1st "contemporary" Christian music you heard.

[Million Pieces]

Newsboys and their Million Peices album. I got it from a friend during middle school. They were his favorite band at the time and I listened to it on the way to a band festival. I liked so much I bought the cd and I was not even a christian at the time.

Great cd!! It's called Thrive, and I agree, it's one of the best they made. Good choice!!

My first Christian music would have been the Gaithers, or something my mom would have listened to when I was like 6. My first "Contemporary" Christian would have been Rez or Servant, introduced to me by an older brother of a friend of mine. When I started buying my own music, it was MWS, a LOT of Steve Taylor, mid-80's Petra, SCB, Servant, Allies, Whiteheart, Rick Cua, even Mylon Lefevre/Broken Heart.

 

[power2theweak]

Hmmm...I think the first CCM artist that I heard was probably Crystal Lewis. Some of my favorites now are: MercyMe, Nichole Nordeman, Cindy Morgan, Wes King, Michael W. Smith...too many to name.

 

[ShilohCity]

Geoff Moore and the Distance "Evolution" Great song and Geoff Moore is still one of my favorite singers.

 

[Ladybug4Jesus]

Carman, dc Talk, Petra, Rachel Rachel, Whiteheart, Stryper...my parents listened to all of this, so I in turn learned it all as well.

 

[Million Pieces]

GREAT list LadyBug!!

 

[DJ4Christ]

My first CCM song to have heard would have to be Petra - This Means War!

 

[bluedaydreamer]

At Bible Camp in 8th grade we did a skit to a song by Superchick. ("Alright" was the name, I believe) ...I'd already heard "One Girl Revolution" on TV and had no idea it was by a Christian band =) & I'm not sure if Switchfoot's "Meant To Live" is a Christian song or not, but I loved it the first time I heard that one too.

 

[talitha]

I just became a friend of John Michael Talbot on Facebook yesterday. He wrote on my wall! ha!

 

[goldenboy]

I became a Christian in 1976. At the time, some of my favorite music included Queen, Deep Purple, Kansas, etc.

I didn't know that there was any rock music from a Christian perspective.

In the summer of 1977 I heard Yahweh by 2nd Chapter of Acts. It was the first "Christian Rock" that I ever heard.

I was QUITE impressed.
Who was your first?

Dude! You are my twin!
1976. I remember that I called the radio station after I heard "Yahweh;" I asked for them to play "Yahweh" by the 2nd Book of Acts! I knew the 2nd chapter of acts was in the Bible, but I also thought they were being literary!
Before Yahweh, however, I listened to Randy Matthews: Christian folk. Which, truth be known, wasn't CCM, but people like to think so, so I let them go on!
After 2CA, I heard "Come into His Presence" by Paul Clark and Friends, which had Phil Keaggy on it! Tremendously edifying album.
Wow. I think Keaggy was really a key player in the whole of CCM's beginning.

Thanks for the testimony.
Best wishes,
goldenboy

 

[Searching for a light]

For me it was DCTalk, their Jesus Freak album.

 

[send.the.rain]

I heard the song "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot before I became Christian. But one day I was in the car with a friend from our church when I was just becoming a Christian and I heard this song. It blew my mind... almost made me cry.

 

[holyrokker]

I heard "Come into His Presence" by Paul Clark and Friends, which had Phil Keaggy on it! Tremendously edifying album.
Wow. I think Keaggy was really a key player in the whole of CCM's beginning.

Thanks for the testimony.
Best wishes,
goldenboy

Paul Clark and Friends had some GREAT music! I still love "Which One Are You?" on Good To Be Home

Here's a great Paul Clark/Phil Keaggy doing a Bob Dylan cover: YouTube - Gotta Serve Somebody - Word of Life Church Band w/ Phil Keaggy & Paul Clark

 

[Elfik]

At the time I was learning how to be a christian I was into Jazz music and didn't pay much attention to rock, pop, or any christian music outside of what we sang in church and youth group. So I don't know what my "first" would have been but the first CD I got was an "elevate" CD done by a this college in Saskatchewan(Canada).

Then I started listening to Phillips, Craig, and Dean, Paul Baloche, Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns, and moved to more alternative/pop/rock stuff like DCB, TobyMac, Britt Nicole. I also like Brenton Brown, Laura Story, Newsboys, and Jeremy Camp to name a few.

 

[airintriana]

I guess...
"into my heart.. into my heart.. come into my heart Lord Jesus
come in today, come in to stay.. come into my heart, Lord jesus"

A quite simple song, but it works so much..

 

[Mela Monkey]

Hillsong United, either the song From The Inside Out, or One Way

 

[LeightonH]

My parents have listened to Christian music my whole life so the earliest memories I have of music are Michael W Smiths first albums, Petra, Sheila Walsh, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Silverwind and a ccm variety album called 25 Songs of Christmas. There were more, but those are the ones that stuck in my head for some reason. Ahh the good ol' days!

 

[alex4815162342]

I went to a Newsboys/O.C. Supertones show in Hershey, PA in the late 90's. That was the first Contemporary Christian music I can remember hearing. I believe my first CCM purchase was a Five Iron Frenzy cassette, that is if FIF are considered CCM

 

[lightninboy]

I first listened to CCM regularly in 1982, so it was stuff like Evie, The Cruse Family, Amy Grant, B.J. Thomas, Dion, Keith Green.

 

[Singermom]

My sisters and I memorized the entire score of "Godspell", in harmony, when I was about 6. "Day By Day" was my mother's favorite song.

When I was about 8 my brother invited me into his room to listen to "Jesus Christ Superstar". I loved listening to it...until they got to the lashes. I'm going to admit something: Believe it or not, that was a defining moment in my life. It was what opened my eyes to what exactly my Savior suffered...for me...

As a pre-teen and teen my music collection was envied, and I would often be asked to "DJ" a party...but told to leave "that Christian song" ("Spirit In the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum) home.

I heard the occasional Christian song, but never even HEARD the phrase CCM until I heard the song "The Great Divide" by Point of Grace. Then I discovered the "WOW" discs (1996)...and have bought them every year since.