Contemporary Christian music
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Christian music | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins: | A variety of influences evolving from the Jesus Music movement. |
| Cultural origins: | 1960s United States and Australia |
| Typical instruments: | Electric guitar, Bass guitar, Drums, Keyboard, Synthesizers |
| Mainstream popularity: | Continuous from 1990s |
| Subgenres | |
| Christian alternative rock - Christian bubblegum pop - Christian hardcore - Christian industrial - Christian hip hop - Christian metal - Christian pop music - Christian punk - Christian rock - Christian soft rock - Christian ska - Worship music - Cprog | |
| Other topics | |
| Christian entertainment industry - Christian girl group | |
Contemporary Christian Music (or CCM) is a genre of popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The term is typically used to refer to the Nashville, Tennessee-based pop, rock, and worship Christian music industry, currently represented by artists such as Steven Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, Jars of Clay, MercyMe, Third Day, Relient K, and a host of others. The industry is represented in Billboard Magazine's "Top Christian Albums" and "Hot Christian Songs" charts [1], as well as the iTunes Music Store's Inspirational genre.
The term "Contemporary Christian Music" originated in the 1970s in reference to the emerging pop and rock "Jesus Music", the musical outpouring of the hippie Jesus Movement of the time. Artists such as Mind Garage, Larry Norman, 2nd Chapter of Acts, and Love Song were among the first to express their Christian faith in the form of popular music.
There is also a great deal of popular music which lyrically identifies with Christianity but is not normally considered Contemporary Christian Music. For example, many underground punk and hardcore bands deal explicitly with issues of faith but are not a part of the Nashville industry (e.g., Seattle-based Tooth and Nail Records). Also, several mainstream music artists that sometimes deal with Christian themes in their work, such as Bob Dylan, U2, and Creed, fall outside of the CCM genre.
[edit] Further reading
- Alfonso, Barry. The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music. Billboard Books, 2002.
- Beaujon, Andrew. Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock. Da Capo Press, 2006.
- Di Sabatino, David. The Jesus People Movement: An Annotated Bibliography and General Resource. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1999.
- Flux, Chris. Music Evangelism: Spreading the Gospel through Music. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2006. http://www.musicevangelism.com
- Granger, Thom. CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music]]. Nashville: CCM Books, 2001.
- Howard, Jay R and John M Streck. Apostles of Rock: The Splintered World of Contemporary Christian Music. Lexington: The University of Kentucky Press, 1999.
- Joseph, Mark. The Rock and Roll Rebellion: Why People of Faith Abandoned Rock Music-- And Why They're Coming Back. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1999.
- Mount, Daniel J. A City on a Hilltop? A History of Contemporary Christian Music. http://www.danielmount.net
- Powell, Mark Allan. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music. Hendrickson, 2002.
- Romanowski, William D. Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture. Brazos Press, 2001.
- Pruitt, Jim. Contemporary Christian Musician's Survival Manual. Lulu, 2003. http://www.cyshift.com/jarc/ccmsm.html
- Young, Shawn David, M.A., Hippies, Jesus Freaks, and Music (Ann Arbor: Xanedu/Copley Original Works, 2005.ISBN 1-59399-201-7
