Christian rock history, from Jesus music to the 2000s
How a style that many churches first rejected grew from coastal folk gatherings into labels, festivals and a mainstream audience.
The history of Christian rock begins in the United States, at a time when rock music itself stirred considerable distrust in churches. Over time, a small scene rooted in a religious youth movement grew into a genre of its own, with its own bands, labels, and festivals. How did that happen, and who had the greatest influence on its development? In this article, we trace that history across four decades, from the end of the 1960s to the early 2000s.
The Origins of Christian Rock: From Reluctance to the First Records
In the 1950s and 1960s, many traditional Christians in the United States were wary of rock music. Even so, in November 1966, the California band The Crusaders released the album Make a Joyful Noise with Drums and Guitars, regarded as one of the first gospel rock releases.
That record was an early sign that guitars and drums could carry a religious message. The musician considered the father of Christian rock, however, is Larry Norman.
In 1969, he released Upon This Rock, described as the first commercially released Jesus rock album. His approach is neatly summed up by his 1972 song, Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music? The title makes his point clear: rock music does not have to belong exclusively to the secular scene.
Jesus Music in the 1970s: The Movement That Changed the Scene
Jesus music in the 1970s was, above all, a grassroots movement. It took shape around 1969 and 1970 in Southern California (Costa Mesa, Hollywood), as well as in San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago. Many musicians who converted to Christianity continued playing the same styles as before, whether folk, folk rock, soft rock, or hard rock, but now with a Christian message.
The Calvary Chapel congregation in Costa Mesa and pastor Chuck Smith played a major role. Love Song, Second Chapter of Acts, and Randy Stonehill, among others, emerged from that circle. Their stories illustrate how Christian rock grew out of local communities, beyond the offices of record labels. In the mid-1970s, the term contemporary Christian music, or CCM, appeared.
The first issue of CCM Magazine came out in July 1977, a sign that the scene was developing its own media outlets. A few years later, Bob Dylan explored Christian themes, releasing three Christian albums between 1979 and 1981.
Christian Rock in the 1980s: A Harder Sound and Alternative Rock
The 1980s marked a period of growing musical variety in Christian rock. Petra, founded in 1972, and Resurrection Band brought a harder-edged rock sound to CCM. Stryper's music videos appeared on MTV during this decade, bringing music with religious themes to viewers beyond the church circuit. The Cornerstone festival also began in 1984 and continued until its final edition in 2012.
At the same time, an alternative rock scene was taking shape. Michael Knott is regarded as a pioneer of Christian alternative rock, and his 1987 album Shaded Pain was banned in some churches and bookstores. The controversy reveals the debates within the genre over how much stylistic freedom musicians should have. You can read more about this scene in our article on Christian alternative rock.
The 1990s and 2000s: The Genre Explodes
Christian rock grew dramatically in the 1990s. Many bands, including Jars of Clay, were described at the time as Christian alternative rock. In November 1993, Brandon Ebel founded Tooth & Nail Records in California, and the label became an important part of the scene.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Skillet, Thousand Foot Krutch, Red, Underoath, P.O.D., Switchfoot, and Relient K reached a wide audience. The range of styles these bands embraced shows how far Christian rock had moved from the acoustic beginnings of Jesus music. For a fuller picture of that musical diversity, explore the Christian rock subgenres that developed alongside one another.
From Jesus Music to the 2000s: A Summary
Christian rock's history follows a path from distrust among some believers, through a youth movement in California, to an established genre with its own labels, festivals, and widely known bands. To hear what each of these eras sounded like, head to our guide to the albums.