#264 - SINCERELY YOURS by Gary Chapman (1981)

SINCERELY YOURS by Gary Chapman (1981)
Lamb & Lion Records - LL 1053

Producers:

Joe Hardy, Eddie DeGarmo & Dana Key

File Under: CCM/Pop

Time Capsule-Worthy Track:

Sincerely Yours

Gary Chapman is a talented singer-songwriter and former television host with a wicked sense of humor (if you’ll pardon the expression). He’s won Dove awards and written hit songs for everyone from T.G. Shepard to, um, Amy Grant. Of course, he famously married the latter, served as her bandleader for a number of years, made three kids with her, and suffered a very public breakup and divorce. But this ain’t about that.

Long before his role as the male half of the First Couple of CCM, Gary Chapman grew up in the Assemblies of God denomination in Texas where his father was a pastor. 

Gary learned to play guitar as a preteen and after attending an A/G Bible college in Waxahachie, he got a job playing guitar for a couple of storied Southern Gospel groups - the Downings and the Rambos. He no doubt learned a thing or two about songwriting from the legendary Dottie Rambo. By the late 70s, Chapman was earning a living as a songwriter in what had become the unofficial capital of contemporary Christian music - Nashville, Tennessee. He wrote songs that were recorded not just by southern Gospel royalty like the Blackwood Brothers and Rusty Goodman, but also emerging contemporary artists like Jamie Owens-Collins and the aforementioned Miss Grant. 

The first song Chapman penned for Grant turned out to be a classic. She had been sort of hand-picked and groomed by Chris Christian and Brown Bannister to be CCM’s earnest girl-next-door and everything was going according to plan. Her debut album was well-received. But it was her sophomore release that saw her popularity really take off...and that was due, at least in part, to the album’s title song, My Father’s Eyes, which became a big hit and earned young Gary Chapman a Songwriter of the Year Dove award. All of that also earned Chapman more time spent around Grant; he served as the opening act on her 1980 tour...which led to a romance...that led to marriage. But before that wedding, Gary Chapman was given the opportunity to record a solo album of his own. It would be titled Sincerely Yours.

Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key

Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key officially arrived on the Christian rock scene in the late 70s, recording two critically-acclaimed albums that set a new standard for Christian rock music. Although the DeGarmo & Key Band was still in its infancy, Eddie, Dana, and producer Joe Hardy were already tossing around the idea of creating a production company that would exist to help other emerging artists. “We liked the idea of bringing a creative and sonic lift for artists in our budding genre,” Eddie DeGarmo wrote in his 2018 autobiography, Rebel For God: Faith, Business and Rock ‘n’ Roll. “Ardent was a world-class studio and we believed that with our combined skills and talents, we could raise the bar for Christian music.” Never lacking in confidence, DeGarmo said that he, Dana and Joe believed they could help CCM compete sonically and artistically with the best in secular music. “We came up with the name Mint Productions,” DeGarmo recalled. “In our insider cool slang, if something was ‘mint’ it was top-notch and of the highest quality.”

Mike Blanton and Dan Harrell

So DeGarmo called Mike Blanton, then the head of A&R at Myrrh Records, to hopefully strike up a deal for Mint Productions to work with one or more of Myrrh’s up-and-coming artists. That led to Eddie being invited to an Amy Grant concert where he would hobnob backstage with Blanton, Grant, Dan Harrell (Grant’s manager), and a young man named Gary Chapman. DeGarmo has vivid memories of the concert that night. He describes Amy’s sound as sweet and gentle, noting that Chapman’s guitar was her only accompaniment that night. 

Amy Grant

“They were very good as an act,” Eddie remembers, “playing off of each other and adding a nice blend of humor, charm and poignancy to her songs. Also, the auditorium was packed. It was a different crowd than we would see at a typical DeGarmo & Key show.”

