This Little Light of Mine

The song is commonly attributed to songwriter Harold Dixon Loes. During his music ministry, he composed 3,000 songs and wrote the lyrics for 1,500 hymns and gospel songs. It is unclear whether he wrote the song itself or an arrangement of the song. 

What is known is that the phrase “this little light of mine” was first published in a book of poetry by Edward G. Ivins in 1925. The Library of Congress has it on file that the first recording of the song was made in 1934.