| Christian music | |
| Stylistic origins |
A variety of genres evolving from Jesus music. Christian music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life Jesus music, known as gospel beat music in the United Kingdom, is a style of Christian music which originated on the West Coast of the United
|
|---|---|
| Cultural origins |
1960s United States
|
| Typical instruments | |
| Mainstream popularity | Continuous from 1990s |
| Subgenres | |
| Christian alternative rock · Christian bubblegum pop · Christian electronic music · Christian hardcore · Christian hip hop · Christian metal · Unblack metal · Christian punk · Christian rock · Christian soft rock | |
| Other topics | |
| Christian entertainment industry · Contemporary worship music | |
Christian rock (occasionally abbreviated CR) is a form of rock music played by bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the concept of the Christian faith. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. This article contains links to lists of notable Christian Music artists organized by Music genre. Christian alternative rock music ( ACM) is a form of Alternative rock music lyrically grounded in a Christian worldview Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by its religious neutral term " inspirational music " is a genre of Popular music which is Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by its religious neutral term " inspirational music " is a genre of Popular music which is Christian hardcore or Christcore refers to Hardcore punk and Metalcore bands that promote Christian beliefs Christian hip hop (originally Gospel rap, also known as holy hip hop or Christ hop) is a form of Hip hop music which uses Christian Christian metal is a form of Heavy metal music which as well as its many subgenres, contains Christian lyrics and themes Unblack metal (also known as holy unblack metal It is viewed as an ideology rather than a subgenre since there is no method to play black metal in a Christian way Christian punk (or Christ punk) is a form of Christian music and a subgenre of Punk rock with some degree of Christian Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by its religious neutral term " inspirational music " is a genre of Popular music which is Christian media refers to various aspects of Mass media which is primarily targeting the Christian Demographic. Contemporary worship music is a loosely defined style of music used in a variety of Christian churches Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. A musical ensemble is a group of two or more Musicians who perform instrumental or vocal Music. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands. Much Christian rock has ties to the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) scene, while other bands are independent. Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by its religious neutral term " inspirational music " is a genre of Popular music which is In Popular music, independent music, often abbreviated as indie, is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels and an autonomous The Christian rock genre is most popular in the United States, although some Christian bands have worldwide popularity. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Related subgenres of Christian music include Christian alternative rock, Christian metal, Contemporary Christian Music, Christian punk, Christian hardcore. A genre (ˈʒɑːnrə also /ˈdʒɑːnrə/ from French "kind" or "sort" from Latin: genus (stem gener-) is a loose set Christian alternative rock music ( ACM) is a form of Alternative rock music lyrically grounded in a Christian worldview Christian metal is a form of Heavy metal music which as well as its many subgenres, contains Christian lyrics and themes Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by its religious neutral term " inspirational music " is a genre of Popular music which is Christian punk (or Christ punk) is a form of Christian music and a subgenre of Punk rock with some degree of Christian Christian hardcore or Christcore refers to Hardcore punk and Metalcore bands that promote Christian beliefs
Contents |
History
Christian response to rock music (1950s-1960s)
Rock and roll music was not viewed favorably by most fundamentalist Christians when it attained popularity with young people beginning in the 1950s. Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African Fundamentalist Christianity, also known as Christian Fundamentalism or Fundamentalist Evangelicalism, is a movement that arose mainly within British and Although early rock music was often influenced by country and both black and white forms of gospel music, it was primarily derived from African American styles such as blues. Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Gospel music is Music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life as well as (in terms of the varying music styles to African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression White, religious people in many regions of the United States did not want their children exposed to what was viewed as "race music", with unruly, impassioned vocals, loud guitar riffs and jarring, hypnotic rhythms. Often the music was overtly sexual in nature, as in the case of Elvis Presley, who became controversial and massively popular partly for his suggestive stage antics. Individual Christians may have listened to or even performed rock music in many cases, but it was seen as anathema to conservative church establishments, particularly in the American South. The Southern United States &mdashcommonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South &mdashconstitutes a large distinctive
In the 1960s, rock n roll music matured artistically, attained worldwide popularity and became associated with the radical counterculture, firmly alienating many Christians. Counterculture (also " counter-culture " is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a Cultural group, or In 1966, British act The Beatles, regarded as one of the most popular and influential rock bands of their era, ran into trouble with many of their American fans when John Lennon jokingly offered his opinion that Christianity was dying and that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus now". The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born The romantic, melodic rock songs of the band's early career had formerly been viewed as relatively inoffensive, but after the remark, churches nationwide organized Beatles records burnings and Lennon was forced to apologize. Subsequently the Beatles experimented with a more complex, psychedelic style of music and anti-establishment lyrics, while the Rolling Stones sang a song openly (sincerely or not) from the point of view of Satan. " Sympathy for the Devil " is a song by The Rolling Stones which first appeared as the opening track on the band's 1968 album Beggars Banquet Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally
As the decade continued, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Paris student riots 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. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia See also Protests of 1968 Historically the civil rights movement was a concentrated period of time around the world of approximately twenty years (1960-1980 in For other events in May 1968 see 1968. Moreover, many 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. Countless new bands sprang up in the mid-to-late 1960s, as rock displaced older, smoother pop styles to become the dominant form of pop music, a position it would enjoy almost continuously until the end of the 20th century, when hip-hop finally eclipsed it in sales.
