Petra is one of the most successful Christian rock bands ever, a veritable institution whose name (taken from the Greek word for "rock") has come to reflect not only their music, but their staying power as well, even in spite of Christian radio's reluctance to program their brand of loud, slick arena-rock. Petra was formed in 1972 by guitarist... [+] Read More

Petra is one of the most successful Christian rock bands ever, a veritable institution whose name (taken from the Greek word for "rock") has come to reflect not only their music, but their staying power as well, even in spite of Christian radio's reluctance to program their brand of loud, slick arena-rock. Petra was formed in 1972 by guitarist Bob Hartman, who was attending the Christian Training Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the time; he recruited several fellow students -- guitarist/vocalist Greg Hough, bassist John DeGroff, and drummer Bill Glover -- to his cause, and the group began playing around the Fort Wayne area with backing from their school. Petra encountered early resistance to the very idea of Christian rock from many local churches, who held that the rock & roll sound was inherently evil; nevertheless, the group proved popular with younger Christians, and was signed to the Word Records subsidiary Myrrh in 1973. Their self-titled debut was released in 1974, and was more similar to the California country-rock of the Eagles than to the arena-rock that would dominate most of their career. The follow-up, Come and Join Us, did not appear until 1977, but it featured strong contributions from lead vocalist Greg Volz, as well as a harder-rocking sound.

Petra's lineup fluctuated over the next several years; in spite of the instability, they managed to record their first breakthrough effort, Washes Whiter Than, in 1979, which featured the Christian radio hit "Why Should the Father Bother." When the dust finally settled, the group consisted of Hartman, Volz, keyboardist John Slick, bassist Mark Kelly, and drummer Louie Weaver. The albums Never Say Die (1981), More Power to Ya (1982), and Not of This World (1983) did much to popularize the group, and in 1984, they were rewarded with a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Gospel Group and two Dove Award nominations (the first of many). For 1985's Beat the System, ex-Joe English Band keyboardist John Lawry replaced Slick; in 1986, Greg Volz left Petra for a solo career, and former Head East singer John Schlitt assumed vocal duties for Back to the Street. 1987's This Means War marked a successful transition to a less polished brand of rock & roll; subsequent efforts like 1988's On Fire!, which debuted bassist Ronny Cates, brandished a heavier guitar onslaught in the wake of Stryper's success as a Christian metal band, although Petra never neglected their trademark lush ballads. Petra has soldiered on through the 1990s with few signs of slowing down; 1995 saw Lawry replaced by Jim Cooper, as well as the addition of guitarist David J. Lichens. Subsequent efforts include 1998's God Fixation and 2000's Double Take. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The Christian rock band Whiteheart was formed in 1982 by singer Steve Green, guitarist Dann Huff, bassist Gary Lunn, keyboardists Mark Gersmehl and Billy Smiley, and drummer David Huff, most of the members alumni of Bill Gaither's group. After debuting with a self-titled effort issued on the Home Sweet Home label, Green exited the line-up, and... [+] Read More

The Christian rock band Whiteheart was formed in 1982 by singer Steve Green, guitarist Dann Huff, bassist Gary Lunn, keyboardists Mark Gersmehl and Billy Smiley, and drummer David Huff, most of the members alumni of Bill Gaither's group. After debuting with a self-titled effort issued on the Home Sweet Home label, Green exited the line-up, and was replaced by vocalist Scott Douglas for 1984's Vital Signs; another roster swap exchanging Dann Huff for guitarist Gordon Kennedy again shook up the Whiteheart sound just prior to 1985's Hotline. The remaining Huff brother, David, split soon after its release, as did Douglas; new vocalist Rick Florian and drummer Chris McHugh were installed in time for 1986's Don't Wait for the Movie, the last Whiteheart record to feature Gary Lunn.

With the addition of new bassist Tommy Sims for 1987's Emergency Broadcast, only Gersmehl and Smiley remained from the group's original line-up; somewhat remarkably, the release of 1989's Freedom heralded no roster changes, but in the months to follow Kennedy, Sims and McHugh all left the fold to be replaced by guitarist Brian Wooten, bassist Anthony Sallee and drummer Mark Nemer for 1990's Powerhouse. Nemer quit soon after, and although McHugh returned to record the majority of 1992's Tales of Wonder, the drummer's seat was eventually filled by Jon Knox. The next Whiteheart LP, 1993's Highlands, featured the same line-up, but Sallee departed prior to 1995's Inside, cut with new bassist John Thorn. By 1997's Redemption, Whiteheart offically consisted of Gersmehl, Smiley and Florian, rounded out by studio players. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Influenced by the Southern rock of Lynyrd Skynyrd and other artists such as U2 and Rich Mullins, Third Day was originally formed by vocalist Mac Powell and acoustic guitarist Mark Lee. The duo added bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr from another local band, and recorded some demos. Third Day's live shows gradually built a loyal fan... [+] Read More

