#98 GENTLE MOMENTS by Evie (1976)

GENTLE MOMENTS - Evie (1976)
Word (WST-9562)

Before Amy Grant became our Queen of Pop, and before Sandi Patti found her voice…there was Evie.  

This diminutive, dimpled Norwegian blond took American Christendom by storm in the mid-1970s. Her crystal clear voice and million dollar smile evoked a freshness and a purity of spirit that won the hearts of audiences around the world.

Rock? Um…no. Looking back, her music can best be described as Inspirational or Adult Contemporary (a genre that was often referred to as MOR – middle of the road -- in the 70s). There were plenty of strings, lush production values, and cheesy background vocal parts. But Evie was that rare artist who was endearing and completely unthreatening to mom & dad and just fresh enough to gain the ear of the teenagers in the house. While never viewed as an authentic Jesus Music artist, she was on the outskirts of the Jesus Movement scene – thanks in large part to her covers of many Jesus Music standards.

Over the years she recorded songs by Larry Norman (I Wish We’d All Been Ready & Sweet, Sweet Song of Salvation), Pat Terry (Meet Me Here), Honeytree (Clean Before My Lord, I Don’t Have to Worry & Live For Jesus), and Andrae Crouch (My Tribute, The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power, It Won’t Be Long & If Heaven Never Was Promised To Me), as well as Jesus Made Me Higher and Give Them All to Jesus (which were popularized by The Imperials). Her platform on Word Records (rather than Myrrh) helped to give a certain legitimacy to these songs and artists, paving the way for greater acceptance by the traditional church world. Every time she recorded or performed a song by Larry Norman or Honeytree, she helped to tear down some walls of tradition on behalf of the fledgling Jesus Rock genre. Her inclusion in 1985’s Do Something Now by “The Cause” was proof that she was respected by the rock ‘n roll side of the Christian music industry.

Evelyn “Evie” Tornquist was not foreign-born as many assume. She was actually born in Rahway, New Jersey in 1957 to Norwegian immigrants. She began her singing career as a teenager while visiting her parents’ homeland. One night a friend made an arrangement for her to appear on a popular late-night TV talk show in Norway. After that, invitations to perform poured in from around Scandinavia. She released her English language debut album at the tender age of 16 and went on to record more than 30 albums, some in Scandinavian languages. In addition to her CCM records, she recorded a children’s album and a hymns album. Oddly enough, her biggest hit ever came from a Christmas album (C’mon, Ring Those Bells). She took home Dove Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1977 and 1978, and three of her albums were nominated for Grammy Awards. Evie was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame on February 22, 2005, and was one of the inaugural inductees into the Christian Music Hall of Fame. 

In 1976 Evie recorded what many consider to be her best album, Gentle Moments. Songs ranged from soft rock (Broken Up People and You Got the Power) to covers of Jesus Music classics penned by Pat Terry and Honeytree…heck, there’s even a cover of a John Denver song on this album (For Baby, For Bobbie), although the album’s liner notes credit the song to Deutschendorf, Jr., Denver’s actual surname, perhaps so as not to rile up a conservative audience that would disagree with Denver’s left-wing politics and radical environmentalism. Gentle Moments was Evie’s third album for Word, and one of her most popular. Other highlights of the album would include her take on the 60s youth camp favorite Pass It On, and Give Them All to Jesus, a song that received a ton of radio airplay and is said to have been one of Evie’s personal favorites.   
                        

The album cover has a definite 70s vibe; it looks like something Carol King or Rita Coolidge might’ve done. Gentle Moments is an essential album for any Evie fan and a great representation of what endeared her to so many listeners. 

Evie with producer Lennart Sjöholm (L) & Chuck Girard (R)

In 1979, Evie married Swedish pastor and musician Pelle Karlsson in Stockholm, Sweden. Even though she continued to record sporadically throughout much of the 80s, she left the “Christian music industry” somewhat abruptly in 1981 while she was still quite popular. Echoing similar reports from folks like Terry Clark and Chuck Girard, Evie told CCM Magazine, “Toward the end of that time, ’79 or ’80, I felt somewhat uncomfortable with what was happening. I felt as though my hands were tied in terms of ministry.” She and her husband Pelle focused their efforts on a Christian TV network (SkyAngel) and a missions project called Back to Jerusalem. The Karlssons reside in Florida; they have 2 adult children, and they are grandparents. Evie still does concert ministry now and then and has recently teamed with Rebecca St. James for a series of special events known as “SHE: Safe, Healthy and Empowered” which help young women apply Biblical principles to life in today’s culture.  


Evie Tornquist Karlsson says she looks back on the 70s with pleasant memories, calling it a “wonderful experience.” She says, “God has allowed me the privilege of doing what I love to do – ministering in various ways and touching lives through music all around the world. But make no mistake: the treasure I hold dearest to my heart is knowing Christ and experiencing the joy of making Him known.” 


