Ralph Erskine Hudson

Ralph Erskine Hudson (July 9, 1843 – June 14, 1901) was an American composer and hymnwriter. He is best remembered for his hymn "My Life, My Love, I Give to Thee" and his addition of a refrain and composition of a new tune for the Isaac Watts hymn "Alas! and Did My Saviour Bleed".

Early life and military service Ralph Erskine Hudson was born on July 9, 1843, in Napoleon, Ohio.

Hudson's first hymn book, Salvation Echoes, was published in 1882. He later published a further four songbooks: Gems of Gospel Songs (1884), Songs of Peace, Love and Joy (1885), The Temperance Songster (1886) and Songs of the Ransomed (1887). The Temperance Songster comprises songs addressing this topic.

Hudson also added refrains to some traditional hymns, including "Alas! and Did My Saviour Bleed" and "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing." It had particular popularity in Southern Baptist Convention churches, and is included in the Baptist Hymnal.

Death Hudson died on June 14, 1901, in Cleveland, Ohio.