Influenced by the Southern rock of Lynyrd Skynyrd and other artists such as U2 and Rich Mullins, Third Day was originally formed by vocalist Mac Powell and acoustic guitarist Mark Lee. The duo added bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr from another local band, and recorded some demos. Third Day's live shows gradually built a loyal fan base, and just after lead guitarist Brad Avery joined, the band signed to Gray Dot Records. Their eponymous debut followed in 1996, with Conspiracy No. 5 appearing a year later. In 1999 Third Day returned with Time, and the next year Offerings, a collection of new and live material, came out, followed in 2003 by its companion, Offerings II: All I Have to Give. That same year, the American Music Awards tapped them with a nomination in the Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist category. For their fifth studio album, 2004's Wire (which was followed shortly after by Live Wire), Third Day returned to their rock & roll roots, a trend they kept up for 2005's Top Ten hit Wherever You Are, which came out in CD/DVD format the next year. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Harmony pop chorale the Mike Curb Congregation was the brainchild of producer and music industry veteran Curb, a notoriously conservative figure who upon assuming the position of MGM Records president in 1969 promptly fired his entire A&R department and dropped all of the label's counterculture acts. In keeping with such mandates he assembled... [+] Read More

Harmony pop chorale the Mike Curb Congregation was the brainchild of producer and music industry veteran Curb, a notoriously conservative figure who upon assuming the position of MGM Records president in 1969 promptly fired his entire A&R department and dropped all of the label's counterculture acts. In keeping with such mandates he assembled the Mike Curb Congregation, an otherwise anonymous studio aggregation in the mold of large-scale vocal groups like the Doodletown Pipers. Favoring saccharine material and childlike harmonies in direct opposition to rock's prevailing psychedelic mindset, the group nevertheless scored a Top 40 hit with 1970's "Burning Bridges," the theme to the Clint Eastwood film Kelly's Heroes. A handful of minor chart hits followed, among them 1971's "Sweet Gingerbread Man" and the next year's "See You in September." In addition, their recording of "It's a Small World" went on to become the official theme song of the Disneyland attraction of the same name. But the Mike Curb Congregation was better known for its collaborations. They backed Sammy Davis, Jr. on his chart-topping "Candy Man," and were regulars on television's Glen Campbell Good Time Hour, in 1972 even releasing the LP Sing Their Hits from 'The Glen Campbell Show.' So ubiquitous and innocuous was the group that it even appeared at the White House on the invitation of then-President Richard Nixon. Curb pulled the plug on the project sometime in the mid-'70s. In 1978, he was elected lieutenant governor of the state of California, and in 1980 reassembled the Mike Curb Congregation long enough to record "Together, a New Beginning," the theme for Ronald Reagan's successful presidential campaign. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Heavy metal has been associated with ol' Beelzebub ever since its inception, but there have been a few acts who took the opposite route and put their Christian beliefs in hard rocking songs, such as Stryper. Formed in Orange County CA in 1983, the group was originally known as Roxx Regime, and consisted of singer/guitarist/main songwriter... [+] Read More

Heavy metal has been associated with ol' Beelzebub ever since its inception, but there have been a few acts who took the opposite route and put their Christian beliefs in hard rocking songs, such as Stryper. Formed in Orange County CA in 1983, the group was originally known as Roxx Regime, and consisted of singer/guitarist/main songwriter Michael Sweet, drummer Robert Sweet, lead guitarist Oz Fox, and bassist Timothy Gaines. It wasn't until the group changed their name to Stryper (which stood for "Salvation Through Redemption Yielding Peace Encouragement and Righteousness") that things really began taking off for the quartet. Specializing in the melodic Van Halen/Def Leppard style (with heart-wrenching power ballads tossed in), dressed in all black-and-yellow outfits, and spreading their religious message even further by tossing bibles out into the crowd at their shows, Stryper was signed by the Enigma label in 1984. The same year, the group's debut recording, a six-track mini album titled The Yellow & Black Attack, was issued.

The album created a buzz for the group among metalheads, which was only heightened with the release of their first full-length album, 1985's Soldiers Under Command. The first Stryper release to crack the Billboard charts, its success resulted in the re-release of The Yellow & Black Attack (which included an extra two tracks and new artwork) in 1986. Later the same year, Stryper issued their sophomore full-length, To Hell with the Devil, which many consider to be the group's finest hour. Turning out to be the highest-charting album of their career (barely missing the Top 30), the platinum-certified album benefited by MTVs repeated airings of the videos for "Calling on You" and the syrupy ballad "Honestly" (the latter of which peaked at number 23 on the U.S. singles charts). Despite possessing a different message than their peers, Stryper's music by this point fit in perfectly with the other popular pop/hair metal bands of the day (Bon Jovi, White Lion, Dokken, etc.).