You might remember that Amy Grant wound up singing a duet with Dana Key on D&K’s third album, This Ain’t Hollywood. The DeGarmo and Key Band would eventually end up serving as Amy Grant’s touring band for a bit and backed her on two live albums. But before that happened, Mike Blanton resigned from his post with Myrrh and formed a management company with Dan Harrell. Blanton contacted DeGarmo one day with a question. “He let me know that Gary Chapman was going to record a solo album and asked if Mint Productions would be interested in taking a meeting about the possibility of producing it,” DeGarmo recalls. “We met with Gary shortly after and we had a great connection. He was a really charismatic and rambunctious guy. He was also very talented.”

Dana Key, Eddie DeGarmo

Gary Chapman soon found his way to Memphis so that Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key could guide him through the recording of his debut album. According to DeGarmo’s book, Sincerely Yours took about two months to record. “Gary is a wonderful songwriter,” said DeGarmo, “so it was easy to produce a great project for him.” 

DeGarmo & Key, especially from their inception up through 1982, was a full-on rock and roll band. Sincerely Yours is not a rock album. It’s CCM pop up one side and down the other. Blogger David Lowman says the album “is filled with great Christopher Cross type light pop” and “made for CCM radio” pop tunes. However, Eddie’s and Dana’s influence is definitely felt in a subtle way throughout the album. In fact, some of the same musicians and singers from DeGarmo & Key’s This Ain’t Hollywood release were featured on Sincerely Yours as well. 

The album’s opener, No Time At All, is a bouncy light rock tune that, at first, sounds like stereotypical CCM fare from the time period. But then the melody and chords take off in surprising directions, with Dana Key turning in a great electric guitar solo as the song fades.

I Wanna Be Loved By You, written by Chapman and a young Keith Thomas, is a pop track obviously aimed at radio. It has a smooth jazz vibe and some nice sax work by Andrew Love.

Chapman’s songwriting talent was on full display on Love Is A Name. Consider these lines…

Every song I seem to hear lately is talkin’ ‘bout makin’ love

When there’s already plenty of love to go around

People got it all in reverse, everybody is takin’ love

When in truth, love has got to be given before it is found

The acoustic guitar-based song features some really pleasing chords and a very tasteful performance by bassist Joe Hardy.

Open Up My Eyes is basically a prayer...today, it would be considered a worship song, perhaps. More great bass lines from Mr. Hardy as well as Eddie DeGarmo stretching out a little bit on the organ.

Side One wraps with the title track, the undisputed highlight of the record for me. Similar to All I Ever Have To Be, Sincerely Yours is a thought-provoking ballad that further established Chapman as a very talented writer.

Lord, I take my pen to write to You a letter
Knowing even now You know what's on my mind
But I think perhaps it might make me feel better
If I see myself here written in a line

As I close I see a phrase I took for granted
And it leaps out as I see it written there
As the truth of it begins to become planted
These two words have now become my heartfelt prayer 

Sincerely Yours
Lord, I sign my life to You
Sincerely Yours
With a strong and honest wish
To be the best that I can be at what I am
Without a thought for me
Lord, teach me now to be...
Sincerely Yours
Without a proud or selfish line
Sincerely Yours
From now until there is no time
Please make my life become a letter you can keep
And never throw away
I'll write it 'till the day
That I become

Sincerely Yours

Musically understated, this song is just acoustic guitar...strings...and a heartfelt vocal from Gary Chapman. 

In addition to Ardent Studios, portions of Sincerely Yours were recorded at the famous Great Circle Sound in Nashville, where so many Benson/Impact/Greentree albums were made. Private Eye Studio and Bill Brunt were responsible for the album cover; the pictures were taken by Mike Borum.

Amy Grant herself shows up on the up-tempo Anywhere. This song just seems hurried and is a little irritating. I read where one reviewer thought it was one of the strongest tracks on the record. Maybe it’s just me. The only thing I like is Dana Key’s Michael McDonald-esque supporting vocal lines on the chorus. I think a tender ballad would’ve been a more effective vehicle as a duet between Gary and Amy. Anywhere just doesn't do it for me.

