🎧 The First Notes: How My Love for Music Began
If you’re reading this, you probably know that music has been a profound part of my life for a very long time. Before we dive deeper, I want to take a short detour to share the story of how that deep love first took hold.
My early life was defined by a specific set of sounds: hymns from Central Baptist Church and God’s Covenant People (both churches I attended in Aurora, CO, until the ages of 10 and 14), praise songs, and classical music—which my dad often played at home. The main contemporary sound was what was then called Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). This late 70s/early 80s CCM was a far cry from today’s sound, featuring artists like Sandi Patty, Steve Green, Larnelle Harris, the various Gaither projects, The Imperials, Don Francisco, and Michael Card. Occasionally, during visits with my grandparents from Texas, I’d hear tame or instrumental country music, particularly from their favorite country pianist, Floyd Cramer.
A Glimpse of the Unfamiliar
Other music sometimes broke through this established playlist. I vaguely recall a Christian rock band named Love (maybe Love Song?) playing a concert at Central Baptist Church around ’82 or ’83. I remember a drum set on stage—a bold sight in such a traditional church—though their music itself was quite mild.
A much bigger impact came when a youth choir formed at God’s Covenant People. I watched Jennifer Peterson and a few older teenagers sing two songs, “Why Should the Father Bother” and “Occupy,” and they immediately grabbed my attention. I asked David Freeman afterward where they came from, and he told me they were from the Petra albums Washes Whiter Than and Not of this World. I logged those names away, knowing nothing yet of Christian rock.
The Meltdown Moment
Around that same time, I spent an afternoon at our friend’s house. While there, Jennifer and Jeff put on Steve Taylor’s Meltdown album, and it transported me to an entirely new world. This album was a revelation: upbeat, hip, cool, and perfect for singing and dancing along to. In a rush of shed inhibition, I actually got onto their couch and started dancing!
My parents quickly heard about this episode, and I got into trouble. I don’t recall ever being allowed to be alone at that house again; my parents clearly viewed Jennifer and Jeff as bad influences. Which was far from the truth.
My Gateway to Discovery
Though my access was cut off, the seeds of Petra and Steve Taylor had been planted. I knew I wanted more, but I also knew I had to proceed carefully. My journey of musical discovery began with plotting and planning.
I saved up my money and bought my first cassette tape: Larnelle Harris’s From A Servant’s Heart. Paired with a Sony Walkman I’d received for Christmas, I listened to that tape constantly—sometimes multiple times a day. While it was just mild CCM, not rock, it was my gateway. It was music I could claim as my own, and I felt it earned me trust with my parents for whatever might come next. I played that, and a Steve Green tape, He Holds the Keys, non-stop.
Over the next few years, my attention shifted to Don Francisco. His radio hit, “He’s Alive“—an amazing, story-based song about finding Christ alive—was a favorite I still play today. I saved my money again and bought several of his albums, including Forgiven, Got to Tell Somebody, Holiness, and The Power. Francisco’s music became my new obsession; I played it daily, memorized every song, and performed them in the basement or outside as if for a live audience. During those years, I truly harbored a desire to be a performer or singer, but that would never come to be.
Even so, the lure of rock music persisted. Still operating in the 1984–1988 timeframe, I only managed to catch brief tastes of it at friends’ houses, always knowing there was a wider, louder world out there to explore.
I have so many stories to tell you, musically related, from this point forward in my life. It will take time for me to write them and release them to you. I thank you for your patience and look forward to your comments.