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Bob sometime speaks of Jimmy Swaggart. Not too many years ago Swaggart was a hell of a guy. Like it or not, believe it or not, Swaggard had "IT". IMHO One of the best speaker/preachers who has ever been. He had radio preaching down to a performance art. He was way ahead of his time. Now we are ruined with all the quacks that have copied his style. I am not a fundamentalist believer. But back in the 60s, late at night driving down a dark Texas road with Swaggard blasting out of a AM radio broadcasting from Del Rio Texas. He could scare the "Hell" right out of you. He could make you feel hells fire coming from the floor board and Satans breath at the window. LOL It is old stuff now(the preaching style) and it has been over done but there was a time when he was really really good.
...............................................................................................................Pentecostal evangelist. Born March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana. He was the first child born to sharecroppers Minnie and W.L. Swaggart, who were fervent participants in the local Assemblies of God congregation. Throughout his teens, Swaggart and his cousin Jerry Lee Lewis rebelled from their religious environment by frequenting local rhythm and blues clubs, where they quickly gained reputations for their piano playing ability. Over the next few years, Swaggart struggled with the demands of his family's fundamentalist Pentecostal faith and his love for music.
Swaggart abandoned his pursuit of a musical career, deciding instead to dedicate his life to the church. In 1952, he joined his father's newly formed ministry, where he met and married fellow parishioner Frances Anderson. After joining a group of itinerant preachers, the couple spent the next few years traveling throughout the South.
In 1962, with the help of the now-famous Lewis, Swaggart recorded the gospel album God Took Away My Yesterdays. Impressive record sales coupled with a growing congregation influenced Swaggart to form his own record label. With annual recordings that included the bestselling albums This Is Just What Heaven Means to Me and There Is a River, he continued to draw larger and more diverse audiences.
Growing Fame and Wealth
In 1968, Swaggart moved to Baton Rogue, where he launched a national radio program called The Camp Meeting Hour. By the late 1970s, The Camp Meeting Hour was broadcast on 650 radio stations while Swaggart continued to lead revivals with audiences estimated in the thousands. Swaggart's success on radio inspired him to try his hand at the much more lucrative medium of television. Featuring fiery rhetoric and extremist ideology, The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast premiered on Jim and Tammy Bakker's fledgling PTL Network in the mid-1970s. The show reached and audience of two million, becoming the highest rated religious program in America.
At the height of his popularity, Swaggart was a celebrity in the gospel circuit, with a lavish lifestyle to match. With contributions from his loyal parishioners, Swaggart was able to finance a Bible college, printing plant, recording studio, television production center, and church sanctuary, as well as a $2.5 million estate that housed his fleet of expensive cars and private jets
...............................................................................................................Pentecostal evangelist. Born March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana. He was the first child born to sharecroppers Minnie and W.L. Swaggart, who were fervent participants in the local Assemblies of God congregation. Throughout his teens, Swaggart and his cousin Jerry Lee Lewis rebelled from their religious environment by frequenting local rhythm and blues clubs, where they quickly gained reputations for their piano playing ability. Over the next few years, Swaggart struggled with the demands of his family's fundamentalist Pentecostal faith and his love for music.
Swaggart abandoned his pursuit of a musical career, deciding instead to dedicate his life to the church. In 1952, he joined his father's newly formed ministry, where he met and married fellow parishioner Frances Anderson. After joining a group of itinerant preachers, the couple spent the next few years traveling throughout the South.
In 1962, with the help of the now-famous Lewis, Swaggart recorded the gospel album God Took Away My Yesterdays. Impressive record sales coupled with a growing congregation influenced Swaggart to form his own record label. With annual recordings that included the bestselling albums This Is Just What Heaven Means to Me and There Is a River, he continued to draw larger and more diverse audiences.
Growing Fame and Wealth
In 1968, Swaggart moved to Baton Rogue, where he launched a national radio program called The Camp Meeting Hour. By the late 1970s, The Camp Meeting Hour was broadcast on 650 radio stations while Swaggart continued to lead revivals with audiences estimated in the thousands. Swaggart's success on radio inspired him to try his hand at the much more lucrative medium of television. Featuring fiery rhetoric and extremist ideology, The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast premiered on Jim and Tammy Bakker's fledgling PTL Network in the mid-1970s. The show reached and audience of two million, becoming the highest rated religious program in America.
At the height of his popularity, Swaggart was a celebrity in the gospel circuit, with a lavish lifestyle to match. With contributions from his loyal parishioners, Swaggart was able to finance a Bible college, printing plant, recording studio, television production center, and church sanctuary, as well as a $2.5 million estate that housed his fleet of expensive cars and private jets
