Samford Professor of Music Paul Richardson was named a Fellow of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada during the group's annual conference at Samford, July 11-15.

Richardson, Baylor University professor David W. Music and Paul Richard Powell of New Orleans were cited for their outstanding contributions to the study and practice of congregational song. The honor is the highest bestowed by the Society.

Richardson received Samford's 2007 Buchanan Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching.  A professor of voice and church music, he co-authored "I Will Sing the Wondrous Story": A History of Baptist Hymnody in America (2008), as well as Singing Baptists: Studies in Baptist Hymnody in America (1994) and contributed to the Handbook to The Baptist Hymnal (1992) and The New Century Hymnal Companion (1998).

Richardson also has collaborated on important hymnal projects including 2010’s Celebrating Grace, A Hymnal for Baptist Worship, for which he chaired the format and organization committee, as well as The Worshiping Church (1990) and its Worshiping Church Leaders Edition (1991). His articles and reviews appear in a variety of periodicals related to hymnology, church music, and worship. Educated at Mars Hill College (B.M.) and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminar (M.C.M. and D.M.A.), he also completed post-doctoral study at the Eastman School of Music and at Colgate Rochester Divinity School/Bexley Hall/Crozer Theological Seminary. 

The Hymn Society is an organization of member pastors, musicians, scholars, poets, composers and other hymn lovers.  The organization advocates song as an integral component of worship, fosters the writing and singing of new texts and tunes, and promotes learning about the origins of the words and music sung as hymns.  The Society was founded in 1922 and has 2000 members in the United States and Canada and around the world.