I'd Really Like To Tell You is a clever love song (perhaps describing Chapman’s then-budding romance with you-know-who). Again, Gary’s skill and talent as a songwriter is evident here…

I thought I’d try to tell how much I love you in a song

But I found out very soon that that would make it last too long

I started it last evening when the sun was going down

I’d barely just begun it when the sun came back around

I’d really like to tell you

I’d really like to show how much

I’d really care to share the love with you

I’d really like to tell you

I’d really like to show you

But I’m afraid I might not ever quite get through

Next up was a fast-paced rocker called Feelin’ Right. This song seems to have been written in response to those who like to downplay feelings and emotions where our walk with the Lord is concerned (John MacArthur, I’m lookin’ at you). Well, I grew up in the same Pentecostal denomination as Gary Chapman. And I’m glad that I can feel the presence of the Lord. I identify strongly with the message of this song…

There seems to be a notion

If you’re showin’ some emotion

You had better stop and check yourself out

They stop and try to tell us

That we’re being over-zealous

When we start to praise the Lord and shout

Well, they say it’s not prestigious

To be overly religious

But in love I must say I disagree

‘Cause this whole religious thing

Was put together by a King

And now He’s living deep inside of me

They can get depressed if they want but I’m feelin’ right

They can negative confess if they want but I’m feelin’ right

Well, I know we can’t live by feelings

So please don’t get me wrong

But ain’t it kinda nice

When the good feelings come along

Well said, Mr. Chapman.

One Hope was a ballad that presented the Gospel in clear terms, wrapping up this solid debut effort from Gary Chapman. 

Of course, Amy and Gary would soon marry and Gary would write or co-write a ton of popular songs that she recorded. Eventually problems surfaced and they would split. I won’t dwell on that except to quote Gary from a magazine interview in CCM:

"Irreconcilable differences is such a lame and hollow phrase. That's what you say when you're afraid to say anything. It's the legalese that allows you to walk away. From my vantage point, we had one irreconcilable difference: I wanted her to stay, and she wanted to leave. Everything else, God could have reconciled."

I believe him. As a husband and father who has experienced rejection and betrayal...I believe him. I’ll just let it go at that.

In addition to experiencing success as a comedic television host on CMT, Gary Chapman has also given us a lengthy catalog of meaningful and memorable songs down through the years, including Sweet Glow of Mercy, Finally, Look What Has Happened To Me, I Prefer the Moonlight, Treasure, Everyday Man, and many more.

Gary Chapman and wife Cassie

In recent years, Chapman has become somewhat known for his A Hymn a Week social media posts, where he grabs an acoustic guitar and sings classic, beloved hymns as a tribute to his parents and his upbringing.

Finally, a “fun fact” is that Gary Chapman is reportedly a private pilot with a fondness for helicopters. His trademark humor came through in a quote shared in Mark Allan Powell’s Encyclopedia of CCM when he said, “A helicopter occupies both feet, both hands, and a big part of your brain. It’s basically a peddle steel guitar that can kill you.”

#265 NO TIME TO LOSE by Andrae Crouch (1984)

NO TIME TO LOSE by Andrae Crouch (1984)
Light Records - LS 5863

Producer:
Andrae Crouch & Bill Maxwell

File Under: Black Gospel/Urban/R&B/CCM

Time Capsule-Worthy Track:

Somebody Somewhere Is Prayin' (Just for You)

He was one of the most effective, most generous and most loved artists in the history of Contemporary Christian music. Not among black artists...but among all. He would almost certainly be included on any objective CCM Mount Rushmore. 

He paved new pathways and built bridges between very diverse communities within the body of Christ. Exceptionally charismatic and talented, he was also powerfully anointed of God. He passed from this life on January 8, 2015, and this world is a better place as a result of the 72+ years that Andrae Crouch spent here.

