#91 GRAND OPENING by Andrus, Blackwood & Co. (1977)

GRAND OPENING by Andrus, Blackwood & Co. (1977)
Greentree Records (R-3467)

Ah…the smooth harmonies and polished pop sound of Andrus, Blackwood & Company.

These men first came to my attention when both of them were vital parts of a Gospel 

Music Machine known as the Imperials (from 1972 to 1976). The Imperials’ sound of the early to mid-70s relied heavily on the talents of these two gentlemen, as they traded off singing lead on most of the songs, and Terry Blackwood arranged the vocals for the group. I LOVED the Imperials of that time period and with that lineup. In fact, don’t tell anybody…but when I heard rumors as a preteen that Terry and Sherman had left the Imperials and it began to sink in that I would perhaps never get a chance to see that lineup of the group in concert…well, let’s just say that I was traumatized there for a little while. 

The rumor turned out to be true. They were gone.

Sherman Andrus (bottom, left) as a member
of Andrae Crouch & the Disciples

But let’s go back even further. These guys were part of Christian music royalty (if you will) even before they joined the Imperials. Terry Blackwood is the son of the late Doyle Blackwood, one of the founders of the most successful and historic Gospel quartet of all time, The Blackwood Brothers. After graduating from Memphis State University, Terry sang with J.D. Sumner & the Stamps Quartet. Meanwhile, Sherman Andrus had been a founding member of Andraé Crouch & the Disciples.

Terry Blackwood was first to join the Imperials. By the time Sherman joined the group, its transitional period was well underway. They’d already been a back up vocal group for Elvis Presley in Las Vegas; now the hair grew longer while the stage clothes were more hip, matching outfits were no longer a necessity, and spiritually-aware cover tunes by both Jesus Music artists and secular artists became very prevalent on their albums and in their concerts. With Terry and Sherman on board, the Imperials themselves became a full-on bridge between the southern gospel world they left behind and the contemporary music scene they were headed toward. The fact that Sherman Andrus is a Black man was very significant in the early 1970s. Very few music groups – Christian or secular -- were racially integrated during that time period.

  

An early 70s Imperials photo

Just Because would be their last album with the Imperials. Terry & Sherman had already begun 

experimenting together musically while still members of the Imperials; they left an established group that was experiencing tremendous commercial success and struck out on their own in 1976.  

With the help of Karen Voegtin (vocals), Bill Egtlin (keyboards/vocals), Bob Villareal (guitar/vocals), Tim Marsh (drums) and Rocky Laughlin (bass), Andrus, Blackwood & Co. made their debut for Greentree Records in 1977. Grand Opening was a hit on the CCM radio charts.

The cover art featured an old filling station or general store-type building with the words Grand Opening on a banner stretched across the front of the store. A large color picture of Andrus & Blackwood graced the back cover. The rapture-themed I’m Gonna Rise and Never Be were popular tunes from the album. Questions was a song that most people remember; it wondered aloud in a very poignant way what we will leave behind after we’ve passed from this life.

So many questions I must ask myself today

I wonder if Jesus thinks I’ve done my share today

Will I wake up in the morning to find 

Regrets upon my mind

Will I leave a trace of Jesus somewhere

So many questions I must ask myself today

What will I leave behind 

When life has passed my way

Will people remember my name 

Or forget me all the same

Will I leave a trace of Jesus somewhere

Have I been a light in dark places / brought a smile to sad faces

Have I shown the world I really care

Have I lived my life the way He wants me to each and every day

When someone stumbled / was I there to care

Grand Opening's back cover

While not songwriters themselves, Andrus and Blackwood were good judges of great writing, as well as good judges of what Christian radio audiences wanted to hear. They recorded many songs from such established songwriting talents as Bruce Hibbard, Hadley Hockensmith, Phil Johnson, and Tim Sheppard among others.

Steve is another song from the album that made an emotional impact, It tells the story of a young boy who simply needs someone to care for him. It closes the album.

The boy's name was Steve

He wasn't quite five
And when we found him that day

He was barely alive
Just an old pair of jeans

A face filled with fear
Dirty bare feet

And eyes filled with tears
And what he said

Still rings in my ears

He said

Please, won't somebody love me?
Please, won't somebody love me?
I've been all over town 

And I still haven't found
Anybody to say

Come over to my house and play
Please, won't somebody love me?

Does it ever make you wonder

How Jesus must feel
Every time that He sees

Somebody like Steve
O you might be surprised

If you only knew 
How often the Lord feels the same way too
And how many times He's cried out to you 

Crying

Please won't somebody love Me
Please, won't somebody love Me
I've been all over town and I still haven't found
Anybody to say

Come over to my house and stay
Please, won't somebody love Me?

