Bob Farrell, CCM Pioneer, Graduates to Heaven
Robert Burk Farrell passed away on July 11, 2026. He was 77.
Bob Farrell, with his wife Jayne, traveled the world in the 1970s and 80s as Farrell & Farrell, pioneering the new-wave, synth pop sound of Christian music. While his touring career was significant in the early formation of CCM, perhaps his biggest contribution to the genre was in songwriting. He turned his gifts toward songwriting, production, and musical theater, earning additional Dove Awards through collaborations with producer Greg Nelson. He helped pen, produce, and played the part of Pontius Pilate in the rock opera!Hero, a role that became a memorable part of one of Christian music’s most ambitious stage productions.
Bob was also active in supporting the work of other musicians, known as a mentor and producer for countless individuals in their own music careers.
CCM Magazine says: For many, Bob Farrell will be remembered as an innovator, a songwriter, and a Dove Award-winning creator. But perhaps his greatest legacy is that his life reflected the very Gospel he spent decades proclaiming through song.