Andrae Crouch & the Disciples

Up through 1978, Crouch made his mark as the leader of an extremely exciting group that he dubbed The Disciples. Amazing singers and musicians such as Sherman Andrus, Bill Maxwell, Danniebelle Hall, Fletch Wiley, Bili Thedford, and Perry Morgan were part of Andrae's traveling evangelistic musical road show. After the Live in London double album in '78, Crouch transitioned to a solo career. 

While the sonic excellence of his music began to reach new heights during the solo years (as compared to the early years of AC&D), his spiritual effectiveness seemed to take a hit. A musician who worked closely with Andrae during both the group years and the solo years told me that the anointing on Crouch's ability to lead audiences in worship (long before "worship" was cool) diminished noticeably after the group disbanded. Andrae began to get accolades from big secular companies and stars and was given the opportunity to work with Madonna, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. He collaborated with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Sheila E., Elton John and Little Richard. 

Michael Jackson with Andrae Crouch

He was given opportunities to appear on network television shows such as Amen and Saturday Night Live. He even helped provide music for a major motion picture (The Color Purple). 

It was during this solo era that Crouch became embroiled in a scandal (of sorts) when he was actually arrested on drug charges in November of 1982. He maintained that it was all a misunderstanding, that the drugs in his car actually belonged to musicians that were staying in his home at the time (while he was away, busy with his TV appearances and such)...which was totally plausible. Crouch even wondered aloud if he'd been targeted for being a black man driving a Mercedes. But a lot of damage had been done from a public relations standpoint. After some time had passed, Andrae recorded and released the album No Time to Lose in 1984. It would be his last release of any consequence for a decade.

No Time to Lose probably should've been credited to Andrae Crouch & Friends. Always generous in introducing new talent and promoting others, Crouch allows Kristie Edwards, Tata Vega, Howard Smith, and Linda & Howard McCrary to share a good bit of the vocal duties on this album. When the needle drops on the first song, Got Me Some Angels, we don't even hear Crouch's voice until a minute and a half in. In fact, the album's back cover features a photo of Andrae surrounded by all of these other singers, almost suggesting that this is AC&D 2.0.

Andrae Crouch was in fine voice on No Time to Lose, as he was arguably a very underrated vocalist. He was so effective at joyfully leading his audiences in worship and praise that his raw charisma overshadowed his singing ability and musical prowess, which were considerable. Like most of his albums, No Time To Lose boasted production values that rivaled anything in secular urban or R&B music. 

Kristie Edwards (AKA Kristle Murden)

  

Vocalist Kristie Edwards hit some amazing high notes and was nominated for a Grammy award for her performance on Jesus, Come Lay Your Head On Me (a moving song seemingly based on the Biblical story of the woman who anoints Jesus' feet). 

Edwards (now known as Kristle Murden) was actually in the foster care system as a teenager. She later became a music minister in the Church of God in Christ denomination, which is probably where she came to the attention of Andrae Crouch. She was given the opportunity to sing with Crouch on his 1979 hit I'll Be Thinking of You and she totally hit it out of the park. She ended up traveling to more than 30 countries with Crouch and sang on several more of his albums.

Andrae with Kristie

Edwards is also featured on Somebody Somewhere is Prayin' (Just For You), a song with a very complementary message to Lenny LeBlanc's Say a Prayer from the previous year. This song sounds like one that the Disciples could've had fun with in the 70s. Bonus points for mentioning 'speaking in other tongues' in the lyrics.

Kristle Murden today

Edwards (Murden) went on to receive 2 Grammy nominations for her own solo material and worked with a wide array of artists - from Barbara Streisand and Celine Dion to Christina Aguilera and Josh Groban. Her work was included on television shows like The Middle and Touched By An Angel and on a slew of motion picture soundtracks. She is perhaps best known for her featured solo on the mega-hit Can You Feel the Love Tonight from Disney's The Lion King.

