#281 THROUGH HIS EYES by Steve Archer (1984)

THROUGH HIS EYES by Steve Archer (1984)
Home Sweet Home Records - HSHA005

Producer: Chris Christian

File Under: Blue-Eyed Soul/CCM

Time Capsule-Worthy Track:

Through His Eyes of Love

Family groups don't last forever. Eventually everybody grows up...some get married and have kids...then there are bills to pay and the cares of life creep in...and before you know it, the group is history. It happened to the 2nd Chapter of Acts. It happened to the Boones. It happened to the Cruse Family. It even happened to The Archers.

The Archers performing at the White House in the late 70s

By the mid-1980s the sibling trio known as The Archers was an established brand in CCM. From the early days of the Jesus Movement, they had been there - providing Christian youth groups with funk, soul and R&B created by white people! They were hip enough to appeal to the teenagers and safe enough to gain the approval of moms and dads. Steve Archer's voice was the one most closely associated with the Archers sound; when the time came to pull the plug on the group, Steve was already pursuing a solo career.

Steven Mark Archer was born January 5, 1953 in Mojave, California. His dad was an Assemblies of God pastor, and Steve started singing in church while he was still in elementary school. As the primary lead vocalist for The Archers, Steve was appreciated for his blue-eyed-soul performances as well as his heartfelt ballads. He did write songs from time to time, but he could also take songs written for him by full-time songwriters, and bring those songs to life in a way that really connected with his audience.

Chris Christian (L) with Steve Archer

In 1982, while still performing with The Archers, Steve signed with Chris Christian’s Home Sweet Home Records and recorded his first solo album, a record titled, appropriately enough, Solo. The Archers began to pull back from the rigors of the road in the mid-80s, and that's when Steve expanded his solo work, recording and touring nationally without brother Tim and sister Janice alongside. He released Through His Eyes in 1984. 

Through His Eyes opened with a happy, bouncy pop song called I'll Do My Best. Music video was just coming into vogue, and I'll Do My Best is remembered for one of the cheesiest music videos of all time. So cheesy, in fact, that it's awesome.

On the one hand, the video offers up a great cinematic representation of Southern California in the Eighties, complete with a convertible, a parrot, people on pay phones, and what looks like the scary clown from the movie Pee Wee's Big Adventure. On the other hand, the production values left a lot to be desired.

A 'screen capture' from the music video for "I'll Do My Best"

The title track was also given an over-the-top video treatment, complete with overacting and a few video stereotypes. Steve, who doesn't play piano, is sitting at the piano singing Through His Eyes of Love in an abandoned warehouse, with fog inexplicably swirling around on the floor. Meanwhile, a pretty, blonde, homeless girl wakes up in another warehouse, rejects an offer of booze from three black guys, and somehow happens to hear Steve rehearsing as she stumbles past the building where he is playing and singing. [We are left to wonder why Steve chose a run-down building in such a sketchy part of town as his rehearsal hall.] The girl comes inside and is transfixed on the young man singing at the piano. Neither of them seem bothered by or even curious about the copious amounts of fog swirling around beneath the piano. Yes, it's cheesy by today's standards...but it also takes you back to the days of "Real Videos" and makes you miss the Eighties (when every single worth its salt had an accompanying music video of some sort). And rumor has it that this video for Through His Eyes of Love was the first-ever music video for a CCM recording.

The song itself was quite successful, going all the way to Number 1 on the CCM charts.

"I've received a lot of letters and messages on social media from people whose lives were touched by this song," Steve Archer said. "It just simply says 'Through His eyes of love / See yourself the way He does.' Because He sees you perfected in Him."

Somewhere someone can't go on
Giving up, their hope is gone
Somewhere there's a heart that cries
Where everything is seen through sorrow's eyes

It doesn't matter, lonely one
Where you've been or what you've done
'Cause He can make a miracle
Change your life to something beautiful

Through His eyes of love
See yourself the way He does
Through His eyes of love
You're perfect through His eyes of love

Through His Eyes of Love is a song that Steve Archer performs in concerts to this day.