Blackwood & Andrus in the 80s

Polished 70s pop and radio-friendly vocal harmonies permeate this debut offering from AB&C.

Terry, Sherman & band in the 1980s

 Andrus, Blackwood & Company went on to release six albums between 1977 and 1984.  The group’s final performance came in June 1986 at a Six Flags theme park near Chicago, IL.

Today, the guys pay the bills by appearing as the "Elvis Imperials," reprising their role as Elvis Presley's backup vocal group in early 70s Las Vegas. Terry and Sherman are in the middle; '70s Imperials alum Joe Moscheo is on the right. The gentleman on the left was not a member of the Imperials in the 1970s, but he seems happy to be along for the ride.

Fun Fact: Sherman Andrus and Terry Blackwood occasionally perform in a group now called The Elvis Imperials with another former Imperials member, Joe Moscheo. 

#92 PETRA by Petra (1974)



PETRA by Petra (1974)
Myrrh Records (MST-6527)

In a career that spanned more than three decades, Petra released 20 studio albums (including 3 Spanish language albums and 2 live recordings), and sold 10 million copies while being nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning 4. They won 10 Dove Awards. They had a song reach the #1 position on 3 Christian radio charts simultaneously. At the height of their popularity, they performed an average of 160 concerts per year. They were among the first bands to tour with extensive light shows and special effects. They were the only Christian band invited to play at the historic Farm Aid festival. They were the subject of numerous ‘greatest hits’ projects, including a tribute album that featured modern rock acts covering their favorite Petra songs. They were the first Christian band to be enshrined in the Hard Rock Café. And they were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in the year 2000. Other than that, move along…nothing to see here. But seriously…

Back in 1972, no one foresaw all that lay ahead for this band of new believers and struggling musicians.

In the early 70s, guitarist Bob Hartman and bassist John DeGroff were in a band called Dove. The group disbanded when DeGroff decided to attend Bible school. Hartman soon joined him at the Christian Training Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1972 Hartman and DeGroff formed a band with two other classmates – Greg Hough and Bill Glover. They named the band Petra, which is the Greek word for ‘rock.’

They started playing anywhere they could throughout the Midwest – churches, coffeehouses, parks – sharing the message of Christ via the medium of rock and roll. The band became regulars at a now-well-known venue called the Adam’s Apple. There, they met and played alongside other Christian musicians and performers such as Honeytree, Mike Warnke and Phil Keaggy.

Their mix of evangelism and rock music placed Petra squarely among the early pioneers of Jesus Music. But theirs was by no means a smooth road. They were opposed by parents, church leaders, bookstore owners and radio programmers who were convinced that rock and roll was “of the devil” and that trailblazing Christian rockers like Petra were simply wolves in sheep’s clothing, sent to cause their teenagers to stray from the straight and narrow.

Enter Billy Ray Hearn.

Petra had attracted the attention of Paul Craig Paino of Myrrh Records. Paino convinced the label’s founder, Billy Ray Hearn, to attend a Petra performance at the Adam’s Apple. Hearn must’ve liked what he saw and heard; he signed Petra to a Myrrh Records recording contract in 1973. Hearn was later quoted as saying, “Petra was the most radical thing around.” He produced the band’s debut album himself.

OK, let’s talk about the album. I’m just gonna say it. This record is on this list due to its historical significance. The production standards are sub-par. The vocals are, in a word, terrible. Bob Hartman probably never claimed to be a singer, but he got the job by default on this first album. John J. Thompson has called Hartman’s singing “almost comically bad.” He added, “The band needed a singer badly.” But the importance of this album on Myrrh Records, being released in 1974, warrants its inclusion on this list.

The album cover features the name PETRA carved in sand (with what appears to be nomads in the bottom right-hand corner, seen from overhead). Some have wondered if this was meant to suggest the ancient Biblical city of Petra, which was carved out of the sides of a ravine of rock. The back cover shows an illustration of the four band members, and states, “Petra is…rock – massive – with spiritual overtones.” That much was certainly true.

Petra’s self-titled debut has been described as “solid, guitar-driven, rural rock ‘n roll with loads of lengthy, rip-snortin’ leads.” The album hearkens more to southern rock bands like Lynryd Skynyrd  than the arena rock that the group eventually became known for. Elements of Yes, Allman Brothers and Cream could be heard in the tracks.

On the Word/Epic CD reissue in 1992, the track order was regrettably screwed up. This resulted in the song Parting Thought – clearly intended to be the album’s closing message – being heard in the middle of the album. In this review, we will follow the album’s original song order.