Tata Vega

Tata Vega is another accomplished female singer who was featured on this album. The list is long of both artists she's worked with (Russ Taff, Patti LaBelle, Ray Charles, Madonna, Lou Rawls and many more) and media projects to which she has contributed. Vega sings on Right Now, a traditional black gospel shuffle, and Oh It Is Jesus, a reverent song based on the Scriptural account of the woman with the issue of blood who simply desired to touch the hem of Jesus' garment, knowing that she would be made whole. Vega was nominated for a Grammy award for her performance on this song. In 2010, Tata Vega joined Elton John's touring band as a full-time backing vocalist. John is, of course, a far cry from Crouch, spiritually and morally...but somehow she makes it work.

Bill Maxwell and Howard McCrary in 2015

Battle Hymn of the Republic gets an R&B makeover with the powerful ballad His Truth Still Marches On. On this one, Crouch gives Howard & Linda McCrary a turn in the spotlight, as they sing about the power and permanence of the Word of God. Like Edwards and Vega, the McCrarys have a long list of credits and collaborations, having worked with Cat Stevens, Michael Jackson, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Emerson Lake & Palmer, the California Raisins (yes, you read that correctly) and many others.

Howard Smith

Howard Smith, known for his work with The Testimonial Singers and The Winans, gets a chance to shine on this record's title track. The song starts off sounding like something the King of Pop might've recorded back in the day...at least from a musical standpoint.

Livin' This Kind of Life is a six-minute, smooth R&B track with exquisite keyboard work. It's a full-throated, enthusiastic endorsement of the Christian life. Unfortunately, the lyrics somewhat over-promise...

Livin' this kind of life
It gets sweeter and sweeter day by day

Livin' this kind of life

Everything is new and the old has passed away

Happy days are here again

I've got a new family and friends

And I'm thankful, yes I am

Ever since I met Jesus Christ

I've been livin' this kind of life

Lyrically, this song is almost a throwback to sentiments that were often expressed in the early days of the Jesus Movement. Trouble is, this was 1984, not 1974...and 'happy days are here again' in describing the Christian life was just a little too simplistic. If you've been a child of God for any length of time, you've discovered, I'm sure, that life does not always get sweeter every day. Jesus told us that we would have trials in this life. As I listen to this song again, I'm reminded that the apostle Paul was beaten, stoned, and imprisoned. He went hungry and thirsty. He was put in danger and robbed. He endured hardship, sleepless nights and exposure to the elements. And yet he wrote most of the New Testament. Happy days are here again? Hardly. Now, obviously, there was no malicious intent on the part of Crouch and yes, we do experience times of inexplicable happiness due to the blessings of the Lord in our lives...so I'm probably making too much of this.

No Time to Lose ends with Always Remember, a worshipful reminder of the anointing that so permeated Andrae's music in the 70s, as he would lead audiences in spontaneous worship and praise...before that was even a thing to most people.

We've already established the fact that Andrae Crouch was very well connected in the music business by the early 80s. His albums usually featured a ton of top-drawer session players and No Time to Lose was not an exception. Recognizable names like Abraham Laboriel, Bill Maxwell, Joe Sample, Larry Muhoberac, Andrew Gouche, James Harrah, Ken Ford, and Alex Acuna all lent their talents. Crouch himself played piano and synthesizers.

In addition to those already mentioned, Phyllis St. James and Andrae's twin sister Sandra Crouch supplied backing vocals. Andrae Crouch & Bill Maxwell co-produced the album and Doug Rider was the primary engineer.

After No Time to Lose, Andrae regressed into the shadows, as it were, for about a decade before emerging with albums like Mercy (1994) and Pray (1997). But Andrae's legacy was already baked into the cake long before that point. He eventually became the pastor of the church his father had pastored before him, continuing to release albums sporadically up until his home-going in 2015. Accolades here on earth, during his lifetime, include an Oscar nomination, seven Grammy awards, six Dove Awards, induction into the GMA Hall of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

But infinitely more important than awards and induction ceremonies were those anointed, beloved songs, some that are even in hymn books...and countless lives that were forever changed for the better...people whose faith was strengthened and whose hearts were encouraged...souls that were added to the Kingdom of God as a result of the ministry of Andrae Edward Crouch. 

