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| Christian rock | |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1960s, United States |
| Subgenres | |
| Other topics | |
Christian rock is a form ofrock music that featureslyrics focusing on matters ofChristian faith, often with an emphasis onJesus, typically performed byChristian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies betweenbands. Many bands who perform Christian rock have ties to thecontemporary Christian music labels, media outlets, andfestivals, while other bands are independent.
Most traditional andfundamentalist Christians did not view rock music favorably when it became popular with young people from the 1950s, even thoughcountry andgospel music often influenced early rock music. In 1952, Archibald Davison, a Harvard professor, summed up the sound of traditional Christian music and why its supporters might not like rock music when he wrote of "... a rhythm that avoids strong pulses; a melody whose physiognomy is neither so characteristic nor so engaging as to make an appeal in its own behalf; counterpoint, which cultivates long-breathed eloquence rather than instant and dramatic effect; a chromaticism which is at all times restricted in amount and lacking in emotionalism; and modality which creates an atmosphere unmistakably ecclesiastical".[1] In the light of Archibald Davison's characterisation it is easy to see how different these two genres of music are. Christians in the United States did not want their children exposed to music with unruly, impassioned vocals, loudguitar-riffs and jarring, hypnotic rhythms.Rock and roll differed from the norm, and thus it was seen by them as a threat.[2]Often the music was overtly sexual in nature, as in the case ofElvis Presley, who became controversial and massively popular partly for his suggestive stage antics and dancing. However, "Elvis" was areligious person who released a gospel album:Peace in the Valley[3]in 1957. Individual Christians may[original research?] have listened to or even performed rock music in many cases, but conservative church establishments - particularly in theAmerican South - regarded it asanathema.
He Touched Me, a 1972 gospel-music album by Elvis Presley, sold over 1 million copies in the US alone and earned Presley his second of three Grammy Awards. Not counting compilations, it was his third and final album devoted exclusively to gospel music. The song "He Touched Me" was written in 1963 byBill Gaither, an American singer and songwriter of southern gospel and Contemporary Christian music.
In the 1960s, rock music developed artistically, attained worldwide popularity and became associated with the radicalcounterculture, firmly alienating many[quantify] Christians. In 1966The Beatles, one of the most popular and influential rock-bands of their era, ran into trouble with many of their American fans whenJohn Lennon jokingly offered his opinion that Christianity was dying and that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus now".[4][5] The romantic, melodic rock songs of the band's early career had formerly been viewed as relatively inoffensive by Christians, but after the remark, churches nationwide organized Beatles-record burnings and Lennon was forced to apologize.[6] Subsequently, the Beatles and most rock musicians experimented with a more complex,psychedelic style of music that frequently used anti-establishment, drug-related, or sexual lyrics, whileThe Rolling Stones sang "Sympathy for the Devil" (1968), a song openly written from the point of view ofSatan. Allegations ofSatanic intent also arose from the Beatles and others of the controversialbackmasking recording-technique. This further increased Christian opposition to rock music.
Later, in the 1960s, the escalatingVietnam War,Civil Rights Movement,Paris student riots of 1968 and other events served as catalysts for youth activism and political withdrawal or protest, which became associated with rock bands, whether or not they were openly political. Moreover, many[quantify] saw the music as promoting a lifestyle of promiscuous "sex, drugs and rock and roll", also reflected in the behavior of many rock stars. However, there was growing recognition of the diverse musical and ideological potential of rock.[citation needed] Countless new bands sprang up in the mid-to-late 1960s, as rock displaced older, smoother pop styles to become the dominant form ofpop music, a position it would enjoy almost continuously until the end of the 20th century.
Among the first bands that played Christian rock wasthe Crusaders, a Southern Californiangarage rock band, whose November 1966Tower Records albumMake a Joyful Noise with Drums and Guitars is considered one of the first gospel rock releases;[7][need quotation to verify] John Joseph Thompson identifies it as "the first record of Christian rock".[8]Brian Collins characterisesMind Garage as "arguably the first band of its kind":[9][10] they recorded the 1967Electric Liturgy atRCA's "Nashville Sound" studio in 1969.[11] Both of these recordings were preceded by therockabilly praise LPI Like God's Style, written and performed by one 16-year-old Isabel Baker and released on the private Wichita, Kansas Romco label in 1965, which no one published on until the 2000s.[12]
Larry Norman, often described as the "father of Christian rock",[13] and in his later years "the Grandfather of Christian rock",[14] who, in 1969 recorded and releasedUpon This Rock, "the first commercially released Jesus rock album",[15] challenged a view held by some conservative Christians (predominantly fundamentalists) that rock music was anti-Christian. One of his songs, "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?" summarized his attitude and his quest to pioneer Christian rock music.[16] A cover version of Larry Norman'sRapture-themed "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" appears in the Evangelical Christian feature filmA Thief in the Night and appeared onCliff Richard's Christian albumSmall Corners along with "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?".
