BIO

Jules Riding has travelled extensively throughout New Zealand and over 30  countries with music ministry for more than twenty years.

He began his involvement in Christian music with the St. Pauls Singers in Auckland, a creative itinerant church choir that wrote songs and released albums. Since that time he has written many songs used in the Songs of the Nations, Songs of the Kingdom and the New Harvest songbooks. His songs have been recorded by Scripture in Song and Maranatha Music among others. He has had three songs from ‘Kids Time 2’ selected for the SONG DISCOVERY program (USA).

In the 80s he was a Primary School Teacher for five years, and a folk guitar teacher and photographer for two. He won a secular songwriting competition Unsung Heroes which resulted in a Top 40 single ‘Round The Bays’ being released on the CBS Label.

Also in the 80s he released his first solo album ON THIS NIGHT, followed by HEARTSTRINGS. Both albums won ‘Gospel Album of the Year’ at the New Zealand Music Awards, equivalent to a Dove Award in the USA. Both albums were eventually released as one CD: PILGRIM IN PARADISE (the early music of Jules Riding, not a new CD).

The song RAY OF LIGHT from ‘On This Night’ was a finalist in the APRA Silver Scroll Award which is NZ’s most prestigious secular songwriting award.

After two years at the Orama Bible College on Great Barrier Island NZ  Jules went fulltime in music ministry with a busy schedule of concerts, services and worship seminars. During this time he recorded three more albums: REVELATION (Gold in 1996), HOMECOMING (recorded in South Africa, Gold in 2000), and THE FISHERMAN, as well as completing a twelve-month World Tour to 8 countries with his wife and children.

He is the author of two volumes of poetry and a worship program called  ‘The Father Seeks Worshipers‘ presented as a 40-Day devotional and Bible Study for small groups and church congregations of any size or denomination. Jules has released two children’s albums, and and a worship album SANCTUARY.

Jules completed his 8th album JERUSALEM after spending 3 weeks in Israel on Sabbatical. The album has a mildly Jewish flavour (Jules has Jewish, Canadian, German and European roots) with his distinctive mellow sound, not unlike the music of James Taylor, which is the most common comparison.

His other albums include CATACLYSM (songs from his ‘wilderness years’), RECOLLECTION (‘A Best Of’ selection) and his latest album RIVERS, recorded in 2019.

Jules became a Christian after an ‘extensive search for truth’ through alternative religions: Hare Krishna, Scientology, Transcendental Meditation, Eastern Religions and smoking dope. He was led to faith in Christ by a Christian girlfriend Anne Driver (nee Fenton).

Jules was one of 22 songwriters from 18 nations who had a song selected for the CONCERT FOR WORLD PEACE in Rome in 2000. However, due to political reasons the concert never went ahead. Details on: www.songcollections.com/peace

Of the future Jules says: ‘No one knows the future except God, but I believe we are in the last days of the ‘end times’ and it is my desire to be involved in music ministry until Jesus comes back with glory and great power! The Day of the Lord seems so close.. read your newspaper and compare it with Matthew 24.’  (The theme of the song ‘Cataclysm’ see  www.youtube.com/watch?v=eli9Wq-cEng )

Jules music is available from the ‘Store‘ page of this website and from many digital platforms.