<P> Hamblen carried a picture of a mountain lion--might have been the wild panther--in his wallet . The cat was in his refrigerator in the garage . </P> <P> Stuart Hamblen died March 8, 1989, in Santa Monica, California of brain cancer . </P> <P> In his early career as a singing cowboy he composed his song Texas Plains . It was this song that Patsy Montana reworked into her million seller hit I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart (1935). Hamblen wrote the popular songs "This Ole House" (1954) (popularized by Rosemary Clooney, among others) and "Open Up Your Heart (And Let the Sunshine In)" (not to be confused with the song from the Broadway musical Hair). Other songs include "Hell Train", "It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)" (not the contemporary Christian song of a similar name in the 1980s) and "Blood on Your Hands". Some of his post-conversion songs depict a rather wrathful version of the Gospel, sung with such good - natured high spirits that they have an ironic appeal to the non-religious . </P> <P> "It Is No Secret" was written following his acceptance of Christ and a spiritual conversation with John Wayne . After accepting the Lord, Hamblen was fired from his position as disc jockey because he refused to do alcohol commercials . John Wayne offered him a drink shortly thereafter, Hamblen refused saying "It is no secret what the Lord can do ." John Wayne said, "You should write a song by that title ." The song would go on to be sung by popular singers Rosemary Clooney, Kate Smith, Jim Reeves, Wayne Newton, Leslie Uggams, Jo Stafford & Gordon MacRae (duet), Anne Murray, Tom Netherton, Eddy Arnold, Pat Boone, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb . </P>

Who wrote it is no secret what god can do