Several years after Gentle Moments, Evie would record a song called Live For Jesus, written specifically for her by Nancy Honeytree: 

"Oh, I want to be remembered as a girl who sang her songs for Jesus Christ..." 

She most certainly will be.

#99 FORGIVEN by Ron Salsbury & J.C. Power Outlet (1974)

FORGIVEN - Ron Salsbury & J.C. Power Outlet
Myrrh (MST-6525-LP)

In the mid-70s I was a preacher’s kid in the deep south. Phenix City, Alabama, to be exact. My Dad hired a young man named Jerry to be our church’s youth pastor. Jerry was cool. He “talked funny” because he was from Minnesota, but he had long hair and played guitar. He invited my brothers and me over to his apartment for sleepovers, and he’d let us listen to the local rock radio station…all night long! Turns out that Jerry’s tenure at our southern Assembly of God church was rather short. But I will be eternally grateful to him for introducing me to an album called “Love Peace Joy.” It was a compilation album that Myrrh released, hoping to give some new Jesus Music artists – like Malcolm & Alwyn, Love Song, 2^nd Chapter of Acts, Barry McGuire, Honeytree, and others -- some exposure. One of the songs on that record was I Choose to Follow You by Ron Salsbury & J.C. Power Outlet. It was love at first listen – a beautiful ballad with lyrics that inspire perseverance in following Jesus, no matter who or what you have to leave behind. “I Choose to Follow” has been described as “musically immaculate and lyrically convicting.”  

Though some friends may choose to criticize,
I'll be a fool in some man's eyes,
But still, I choose to follow You.

Though people may say that I've lost my mind,
But I want so much to find,
A joy to last my whole life through,
So I choose to follow You.


J.C. Power Outlet was one of the first Christian hard rock bands in existence. Their music seemed quite radical compared to the Calvary Chapel sounds of Love Song or Children of the Day. The band was built largely around the talents of Ron Salsbury and has been referred to as “110 watts of pure Jesus power.”

Forgiven was actually the band’s 2^nd release, but it’s the record that gained them the largest following. It was better produced than the group’s 1972 self-titled debut. The album kicked off with a phased hi-hat and hyper-speed fuzzy guitar intro that served notice that this was something altogether different than the typical gospel music of the early 70s. There was a distinct west coast vibe on a few songs. Raucous rockers and mellow ballads were pretty even interspersed throughout the album. In addition to a standard rock rhythm section, brass, clavinet, and mellotron were used in the instrumentation.

One reviewer said that on this album J.C. Power Outlet “mixed fuzzy, progressive rock moves with bar band boogie and a solidly proselytizing lyrical message.” Issues including commitment, friendship with Jesus, falling away from faith, and even astrology (My sign is a blood-stained cross which stood at Calvary/Why should I ever worship the stars that were created just like me?) are addressed in no uncertain terms. This record also contains plenty of vintage Jesus Music evangelism. 

After Forgiven was released, David Edwards joined the band as bassist. Edwards would resurface several years later as Christian rock’s first (and most critically acclaimed) “new wave” solo artist. After JC Power Outlet disbanded in 1975, Salsbury and guitarist John Pantano reunited to record an album for Larry Norman’s Solid Rock label in 1977. The record was called Hit the Switch. More about that one later in the countdown!

Today, Ron Salsbury serves as Lead Pastor of New Life Community Church in Pismo Beach, CA (a Church of the Nazarene congregation). The church’s website describes Salsbury as being “passionate about how God is really in love with each one of us and that there is a hope in every one of God’s promises.” His official bio never mentions JC Power Outlet by name, but does say: “Ron served as a recording artist and leader of a praise band during the ‘Jesus Movement’ in the 70s.” Salsbury graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA in 1986. He reportedly enjoys camping and hiking in Yosemite National Park and lists Psalm 18 as his favorite Bible passage.

I should also mention that Forgiven boasted a very creative front cover. The iconic apple-with-the-bandaid photo was at once memorable and an ingenious illustration of the album’s title. All in all, Forgiven by JC Power Outlet gave the young people of the Jesus Movement some real rock ‘n roll to sink their teeth into, to go with the more common acoustic folk of the era. It was an important album.

Fun Fact: Before forming JC Power Outlet, Ron Salsbury and John Pantano recorded a few songs with Larry Norman that later ended up on Norman’s Bootleg album.

