Robert Houston [Houston] Bright (21/01/1916 – 08/12/1970), a composer of American music, known primarily for his choral works. The best-known of these is the original spiritual "I Hear a Voice A-Prayin'," but he wrote dozens of highly regarded pieces over the course of his career, including a number of instrumental compositions. Bright was, among his peers, well known and respected as a composer, choral director, and professor. He spent his entire academic career in the Music Department of West Texas State College (now West Texas A&M University).