In 1966, the bandŽeteoci (transl.The Harvesters) was formed inYugoslavia. Founded by four students of theZagreb Catholic Faculty of Theology, Žeteoci performedbeat music with religious lyrics, being the first Christian rock band in Yugoslavia and arguably the first Christian rock band in acommunist country. Their first and only album,To nije tajna (It Is Not a Secret), released in 1969, was the second full-length album in the history of Yugoslav rock music. They ended their activity in 1971, as the members of the band finished their studies of theology and went on to become priests of the Catholic Church.[17][18]
Another Christian rock pioneer,Randy Stonehill, released his first album in 1971, the Larry Norman-producedBorn Twice.[19][20] In the most common pressing of the album, side one is entirely a live performance.[21] Another early Christian rock album wasMylon (We Believe) byMylon LeFevre, son of members of the southern gospel groupThe LeFevres. He recorded the album with members ofClassics IV and released it throughCotillion Records in 1970.[22][23] Ocean (Canada) gained gospel pop big hit "Put Your Hand in the Hand" in 1971.[24]Norman Greenbaum andthe Doobie Brothers had gospel hits, but they were not christian rockers. SisterJanet Mead had a gospel hit in 1974.[25]
In the late 1970s, Christian rock received exposure through more mainstream rock and folk rock musicians.Bob Dylan became aborn-again Christian and released three albums between 1979 and 1981. This period would yield theGrammy winning single "Gotta Serve Somebody" and three successful concert tours that would later see release asThe Bootleg Series Vol. 13. Dylan's influence was also felt in other members of the folk revival;Arlo Guthrie, for example, converted in 1979 (in part over his concerns over whether he faced aHuntington's disease diagnosis like others in his family) and released his own Christian folk-rock albumOutlasting the Blues;Outlasting the Blues received the biggest record label promotion of Guthrie's career.[26]
Christian rock was often[quantify] viewed as a marginal part of the nascentcontemporary Christian music (CCM) and contemporary gospel industry in the 1970s and 1980s,[27] though Christian folk rock artists likeBruce Cockburn and rock fusion artists likePhil Keaggy had some cross-over success.Petra andResurrection Band, two of the bands who brought harder rock into the early CCM community, had their origins in the early to mid-1970s. They reached their height in popularity in the late eighties alongside other Christian-identifying hard rock acts such asStryper. The latter had videos played onMTV, such as "Calling on You" and "To Hell with the Devil", and even saw some airtime on mainstream radio stations with their hit song "Honestly". Christian rock has proved less successful in the UK and Europe, although such artists asBryn Haworth have found commercial success by combining blues and mainstream rock music with Christian themes.
Michael Knott would be credited for being a pioneer of "alternative Christian rock."[28] Knott's 1987 albumShaded Pain being noted for lyrics which challenged church morality. This resulted in the album being banned by churches and Christian bookstores.[28] Nevertheless, Knott was still credited for changing the course of Christian rock, with his short-lived companyBlonde Vinyl becoming a major source for Christian rock musicians during its existence.[28]
The 1990s saw an explosion of Christian rock.
Many of the popular 1990s Christian bands were initially identified as "Christianalternative rock", includingJars of Clay,Newsboys,Audio Adrenaline and the later albums ofDC Talk. OutsideAnglophone countries, bands likeOficina G3 (Brazil) andThe Kry (Quebec, Canada) have achieved moderate success.
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, the success of Christian-inspired acts likeSkillet,Thousand Foot Krutch,Decyfer Down,Underoath,Kutless,Disciple,P.O.D.,Switchfoot, andRelient K saw a shift toward mainstream exposure in the Christian rock scene.
Rock labelTooth & Nail Records would be credited for having "altered the course of the Christian rock industry by launching and legitimizing the careers ofMxPx, The O.C.Supertones andUnderoath."[28]
Among popular Christian rock bands of the first decade of the 21st century that exemplified this trend wereRED andFireflight.
There are also someRoman Catholic bands such asCritical Mass. SomeEastern Orthodox Christian rock groups, mostly from Russia and theSoviet Union, started performing in the late 1980s and 1990s.Alisa[29] andBlack Coffee[citation needed] are credited as the most prominent examples. The Orthodox Christian lyrics of these bands often overlap with historical and patriotic songs aboutKievan Rus'.
