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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Paul Race (talk | contribs) at 19:30, 2 March 2012 (→‎History: Removed the image of a musician jumping in the blood of a Kent State victim. There are thousands of images that could give a more balanced impression of the movement - this image glorifies one individual's sick act.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Jesus music
Stylistic originsFolk music, folk rock
Cultural originsJesus movement
Typical instrumentsAcoustic guitar, piano, electric guitar, electric bass guitar, percussion (including full drum sets)
Other topics
Christian music
For the Lecrae song, see Jesus Muzik.

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 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—Southern California (especially Costa Mesa and Hollywood), San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago—around 1969–70. Large numbers of hippies and street musicians began converting to born-again Christianity. A number of these conversions, especially in southern California, was due largely to the outreach of Lonnie Frisbee[2] and Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. In the aftermath of such conversions, these musicians continued playing the same styles of music that they had been playing prior to their conversion, though they now infused their lyrics with a Christian message. Most of these early bands gigged whenever asked, usually for whatever money could be collected at the passing of a hat or basket. This was known as a love offering. Few, if any, made a living from playing in the years 1970–73, nor did they expect to. Most viewed their music as a means of sharing their newfound faith and encouraging listeners to commit their lives to Jesus, no matter the sacrifice.[citation needed] Of the many bands and artists that came out of this time-period, some became leaders within the Jesus movement. Most notably among them Larry Norman, Barry McGuire, Love Song, Second Chapter of Acts, Randy Stonehill, Randy Matthews, and during the mid-1970s, Keith Green.

"What a Day"

Much of the music[3] was a blend of folk music and folk rock[4] (Children of the Day, Paul Clark, John Fischer, Nancy Honeytree, Mark Heard, Noel Paul Stookey), soft rock (Chuck Girard, Tom Howard, Phil Keaggy, Mustard Seed Faith, Salvation Air Force, Pat Terry), R&B (Andraé Crouch (and the Disciples)), soul music/jazz fusion (Sweet Comfort Band), country rock (Bethlehem, Daniel Amos, Gentle Faith, The Talbot Brothers - John Michael and Terry Talbot, The Way), and hard rock (Agape, All Saved Freak Band, Petra, Resurrection Band, Servant).

The music was quite often both lyrically and musically simple as well as theologically immature. It focused on many of the themes of the larger Jesus movement from which it sprung, particularly voicing the idea of imminent return of Christ. Larry Norman voiced this in his song "I Wish We'd All Been Ready," singing "I wish we'd all been ready..../There's no time to change your mind/The Son has come and you've been left behind."[5] It was also seen by many as worldly music 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.[3][6] Larry Norman addressed this culture clash in his 1972 song, "Why Should The Devil Have All the Good Music?"[1]. 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 Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock, the atmosphere was decidedly different and attracted large crowds of camping families as well as teenagers and young adults.

By 1973, Jesus music was receiving enough attention inside the mainstream media that an industry began to emerge. By the mid 1970s, the phrase "contemporary Christian music" (CCM) had been coined by Ron Moore[7] and the first edition of CCM Magazine was published in July 1977. CCM now was a combination of traditional gospel music, Southern gospel music, Jesus music artists, and in some cases a style of big-band music with Christian lyrics.[8] By 1976, it was apparent that a new generation of performers who had grown up in the church wanted to play non-secular pop and rock music for other Christians. By the end of the 1970s the term "Jesus music" fell out of use as the movement was replaced by the industry.

Outside California

File:MGCOM.JPG
Mind Garage (1968)

Contemporaneous with the Jesus movement, from 1967 to 1970, on the East Coast of the United States, the first documented Christian rock band, Mind Garage, was taking rock music with Christian lyrics into church, although their music was not widely known to those following Jesus music. In the UK, Parchment, Roger and Jan, Judy McKenzie, Malcolm and Alwyn, Garth Hewitt, Graham Kendrick, Dave and Dana, Len McGee, Adrian Snell, etc. were some of the most notable agents of the gospel beat.

Jesus People USA is an intentional community and ministry, currently located on the North Side of Chicago. Two of the first influences of JPUSA were Cornerstone magazine and Resurrection Band.[9] Jim Palosaari was one of Britain's influential Jesus people and one of the founders of the group that became JPUSA, Servant's Highway Ministries, and Greenbelt festival in England, the largest Christian rock festival in the world.[9][10] On the fringes of Jesus music such UK artists as Bryn Haworth have found commercial success by combining blues and mainstream rock music with Christian themes.

See also

References

  1. ^ Di Sabatino, David (1999). The Jesus People Movement: an annotated bibliography and general resource. Lake Forest, CA: Jester Media. p. 137. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ David di Sabatino (2001). Frisbee: The Life and Death of a Hippie Preacher (Documentary movie). United States: David Di Sabatino.
  3. ^ a b Di Sabatino, David (1999). The Jesus People Movement: an annotated bibliography and general resource. Lake Forest, CA: Jester Media. pp. 136–137. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ Di Sabatino, David (1999). The Jesus People Movement: an annotated bibliography and general resource. Lake Forest, CA: Jester Media. p. 136. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ Patterson, James Alan (2005-09-01). "Revolution and the Eschaton: Images of Jesus in the Jesus Movement". Trinity Journal. 26 (2): 267–277.
  6. ^ Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 1-56563-679-1. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ Full Circle Jesus Music, 2009
  8. ^ See Dave Boyer at
  9. ^ a b Liner notes to Music to Raise the Dead: 1972-1998 by Resurrection Band.
  10. ^ Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. pp. 808–809. ISBN 1-56563-679-1. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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