Jesus music
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Jesus music | |
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Stylistic origins | |
Cultural origins | Late 1960s – early 1970s, Jesus movement |
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Christian music |
Jesus music, known as gospel beat music in the United Kingdom, is a style of Christian music that originated on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This musical genre developed in parallel to the Jesus movement. It outlasted the movement that spawned it and the Christian music industry began to eclipse it and absorb its musicians around 1975.[1]
History
Jesus music primarily began in population centers of the United States where the Jesus movement was gaining momentum—
Much of the music[4] was a blend of folk music and folk rock[5] (Children of the Day, Paul Clark, Nancy Honeytree, Mark Heard, Noel Paul Stookey, Karen Lafferty, Debby Kerner & Ernie Rettino), soft rock (Chuck Girard, Tom Howard, Phil Keaggy, Scott Wesley Brown, Kelly Willard), R&B (Andraé Crouch (and the Disciples)), soul music/jazz fusion (Sweet Comfort Band),
), Ron Salsbury and JC Power Outlet and hard rock (Agape, All Saved Freak Band, Petra, Resurrection Band, Servant).Initially, the music tended to be relatively simple, as it drew largely on guitar-based folk and folk-rock influences. The message also seemed to be relatively simple, as the songwriters attempted to present the value of a Christ-centered spiritual experience without evoking the vocabulary or other trappings of ecclesiastical religion. Rather than quoting religious cliches or King James Bible verses, they used storytelling, allegory, imagery, and complex metaphors, often with a colloquial language that flustered conservatives.
In addition to the basic message of salvation, the lyrics often reflected the expectation of the imminent
Despite the message, the music was described by many as worldly at best or as "the Devil's music" in the worst case. This latter position was held by conservatives such as Bill Gothard as taught in his Basic Youth Conflicts Seminars. These were some of the main factors that caused many U.S. churches to largely reject the movement and these artists at the time. This suited many artists as they wanted to bring Jesus to non-Christians, not only to church youth.[4][7] Larry Norman addressed this culture clash in his 1972 song, "Why Should The Devil Have All the Good Music?"[8]
On the West Coast of the United States, Jesus music festivals began to emerge in the summer months of the early 1970s, featuring many of the artists listed above. While the music was often loud and the venue similar to the
By 1973, Jesus music was receiving enough attention inside the mainstream media that an industry began to emerge. By the mid-1970s, the phrase "
Outside California
In the UK, Parchment, Roger and Jan, Judy McKenzie, Malcolm and Alwyn, Garth Hewitt, Graham Kendrick, Dave and Dana, Len Magee, Adrian Snell, etc. were some of the most notable agents of the gospel beat.
See also
- Cultural depictions of Jesus
References
- ^ Di Sabatino, David (1999). The Jesus People Movement: an annotated bibliography and general resource. Lake Forest, CA: Jester Media. p. 137.
- ^ a b c Prothero, Stephen (2004). American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon. New York: Ferrar, Straus and Giroux.
- ^ David di Sabatino (2001). Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher (Documentary movie). United States: David Di Sabatino.
- ^ a b Di Sabatino, David (1999). The Jesus People Movement: an annotated bibliography and general resource. Lake Forest, CA: Jester Media. pp. 136–137.
- ^ Di Sabatino, David (1999). The Jesus People Movement: an annotated bibliography and general resource. Lake Forest, CA: Jester Media. p. 136.
- Trinity Journal. 26 (2): 267–277.
- ISBN 1-56563-679-1.
- ^ "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music - Larry Norman Worship Song - Christian Guitar Tabs". www.christianguitar.org.
- ^ Full Circle Jesus Music, 2009
- ^ "See Dave Boyer at". Daveboyerministries.com. Retrieved 2012-03-07.
- ^ a b Liner notes to Music to Raise the Dead: 1972-1998 by Resurrection Band.
- ISBN 1-56563-679-1.