DeGarmo and Key

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eddie DeGarmo (left) and Dana Key (right)

DeGarmo and Key were a Christian music group that started professionally in 1978. The primary members were Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key. Eddie played keyboards and sang background vocals (and occassionally lead), while Dana played lead guitar and did the majority of the lead vocals. Other members included Tommy Cathey on bass and Chuck Reynolds on drums. The group's music was of the pop and rock genres. Their best known song (and title of their 1992 "best of" album) is "Destined to Win".

Both Eddie and Dana have also recorded solo albums.

[edit] Facts

Eddie and Dana grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, near Graceland. The liner notes from "Greatest Hits Volume 1" cites Elvis Presley as a musical influence.
Eddie and Dana were originally in a short-lived band named Globe. However, before they recorded their first studio album, the pair dropped the band (due to becoming Christians), as well as music for a short while. They were later influenced by Larry Norman to pursue a contemporary Christian music ministry.
Bassist Tommy Cathey's trademark look was a black suit and shirt with a white tie, white fedora with a black band, and sunglasses.
"Are You Ready" from Communication was a cover of the 1970 hit single by Pacific Gas & Electric (band)
DeGarmo & Key were the first Christian group to have a music video appear on MTV. The original video for the song "Six, Six, Six" was one of a number of videos that MTV pulled from rotation due to violent content. The purge was a public reaction to the U.S. Senate hearings on sex and violence in music. MTV had ironically misinterpreted the song "Six, Six, Six" as an anti-Christian statement. According to industry news reports at the time, MTV exec Sandra Sparrow was unaware that DeGarmo & Key were a Christian band when she included the video in a list of videos to be excised. An embarrassed MTV allowed DeGarmo & Key to submit a re-edited version, which was placed back into rotation. Removed from the re-edited video was a short scene of a man representing the antichrist being set on fire.
The album D&K was packaged with a second cassette with identical content, but a different color theme. The package was intended to be purchased at the price of a single cassette, then the second cassette was to be given to an "unsaved friend".
The song "Don't Stop the Music" was a response to the anti-"Christian Rock" position of evangelist Jimmy Swaggart.
The liner notes to the album D&K, for the song "Brother Against Brother" included the words "dedicated to Jimmy Swaggart" blacked out but still visible on close inspection.