Not many folks will disagree about disco reaching it’s prime in the late 1970’s. Big hair arena rock hit it’s peak in the late 80s or early 90s. Grunge pretty much owned the mid-90s. But what about Christian music? Did Christian music ever reach a zenith – and if so, when? Back in 2011 or 2012, in the midst of a random music conversation, a guy asked me if I could pinpoint the exact year when the CCM industry was at it’s best. It didn’t take long to come up with an answer… 1998.
When I consider ALL of Christian music, including alternative, underground, and independent music – it’s much harder to come up with an answer. In many ways I think the music scene at large is at its best NOW, and keeps getting better every year. However, if I think about the “industry,” and specifically Christian radio, then to me 1998 is the winning year.
Shortly after that initial music conversation about 1998, I thought soon after, “I should write a blog post about 1998! If nothing else, it is an interesting conversation starter.” That idea has lingered on the back-burners for 6+ years, and has culminated with the longest podcast episode I have ever produced (listen to EP.21 of the Gourmet Music Podcast). To compliment the podcast, I decided to share an additional 9+8 reasons why ’98 was CCM’s best year ever [9 Industry-related items + 8 significant releases from that year.]
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9 BIG TICKET ITEMS IN 1998
- Some facets of CCM were stuck more in the past (see INSPO or AC radio that year). But the trailblazing that happened in CHR and ROCK formats permeated every corner of the country, no matter what style of Christian Radio station you had locally. People everywhere were buzzing about the music of Delirious, Burlap To Cashmere, Jennifer Knapp, The OC Supertones, etc.
- The “sound” of Christian Music kept widening over the years, and hit a peak in 1998. The sound began to shrink post-1998 as modern praise and worship started to take over.
- The themes that were available were quite varied and a broad range of topics were accepted. Burlap’s song “Anybody Out There” wrestled with doubt. “Wash” by Satellite Soul was a longing for community. Delirious’ “White Ribbon Day” is a plea for peace in the midst of violence. Today on CCM radio, it’s not just the music that is narrow – the topics and themes stay in a very narrow window.
- In the wake of Rich Mullins’ tragic death in September of 1997, many young songwriters who were inspired by Rich were just beginning their foray into Christian music. This was a development year for soon-to-be-released new talent like Andrew Peterson, Jill Phillips, Andy Gullahorn, & Sara Groves.
- The class of new artists in 1998 was fairly remarkable. Just to name a few: Burlap To Cashmere, Nichole Nordeman, Satellite Soul, Delirious (new to USA), Watermark, Jennifer Knapp, Clear, Seven Day Jesus, and The Normals.
- Like any year in music, the industry is highly influenced by the releases of the previous year. Christian Radio in 1998 were playing in heavy rotation a stellar mix of previously released songs by Jars of Clay, The Waiting, Steven Curtis Chapman, Smalltown Poets, Third Day, and Caedmon’s Call (to name a few).
- While the album released in 1997, Sixpence None The Richer had a little ditty that released as a general market song in August of 1998. You might have heard of it. “Kiss Me” became one of the most-played songs on mainstream radio, went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was nominated for a Grammy. It was the first crossover hit from a Christian artists since Bob Carlisle’s “Butterfly Kisses.”
- When someone was talking about “Christian Music” in the 80s and even most of the 90s, it usually meant 2 or 3 main styles. By 1998, an incredibly wide selection of flavors inside Christian Music was available – including rap, ska, punk, hardcore, metal, among other more traditional variations.
- When you look at the artists who were big in 1998, the majority of them had long-lasting careers. After ’98, we’d be introduced to more “flash in the pan” artists who were molded after the success of Brittany Spears, Backstreet Boys, etc.
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8 BIG RELEASES IN 1998
The Jesus Record – Rich Mullins and The Ragamuffin Band
This project is meaningful for so many reasons – including hearing the final rough demos Rich ever recorded, and the studio versions from Rich’s circle of good friends.
Anybody Out There – Burlap To Cashmere
Based on their infectious live performances, this may have been one of the most buzzed-about bands of 1998. It’s one of the all-time great debut records, and the first reverse crossover release in CCM.