Roots of "Christian rock" (Late 1960s-1980s)
Possibly the very first documented appearance of a rock band playing in church is Mind Garage in 1967, whose Electric Liturgy was finally recorded for RCA in 1969 at the "Nashville Sound" studio which was under the management of Chet Atkins at the time. Jesus music, known as gospel beat music in the United Kingdom, is a style of Christian music which originated on the West Coast of the United Mind Garage is a 5 man psychedelic rock and roll band from Morgantown West Virginia, and progenitor of Christian rock music RCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986 The Liturgy was released in 1970. Larry Norman was a popular Christian rock musician who challenged a view held by some conservative Christians (predominantly fundamentalists) that rock music was anti-Christian. Larry David Norman ( April 8 1947 &ndash February 24 2008) was an American musician singer songwriter and producer One of his songs, "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?", summarized his attitude and his quest to pioneer Christian rock music. A cover version of his Rapture-themed "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" appears in the Evangelical Christian feature film A Thief in the Night. The Rapture is a prophesied event in Christian eschatology, in which Christians will be gathered together at the return of Christ; even Christians who have died A Thief in the Night is a 1972 Christian End times Film produced by Russell S And appeared on Cliff Richard's Christian album 'Small Corners' along with 'Why should the Devil have All the Good Music'.
Still, Christian rock was often viewed as a marginal part of the nascent Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) and contemporary gospel industry in the 1970s and '80s, though Christian folk rock artists like Bruce Cockburn and rock fusion artists like Phil Keaggy had some success and Christian-identifying hard rock acts such as Stryper gained some fame during the 1980s and even had some videos on MTV, one being "To Hell with the Devil", and even saw some airtime on mainstream radio stations with their hit song "Honestly". Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by its religious neutral term " inspirational music " is a genre of Popular music which is Bruce Douglas Cockburn, OC (ˈkoʊbɚn phonetically "co-burn" (born May 27, 1945) is a Canadian folk/rock Guitarist Philip Tyler Keaggy (born March 23, 1951 in Youngstown, Ohio He was heavily involved in drugs at the time and that same day was badly hurt Stryper is a Grammy Award nominated Christian metal band from Orange County California, USA. U2, a band composed mostly of Christians but which existed outside the Christian rock industry, became one of the most popular bands in the world by the late 1980s.
