Some might call him a legend; others would say Roy Pauley’s career in Southern gospel music was legendary. His ministry of sharing the story of Jesus, along with his life’s partner, Amy, was Pauley’s driving force for more than 60 years. The Pauleys’ devotion to the work of saving souls compelled their fervor for evangelism.
Roy Edward Pauley went to sleep in a well-earned rest early Sabbath morning, August 12, 2023. His passing came after a brief six-week battle with brain cancer. He passed away at AdventHealth (formerly Florida Hospital), Orlando. Roy and Amy were longtime members of the Lakeview Church in Haines City, Florida.
Pauley was born October 26, 1948, in Charleston, West Virginia, to Hubert and Orva Pauley. Roy is earliest known for his part of The Pauley Brothers music ministry with his brother, Ron, during the decades of the late ’50s and ’60s.
By the mid ’60s, his music ministry had spread into the tri-state region of West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. Roy’s singing career was interrupted by a two-year stint in the Army from 1969 to 1971, including a year of duty in Vietnam as a field medic.
Upon his return from military service, he immediately resumed his music ministry, accepting the position as song evangelist with the television program, Faith For Today. While serving in 1974 as song evangelist in Ottawa, Ontario, he met Amy, the pianist for the church having the meetings. They were married on November 21, 1974, during another crusade in Santa Monica, California. She not only became his wife, she also became his piano accompanist, and joined him on an occasional vocal duet.
After working with Faith For Today until 1975, Roy and Amy moved to Kansas to serve as song evangelists, and then in 1977 to Florida Conference to continue their music ministry. Since 2004, they have continued sharing their music on a full-time, self- supported basis, traveling from their home in Florida. Pauley was called numerous times in his career to fill emergency voids with such legendary groups as Blackwood Brothers and Weatherfords. During the ’90s, he sang regularly with the Statesmen.
Over the past years, Pauley, who is an ordained Adventist minister, has been a guest soloist with the Bill Gaither Homecoming concert team and featured on two of the Homecoming concert videos. Roy and Amy are also a part of several Voice of Prophecy Family Reunion music videos. Pauley was chosen to sing bass on gospel legend Hovie Lister’s final recording in 2001 under the label: Grand Ole Gospel Quartet.
In addition to his popularity as a bass/baritone singer, Roy Pauley is known nationally for his column about gospel music legends, “The History of Gospel Music,” in Singing News magazine. “I began my column in 1986, so this is the 37th year I’ve been writing for Singing News,” said Pauley in a recent interview. The column also contains Pauley’s artistic rendition of the musical artist being portrayed.
Florida | October 2023
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