Inducted 2000

Born December 24, 1884 in Waynesville, Missouri, E. M. Bartlett became one of the founding fathers of Southern Gospel Music. 

As a young man, he secured work with the Central Music Company headquartered in Hartford, Arkansas. When that company relocated to Little Rock, Bartlett partnered with J. A. McClung and David Moore in the founding of the Hartford Music Company in 1918. Over the next few years, Bartlett and the Hartford Company became extremely influential in the growing world of Southern Gospel, founding the Hartford Musical Institute, publishing the monthly journal, The Herald of Song, and sponsoring several traveling quartets. Among those influenced directly by Bartlett's work was legendary songwriter Albert E. Brumley.

Bartlett was himself an important composer of gospel songs. Among his best-known contributions were "Victory in Jesus," "Everybody Will Be Happy Over There," and "Just a Little While to Stay Here."