05/29/2026
Find out about California singers Jimmy and Carol Owens, and how Carol was inspired by the Gospels for the song "Freely, Freely."
Carol Owens (b. 1931) is an Oklahoma native educated in California at San Jose State College in what has become Silicon Valley. In 1954, she married Jimmy Owens, a jazz band director and church musician in southern California. A part of the “Jesus Movement,” they composed contemporary Christian musicals and performed throughout California. The Owenses were involved in musical missions for Jack Hayford’s Church of the Way in Los Angeles. They received the Christian Artists Music Achievement Award in 1986. Working with contemporary Christian artist Paul Baloche, they co-authored Words and Music: A Guide to Writing, Selecting and Enjoying Christian Songs.
“Freely, Freely” is a song from one of the ten musicals composed by the Owens duo, Come Together: A Musical Experience in Love in 1972. The original album (see picture) features Pat Boone. “Freely, Freely” is the final track on the first side during the worship section of the musical. The words came to Carol Owens one morning during a reading of the Gospels.
Hymnal editor Carlton Young, commenting on this song, finds its Scriptural roots in the Gospel of Matthew: “This gospel hymn expresses the obligation of those who have been forgiven and made new creatures in Christ to share freely (Matthew 6:12) that graceful gift to the lost and needy in the spirit of the great commission, ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.’ (Matthew 28:19)” The tagline “freely” comes from Matthew 10:8: “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” (KJV) Other words from the refrain paraphrase the key ideas of the great commission: “Go in my name, and because you believe, others will know that I live.”
The two stanzas reflect the simple sincerity of contemporary Christian songs of the early 1970s and have the feel of bridges to the refrain rather than fully developed verses. The first stanza focuses on being “born again” (John 3:7). Stanza 2, which begins with “All power is given in Jesus’ name, / in earth and heaven in Jesus’ name,” paraphrases Matthew 28:18.
The predominately step-wise melodic movement of the triple-meter musical setting is accessible to congregations. The diatonic harmonic setting is straightforward, allowing the song to adapt easily to various styles from folk guitar and country Western to traditional organ and piano accompaniment.