He certainly lived his life as if there was no time to lose.

  

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#266 MORE TO THIS LIFE by Steven Curtis Chapman (1989)

MORE TO THIS LIFE by Steven Curtis Chapman
Sparrow Records - SPC 1201

Producer:
Phil Naish

File Under: CCM

Time Capsule-Worthy Track:

I Will Be Here

“Music is a very mysterious, powerful gift that God created and I think it’s even supernatural in the ways that it can access parts of our hearts that the spoken word could never get to.”

-Steven Curtis Chapman

It seems that by now the whole world has heard the horrific story of the 2008 accidental death of Maria, the young girl that Steven and Mary Beth Chapman had adopted in 2004. That event made international headlines and Chapman has recorded songs and given countless interviews about the tragedy, what it has taken for the family to be able to grapple with it, and their struggle to find peace and healing. Many of the songs on Chapman's 2009 release Beauty Will Rise were born of sorrow.

There were two very powerful songs, in particular, from much earlier in Chapman’s career that were also born of pain. True to the quote above, More to This Life and I Will Be Here from his 1989 More to This Life album touched the deeper places of our hearts, places where spoken words may not have always made a difference. They are songs that Chapman has been singing ever since.

Death always gets our attention. It often causes us to take inventory in our own lives and question what’s truly important, what really matters. Co-written by Phil Naish, the album's title track is said to have been inspired by Chapman’s own reflections on mortality as a result of some unexpected funerals. 

Today I watched in silence as people passed me by
And I strained to see if there was something hidden in their eyes
But they all looked back at me as if to say
Life just goes on

The old familiar story, told in different ways
Make the most of your own journey from the cradle to the grave
Dream your dreams tomorrow because today
Life must go on

For an album opener, it’s a very serious song. Certainly not a cheerleading anthem or a God-as-my-girlfriend tune...no, this song sets a somber tone right out of the gate. Clocking in at over 5 minutes (also unusual for a lead-off song), More to This Life sounds as though it was written by a young man who had begun to experience real life up-close-and-personal. 

In a 2002 interview with Barry Alfonso, Steven Curtis Chapman talked about the need for Christian artists to be real about the trials and struggles that all of us face. “Christian music has matured and moved away from this need to say, ‘We have it all figured out and we have all the answers,” Chapman said. “Not that Christian music ever really did that, but I think that there’s a perception that that’s what it was about. It’s matured into saying, ‘Let me express my own struggles and what I have come to learn.’ But it’s still anchored in the hope of the Gospel.”  That’s a good description of More to This Life.

Tonight he lies in silence, stepping into space
And looks for ways to make tomorrow better than today
But in the morning light it looks the same
Life just goes on

He takes care of his family, he takes care of his work
And every Sunday morning he takes his place at the church
And somehow he still feels a need to search
But life just goes on

So where do we start to find every part
Of what makes this life complete
If we turn our eyes to Jesus we’ll find
Life’s true beginning is there at the cross where He died

But there's more to this life than living and dying
More than just trying to make it through the day
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see
And there's more than this life alone can be

This adult-contemporary ballad was beautifully recorded and it struck a chord with audiences everywhere. “I’ve come to realize that all I can do is really be faithful with the gifts that God’s given me and, in the sense of the old saying, dance with the one who brought me,” Chapman said in The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music. “All I can do is write out of my own experience and be as honest and non-preachy as I can. That’s always the goal.”

