Janet Paschal

Paschal was born in Reidsville, North Carolina. Paschal grew up in a musically inclined Christian family; her father and his brothers played bluegrass instruments and sang in area churches as the Paschal Brothers. Paschal's grandfather was a minister who served as an inspiration in her life as she attended his church growing up. As a teenager she, her sister, Kay, and a cousin formed their own gospel singing group called The Gospel Classics.[3] Paschal started her professional career as a vocalist after graduating from high school.

In 1998, Paschal met John Lanier, a commercial airline pilot. They married in 1999 in Reidsville.

Paschal was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 and took a year off from touring to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.[4]

In 2017, Paschal earned a master's degree with honors in Accounting from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, as well as induction into the Beta Gamma Sigma international honor society for collegiate schools of business.[5]

At eighteen, Paschal was hired for her first professional singing job, as the featured soprano with The LeFevres, an Atlanta-based family singing group. After two years, the group changed its name to The Rex Nelon Singers. She sang with the group from 1974 to 1981.

In 1982, she was invited to perform as a soloist for televangelist Jimmy Swaggart's international crusades. During her five and a half years with Swaggart, Paschal appeared weekly before 100 million viewers and traveled the world singing at crusades. During this time, she performed for more people worldwide than any other female vocalist in any genre.[6] Paschal also began her solo career, releasing her first album, titled I Give You Jesus, on Swaggart's ministry label, Shiloh Records, in 1984.

In 1987, Paschal began touring full-time as a soloist. She signed with Word Records and began composing songs such as "Another Soldier's Coming Home", "God Will Make A Way", "The Body and Blood", and "If I'd Had My Way". Shortly afterwards she was invited to tour with Bill and Gloria Gaither, and became a featured artist on the Gaither Homecoming Tour.

Paschal's self-titled debut album with Word was nominated for a Dove Award for "Inspirational Album of the Year" in 1990. Her Simple Trust album featured her No. 1 inspirational radio hit "Take These Burdens". Her single "Hide Me Sweet Rock of Ages" was No. 1 on The Singing News Top 80 Chart in August 2009.[7] She has earned multiple Diamond Awards and numerous Grammy nominations, and she is consistently named among Gospel Music's favorite soloists by the genre's top trade magazines.[8]

In 1998, Paschal performed her song "Another Soldier's Coming Home", written as a tribute to her grandfather, upon invitation for the National Memorial Service of First Lieutenant Michael Blassie, the first unknown soldier from the Vietnam War to be exhumed and positively identified.[9]

In 2009, Paschal started a radio program focused on cancer awareness, Walking The Good Road, that aired on more than 30 stations in the U.S. and Canada.[10] She also began the Annual Cancer Walk at Gospel Music's premier weeklong festival NQC.[11]

In May 2019, Paschal was inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. It is the association's highest award, recognizing trailblazers that have made a profound impact on Christian & gospel music.

In October 2022, Paschal was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in Kannapolis, North Carolina. The event recognizes the musical legacy of the state’s greatest music makers.

Paschal served as the spokeswoman for an international Christian relief organization "Mission of Mercy", founded by missionaries Mark and Huldah Buntain.

Paschal has written two books:

• 1997: The Good Road (Multnomah), a collection of her own writings and reflections on life, based on the biblical book of Jeremiah;
• 2008: Treasures of the Snow (Maplesong), which chronicles her triumphant battle with cancer and stories from three decades in gospel music. The title of the book is from a passage in the book of Job in which God asks Job if he has seen "the treasures of the snow.”

Paschal was a contributing writer to Homecoming Magazine with a monthly feature called "The Good Road".[12]

• Janet Paschal – Official site
• Janet Paschal blog - Walking the Good Road