Wilson - Let’s Back Up a Bit: Conversations with pioneering Kiwi Christian musicians

Lets Back Up a Bit

Published by Brett Wilson

with Castle Publishing Ltd

New Zealand

2020 Brett Wilson

ISBN 978-0-473-53464-6 (Softcover)

ISBN 978-0-473-53465-3 (ePUB)

ISBN 978-0-473-53466-0 (Kindle)

Editing:

Marie Anticich

Production & Typesetting:

Andrew Killick

Castle Publishing Services

www.castlepublishing.co.nz

Cover Design:

Karl Berzins

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to God (the ultimate Creator); Pam, Dylan and Ella Wilson; Mum and Dad (for tolerating the music coming out of my tape deck in the 80s); Ross Wilson and Ross Dickey (for feeding new music into my tape deck in the 80s); Jan Rodgers (nee Wilson) (for helping me decipher the lyrics coming out of my tape deck in the 80s).

Also thanks to Vision College, Ray Pickett, Joanne Whitt, Caleb Driver, Simon Moetara, Jon Clarke, Andrew Killick (Castle Publishing), Marie Anticich, Jenny Horst, Karl Berzins, Jen Spicer, Steve and Cheryl Hamilton, Goff Vant Hof, Mark de Jong, Jon E. Clist, and all of the Christian bands and musicians in New Zealand, whether theyre mentioned in this book or not.

Contents

Intro

The Jesus Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s resulted in a significant number of young people around the globe converting to Christianity. Some of these young people were musicians who began writing songs in the style of the music they knew best, rock & roll, but often with a Christian message. This new music was uncharted territory for the church to deal with and was eventually labelled contemporary Christian music (CCM).

Because the music sounded the same as secular music, many church leaders deemed it ungodly, and thought putting Christian lyrics to worldly music was sacrilegious. But music is just notes, chords and beats. G on the guitar is neither sacred nor worldly. Its just G.

So it was the style of the music that offended some of the church leaders. Perhaps they preferred hymns? Maybe they didnt realise that the tunes for many hymns came from drinking songs in public houses? No doubt this wouldve upset some people at the time, but, as Larry Norman used to sing, Why should the devil have all the good music?

Norman is generally considered the father of CCM who, along with Randy Stonehill, Chuck Girard and Petra, to name a few, paved the way for a new generation of Christian musicians, while facing criticism from more conservative voices within the church.

The controversy didnt wane even when it was clear that many Christian artists songs contained lyrics of explicit faith or evangelistic messages urging listeners to repent and be saved. It didnt seem to matter to CCMs detractors that people were repenting and being saved through the music.

I was born in 1973 when the Jesus Movement was in full swing, particularly in America. Just as New Zealand swooned to Elvis shaking his pelvis in the 1950s, we also felt the effects of the spiritual awakening shaking the USAs west coast in the early 1970s.

Like many other kids, I began showing an interest in music around the age of ten. It started with an obsession with Michael Jackson, whose recently released magnum-opus album, Thriller , became the biggest selling album of all time. Funnily enough, I memorised the lyrics to the title track without really knowing how the music went (a kid at school had given me a copy of the printed lyrics).

Considering it contained horror themes, I felt immense guilt at reciting those lyrics. I didnt dare ask my parents to buy the record for me, knowing full well such music would not be allowed in the house. Fair enough. It was 1984 and I was only ten years old; it certainly wasnt sanctified music. My guilt was intensified when a family friend, Uncle Doug, told me off when he caught me watching the famous 13-minute video clip. I learned that day that zombies and werewolves were off limits.

In an ironic twist, the first album I ever owned was We Are the World (1985), the big charity song for Africa co-written by Michael Jackson. When I asked Mum to buy me the record for Christmas, I made sure she knew it wasnt Christian music. The fact that she seemed to not care made me wonder if the family had given up the faith altogether!

I started piano lessons when I was seven. Id hop on my Cruiser and bike to Mrs Rives house every week and learn the classics such as Ten Little Indians and C Major Scale. Good times. But after three years I gave up because I didnt want to practice. Not when there were better things to do like watching the The Smurfs on TV.

When I was 11, my dad and I began learning the organ together for about four years, where we were treated to even better classics such as A Whiter Shade of Pale. The organ taught me about melody (right hand), chords (left hand) and bass (left foot). Today, Im a multi-instrumentalist and a practitioner of music with a Master of Arts degree and have spent half my life teaching music, and so Im grateful for my parents encouragement to stick with the lessons.

Growing up, I remember we had a stereo unit in the lounge, but I dont recall a lot of records being played. I had seen though not heard, a certain non-Christian record by the George Baker Selection. I remember being a little bit frightened by the album cover photo as it featured males with long hair. They looked a bit like Black Sabbath, but now I realise the music was kind of easy-listening country music, particularly Mums favourite track Baby Blue.

If music was played in the house aside from Dads alarm clock radio Come on Ring Those Bells by the Christian singer, Evie, was the soundtrack to our Christmases. One author claims Evie was widely regarded as one of the most beautiful women in the world though Id like to see the paperwork on that research.

Even more commonly played were records by the American televangelist Jimmy Swaggart. Some might remember him more for his moral lapse and his infamous confession on TV in 1988. Its fair to say my parents were big Swaggart fans, certainly pre-scandal.

When we went on long trips, Dad often played Swaggarts music on the car tape deck. Jimmy certainly had catchy tunes but, more importantly, for me, he tore it up on the piano. Fittingly, his cousin is Jerry Lee Lewis, the wild 1950s rock & roll singer/pianist renowned for his hit song, Great Balls of Fire.

But the irony of being brought up on this music is that Swaggart was outspoken against rock & roll, Christian or secular; the kind of music I eventually grew to love. Swaggart represented many from his generation who believed rock music was a tool of the devil used to lure young people away from their faith and, as such, Christians shouldnt listen to it. Southern Gospel music? Sure! Fill your boots! Rock & roll? Absolutely not!

Its one thing to dislike a certain type of music but its another thing to label that style evil. Nevertheless, it was preachers like Swaggart who convinced many parents that this indeed was the case. My parents may have felt some tension here but, thankfully, they tolerated CCM enough for me to enjoy Christian rock music.