1990s-present
The 1990s saw an explosion of Christian rock, heavily inspired by the success of U2, as well as by the musical style of grunge bands such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana (which were not Christian bands). Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990 Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen Washington. Other influences were Death Cab for Cutie and some of the Indie rock scene, along with some Britpop influence, especially from Oasis. Death Cab for Cutie is an American Indie rock band formed in Bellingham, Indie rock is genre of Alternative rock that primarily exists in the independent Underground music scene Britpop is a subgenre of Alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Oasis are an English rock band that formed in Manchester in 1991 Many of the popular '90s Christian bands were initially identified as Christian alternative rock, including dc Talk, Newsboys, Jars of Clay, Audio Adrenaline, and others. Christian alternative rock music ( ACM) is a form of Alternative rock music lyrically grounded in a Christian worldview dc Talk is a prominent Christian rock / Rap band partly responsible for the rise in popularity of the Contemporary Christian music Genre For the protest event see Newsboys Strike of 1899 Newsboys (sometimes stylized as newsboys) is a Grammy Award -nominated Jars of Clay is a Grammy Award winning Christian rock band from Franklin Tennessee. Audio Adrenaline was a Grammy Award -winning Christian rock band that formed in the late 1980s at Kentucky Christian College in Grayson Outside anglophone countries, bands like Oficina G3 (Brazil), Rescate (Argentina) and The Kry (Quebec, Canada), have achieved moderate success. Oficina G3 is a Christian rock band from São Paulo, Brazil. Lead vocalist and guitarrist Juninho Afram has formed the band along with drummer Walter |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. The Kry is a Christian rock/worship band from Quebec City Canada Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page This decade also saw a notable boom in the Christian rap, punk, and heavy metal circles. Christian hip hop (originally Gospel rap, also known as holy hip hop or Christ hop) is a form of Hip hop music which uses Christian Christian punk (or Christ punk) is a form of Christian music and a subgenre of Punk rock with some degree of Christian Christian metal is a form of Heavy metal music which as well as its many subgenres, contains Christian lyrics and themes
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, the demise of Creed and the success of Christian-inspired acts like P.O.D., Switchfoot, Anberlin, Lifehouse, and Underoath saw a shift toward mainstream exposure in the Christian rock scene. Creed was an American Rock band from Tallahassee, Florida that became popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s POD, initials standing for Payable On Death, is a rock band from San Diego California. Switchfoot is an American Alternative rock band from San Diego, California. Anberlin is an Alternative rock band from Winter Haven, Florida, United States formed in 2002 Underoath (sometimes stylized as underOATH) is a Grammy -nominated Metalcore band from Tampa Florida, formed in 1998 Tooth & Nail Records saw their growing roster of artists gain wider popularity and acclaim despite existing outside the walls of a traditional mainstream industry. Tooth & Nail Records is a Record label founded by Brandon Ebel in the U Also many other modern punk bands have succeeded in the industry, like Hawk Nelson, MxPx, Blessthefall, and Relient K. Hawk Nelson is a Christian band hailing from Peterborough Ontario. MxPx is a punk band that officially formed on July 6 1992 in Bremerton, Washington, United States as teenagers Blessthefall (typeset as blessthefall) is an American band from Phoenix Arizona. Relient K is an American rock band formed in Canton Ohio
Definitions
There are multiple definitions of what qualifies as a "Christian rock" band. Christian rock bands that explicitly state their beliefs and use religious imagery in their lyrics, like Servant, Building 429, Third Day, Sonicflood and Petra, tend to be considered a part of the contemporary Christian music (CCM) industry and play for a predominantly Christian market. Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a Proposition or Premise to be true Servant was a Canadian Christian rock group that grew out of the counter-culture Jesus Movement of the sixties and seventies Building 429 is a Christian rock band signed to Word Records. Third Day is a CCM band formed in Marietta Georgia during the 1990s Sonicflood (sometimes stylized as SONICFLOOd) is a US group of Contemporary Christian music, based in Nashville Tennessee. Petra was a prominent Christian rock band regarded by many as a pioneer of the Christian rock and of the Contemporary Christian music genres Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by its religious neutral term " inspirational music " is a genre of Popular music which is
Other bands perform music influenced by their faith or containing Christian imagery, but see their audience as the general public. They may avoid specific mention of God or Jesus, or they may write more personal, cryptic, or humorous lyrics concerning their faith rather than direct praise songs. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Such bands are sometimes rejected by the CCM rock scene and may specifically reject the CCM label, however many have been accepted as Christian bands. Other bands may experiment with more abrasive musical styles, which until recently met with resistance from the CCM scene. However, beginning in the 1990s and 2000s there was much wider acceptance even by religious purists of Christian metal, Christian industrial and Christian punk. Christian metal is a form of Heavy metal music which as well as its many subgenres, contains Christian lyrics and themes Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM; also by its religious neutral term " inspirational music " is a genre of Popular music which is Christian punk (or Christ punk) is a form of Christian music and a subgenre of Punk rock with some degree of Christian Many of these bands are on predominatly Christian record labels, such as Tooth and Nail Records and Facedown Records. Tooth & Nail Records is a Record label founded by Brandon Ebel in the U Facedown Records is an independent Christian Record label based in Fallbrook, California, devoted mostly to Hardcore punk and
