Maranatha! Music

Maranatha! Music
Founded	1971
Founder	Chuck Smith
Genre	Jesus Music / CCM
Country of origin	USA
Official Website	http://www.maranathamusic.com

Maranatha! Music began as a non-profit outreach of Calvary Chapel in 1971. The Jesus People of the late 1960s and early 1970s began to write new hymns and worship songs with a folk-rock style. Maranatha! Music was founded at this time in order to publish and promote this new type of Christian music. Founder Chuck Smith sold the label to his nephew Chuck Fromm. The label is currently distributed by Warner Music Entertainment's Word Music.

Background

In the early 1970s Calvary Chapel was home to more than 15 musical groups^{[1] [2]} that were representative of the Jesus people movement. Some of the early Maranatha! recording groups were Sweet Comfort Band, Love Song, Chuck Girard, Children of the Day, The Way, Debby Kerner, and Daniel Amos. The label's first release was a various artists compilation entitled The Everlastin' Living Jesus Music Concert, in 1971.^[1]

The label is currently distributed by Warner Music Entertainment's Word Music.

Maranatha! also branched into the children's market segment. Premier products included Psalty the singing songbook and the Kid's Praise Kids. In the early 1990s this segment represented about 40% of company revenues.^[1]

In the 1980s, Maranatha! launched Broken Records, a label focusing on modern rock, punk and alternative music. Also of note is their "Colours Collection", a series of albums containing instrumental renditions of many of the songs found on their other albums.

Awards

In 1990, Maranatha! was awarded the National Religious Broadcasters' President's Award. In 1991, the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Gospel Music Association.^[3]

Maranatha! Singers

The Maranatha! Singers is a long running Christian musical group that has released numerous albums for the Maranatha! Music label. It is best to view the Maranatha! Singers as a brand name for the Maranatha! Music label as various vocalists, musicians and instrumentalists that have performed under that name as a group for the Maranatha! Music label, under the direction of either hired or staff producers & arrangers chosen for each individual recording project.

However it should be noted that several artists have been a mainstay as regular performers or writers for the group, some examples include Bill Batstone, Kelly Willard, Jamie-Owens Collins, John Barbour, Tom Coomes, Dan Collins, Rita Baloche, Anne Barbour, Teri Desario, Lenny LeBlanc, Tom Howard, John Andrew Schreiner, Rick Founds, Cathy Spurr and Dave Spurr.

There is a popular, but inaccurate biography for the Maranatha! singers attributed to Greg Prato which states that the "Maranatha! Singers is a 50-person strong voice choir comprised mostly of University of Florida and Santa Fe Community College students. Originally founded in 1970, the group is part of the University Methodist Church and Student Center (U.U.M.C.), Gainesville, FL."^{[citation needed]}

However there is no evidence to back this claim up as no release from the Maranatha! Singers has contained this piece of information. Nevertheless the Calvary Chapel Community Choir has performed under the label of The Maranatha! Singers, this is verifiable as the Maranatha! Music label was born from the Calvary Chapel organization.^{[citation needed]} In addition both the label and Calvary Chapel are based in California unlike University of Florida and Santa Fe Community College which are both based in Florida.

Maranatha! Singers discography

• Praise 1: The Praise Album (1974)
• Praise 2: Open Our Eyes (1976)
• Praise 3: Behold, Bless Ye the Lord (1979)
• Praise 4: In His Time (1980)
• Praise 5: Glorify Thy Name (1981)
• Praise 6: You Are My Hiding Place (1982)
• Praise 7: The Lord Reigns (1984)
• Praise 8: As the Deer (1986)
• Praise 9: Great Is Our Lord (1987)
• Praise 10: O Lord, My Lord (1988)
• Praise 11: Let Us Worship the Lord, Jehovah (1989)
• Praise 12: He Is Able (1990)
• Praise 13: Meet Us Here (1990)
• Praise 14: I Will Celebrate (1991)
• Praise 15: He Has Made Me Glad (1991)
• Praise 16: The Power of Your Love (1997)
• Praise 17: In Your Presence (1997)
• Praise 18: Grace Alone (1998)
• Praise 19: Glorious Father (1999)
• Praise 20: Who Is Like the Lord (1999)

Maranatha Colours Discography

• A Time For Joy - Reflections In Guitar - Steve Erquiaga and Wayne Brasel (1986)
• A Time For Peace - Ivory Sessions - Jeffrey Lams, Frank Martin, Kenneth Nash (1985)
• Christmas Colours - John Andrew Schreiner (1992)
• Classical Praise Cello - Robin Thompson-Clarke (1993)
• Classical Praise Piano - Tom Keene (1991)
• Colours In The Night - Saxophone Solos (1993)
• Hiding Place - Music For Devotions - Rick Coetzee (1999)
• Hymns In Colour - Harlan Rogers and Smitty Price (1989)
• I Love You Lord - Classical Guitar Praise - Rob and Gilly Bennett (1990)
• Instruments Of Your Peace - Celtic Music For Devotions - John Andrew Schreiner (1999)
• Jesus You Are My Life - Shawn Tubbs (1999)
• Jesus, Draw Me Close - Music For Devotions - Phil Kristianson (1998)
• Palette - A Colours Sampler - Tom Howard Ensemble, Phil Keaggy and Jeffrey Lams (1986)
• Praise - Harlan Rogers and Smitty Price (1987)
• Praise Beyond Words - Harlan Rogers, Phil Keaggy, Tom Howard (1991)
• Prisms - Portraits In Synthesis - Jeffrey Lams and John Andrew Schreiner (1986)
• Rainmaker - Music For Devotions - Rick Coetzee (1994)
• Reflection - A Colours Sampler - Tom Howard, Phil Keaggy, Smitty Price and Harlan Rogers (1987)
• Solo Piano - Tom Howard (1987)
• Spectrum - The Colours Sampler - Tom Howard, Phil Keaggy, Jeffrey Lams, John Andrew Schreiner and Steve Erquiaga (1986)
• Technicolours - Bob Somma & John Campbell (1991)
• The Colours Of Praise Two - Harlan Rogers and Smitty Price (1988)
• The Gift - A Colours Christmas - Jeffrey Lams, John Andrew Schreiner, Tom Howard, Harlan Rogers and Smitty Price (1986)
• The Harvest - Piano Solos - Tom Howard (1986)
• The Hidden Passage - Tom Howard (1986)
• The Wind And The Wheat - Phil Keaggy (1994)
• Timeless - Hymns In Colour - Harlan Rogers & Smitty Price (1986)

Artists

• Billy Batstone
• Charles Billingsley
• Holland Davis
• Jonathan Butler
• Tommy Walker
• Kelly Willard

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Rabey, Steve (April 1991). "Marathana! Music Turns Twenty". CCM Magazine 13 (10): 12. ISSN 1524-7848. 
2. ^ Cusic, Don, ed. (2010), Encyclopedia of contemporary Christian music: pop, rock, and worship, ABC-CLIO, ISBN 0313344256 
3. ^ McNeil, W. K., ed. (2005), Encyclopedia of American gospel music, Psychology Press, ISBN 0313344256 . Entry by James I. Elliott on page 241.

See also

• List of record labels

External links

• Official site
• Maranatha! Music Album Discography