Supernatural – DC Talk
Little did we know that their fifth studio album would be their last. This album built on the success of Jesus Freak with an even more sophisticated sound and possibly longer shelf-life.
The Breaking of the Dawn – Fernando Ortega
In the world of inspirational music, Fernando’s mellow and earthy voice cut through the singers hitting high Cs. This album really put Fernando on the national map and still stands up today.
King of Fools – Delirious
After making waves in the U.K., this release was the U.S.’s official introduction to Delirious. It is not an understatement that this album helped transform the sound of modern worship for a generation.
Kansas – Jennifer Knapp
With heartfelt vulnerability coupled with gritty vocals, this debut was an unforgettable release. It gave us two #1 songs, became RIAA Certified Gold, and helped Jennifer win the Dove Award for New Artist of the Year in 1999.
Entertaining Angels – Newsboys
There was so much pressure on this release. Could they follow up on Take Me To Your Leader AND fill the shoes of departed lead singer John James? YES. This epic pop-rock album spawned four #1 hits.
Exodus – Various Artists
Worship music wasn’t exactly the trending thing in 1998, but Michael W. Smith pulled together an all-star cast which resulted in a culture-shifting project – and no less than 8 radio hits on this one album.
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I have a strong belief that from an industry and radio standpoint, 1998 was the high watermark year in Christian music – not just based on my own tastes and favorite bands, but based on lots of objective (and subjective) factors. Is my goal to convince you that my theory is correct? OF COURSE. If only the world would agree with me more often. (Ha!) In reality, you might have a different year in mind – or maybe you have never even considered this topic. My hope is that this is a fun reflection on the musical landscape from two decades ago – and a discussion starter. Tell us what you were listening to in 1998. Do you agree or disagree with the hypothesis? Let’s discuss.
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Dave Trout is the founder of UTR Media and has worked in Christian media since 1994. He’s likely eating pizza right now.
What was I listening to in 1998? All of the above-mentioned albums (Supernatural was a mediocre follow-up to Jesus Freak; it’s shelf life was measured in months), as well as:
Ashley Cleveland’s live album, with a spectacular cover of “Gimme Shelter”
Bryan Duncan’s last good album, “the last time I was here”
Chris Rice’s fantastic sophomore effort, “Past the Edges”
Cindy Morgan’s stellar “The Loving Kind”
The debut album from a group calling themselves “David Crowder Band”; for impact on worship music, and music in general, Crowder is worth ten Delirious’
Margaret Becker’s disappointing follow-up to “Soul” (she left rock for MOR and never came back)
Seven Day Jesus’ eponymous album
Another album from “friends of Rich” This Train that won my best album name of the decade: “Mimes of the Old West”
Totally agree with you Vince, I was reading the blog looking for Cindy Morgan’s “The Loving Kind”. So far, my favorite from that year!
Good work on the podcast and this blog post – great songs, great albums, and lots of great food for thought in making your case for ’98 as the best year. At best I can say that the late ’90s were great years in CCM. In 1998 I experienced a “personal revolution” in my faith (to quote Charlie Peacock). The music playing on Christian radio around that time (as well as on my CD player) was the soundtrack of my life, and so a lot of it is very special to me. I bought the WoW 1998 compilation album, which is the only non-worship WoW album I own. The songs on there are from 1996-97, and those are some of my favorite songs from the era.
Wow, I never realized how amazing 1998 was. King of Fools and Satellite Soul were both hugely influential in my life. The Waiting, Exodus, Kansas were amazing albums. Thanks for the recap.
It was also a good year considering that Rich Mullins won his first ever Dove Award albeit posthumously….
Amazing how much of a watermark year it was in a lot of ways. This was the year the first Passion album was released, as well.
Back in the late 90s, I had a Contemporary Christian cd that featured various artists. It was not a “W.O.W” album. The distinctive feature about this album was that it came in a “neon orange” (translucent of course) cd case. You could see the album cover and all through it, bit the plastic case was orange. I would be so grateful if anyone might recall the name of the album.