| I'm an artist who's a Christian, because I don't write music to be evangelical. Now, if that happens, it happens. Scott Stapp, lead vocalist for Creed[1] |
Many rock artists including Creed, Evanescence, Collective Soul, and Blessid Union of Souls 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. Scott Alan Stapp (born August 8, 1973, in Cherokee, North Carolina) is an American Singer and Songwriter best known Creed was an American Rock band from Tallahassee, Florida that became popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s Evanescence is an American Collective Soul is an American rock band from Stockbridge Georgia. This article is about the band For their self-titled album see Blessid Union of Souls (album. Some of these bands, like Creed, played up the spiritual content of their music and were widely considered a "Christian band" by the popular media, despite their later disavowals of the label. 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 as heavy metal or indie rock, and feel more creative kinship with members of that scene. Indie rock is genre of Alternative rock that primarily exists in the independent Underground music scene
Evangelistic goals
The aims for making Christian music vary among different artists. Some Christian artists, such as Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Third Day, Casting Crowns, and By the Tree sing more explicit worship songs, incorporating lyrics that directly worship God. Christopher Dwayne Tomlin (born May 4 1972) is a Christian Worship leader and Songwriter from Grand Saline, Texas Matt Redman is an English Christian Worship leader and Songwriter, and was one of the main worship leaders associated with the Soul Survivor Third Day is a CCM band formed in Marietta Georgia during the 1990s Casting Crowns is a Grammy award and Dove Award winning Christian band that employs a Soft rock music style By the Tree is a two-time Dove Award -winning contemporary Christian rock group. Other bands, such as Underoath, Family Force 5, and As I Lay Dying incorporate symbolism and Christian messages in a less direct way to draw in non-Christian listeners. Underoath (sometimes stylized as underOATH) is a Grammy -nominated Metalcore band from Tampa Florida, formed in 1998 Family Force 5 (often abbreviated FF5, formerly known as The Phamily and The Brothers) is a crossover Crunk rock band from Atlanta Georgia As I Lay Dying is a Grammy -nominated Metalcore band from San Diego, California.
Other bands do not necessarily call themselves Christian bands (though all the members are Christians), but have spiritual lyrics and say that their Christian faith affects their music. Bands such as Switchfoot have said they try to write music for both Christians and non-Christians alike. Switchfoot is an American Alternative rock band from San Diego, California. Evanescence, who were distributed within the Christian market on their first album, have since announced their disassociation with the genre and removed their material from Christian musical retailers. Evanescence is an American
Festivals
- See category: Christian music festivals
The largest Christian Rock festival is the Cornerstone Festival, which is held in Bushnell, Illinois. In the early '80's "C'Fest" began coordinating a summer festival in Chicago, IL. As it grew, Cornerstone's owners purchased a 500+ acre farm in Bushnell providing ministry and entertainment in the more progressive forms of Christian music, art, teachings, etc. Although there are now hundreds of regional Christian Rock Festivals all over the world, Cornerstone Festival is considered the original and is by far the largest in terms of attendance.
Festivals range from single day events to four day festivals that provide camping and other activities. Many events are held in Australia called Encounterfest, Jam United and EXOday. There is also a festival in Orlando, Florida called Rock the Universe, a 2-day festival at Universal which overlaps with Night of Joy at Walt Disney World. Orlando is a major City in central Florida, USA and is the County seat of Orange County Florida. Rock the Universe is an annual Christian rock festival that takes place at Universal Studios Florida. Night of Joy is the fourth Live album released by the Athens GA based band Widespread Panic. There are also many in the UK, including Greenbelt Festival (the largest of UK Christian festivals), Soul Survivor, 'Ultimate Events' at Alton Towers, and Creation Fest, Woolacombe, Devon. The Greenbelt festival is an annual Christian festival of music art and faith Soul Survivor is a Christian charity based in Watford, England. Alton Towers is a Theme park and Resort located in the grounds of a former stately home in Staffordshire, England. Creation Fest is a free Christian Music festival, which takes place on the first weekend of August in Woolacombe, North Devon, England The Creation Fest is not related to Creationfest, another Christian festival in the United States. In Buffalo, New York, the annual Kingdom Bound festivial in Darien Lake attracts more than 2,000 Christians annually. Ichthus, currently held in Kentucky, is a three-day festival that involves over 65 bands.
The Flevo Festival of The Netherlands is considered to be one of the biggest Christian festivals in Europe. The Flevo Festival is an open air Christian Music festival held each August in The Netherlands. The Flevo Festival offers seminars, theater, stand-up comedy, sports and movies as well as Christian music from a wide variety of genres.
References
- ^ Moring, Mark (2004-08-09). "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Stapp: I Am a Christian. ChristianityToday. com. Retrieved on 2008-04-01. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne
See also
List of Christian rock bands
External links
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic