1990s Christian Music!

[WannaWitness]

 

[WannaWitness]

I'll let the following Newsboys classic stand alone here as this is the title cut of their last album released in the '90s, in fact, pretty much the tail end of the decade (November 1999). Many would consider this nothing more than "shallow fluff", but I would beg to differ in that the main focus is unity and harmony (which actually is a big thing, or should be a big thing, in the family of God). Sure it's rather cheesy, but who wouldn't deep down have an appreciation for this little gem? Yeah, you know you do. Come on. Admit it!

 

[Citanul]

I came across this the other day. I got about half the songs, although not quite as quickly as some of the instances in the video.

 

[Citanul]

Some non-mainstream songs from the 90s:

 

[WannaWitness]

 

[WannaWitness]

Another thing I've noticed about listening to some of this old music is that any given song can suddenly hit in a way that it did not when listening to it back in the day. This is all due to our own trials and process of growing in our individual life journeys; then we find ourselves really focusing on the lyrics in combination with the music, and then: BAM, it just happens! For example, The Same All The Time (Billy & Sarah Gaines) in my previous post. I always knew it was a good song when I listened to it years ago, but then I gave it another listen as I posted it, and really focused on the lyrics. Then, I thought of all I have been through over the years, and got moved to tears as I was reminded that even when our world crumbles around us, Jesus remains faithful.

I'm sure that many can relate to this sort of thing.

 

[WannaWitness]

This song had the same effect on me. Wow! It's amazing to remember just how powerful these songs were... and still are!

 

[FenderTL5]

I was on a search around a week ago for Kenny Marks on Youtube, then read some comments under one of the videos where somebody posted an R.I.P. message. I Googled it, and learned that he had passed away later last year. Some would say he is legendary, kind of like Rich Mullins. And I have heard music by him that dates before the '90s.
Here is my little tribute to the late Kenny Marks (1950-2018)...

My favorite Kenny Marks song is from earlier, mid 80s

 

[FenderTL5]

As I write this post, I am looking back on the days of being in church youth groups. One leader, in particular, seemed to be up on the latest CCM. This was also the time I was in the process of gathering ideas to grow my own collection, so he loaned me a few of his tapes. Of course, they dated from the late '80s and early '90s.

So, here again is another song from an album I've never owned, but remember. This is the title track of the Morgan Cryar album Kingdom Upside Down.

Morgan Cryar's album 'Fuel on the Fire' from 1986 was interesting. It had Ty Tabor and Doug Pinnick who later became member's of King's X on it. A couple of the songs on the album were written by Ty Tabor. There was one huge hit called "Pray in the USA". When I saw Morgan Cryar in 87 or 88 Ty and Doug were in the touring band.

 

[WannaWitness]

My favorite Kenny Marks song is from earlier, mid 80s

I've heard some of his '80s music as well. Some was on the radio, and others were on compilation albums featuring various artists. They were called White Dress, Bon Apetit, and You Made A Difference For Me.

Morgan Cryar's album 'Fuel on the Fire' from 1986 was interesting. It had Ty Tabor and Doug Pinnick who later became member's of King's X on it. A couple of the songs on the album were written by Ty Tabor. There was one huge hit called "Pray in the USA". When I saw Morgan Cryar in 87 or 88 Ty and Doug were in the touring band.

That's neat that you actually got to meet some of these people. Thanks for sharing these stories, Fender.

 

[WannaWitness]

Hey, this reminds me: I started a thread sometime back focusing on '80s Christian music (the '80s being when I first heard of the term Contemporary Christian Music and learned about many of the artists that were out there, and some of whom are still household names to this day).

Maybe I should try to locate the thread and bump it (or start a new one).

 

[WannaWitness]

Wait a minute... I could have sworn I started a thread on '80s Christian music, but it turns out it was somebody else, and I participated heavily in it. Also, this thread was way back in 2012 anyway so it's a possibility that many of the links might be broken or have been taken off Youtube ever since.

Oh, the forgetful humans we can sometimes be!

Okay, I'll just start one! In fact, it can serve as sort of a sister thread to go along with this one!

Hope to see you all there!

 

[FenderTL5]

 

[FenderTL5]

 

[FenderTL5]

This one was a little more radio friendly

 

[WannaWitness]

 

[WannaWitness]

 

[FenderTL5]

 

[WannaWitness]

Very catchy tune!

 

[WannaWitness]

I guess you can consider the first piece I will be sharing (and others like it) part of my growing versatility when it comes to music. I always did had an appreciation for what is known as Southern Gospel, but honestly, there was a time (mainly my high school years) when I really didn't want anything to do with it (even though I appreciated it from a distance). Before that time, I would hear Southern Gospel and not even know what it was. It was after finding out that I wrongly connected the word "southern" with "unsophisticated" or "unpopular" (mind you, this was during my impressionable teen years), therefore, I did not want to admit to appreciating such music because my peers would consider it "nerdy" (I was pretty nerdy anyhow). And some of it I actually did loathe (at the time). Later on, I developed a different take, and now I love it along with everything else I listen to.

Janet Paschal is one of the more progressive ones in the genre of Southern Gospel (which actually is not one genre in itself but several, and some have even "crossed over" into the CCM charts). The first tune is one that is clearly Southern Gospel, but with a bouncy, jazzy flavor, and one I think anyone should appreciate. The second tune is an example of the more contemporary influences, and would have fit in nicely on many CCM radio stations. This, I think, is a small demonstration of just how versatile some of the Southern Gospel artist can really be, when you get to thinking about it. And this doesn't even scratch the surface!

From 1998: