Anthony Johnson Showalter (1858 - 1924) was an American gospel music composer, teacher and publisher.[1] He was born May 1, 1858 in Cherry Grove, Virginia. Showalter was trained in the Ruebush-Kieffer School of Music and was teaching in singing schools by age fourteen. In 1884, he formed the Showalter Music Company of Dalton, Georgia. He was also an elder of the First Presbyterian Church in Dalton. Showalter's best known song is "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms". He wrote the music and chorus, and Elisha A. Hoffman wrote the verses.[2] Showalter authored several rudiment books on music theory and a book on harmony and song composition. These were widely used in singing schools across the South. Anthony Johnson Showalter died November 16, 1924 in Chattanooga, Tennessee and is buried in the West Hill Cemetery of Dalton, Georgia.
