Rich Mullins was many things to the CCM community: a beloved performer nominated for 12 Dove Awards, an expert on several instruments (including hammered dulcimer, piano, and guitar), and a very successful songwriter, responsible for one of the most popular contemporary praise songs in existence, "Awesome God." Born in 1955 in Richmond, IN, he began playing piano at the age of four, and gradually became proficient on guitar and dulcimer as well. In 1974, he began studying at Cincinnati Bible College, where he wrote praise songs and often performed on acoustic guitar. As part of Zion Ministries, Mullins toured the country and led praise & worship meetings at many retreats. One such meeting, in Nashville, got him signed to a publishing deal by Reunion Records, and Amy Grant recorded his "Sing Your Praise to the Lord" for her 1982 album Age to Age. Just two years later, he signed a recording contract with Reunion as well.