Cliff Barrows, the man who served as song leader, choir director and emcee for the Billy Graham Crusades has died.
Cliff Barrows, who remained a close friend to Billy Graham, died Tuesday at Carolinas HealthCare System-Pineville after a brief illness. He was 93.
He traveled the world with Graham since the earliest crusades in 1947, in Charlotte and across the country. The two men met in Asheville in 1945 and soon formed a team that became the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
In 1947, Graham and Barrows became a “trio” with George Beverly Shea, the iconic baritone who died in 2013 at age 104. They were young, spiritually ambitious and on fire to spread the Gospel through music and sermons. They remain part of American religious history, linked in the hearts of the millions of Christians who heard them on radio, saw them on TV or packed stadiums for their crusades.
Franklin Graham said “Not only was Barrows one of my father’s closest friends, but he was a friend to all of us on the team and in the family.”
Adding, “Growing up, and until the day of his death, I called him Uncle Cliff. He was very much a part of our family. My father has said: ‘The remarkable contribution Cliff has made to my ministry cannot be measured in human terms. I love him like a brother.’ His counsel and suggestions were invaluable. He was a great friend and will be missed by all of us.