In a 2016 interview with radio host Leah Tillock, Steve talked about how all of us are in need of God's love...because all of us are subject to problems and challenges and difficulties

"As we know," Steve said, "in the Christian music industry as well as in the secular music industry, artists went through a lot of ups and downs and ins and outs and difficulties. It's life, is what it is. Because you're involved in music ministry doesn't mean that you're not facing life just like everyone else. And it's hard on a person - especially when you're young and you're dealing with your ego, you're dealing with a lot of attention that you're not used to. And it's hard on marriages, it's hard on children, you know, traveling and being away from home and having to leave for weeks at a time. You know, we're not naive about a lot of the things that have happened down through the years and the difficulties on artists. But I think the ones that have stood the test of time haven't made it about fame or about notoriety or necessarily building a financial kingdom, but they kept the creative process going, and they stayed true to 'this is about ministry, this is about reaching people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.' And we love music, we love to sing, we've been gifted to do this, but most importantly, when God anoints it - when God anoints the song and when God anoints the artist, and that goes out - the Bible says that God's Word doesn't return void." 

Believe It was a mid-tempo pop song that songwriter Dwight Liles brought to the table. 

"I remember the day I wrote Believe It," recalls Liles. "I had been experiencing some writers' block and had been kind of frustrated that Chris Christian wasn't getting blown away by my new songs after initially really liking the early ones that had been my first successful cuts. So I took an afternoon and went over to the church we were attending at the time and sat down at a piano in a Sunday school room and improvised for probably about an hour until I stumbled on the chords that form the backdrop for the chorus. Suddenly, the song just started falling together out of nowhere. Chris liked it immediately when he heard it, and it ended up being recorded by both Steve Archer and the Gaither Vocal Band."

Liles also wrote another song on the project, called Renew Me, Lord. Dwight says it was "just a little gospel rocker that I kinda dashed out one day."  

"At that time I wasn't yet active in the Nashville songwriting community," Liles points out. "I was just writing things on my own and turning in the cassettes to Chris Christian. Chris didn't want finished demos. He liked raw worktapes. He was very good at just hearing a hit in its most uncluttered form - unlike a lot of A&R people at the record companies, who virtually needed to hear the record and required full production demos."

Overall, Through His Eyes is quality, pop-oriented easy listening. The "CCM sound" that Chris Christian had pioneered in the late 70s and worked hard to perfect in the early 80s was on full display. Incidentally, New Heart sounds for all the world like an Archers song, and Unless God Builds Your House benefits from an amazing lead guitar solo. Steve's trademark funk and blue-eyed soul was front and center on the song Blood of Jesus. 

Archers albums were always expertly played by some of the best studio cats around. Through His Eyes carried on that tradition, with Nathan East on bass, John Robinson playing drums, Dann Huff and Michael Landau on guitars, and Robbie Buchanan playing keys. "There were some amazing musicians on this project," Steve said, "and it was beautifully engineered by Jack Joseph Puig."

One misstep was the cover of Mark Heard's Eye of the Storm. On one hand, it was refreshing to hear a different take on the song. When cover versions closely mimic the original, it leaves you scratching your head and wondering, "What was the point of that?" So Chris and Steve get points for doing something different. The problem was that it was just a little too different. It just didn't quite work. Steve's version couldn't decide quite what it wanted to be. The violins were a little irritating, and the authenticity of Heard's original was missing. I'm sure the inclusion of this song was Chris Christian's idea since he had also signed Heard to Home Sweet Home records and, I believe, controlled Heard's publishing at that time as well. In the end, it just didn't feel like a Steve Archer song.

Christian radio loved this record. Steve's singing voice was imminently listenable. There was a smoothness and a familiarity (due to all of those years with The Archers) that made him seem like a welcome friend. There was a comfort level that was, well, comforting. Through His Eyes set Steve up for further success as a soloist.

He went on to record well-received duets with Debbie Boone, Marilyn McCoo and Teri Desario and recorded successful albums such as Action and Off the Page. Steve began performing up to 200 solo dates per year; he joined with siblings Tim and Janice again in 1991, to record a final Archers album, Colors Of Your Love. The group disbanded for good in 1993 but not before touching hearts and lives by the hundreds of thousands.

At the time of this writing, Steve Archer continues to travel, minister and record. One of the most humble and genuine men you'd ever want to meet, he has recently relocated to the North Texas area and enjoys spending time with kids and grandkids. 

