#93 SONGS FROM THE SAVIOR, VOLUME ONE by Paul Clark (1972)

SONGS FROM THE SAVIOR, VOLUME ONE by Paul Clark
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I had the privilege of meeting Paul Clark when my church hosted him on a Sunday morning sometime around 2005. My brother and I took in his concert the night before at the “legendary” Pavilion Coffee House (now sadly defunct) just outside Columbia, South Carolina. We drove Paul from Columbia to Greenville that night and had a wonderful opportunity to visit with this kind, personable, talented, gentle giant from the foundational days of the Jesus Movement. Paul had flown into the Carolinas, so we served as his chauffeurs for a few days, driving him to the church, to the restaurant, to the hotel, to the airport...all the while enjoying discussions on music, faith, and life in general. 


Born in Kansas City, Paul Clark grew up in a close family. He initially was drawn to the jazz records in his parents’ collection. But like many others his age, Paul was ultimately inspired to play music by four mop-topped lads from Liverpool, England. "I had witnessed the ‘fab four’ on the Ed Sullivan Show. They were so vibrant and joyful. I thought to myself, ‘I want to be happy...so, that's what I want to do.’ I purchased a Black Oyster Pearl Ludwig drum set like Ringo's and started a band with a couple of friends called the Kommotions."

Paul (on the drums) and Bill Speer with "The Kommotions"

Unfortunately, the name of that early band proved prophetic. Paul’s life eventually became a whirlpool of drugs and social rebellion. In April of 1970, Paul moved from Kansas to a primitive log cabin at 9,800 feet on the Continental Divide, in the Colorado Rocky Mountains to become an “unlicensed pharmaceutical representative” (he says with a smile). There, his life took a miraculous turn. 

Paul remembers: "On the front porch where I met the Lord, as well as where I penned many of the first songs that I composed about my new faith in Jesus Christ."

This is the cabin Paul Clark was living in when he came to know the Lord in May of 1970. Located off the switch back Hwy. 40 route at the base of Berthoud Pass, Colorado, it is still intact today. Paul says that when he is in that part of Colorado, he always stops by to check it out. "The smell in the air and the sound of the creek that runs next to the cabin immediately take me back to my first love," Paul says.

 

"I was an 18-year old hippie, strong and independent, yet riddled with fear and hopelessness. Like so many disgruntled youth during the era of Vietnam and social unrest, I tried to find solace in God. An anemic denominational church experience, transcendental meditation, the Bhagavad Gita, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, grass, hash, opium, speed and countless LSD trips left me empty. One day, at the Post Office, I received a box of books from my grandmother about Jesus Christ. I chose one and read it from cover to cover in one day. At the end of the book, I prayed a prayer to follow Jesus as his disciple. The next morning, I remember waking up and sitting on my porch. Something had drastically changed. I felt deeply loved, so new, so clean, so forgiven and unspeakably peaceful. I was also overwhelmed with thankfulness. Concurrently, songs began to pour out of me like the water in the river next to my cabin."

In the eight days following his dramatic conversion, he wrote all of the songs that would eventually comprise his first album, Songs from the Savior Volume One. The title of the project represented Paul’s belief that the songs were literally given to him by Jesus. He started singing these new songs at the Narrow Gate Coffeehouse, a place he and his friends established to reach out to hippies shortly after his move to Denver in 1971. In a recent interview, Paul remembered, “We were leading dozens of people to Christ every day. There was an incredible outpouring of the Holy Spirit back then.” Paul tells the story that a 65-year old man came into the Narrow Gate one day and asked if he had any recordings of his songs. Paul told him no, and the man wrote him a check for $3,000 to get the songs recorded. He was able to track the songs and get 1,000 albums pressed, 247 of which he sold the first night they were made available at the coffee house. 


Recorded in 1971 and released in March of 1972, Songs from the Savior Volume One is nowhere near Paul’s best work as a singer or musician. But it is included on this list because of its historical significance. It was one of Jesus Music’s very first offerings and is credited with helping to establish the genre as an art form. It contains mostly ballads with light acoustic instrumentation. Historian David Di Sabatino says it effectively captures “the emotional spirituality of the revival.” The album is musically mellow, relying heavily on Paul’s acoustic guitar. Lyrically, it is saturated with the simple Good News of Jesus Christ. Looking Glass Incident was biographical: 


I gazed into a looking glass and what did I see?
A face that looked somewhat like mine was staring back at me
His voice was soft and easy and before He left He said
I’d like to save your life before you’re dead 
I begged him not to hurry but He drifted out of sight
His face, it was replaced by a bright and shining light
And then I saw the answer written plainly on my wall
Teach this to your friends before they fall
We could learn to teach our hearts to be free
Just come by faith, be not afraid
For your ticket has been paid
By a man named Jesus Christ from Galilee 

Paul says that Song for Salvation was the first song he ever wrote on piano. He wrote it because he needed a way to lead people at the Narrow Gate Coffeehouse in a prayer to receive Christ, and he thought that a song would be a good way to do it.


Jesus, come in me
Although I’m not worthy to sit at your table
Thank You for making me able to be
A part of Your body
That moves so freely in a world so confusing
That some are losing
What they came here for
To find Your door 
I remember long ago
I didn’t even know that You had died for me
Just to set me free from the world of sin
You know that’s where I’ve been in my life until now
So I’ll take a bow
My knee shall bow and surrender to You 
Please teach me how to pray
‘Cause I don’t know what to say
Make me humble and meek
Make me strong when I am weak
Oh, Spirit intercede
I pray You’ll meet my need
Take away all of my pride and let me abide
In the arms of Your loving grace 

Amen 

The record closed with It Was True, a stirring ballad sung from the perspective of one left behind at Christ’s return. One reviewer noted that “Clark’s vocals have an appealing fragile quality that’s well suited not only to his delicate songs but also to the more dynamic selections wherein comparisons to Van Morrison are not out of line.” All in all, Songs from the Savior Volume One helped to strengthen many new believers in the early 70s.


 Paul released Songs from the Savior Volume Two later that same year. The two records sounded as though they truly were meant to be released together. They combined to create a memorable debut from one of the most important and influential artists of the Jesus Music era. 

Paul Clark today

Paul Clark went on to many bigger and better things, fully exploring rock and jazz in years to come (watch this countdown for more Clark albums).  He has completed 18 solo recording projects, written over 500 songs, produced records for other artists, served as a worship leader/pastor, and has been a published photographer and author.  

Paul’s priorities are clear: "I am mindful that first and foremost, I stand before an audience of One. I seek to pattern my calling to the model that Jesus demonstrated. I hunger to be led by the Holy Spirit. I feel blessed beyond words to have seen and experienced all that I have. I'm humbled that Jesus is still calling me to serve Him. Without a doubt, God uses broken vessels. I intend to keep my hand to the plow spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. By His grace, I honor the past, embrace the present, and possess a living hope for the future.”