Sunny Liu

Sunny Wing Chun Liu (April 6, 1924 – May 20, 1987) was a Seventh-Day Adventist minister and singing evangelist, who was best known in the denomination through his recordings for Chapel Records.

Biography

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Early life and career

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Sunny Liu was born to Violet Liu in Kealia, Hawaii and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii.[1][2] His primary and secondary education took place in Hawaii.[3] He left Hawaii in 1943 to study voice on the mainland of the United States, largely in the Hollywood area.[1][4][5] He earned a college degree from Walla Walla College in 1948 and became a credentialed Seventh-Day Adventist minister.[3] From 1949 until 1957 he held a position in musical evangelism for the North Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists.[3] 1951 saw him married to Bernice Lee, with whom he had two sons.[3][6] His touring prior to 1952 included concerts in Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, the Hollywood Bowl (1950) and San Francisco in California, and appearances in Canada.[7] He was ordained as a minister in 1954.[8]

Pastoral period

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By mid-1958 he had moved to Jamaica, Queens for denominational work in New York City.[3] He would later hold pastoral positions in Albany, Elmira, and Troy in New York State.[9][10][11] He was back in the Pacific Northwest in 1965, serving as a pastor in the Portland, Oregon area for twenty-two years, but also involved in Voice of Prophecy evangelism and the 1966 General Conference Session.[12][2]

Death

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Liu died on May 20, 1987, having suffered from cancer for an extended period.[2]

Style

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Liu was a dramatic tenor.[4] His early concerts concentrated on Irish romantic ballads.[4] As a pastor, his sermons typically included at least one segment of singing.[2] He recorded several albums for Chapel Records in the sacred style, and by that label's criteria became one of their best-selling artists. Through these recordings and his appearances in Adventist media he became widely known throughout Adventism.[13]

Discography

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"Prayer Perfect" (10-inch LP) - Chapel 1205 (pre-June 1955)

  • Prayer Perfect
  • Follow, I Will Follow Thee
  • Deep Down In My Heart
  • Holy, Holy Is What The Angels Sing
  • My Testament
  • Saved By Grace
  • The Lord's Prayer
  • An Evening Prayer

"The Holy City" (10-inch LP) - Chapel 1243 (pre-June 1955)

  • The Holy City
  • Now I Belong to Jesus
  • It's In My Heart
  • Are You Ready For Jesus to Come
  • (four unknown tracks)

"The Beautiful Land" (12-inch LP) - Chapel 5029 (February 1960)[14]

  • There's a Beautiful Land on High (Taylor)
  • He's Coming to Take Me Up There (Rees)
  • I Want to See Heaven (Rees)
  • O The Way Is Long and Weary (Root)
  • If I Gained the World (Swedish)
  • Beautiful Valley of Eden (Sherwin)
  • I'd Rather Have Jesus (Shea - Soderstrom)
  • My Prayer (Rees)
  • The Love of My Lord (Rees)
  • Like Jesus (Miller)
  • Never Forgotten (Ackley)
  • He Is Calling

"Sunny Liu Sings" (12-inch LP) - Chapel 5071

  • There'll Be a Day (Mel Rees)
  • He May Never Call Again (Mel Rees)
  • I'll Never Be Alone (Mel Rees)
  • How Great Thou Art (S. Hine)
  • Just a Closer Walk
  • The Holy City (S. Adams)
  • The Hiding Place (M. Rose)
  • God Whispered to Me (Mel Rees)
  • We'll Talk It Over (I. Stamphill)

"How Big Is God" (12-inch LP) - Chapel 5094 (monophonic), ST-094 (stereophonic) (1966)[15]

  • How Big Is God (Hamblen)
  • At The End of The Road (Ackley)
  • Follow Me (Tavey)
  • Surely Goodness and Mercy (Peterson / Smith)
  • For All My Sins (Clayton)
  • Ten Thousand Angels (Overholt)
  • An Evening Prayer (Gabriel)
  • The Great Judgement Morning (Pickett)
  • I Need Thee Every Hour (Lowry / Hawks)
  • Until Then (Hamblen)

"Songs By Mel Rees" (12-inch LP) - Chapel 5131

  • My Troubled Heart
  • When You Look Upon A Lovely Flower
  • When He Comes
  • Little Lamb
  • Oh What A Price He Paid For Me
  • As Long As He Loves Me
  • My Jesus
  • Oh, Wonder Of Wonders
  • I Don't Know Why

"The Lord Is My Shepherd" (12-inch LP) - Chapel 5182

  • The Lord Is My Shepherd
  • The Living God
  • Forward To Christ
  • I'll Be A Friend Of His
  • Without Him
  • He Touched Me
  • Where Will You Be
  • He Washed My Eyes With Tears
  • A Heart Like Thine

"The Best of Sunny Liu" (12-inch LP, Cassette) - Chapel 5468 (1984)

  • How Great Thou Art
  • Just A Closer Walk
  • How Big Is God
  • Until Then
  • Ten Thousand Angels
  • As Long As He Loves Me
  • When He Comes
  • He Touched Me
  • He Washed My Eyes With Tears
  • Without Him

References

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  1. ^ a b "Sunny Liu Sings Benefit Concert on January 22". Honolulu Star. January 13, 1951. p. 20 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d "Lents Pastor Dies After Lengthy Illness" (PDF). North Pacific Union Gleaner. Portland, Oregon. June 15, 1987. p. 11.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Adventist Concert Slated for June 7". Kingston Daily Freeman. Kingston, New York. June 4, 1958. p. 6 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Sunny Liu Sings Irish Ballads on Concert Program". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. January 19, 1951 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Sunny Liu Concert Monday Is Benefit for Mission Academy". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. January 17, 1951 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Obituaries" (PDF). Adventist Review. Hagerstown, Maryland. October 8, 1987. p. 21.
  7. ^ "Concert Scheduled on January 22 by Sunny Liu, Tenor". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. January 11, 1951 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Church News". The Daily Journal. Vineland, New Jersey. January 5, 1963 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Adventists To Welcome New Pastors". The Troy Record. Troy, New York. October 16, 1962 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Hawaiian Pastor in Concert Here". The Pocono Record. Pocono Pennsylvania. September 13, 1963 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Liu to Speak". The Star-Gazette. Elmira, New York. June 6, 1965 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Gospel Singer". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. October 10, 1966 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Sunny Liu Succumbs to Cancer" (PDF). Adventist Review. Hagerstown, Maryland. June 25, 1987. p. 7.
  14. ^ Sunny Liu Sings (Liner notes). Liu, Sunny. Mountain View, California: Chapel Records. LP 5071.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ "Spotlight on Records". Lake Union Herald. Berrien Springs, Michigan. July 5, 1966. p. 2.
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