Orson Pratt Huish was a Latter Day Saint hymnwriter. He wrote the words and music to "Come Unto Jesus", as well as a few other hymns found in the 1985 English edition

Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1985 book)

Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official hymn book of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....

 of the hymnal of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His hymns have been widely sung by many choirs in many locations.

Personal life

Huish was born at Blaenavon

Blaenavon

Blaenavon is a town and World Heritage Site in south eastern Wales, lying at the source of the Afon Lwyd north of Pontypool, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. The town lies high on a hillside and has a population of 6,349 people...

, Monmouthshire

Monmouthshire (historic)

Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....

 to James W. Huish and Helen Niblet. He was named after Orson Pratt

Orson Pratt

Orson Pratt, Sr. was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles...

, who was then the president

Mission president

Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...

 of the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 Mission

Mission (LDS Church)

A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...

 of the LDS Church. At age nine, Huish went with his mother and siblings to join his father in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

. In 1861 the family went to Utah Territory

Utah Territory

The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....

 with the Job Pingree Company of Mormon pioneers. They settled in Payson

Payson, Utah

Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,716 at the 2000 census. The current mayor is Rick Moore, who in the 2009 election was the first write-in candidate ever to defeat an incumbent mayor in...

, where Huish worked in farming and ranching as a youth.

In 1880, Huish formed the "Huish Band" with his brothers Edward A., Joseph W., Frank, James W. Jr., Frederick A. and his sister Florette. They traveled throughout Utah Territory, often performing for dances. Huish had been trained to perform in a band with another resident of Payson, John D. Stark.

In 1872 Huish married Ann Pickering.

Huish operated general stores at various times in Moab, Utah

Moab, Utah

Moab is a city in Grand County, in eastern Utah, in the western United States. The population was 4,779 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat and largest city in Grand County. Moab hosts a large number of tourists every year, mostly visitors to the nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks...

, Eugene, Oregon

Eugene, Oregon

Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...

 and Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...

. He also opened Huish Drug.

Huish was not only a writer of music but he was also trained in commercial photography. Huish made some contributions in this field, operating the firm Huish and Hinshaw. They did most of their work in Utah and Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

.

Musical contributions

Huish wrote a total of more than 300 songs, most of which are unpublished. In the 1948 LDS Church hymnal three of his works were included. These were "Come Unto Jesus", "Jesus, My Savior True, Guide Me to Thee" and "Utah, the Queen of the West". In the 1985 English hymnal only the first two of these hymns were retained. However, the hymn "Come All Ye Sons Of God" (hymn #322) has music by Huish and was in both the 1948 and 1985 hymnals.

Other noted works by Huish are the Payson High School song, "The Silver and Green" and the funeral hymn, "Blessed Are the Dead".

Huish's music remains widely available, both on its own and in medlies

Medley (music)

In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...

.