"One of the most exciting things that I see now," Steve told Leah Tillock in a 2016 conversation, "especially when I go on social media, is I see these testimonies of people whose lives were touched back in those days when they were teenagers or when they were in high school or when they were in college, and how they gave their hearts to the Lord, and many ended up getting involved in ministry themselves, many of them becoming music ministers or evangelists or missionaries or pastors and just on and on through the years. Seeing those testimonials that are written out for you to read - you know, I was at one of your Jesus festivals back in nineteen seventy-something, and I gave my heart to the Lord and it changed my life forever. That is the bottom line. That's the most important thing. And that keeps you from being overwhelmed or being discouraged. You know, it's hard to even get your music out there anymore. It's hard to even get your music heard on the radio because there's so many new things happening out there. But when we do go out and we're able to minister, we're seeing people respond - not only those familiar with our music but also with those that are new to it. And they're like, 'Man, these songs are great! These songs really touch my heart. These songs are anointed!' That's what keeps us going - not only our love for the Lord and our love for the gift that he's given us, singing and playing music and collaborating with other artists, but just seeing that it still is life-changing."

#282 SOMETHING I BELIEVE IN by Denny Correll (1982)

SOMETHING I BELIEVE IN by Denny Correll (1982)
Myrrh - MSB 6699

Producer: Bill Maxwell

File Under: Blue-Eyed Soul/Funk/R&B/CCM

Time Capsule-Worthy Track:

You Can Depend on Jesus

His raspy, blues-infused voice is instantly recognizable by the relatively small number of people who were familiar with the man and his music. It's been said that if Denny Correll had stuck with secular music, he would have become a star on the order of a Rod Stewart or a Joe Cocker. Maybe so, who knows?

Instead, he's enjoying eternity with Jesus.

Dennis Correll was born into a musical environment on Feb. 19, 1946. His mother was a big band singer and his father was a gifted pianist and big band orchestra leader. Music filled their home - swing, jazz, R&B, big band, Gospel and rock and roll. While Denny's mom loved Jesus and guided countless people to faith in Christ, his Dad suffered from alcoholism, leading eventually to their divorce. [After much prayer, Denny's father did accept Christ as Savior late in his life, was delivered from alcoholism, and was reconciled to his children.] 

Blues Image (Correll is 2nd from the top, clockwise)

Correll's entree to the rock world would be through a band called Blues Image. The band was formed in Tampa, FL in 1966. In 1968 the band moved to NYC where they managed a club called The Image. They regularly played their bluesy rock at the club and ended up snatching a recording deal with Atlantic Records' Atco subsidiary. When vocalist Michael Pinera left the group to join Iron Butterfly, Denny Correll became the lead singer. After moving to the West Coast, they recorded the hit Ride, Captain, Ride, which sold over one million copies, earning a gold record in 1970. Alas, it would be the only charting hit for Blues Image, making the group essentially a "one-hit wonder." Other Blues Image alumni of interest to CCM listeners would include Skip Konte (who later played with Three Dog Night and produced Christian albums for Darrell Mansfield, Leon Patillo and Denny Correll), and Gary Dunham, who had a solo CCM career when his Blues Image stint was over.  

MANNA. (Denny Correll is upper left.)

After the breakup of Blues Image, Denny Correll floated around. He joined a group called Manna and recorded a single for A&M Records called Good Old Rock and Roll, then played with a band called 5th Cavalry. 

It was at this point that Denny became part of Jesus Music history. It's not a stretch to say that without the influence of Denny Correll, we might never have heard of a band called Love Song. 

Chuck Girard was playing in Las Vegas at the Pussy Cat a Go Go with a band called Six the Hard Way. It just so happened that 5th Cavalry was on the bill as well. Denny Correll, ever the evangelist, gathered all of the musicians together during a break and began witnessing to them about Jesus. Girard was impressed with Correll's passion and conviction and started reading the Bible after returning home to LA. Girard and a bunch of musician friends started searching for God through the Bible but also trying to find meaning, fulfillment, and spiritual enlightenment through drugs. They started calling themselves Love Song and played bars and clubs in Southern California. They eventually visited a church called Calvary Chapel and ended up giving their hearts and lives to Jesus. And the rest was history.