#100 DANIEL AMOS by Daniel Amos (1976)

DANIEL AMOS/Daniel Amos (1976)
Maranatha! Music  HS-777-24

My one and only live experience with Daniel Amos came at the Cornerstone Festival in 1990. Randy Stonehill opened for DA and then Uncle Rand joined the Swirling Eddies (also featuring Gene Eugene on the organ). Wow. What a night. I Love You #19…Walls of Doubt…Darn Floor, Big Bite…Sanctuary…Dance Stop…and many more (the setlists are preserved in digital form at danielamos.com). The Eddies treated us to Let’s Spin, Arthur Fhardy’s Yodel Party, Hide the Beer The Pastor’s Here, I Am Woman Hear Me Roar, and several other favorites. The craziness ended all too soon. However, the next day my bandmates and I took mass transit into Chicago to see the sites. We took our seats on the train and looked up to discover that we were sharing the ride with several members of Daniel Amos. Nice.

Rapid Transit with DA
L-R: Sharon McCall, Greg Flesch, Tim Chandler, Dennis Grimaud, Jerry Chamberlain

Daniel Amos’ origins began with Terry Taylor (born May 24, 1950), who was performing with various rock combos in San Jose, CA in the mid-60s. Terry became a Christian in 1971 and joined a Jesus Music trio called Good Shepherd. A year later, he was writing and playing songs with a group called Jubal’s Last Band (the direct ancestor to Daniel Amos). Terry and the boys then moved down to Costa Mesa to be part of the thriving Jesus Movement scene at Chuck Smith’s Calvary Chapel and spent their time performing for Bible study groups and at coffee shops throughout Southern California. In mid 1975, Jubal's Last Band auditioned for Maranatha! Music in hopes of signing a recording and performance contract. Another band at the meeting, led by Darrell Mansfield, had a similar name – Jubal. The two bands decided to change their names to avoid confusion. Mansfield renamed his band Gentle Faith, and Jubal's Last Band decided to take two Old Testament prophet names and put them together. Thus, Daniel Amos was officially formed in 1974 with Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar,Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars.

The band released their first full length, eponymous album (Daniel Amos) in 1976 which was produced by Al Perkins and engineered by Jonathan David Brown. It boasted a colorful, attention-grabbing cover illustration of the band by Dale G. Waters.

From the very beginning, humor was a hallmark of Daniel Amos’ music. Abidin’ used humor to put down the sins of gossip and anger; meanwhile, Skeptics’ Song presented the band as dinner club entertainers – Dan Amos & the Maranatha Mood Makers – who used humor to deliver a very sobering message to people were content to ignore God and the Bible.

Now, all is well, 'cause there ain't no hell below ya
God would have a lot of nerve to reserve that hot spot for ya
No, you won't bring the temperature down one degree
Simply because you don't believe
Oh my! You'll fry as we wave good-bye to you

Yeah, God's a laugh a minute with His funny book
But, friend, I'd take a second look
All that you're readin’ there is gonna come true
Even, Clyde, in spite of you

Said Alex MacDougall (who played percussion on the album and would later become a band member): “They were funny guys, which was not a trait of most Jesus movement, 'last days'-type bands." 

Terry Taylor has called the album "embarrassing". He says that Skeptics' Song is "one of the most embarrassing. It has a certain lack of grace." Perhaps he's forgetting that the song ends by saying...

If you're facin' God's salvation with an open heart
Then Jesus, He's gonna do His part
Oh my! You'll fly as we rise in the sky with you!

Relax, Terry. Nothing to be embarrassed about. 

Alex MacDougall also said, "DA was a very good acoustic/vocal group at that time--the best that I can remember." In fact, from beginning to end, Daniel Amos is a well-polished recording with excellent arrangements -- unsurpassed for a mid-'70s gospel group. The group's professionalism was apparent even at this early stage. One reviewer put it this way: “While a number of early Jesus Music bands were trying to emulate the country rock sounds of The Eagles, none did it as masterfully as Daniel Amos.” All in all, this self-titled, debut album is an interesting look at the embryonic stages of one of the most creative bands in Christian music.

In addition to the humor, there was another element that set this album apart from most of the Jesus Music releases of the early to mid-70s: a lot of the content on the record was actually quite confrontational. The album’s first track – Jesus is Jehovah to Me -- takes on Jehovah’s Witnesses in no uncertain terms: 

Now we both have said that the Lord's comin' back
And you've more than once stated that fact
Now it seems rather odd, if you're prophets of God
Your dates have been so far off the track

Now the Watchtower can only deceive
But from Jesus you can receive
God's Spirit comes in, and you're born again
Singin' Jesus is Jehovah to me

Jesus is Jehovah to me
He's Lord and He's King of Kings
He's more than a man, He's the great I AM
Jesus is Jehovah to me

If you're really "Awake", You'll make no mistake
Jesus is Jehovah to me

It’s probably safe to say that no other album has ever begun with such an open rebuke! And Love in a Yielded Heart addresses three popular rock artists by name…and not in a complimentary way.

Well, Bob Dylan he can't free you
And John Lennon can't see what's inside of you
And Alice Cooper can just freak you
He can't show you the way or lead you

The Spirit in a yielded heart
Is the only thing that can lead you
To love, sweet love

One reviewer wrote, “If you like your Jesus served straight up with a dash of sweet slide guitar, this is for you.” 