The musical genre that was once rejected by mainstream Christian churches is now considered by some as one of the most-important evangelism tool of their successor congregations. According to Terri McLean, author of New Harmonies, old-guard churches (United Methodist is given as an example) of the late 1990s were experiencing a rapid decline in membership and were under threat of disbandment within the next decade, a trend that has been going on since the 1980s.[30] McLean, using numerous quotes from theologians, Christian apologists and professors, goes on to offer contemporary Christian music as the reason for the falling popularity of more traditionalist churches.[31] The definition of contemporary Christian, as offered byNew Harmonies, is of a genre not far removed from traditional hymns; it is simply more accessible. The reality is that while a form of modernized hymns do exist in today's churches and do affect church evangelism and growth, there also exists both within and outside these churches a form of music (Christian rock) that has only one element in common with previous religious genres: its worship of God.[citation needed]
This element, the worship of God, is what was originally removed from or hidden within the lyrics of early, secular rock n' roll. Santino described one method of changing Christian lyrics as a process that transformed "lyrics that sang of the mystical love of God into lyrics that celebrated the earthly love of woman".[32] Howard & Streck offer examples of this, comparing Ray Charles' "This Little Girl of Mine" to "This Little Light of Mine" and "Talking About You" to "Talking About Jesus". They claim that because of actions such as this, despite the liberal editing of the original hymns, "gospel 'showed rock how to sing'".[33] Howard & Streck go on to describe how the conflict between music and religion, spearheaded by southern fundamentalists, was originally racially based, but how in the sixties this moved on to a clash over the perceived lifestyle of rock musicians.[34]
There are multiple definitions of what qualifies as a "Christian rock" band. Christian rock bands that explicitly state theirbeliefs and use religious imagery in their lyrics, likeServant,Third Day, andPetra, tend to be considered a part of thecontemporary Christian music (CCM) industry.[35]
Other bands perform music influenced by their faith or containing Christian imagery, but see their audience as the general public. For example,Bono ofU2 combines many elements of spirituality and faith into his lyrics, but the band is not directly labeled as a "Christian rock" band.[36]
Such bands are sometimes rejected by the CCM rock scene and may specifically reject the CCM label.Other bands may experiment with more abrasive musical styles. Beginning in the 1990s and 2000s there was much wider acceptance even by religious purists ofChristian metal, Christian industrial andChristian punk. Many of these bands are on predominantly Christian record labels, such asTooth and Nail Records andFacedown Records.
Rock artists, such asSwitchfoot,[37][38] do not claim to be "Christian bands", but include members who openly profess to be Christians or at times may feature Christian thought, imagery, scripture or other influences in their music.
I'm an artist who's a Christian, because I don't write music to be evangelical. Now, if that happens, it happens.
Some of these bands, likeCreed, played up the spiritual content of their music and were widely considered a "Christian band" by the popular media. Some bands reject the label because they do not wish to exclusively attract Christian fans, or because they have been identified with another particular music genre, such asheavy metal orindie rock.
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The aims for making Christian music vary among different artists and bands. Often, the music makes evangelistic calls for Christian forms of praise and worship. Accompanying such music, street outreach, local festivities, church functions, and many alternative forms of internal or (soulful) expression may occur.
Some Christian artists asThird Day,Kutless,Thousand Foot Krutch andDisciple have sung songs that carry overtly Christian messages. Bands such asUnderoath,Blessthefall andHaste the Day incorporate symbolism and Christian messages more indirectly.[40][41] Bands such asFlyleaf do not call themselves Christian bands, though they state that their Christian faith affects their lyrics.[42][43] Bands such asSwitchfoot have said they try to write music for both Christians and non-Christians alike.[44][45][46]
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Festivals range from single day events to multiple-day festivals that provide camping and other activities.
One of the first in the US was the six-dayExplo '72 held inDallas,Texas in June 1972 that was attended by around 80,000 people with around 100,000 – 150,000 at the final concert and which featured acts such asLarry Norman,The Archers,Love Song,Randy Matthews,Children of the Day,Johnny Cash andKris Kristofferson.
Significant festivals in the US areCreation Festival,Ichthus Festival, andCornerstone Festival. There is also a festival inOrlando, Florida calledRock the Universe, a two-day festival atUniversal Orlando Resort that overlaps with theNight of Joy event at Walt Disney World. Ichthus, currently held in Kentucky, is a three-day festival that involves over 65 bands.
There are also many in the UK, includingGreenbelt Festival,Soul Survivor,BigChurchDayOut, 'Ultimate Events' atAlton Towers, Frenzy in Edinburgh andCreation Fest, Woolacombe, Devon, which is not related to Creationfest in the United States.
TheFlevo Festival of The Netherlands, which offers seminars, theater, stand-up comedy, sports and movies as well as Christian music from a wide variety of genres, is considered to be one of the biggest Christian festivals in Europe.[47][48][49] It was discontinued in 2013, due to financial issues.[50] It has been unofficially restarted by a collection of Christian organizations who previously collaborated on Flevo Festival under the new name of Flavor Festival.[citation needed]
Skjærgårdsfestivalen is an annual music festival held in Norway, which headlines Christian rock bands.[citation needed]
Many events are held in Australia called, Easterfest (in Toowoomba) Encounterfest, Jam United, Black Stump and Big Exo Day.[citation needed]Bogotá, Colombia hosts the summer festivalGospel al Parque.[citation needed]
The most "underground" expression of Christian rock was the annual Cornerstone Festival sponsored by theJesus People USA, a community which formed during theJesus Movement of the 1970s. The festival ceased operations in 2012.[51]
The first record of Christian rock came from a band called The Crusaders in 1966. [...] The title of the record was Make a Joyful Noise with Drums and Guitars, and that's exactly what The Crusaders did, in a campy 1960s pop way.
Today original records from many of the original Jesus Rock bands like The Mind Garage (arguably the first band of its kind), Aslan, Selah, The Concrete Rubber Band, and Agape go for hundreds of dollars to collectors on eBay, presumably not all of them Evangelical Christians.
The Mind Garage evolved into perhaps the nation's first Christian Rock Band on the strength of their original composition, the Electric Liturgy.
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