Denny Correll ended up a member of Love Song for a short time and co-wrote one of the songs (Changes) on the group's landmark 1972 debut album.

Fast forward several years, and Correll was now a solo artist. He released Standin' in the Light on Maranatha in 1979, followed by How Will They Know on Myrrh the very next year. Which brings us to Something I Believe In.

This record had one of the coolest album covers of the 80s. It was one of those covers that sort of told a story. Correll is running to catch a cab on the front cover. The back cover photo shows him laughing and talking with the taxi driver; Correll appears to be handing the driver (Arnold Johnson) a copy of the album. Nice work on the art direction by Paul Gross, and the photography by Sam Emerson. By the way, in addition to one of the great soulful voices in CCM, Correll also had some of the best hair in the music business.

Producer Bill Maxwell took advantage of Correll's natural gift - his blue-eyed soul singing - and surrounded him with a cast of top-notch studio musicians. Of course, the "Koinonia boys" played on this record and formed one of the all-time great rhythm sections: Maxwell on drums, Abraham Laboriel on Bass, Hadley Hockensmith on guitar, Alex Acuna on percussion and Justo Almario on woodwind instruments. Guitarists Dean Parks and David Williams also made their presence known.  

Concerning Denny Correll, blogger David Lowman wrote, "If there was a more soulful voice in CCM I can’t tell you who it belongs to. Correll’s voice was pure soul and guts, a dynamic range with no limits." That voice was on display on Something I Believe In. The album followed the same general pattern as most of Denny's albums - a contemporary soul sound with the funky stuff being balanced somewhat by sultry, inspirational power ballads. The mid-tempo pop numbers were the most fun to listen to...and where Denny could best express himself. 

Evangelism is the lyrical theme that ran through this album, and, really, through Denny's entire ministry.

"Denny was a real evangelist," Bill Maxwell told me during a recent phone interview. "He was a real talent. He was unbelievably talented and a sweet, beautiful guy that I loved greatly."

Denny's younger brother Tim has always had a similar evangelistic zeal and wrote a lot of songs with Denny. In fact, Tim shares a writing credit on four of the ten tracks on Something I Believe In, including a powerful ballad called Too Many Lonely People.

Tim Correll

"Yeah, the Lord gave Denny and me many songs together," Tim told me not long ago. "We really loved working and hanging out together. The Lord would sometimes give me hook ideas as I was traveling around southern California doing my day gig in commercial finance sales. I would call Denny from the nearest phone booth and sing him my hook idea; if he dug it he would start working on it and tell me to come by after work to hear the direction that he would hear the idea going. That's the way I got the hook on Too Many Lonely People. It came while I was downtown Los Angeles and began seeing so many homeless and/or alcoholic people, people who just needed the Savior. I went to see Denny after work. Den had started developing the melody and some lyrics. We worked a couple of days on the lyrics, and it was done."

Tim said that his older brother had a huge burden for souls. "Denny was an extremely gifted songwriter," Tim said, "and our message was always to share the good news of the Gospel with the music that the Lord gave both of us, individually and together, encouraging others to receive Christ as their Savior and be born again."

After Something I Believe In, Denny Correll recorded three more albums.

Correll had three back operations and reportedly fell into some problems with addiction. He was certainly not alone in that (artists such as Chuck Girard and Bryan Duncan went public many years ago with their own struggles). Suffering from heart problems, Correll was treated at the Hoad Hospital in Newport, CA in 2002. After he was released, he attempted to drive himself home...but never got there. He suffered a heart attack and was found in his car in a school parking lot where he died on November 29, 2002. Denny Correll was just 56 years old.

After Denny’s sudden passing, his brother Tim went through a very difficult time. "We were joined at the hip and Denny’s passing has been really hard," says Tim Correll. "I know he’s with Jesus, but he was not only my big brother but also my best friend. I really miss him."

Denny Correll was cremated; Tim buried Denny's ashes at sea in December of 2002.

"Now, some 20 years after his highest peak as an artist, Correll deserves to be recognized for his exceptional artistic achievements, undeniably powerful voice and heart for ministry," said blogger David Lowman. "I have never heard his name attached to a Gospel Music Hall of Fame and that is a shame. I hope one day that will be corrected."