There's no greater name than Jesus

Michael Baughen’s song made its mark as no.4 in the first Youth Praise in 1966. It was written at least 5 years earlier when he was a curate at Reigate, Surrey, and included in the home-made booklet Zing-Sing. These songs, encouraged by ‘The Spearhead Group’ of Reigate teenagers (the author being ‘buoyed by their keenness’) were among many whose popularity in youth groups led to the concept of such a collection as YP. This was also one of the earliest of a batch of items drawing on Philippians 2:9–11, leading to its decisive conclusion. During the preparation of HTC some years later the author was persuaded to emend line 3 (which formerly repeated ‘… name of Jesus’) and remove ‘’neath’ and ‘o’er’ from the middle part; the revised text appeared in the brief ‘Song section’ at the end of the book. In 2003 it also remarkably featured in the glossy journal This England as an outstanding 20th-c hymn. The tune NO GREATER NAME was originally set in the key of A flat and marked ‘With a good swing—fairly fast’.

b Borehamwood, Herts 1930. Bromley County Grammar Sch, Kent and (after brief spells at Martin’s Bank) Oak Hill Theol Coll (BD London). Ordained (CofE) 1956; curacies at Nottingham and Reigate (Surrey) were followed by 4 years as Candidates Sec of the Church Pastoral Aid Soc. He was then Rector of Holy Trinity, Platt (Manchester) 1964–70, Incumbent of All Souls Langham Place in central London, 1970–82, and Bishop of Chester from 1982 to his retirement to SE London’s docklands in 1996. While there he served as an Asst Bishop in London and regularly at St James’s Clerkenwell, before moving to Guildford, Surrey, in 2006. Among several popular paperbacks were The Prayer Principle (1981/96) and Your Marriage (with his wife Myrtle, 1994). He edited Youth Praise (1966 and 1969), chaired the committee for Psalm Praise (1973, an approach partly prompted by Paul Berg, then vicar of Rainham, Essex), and was consultant editor of Hymns for Today’s Church (1982) and general ed of Sing Glory (1999). He was the first chairman of ‘Jubilate Hymns’ which grew from work on these earlier books; he pioneered and led many ‘Prom Praise’ events at London’s Royal Albert Hall and other major centres. He loves mountains and railways; ‘causes dear to his heart are Christian congregational worship, evangelism and growth of Christians in spiritual maturity and trained service’. He has composed over 30 tunes and written many texts of Psalm versions, hymns and songs. 2 of his texts and 3 tunes are in the N American Worship and Rejoice (2001), while Come Rejoice! (published in UK and USA, 1989) took its title from the opening words of his version of Psalm 100 which features in at least 10 books. The 2004 CH has 3 of his texts and 6 tunes. Text Nos.98A, 335. See also Composers’ index.