentieth century. In the 1920s and 1930s, he worked for the Sebastian County–based Hartford Music Company, a company he purchased in 1948. The company still operates as part of Albert E. Brumley & Sons, Inc., in Powell, Missouri. “I’ll Fly Away” and “Turn the Radio On” are two of his most recognized compositions. Brumley, who composed between 600 and 800 songs, died in 1977.