In Paducah, Kentucky, in 1962, Steven Curtis Chapman was born into a home where music was always present. His Dad Herb was a songwriter and guitar teacher who owned a music store, so it was almost preordained that young Steven (and his brother Herb Jr.) would be musically talented as well. Steven went to college to study medicine but eventually dropped out of school to pursue a music career full-time. He performed at the Opryland amusement park in Nashville and eventually landed a deal as a songwriter with Sparrow Records. After writing songs that were recorded by The Imperials, Sandi Patty, Glen Campbell, the Cathedral Quartet and others, Steven Curtis Chapman (SCC) was offered his own record deal.

Performing at Opryland

Audiences responded favorably to this earnest kid who, as one writer put it, was “boyish in appearance” but came across as “morally straight and fun loving.” He was also described as “personally conservative yet reasonably hip.” Music journalist Barry Alfonso says there was a touch of small-town folksiness in Chapman that endeared him to Christian music listeners. 

In the book The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music, April Hefner opined that Chapman was highly effective because he was so good at just being himself, “a gifted communicator telling simple stories in simple ways.” His debut album and sophomore release both contained hits that put young SCC on the CCM map, paving the way for More to This Life, his third release on Sparrow.

Herb and Judy Chapman were successful at giving their son Steven a musical foundation upon which to build a long-lasting career, even as the foundation of the Chapman home was slowly crumbling. Sadly, Steven watched his parents’ relationship fall apart after some 30 years of marriage, causing anxiety and pain as divorces almost always do. Chapman said this event caused him to deconstruct much of the faith that he grew up with and start asking a lot of really tough questions. He has been quoted as saying that his parents’ divorce was a huge factor behind some of the songs on More to This Life. 

With his parents’ breakup happening not long after his own wedding, Chapman wanted to relieve his new bride of any insecurities that she might be feeling. In an interview with Today’s Christian Music, SCC said, “It felt like I needed to drive a stake in the ground and say to her, ‘No matter how I feel when I wake up tomorrow, no matter how disillusioned we may be at different points of this, I have made a commitment to you and I will be here when you wake up.’ Because I think there was this real fear in her that said, ‘Wow, if this happened in his parents’ lives, what assurance do we have that this won’t be our story as well?’”

And so he wrote a song.

I Will Be Here is arguably the best and most loved romantic love song in the history of Contemporary Christian Music. 

Tomorrow morning if you wake up
And the sun does not appear
I... I will be here
If in the dark we lose sight of love
Hold my hand, and have no fear
‘Cause I... I will be here

I will be here when you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen and
I will be here when the laughter turns to cryin'
Through the winning, losing and tryin'
We'll be together 'cause I will be here

Tomorrow morning if you wake up
And the future is unclear
I... I will be here
As sure as seasons are made for change
Our lifetimes are made for years
So I... I will be here

I will be here and you can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we're older
I will hold you and
I will be here to watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here

It was tenderly written, beautifully orchestrated and recorded, and featured a flawless vocal performance by Chapman. I Will Be Here is a love song for the ages. Chances are you have not only heard the official version played countless times since 1989, but you’ve almost certainly heard it performed by a number of wedding singers. Heck...one of my brothers sang it at my other brother’s wedding...and I used it as the music bed for a video commemorating my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. 

I Will Be Here could pass for a secular love song were it not for this section near the end of the song…

I will be true to the promise I have made
To you and to the One who gave you to me

Chapman has been candid over the years that he and his wife Mary Beth have had struggles in their marriage. In an interview with CBN, he said that they have learned first-hand the difficulty in trusting God when you wonder if the story is over, wonder if you can endure anymore, wonder if you can stand after so many years of marriage with its hurts and hard times that you have to walk through together - even some that you have put each other through - and be able to stand there, side by side, hold each other’s hands, and celebrate a grand-baby when it would’ve been easy so many times to just walk away. 

Waiting for Lightning is another keeper. The lyrics give us a glimpse into the thinking of a young man who is questioning his faith (perhaps, again, due to the breakup of his parents). It's a ballad that is powerful, respectful and real.

