Daniel Brink Towner (1850 to 1919)
Trust and Obey
Daniel Brink Towner was born in Rome, Pennsylvania. As a music educator at Moody Bible Institute, he had a profound influence on evangelical church music. He had received his early music training from his father, Professor J. D. Towner, a renowned teacher and singer. In 1855 he became associated with Dwight L. Moody in his evangelistic work, and in 1893 he became director of the music department of what is now Moody Bible Institute. Towner composed over 2,000 hymn tunes, including "At Calvary," "Trust and Obey, " "My Anchor Holds" and "Grace Greater Than All Our Sins." Towner also compiled some 14 songbooks and hymnbooks, as well as writing textbooks on music theory and practice. He died while leading singing in revival meetings at Longwood, Mo.