Yet just as it appeared that Stryper could possibly break through on a massive scale, such new metal styles as thrash (Metallica) and more stripped-down rock (Guns N' Roses) began to usurp Stryper's pop-metal audience. As a result, Stryper's next release, 1988's In God We Trust, failed to expand their following, nor did it live up to promise of its predecessor (although it did manage to earn gold certification). Sensing this, the group adopted a harder-edged sound and look for 1990's Against the Law, and even covered the Earth, Wind & Fire funk classic, "Shining Star." Neither managed to cross over to the top of the charts.

A greatest-hits set, Can't Stop the Rock, followed in 1991, but with Nirvana just about to ring the death knell for pop-metal bands, Michael Sweet decided to leave the group for a solo career. Surprisingly, the remaining members of Stryper opted to carry on as a three-piece (with Fox handling lead vocal duties), and continued to tour for a spell. The Michael Sweet-less version didn't last long however, as Stryper officially called it quits in 1992.

In the wake of their split, its members remained busy. Michael Sweet's solo career never scaled the same heights as Stryper's, although solo releases have appeared on a somewhat regular basis, with 1994's Michael Sweet, 1995's Real, and 2001's Truth. Robert Sweet issued a solo recording, Love Trash, in addition to studio work, while Fox and Gaines formed a new group, Sin Dizzy, who issued a rock opera (concerning the crucifixion of Jesus Christ), titled He's Not Dead.

During the intervening years, a large core of devoted fans remained intact, resulting in all of Stryper's albums being reissued by Hollywood Records. In 1999, Sin Dizzy played a show with Michael Sweet, which ended in an off-the-cuff jam session of old Stryper tunes -- resulting in reunion rumors. And with a heightened nostalgic interest regarding '80s era metal bands come the early 21st century, Stryper agreed to sporadically reunite for a "Stryper Expo," which has since turned into an annual event. Stryper's second greatest-hits' collection, 7: The Best of Stryper, followed in 2003, and included a pair of new tunes recorded especially for the collection, "Something" and "For You." ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Though Can't Stop the Rock isn't the last word on Stryper, it does a decent job of summarizing the Christian rockers' contributions. Drawing on five Stryper albums and providing two new songs ("Believe" and "Can't Stop the Rock"), the CD contains some essential tracks (including "To Hell With the Devil," "Free" and "Soldiers Under Command"), as... [+] Read More

Though Can't Stop the Rock isn't the last word on Stryper, it does a decent job of summarizing the Christian rockers' contributions. Drawing on five Stryper albums and providing two new songs ("Believe" and "Can't Stop the Rock"), the CD contains some essential tracks (including "To Hell With the Devil," "Free" and "Soldiers Under Command"), as well as some that listeners can do without. The saccharine, fluffy ballads "Together As One" and "Honestly" may be among Stryper's best-known songs, but neither are even a fraction as exciting as its cover of Earth, Wind & Fire's 1975 funk smash "Shining Star." Nonetheless, if one is checking out Stryper for the first time, Can't Stop the Rock is the best place to start. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide [-] Hide

When the majority of Christian artists were going unheard in the secular market, Stryper became even more visible among non-Christian audiences with its third album, To Hell With the Devil. This was the first time a Stryper album went platinum -- something the headbangers' presence on MTV no doubt played a role in. And the fact that this album... [+] Read More

When the majority of Christian artists were going unheard in the secular market, Stryper became even more visible among non-Christian audiences with its third album, To Hell With the Devil. This was the first time a Stryper album went platinum -- something the headbangers' presence on MTV no doubt played a role in. And the fact that this album boasted Stryper's strongest writing up to that point didn't hurt. The southern Californians sound especially confident and inspired on "The Way," "Sing-Along Song," "More Than a Man" and the infectious title song. But as invigorating as the uptempo numbers are, Stryper's ballads didn't improve a bit; "All of Me" and the hit "Honestly" are as annoying as ever. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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This album contains their biggie, "Burning Bridges." ~ Dan Heilman, All Music Guide

This album contains their biggie, "Burning Bridges." ~ Dan Heilman, All Music Guide [-] Hide

While The Yellow and Black Attack earned Stryper a fair amount of publicity, it was Soldiers Under Command that put the band on the map commercially. The album went gold, and Stryper became a major hit on MTV without abandoning its Christian message. Glossy yet intense pop-metal like "The Rock That Makes Me Roll" and "Surrender" definitely... [+] Read More

While The Yellow and Black Attack earned Stryper a fair amount of publicity, it was Soldiers Under Command that put the band on the map commercially. The album went gold, and Stryper became a major hit on MTV without abandoning its Christian message. Glossy yet intense pop-metal like "The Rock That Makes Me Roll" and "Surrender" definitely promotes Christianity, but does so without condemning non-Christians or pointing the finger at other religions. Ironically, one of lead singer Michael Sweet's influences is Rob Halford of Judas Priest -- although Stryper and the Priest have little in common lyrically. Like The Yellow and Black Attack, Soldiers Under Command is decent when it comes to uptempo songs, but weak when it comes to ballads. "First Love" and "Together As One" demonstrate that all too often, Stryper's ballads were much too sugary for their own good. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide [-] Hide