The record hits us right out of the gate with Walkin’ in the Light, a Hartman-penned tune based on I John 1:7. The joyous yet simplistic lyrics were typical of Jesus People in the early 70s:

I’m rockin’ with the Rock
Rollin’ on the road that takes me to the King
Walkin’ in the light / every day and night
Livin’ in the Spirit / really out of sight!

This song and several others on the album featured tight, Allman Brothers-type dual guitar lines.

Mountains and Valleys had an acoustic sound more akin to the gentle Jesus Music bands in Southern California.

Next up was a novelty track called Lucas McGraw. The song tells the story of a feuding, foul-mouthed, womanizer who’d gotten saved, and the change that had come over him. The track begins with some hillbillies sitting around talking, complete with sound effects of hogs and pigs. Some of the lyrics are hilarious.

Lucas McGraw, what’s come over you?

We’re beginning to think you’re touched
We heard you got religion
Ya ain’t been ‘round to see us much
Ya threw away your corncob pipe
And your jug of moonshine brew
And we hear you ain’t been doin’
All those things you used to do

Lucas McGraw, what’s come over you?

You’re shavin’ every day
You ain’t been chasin’ women
And you kissed your wife today
You went to church last Sunday
And you shook the preacher’s hand
And they say that you’ve been talkin’
‘Bout a Home beyond this land

Lucas McGraw, what’s come over you?

You never cuss no more
We hear you ain’t been feudin’ / You hung your rifle by the door
You take a bath each Sunday if you need it or not
And you go to work on Monday, even when it’s hot

Lucas McGraw was something of a cult classic. People either loved it or hated it. Musically, it was a severe departure from the rest of the album – a bluegrass tune complete with mandolins and banjos. The song ends with what sounds like a pig being shot by a gun. Pig sound effects would not be used this effectively again until Gary S. Paxton’s There Goes a Cigar Smoking a Man. (wink, wink)


Wake Up featured a funky time signature and a blistering guitar solo.

Closing side one was the standout Backslidin’ Blues. This song may have been the first full-on blues tune ever recorded on a major Christian album. The song was a concert favorite back in the day and benefitted from its inclusion on Jubilation, a 2-album various artists compilation that Myrrh Records released in 1975. The song sounds like it was recorded live in some old smoky blues bar, complete with a handful of exuberant ‘regulars’ on hand to cheer on the band. Yes, you can actually hear the clapping, hootin’ and hollerin’ while Hartman and Hough deliver some authentic blues licks and sing about the struggle a Christian can sometimes experience in his quest to stay close to the Lord.

Side two kicks off with Get Back to the Bible (three years before Chris Christian wrote and recorded a song with the same title). This one calls out Hare Krishna and the devil himself while proclaiming that “Jesus is the answer to everything you need to know.”



A&M Release - SP-5061



The second coming of Jesus was the inspiration for Gonna Fly Away. Reminiscent of the old hymn I’ll Fly Away or Servant’s Fly Away, the song contains dual guitar solos and some really funny lines:

Every day I’ve been lookin’ in the sky / Hope it’s not raining when I start to fly
I bet you think I’m strange / Just wait until I’m changed

Where you gonna be when the trumpet blows?

All that’s left of me is gonna be my clothes
I’d really like to see / you flyin’ next to me



Next up is a song that served as a good, overall statement of faith. I’m Not Ashamed has an Allman Brothers feel to it, and more “harmony guitar” technique. It had a nice psychedelic ‘70s ending, employing reverb and feedback (a la Larry Norman). 

Storm Comin’ contained more sound effects (thunder and rain) and even more dual harmony guitar parts.

 

Finally, Parting Thought was a simple, acoustic tune that invited the listener to once again consider the claims of Christ:

Here’s a song sung with you in mind
Maybe it will make you
Think about Him one more time
And if you can, please try to understand
Jesus is yours for the asking

Parting Thought was included on the 1974 Myrrh compilation album titled Love Peace Joy, exposing the band to a wider audience.



Overall, the band’s debut recording is pretty raw, lacking the refined production values of their future releases. The entire thing was recorded on a $1,000 budget during the span of two weeks. And yet it still brings a smile to the faces of Petra fans as they remember a simpler time, simple lyrics, atrocious vocals…and some smokin’ hot guitar work.

Hough, DeGroff & Glover still tour and record as GHF

The lineup would soon change, as would the sound. But the world had not heard the last of this band of Midwestern Jesus Rock pioneers -- to say the least.

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

SONGS FROM THE SAVIOR, VOLUME ONE by Paul Clark
Creative Sound (CSS-1568)

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.”