Stunt Records released a two-disc 30th anniversary deluxe edition of Daniel Amos in June 2006. It included an expanded booklet of never-before-seen photos, additional liner notes, and an entire extra disc of bonus material including early demos and live recordings from the pre-DA years.

A very long career and many musical reincarnations lay ahead for this band. They would work their way through rock and new wave before finding their niche as so-called founding fathers of the “alternative rock” scene in Christian music. Grasping the entirety of their work is no small undertaking. In addition to their major label releases, there have been live albums, special releases, compilations, Terry Taylor solo projects, Swirling Eddies albums, and even a tribute CD recorded by other artists. Their music has often been impossible to categorize and difficult to market. They have an intensely loyal following and have survived largely without commercial success.

If I ever end up on a commuter train with the band again, I may ask them if they have any plans to retire before Jesus returns. 

I wouldn’t bet on it.

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to my blog of the 100 Greatest CCM Albums of the ‘70s. This will be a sizeable undertaking that will require a ton of research. It will be a labor of love.

A little about me: I grew up in a pastor’s home, listening to southern gospel music as a kid. One day at a friend’s house, I heard my first Imperials album (Imperials Live – 1973), and everything changed. From there, it was on to Andrae Crouch, the 2^nd Chapter of Acts, and Larry Norman. Our family hit the road in full-time evangelistic ministry, and my brothers and I formed a band. 

For several years, we were basically a cover band, playing popular Jesus Music and Christian Rock songs from our favorite artists in “youth concerts” and in our family’s crusades. We did a lot of Dallas Holm and Pat Terry songs before we began to write our own songs. I later ended up with a full-time air shift at one of America’s very first full-time Christian Rock radio stations (WEAB in Greer, SC – “The Rock of the ‘80s!”). Then, for 15 years, I hosted and produced “Rock of Ages” on Rock 101, WROQ in Greenville, SC. 

It was a weekly Christian Rock radio show, giving voice to artists like Phil Keaggy, Petra, DeGarmo & Key, Resurrection Band and so many more on a 100,000-watt secular, classic rock station. I’ve played the Cornerstone Festival (with Sunday Blue) and played and sang on 2 releases by my younger brother’s band, My Friend Stephanie. So, as you can tell, what came to be known as CCM – contemporary Christian music -- has been more than a hobby for me; it’s been a life-long love.

Jerry Bryant

There are two men who have influenced my decision to undertake this blog. Awhile back I came across a blog of the “500 Greatest CCM Albums in History” by Dave Lowan. Great list, MONSTROUS undertaking, fun reading. I don’t agree with all of his rankings, but that’s what makes lists like these fun, right? Then I stumbled across a classic Jesus Music radio show on iTunes – Full Circle with Jerry Bryant. Jerry was himself a participant in the early Jesus Music scene – as host of the early classic radio show Jesus Solid Rock and later as a pastor at Keith Green’s Last Days Ministries. I’ve been working my way through the archives of Jerry’s Full Circle show (which features tons of Jesus Music classics and current interviews with a lot of the early artists), and LOVING every minute of it. It’s almost made me want to resurrect my own show (“Rock of Ages”). But…the next best thing would be a blog that would not only rank the best records from my favorite decade (the 1970s), but would also give me a chance to share memories and experiences and would serve as a historical document of sorts. We’re all getting older, a lot of these classic albums are out of print, and there’s a need for the stories and songs that accompany these great records to be talked about and passed on to future generations. Jesus Music, Jesus Rock, CCM, Christian Rock…whatever you prefer to call it, it has been and continues to be a source of daily encouragement to me. Not only do I enjoy some incredible musical offerings from a wide range of amazingly talented artists, but I also receive wisdom and spiritual guidance from the music. 

I’m exhorted by Keith Green…I rock out with Sweet Comfort Band…I laugh with Randy Stonehill, cry with Bob Bennett, and worship with Terry Clark and Kelly Willard. Christendom (and Christian radio in particular) has done a pitiful job of honoring the pioneers who paved the way. This blog will do just that. So…thanks, Dave and Jerry!

Finally, a word about criteria. This list is going to be very subjective. An album’s historical significance will be taken into account, as will the artist’s talent, musical performance, and (where applicable) songwriting skills. But my own personal likes/dislikes and memories will also color the rankings. PLEASE feel free to comment on the posts. Tell me where I’m right, where I’m wrong…tell us about your own memories and experiences relating to a certain album. Tell me where YOU would rank the records on YOUR list. That type of interaction makes lists like these vibrant and exciting.

So, here we go. I’ll begin with #100 and work my way down to #1, and then a list of the Honorable Mention albums. Let’s begin, shall we?