Jesus Music - a personal journey
My Introduction to Jesus MusicDuring the Spring of 1973, I walked into the Berean Bookstore for the very first time. In that old building on Knoxville Avenue, a friend introduced me to Christian music. I purchased "Light" by the Oak Ridge Boys - I think because I recognized one of the song titles on the LP. I knew nothing of Jesus Music, but I steered away from the albums considered ROCK. I was pure top 40 at the time, and I figured, if it wasn't on the radio, it wasn't any good. The Oak Ridge Boys seemed safe, but country/ southern gospel were not necessarily my style. Being a transitional album, "Light" contained a couple pop/ rock tunes like "It's Jesus that They Need" as well as traditional southern gospel fare like "I Should've Been Crucified," and "After Calvary." In the end, I enjoyed the album and so began my Jesus Music journey - my first of many Christian LP's. After the release of "Light," the Oak Ridge Boys left gospel music and began a successful career in country music. | |
She Sounds Like OliviaBy 1975 I had purchased a Speer Family Live album, and a Canadian folk group called Praise (exclusively for the Ken Gulliksen song "Charity"). In 1976, Margie Ann, my good friend, convinced me I should buy the album "Gentle Moments" by Evie. Her effective argument claimed Evie sounded just like Olivia Newton-John. Her claim worked. Sooo here I am, a total Top 40 guy, a devout ONJ loyalist, and a believer. How could I go wrong? I bought the LP, and to my surprise, Evie sounded NOTHING like Olivia Newton John. Still, the album had some good pop sensibilities, and I genuinely liked the music. More Carpenters than ONJ, but the album offered solid songs like Pat Terry's "Meet Me Here" and the heartfelt "Part the Waters." All in all, a great purchase, and a fitting introduction to Jesus music. I quickly purchased her two earlier LP's ("Evie" and "Evie Again") only to be disappointed. Both LP's seemed more like church music than Carpenters, but "Gentle Moments" earned a place on my turntable. To my good fortune, I now had 3 BUY THREE GET 1 FREE coupons from Word music. Excited, I entered Books by Boyd hoping for something new and exciting. I am forever indebted to Margie Ann for starting me on that amazing journey. | |
ABBA with Christian LyricsWith no more Evie to buy, I stood in front of a wide selection of LP’s with absolutely no clue what to purchase. I asked the young woman (approximately 30) tending the register if she could make a suggestion. She asked me if I had ever heard the 2nd Chapter of Acts. I balked. You see, I knew a little bit about Jesus Music, and the constant criticism claimed that many of the groups were acid rock. Seems humorous today, I know, but I didn’t listen to secular acid rock, so I really had no desire to listen to Christian acid rock. I innocently asked, “Aren’t they acid rock? I don’t think I’d like them.” She smiled and said, “I don’t think I’d classify them as acid rock. Let me play you a song.” With that, she dropped the needle on “Which Way the Wind Blows” and I melted. I lived in Germany in 1975, and German radio could not get enough of ABBA. As a result, I became quite a fan. With 2nd Chapter's soaring vocal harmonies, and "Wind's" powerful chorus, ABBA is all I heard. Not only ABBA, but ABBA with Christian lyrics. I was speechless. Still skeptical, however, I asked if she could play the hardest rocking song on the album. When she dropped the needle on “The Devil’s Lost Again” I immediately used my coupons for "with footnotes" and layed down the hard cash for “In The Volume of the Book” as well. Sure, 2nd Chapter doesn’t really sound like ABBA, but they are definitely more ABBA than ACID ROCK! A week later, I purchased “For the Bride” with Barry McQuire but hesitated on “How the West was One.” I had heard too many comparisons of Phil Keaggy and Jimmy Hendrix, so I wasn’t sure I’d like Keaggy. Ultimately my love for 2nd Chapter overpowered my concerns and I picked up the double LP hoping for the best. I cannot even explain the immediate impact of songs like “What a Day," "Rejoice" and “Time.” Great guitar, but not much Hendrix - in fact more Paul McCartney than anything else. Soon I owned every Keaggy album available at the time. | |
SuperJubilationAbsolutely ignoring the Jesus Music naysayers, I was still left with little knowledge of who, or what I should purchase. I gambled on a Word compilation titled "SuperJubilation" (perhaps another Buy 3, get 1 Free gamble). That album offered an awesome cover and was filled with Jesus Music and CCM artists including 2nd Chapter and Phil Keaggy. "SuperJubilation" served as an amazing introduction to a music genre I had, up until now, not even considered. I loved Top 40 radio, but the songs on that double LP were pop songs that talked about Jesus. As a young believer, the songs on that collection blessed me, encouraged me, challenged me and gave me something far better than “silly love songs” on the radio. This LP introduced me to Amy Grant, Petra, Bob Ayala, Pat Terry Group, Michael Omartian, Gospel Seed, Alwyn Wall Band, Steve Camp, Paul Clark, Fireworks, Lympic & Rayburn, and Nutshell - all of which I purchased and listened to endlessly. By the time I purchased Randy Stonehill, Daniel Amos and Larry Norman, I no longer listened to the critics claiming Christian rock was “Devil Music.” How absurd. I was hooked. I took full advantage of the “BUY 3, GET 1 FREE” stickers (eventually BUY 4, GET 1 FREE), and often used my free albums as my “Take a Chance on Me” album picks. Many of those artists are still in regular rotation on my iPod and continue to serve as the soundtrack of my life. | |
Music for a Change in Me |
