Rock and Roll Revival

Rock and roll has virtually become the dominating influence behind all of today's popular Music. We hear it used in a variety of media forms; everything from T.V. commercials to Christian praise songs But, it wasn't too long ago, when many Christians thought rock and roll was evil. I remember going to a church meeting once where they showed film clips of Janis Joplin and other famous rock stars of the sixties. We were warned that rock Music could lead us into sin because the beat was of the devil.

Interestingly, the Jesus movement was also in full swing around this time. Many hippies, in search of spiritual truth, were turning-on and tuning-in to Jesus. Some of these folks just happened to be Musicians whose roots were in rock and roll. And they began to change things.

Larry Norman is a prime example. He has been bringing rock and roll into religious Music since 1956. His albums were at one time banned by the church. However, he is considered to be a pioneer an d father of Christian rock and his Music has influenced many rock Musicians that followed.

Larry and his band opened for such rock and roll groups as The Grateful Dead, The Doors, Janis Joplin, The Byrds and others. In 1966 Capitol records offered him a recording contract and suddenly he found himself on the same label as The Beatles! After reviewing his 1972 album, Only Visiting This Planet, Billboard magazine called Larry Norman the most important songwriter since Paul Simon.

Larry Normans's Music career spans 50 years and he's still going. Dizzy Reed, keyboard player for Guns N' Roses, performed on Larry's 1998 Copper Wires album. His latest album was recorded from a live concert held in 2005.

Larry Norman was initially banned by the church, but in 2001 he was inducted into the gospel Music Hall Of Fame. His Music, which at first created a lot of controversy within main stream Christianity, resulted in a revival that swept across the country. Many hippi es suddenly found what they were looking for and became born-again Christians. Today the church has embraced the genre of rock and roll and is using it to spread the gospel world-wide through the medium of contemporary Christian Music.

So, is rock and roll evil? From what I've written above, it would appear to be doing some good. Could it be that a few well meaning folks were a little hasty in their intial assesment? The Bible says:

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time...

I personally believe that a Musical style, in and of itself, is neither good or evil. However, Music is a very powerful force which does influence our thoughts and emotions. It can be, and often is, used to promote a specific agenda or viewpoint. How will you use your Musical talent? My hope is that you'll realize the potential your Music has and find creative ways to make a better environment for all of us.

Kathy Unruh is the webmaster of ABCLearnGuitar.com. Each mo nth she publishes the ABC Learn Guitar Newsletter offering free tips for guitar players, songwriters and indie artists.

Author:: Kathy Unruh
Keywords:: rock and roll,Music,Janis Joplin,Hendrix,Christian rock,Larry Norman,Contemporary Christian Music,
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