Standing on the edge of the truth
Looking out at the view of all you used to believe
From where you are, you can see you're far away from home

Echoes of the life you once knew
Call out to you from across the divide
And you know it's time to step back over the line

The song goes on to remind us that while we're sometimes waiting for lightning and listening for thunder, and allowing our feelings to lead the way, the Holy Spirit is quietly whispering in the depths of our hearts, providing a flicker of Light to dispel the darkness. 

Treasure Island was a fun song on side two, but the rest of the songs on this disc were basic, serviceable CCM that broke no new ground and are frankly not very memorable. More to This Life and I Will Be Here did the heavy lifting. They are rightfully considered to be among the best songs SCC has ever written. Author Mark Allan Powell calls them “Chapman’s first two great songs.”

Chapman sang lead and backing vocals, and played electric and acoustic guitars on this album. But More to This Life was certainly not a one-man show. SCC had help from such great players as guitarists Jon Goin and Don Potter, Mark O’Connor on violin and mandolin, keyboardist Phil Naish bassist Jackie Street, and drummer Mark Hammond. Don Wyrtzen arranged the strings and the Nashville String Machine played ‘em. Background vocals were supplied by veterans Chris Harris, Mark Heimermann, Chris Rodriguez and...newcomer Herb Chapman!  

Phil Naish produced it and Jeff Balding recorded it. Ronnie Brookshire, Carry Summers, Barry Ray Dixon, Steve Bashir and Howard Levy all served as engineers. More to This Life was recorded at quite a few studios: Omnisound, Quad Studios, The Pond, and Gold Mine Studios, all in the Nashville area, and also at Studio 55 in LA.

The album cover was designed by Brenda Whitehill, with art direction by Barbara Hearn and photos taken by Mark Tucker.

Chapman’s career trajectory went in an upward direction after this album (to say the least). Mark Allen Powell says that no artist represented the “meat and potatoes” of CCM in the 1990s better than SCC. The numbers are staggering: Over 20 albums recorded, a handful of books authored, advocate for several charitable foundations and causes, actor in the movie The Christmas Child, 5 Grammy awards, 58 Dove awards, 7-time GMA “Artist of the Year,” 10 million albums sold and 10 gold or platinum recordings. If mainstream CCM had a dynasty, it would be this guy. 

Of course, the unimaginable tragedy that befell the Chapman family when their adopted daughter Maria was accidentally killed (when struck by an SUV driven by their son) thrust the entire family into national headlines. While stating that the sadness and grief were completely unfixable and that “only in Heaven will this make sense,” at the end of the day Steven Curtis Chapman handled the event with grace and modeled faith and courage in the face of unspeakable horror. The whole experience of adopting Chinese orphans would lead the Chapmans to found a nonprofit called Show Hope, which provides information and resources to families considering adoption. Their goal is to help reduce the financial barrier of adoption, giving new hope and new lives to orphans from around the world. They have also opened Maria's Big House of Hope in Luoyang, China. It's a special needs orphanage where children are cared for and loved.

As wonderful as all of that is, it didn't happen overnight and it didn't happen without a lot of pain and hardship. "I want Maria back," Mary Beth Chapman said in an interview back in 2009, her emotions still very real and raw. "I want my son...not to have this as a chapter in his story. I want my children to be healthy, my family secure. I don't really care whose life has been touched or changed because of our loss."

Maria Sue Chunxi Chapman

Mary Beth has been candid when discussing those dark and confusing days in the aftermath of the accident (and beyond). She has described it as "a free fall of faith" but says that she and Steven have landed on a firm foundation. 

The lyrics to I Will Be Here obviously come to mind...

Tomorrow morning if you wake up and the sun does not appear...

If in the dark we lose sight of love, hold my hand and have no fear...

I will be here when you feel like being quiet, when you need to speak your mind I will listen...

I will be here when the laughter turns to cryin'...

Through the winning, losing and tryin'...

We'll be together.

Indeed.