Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture reviews God Rock, Inc.
Leah Payne reviewed God Rock, Inc. for the Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture.
Journal of the Society for American Music Reviews God Rock, Inc.
Adam Perez reviewed God Rock, Inc. for the Journal of the Society for American Music.
Journal of World Popular Music Reviews God Rock, Inc.
Daniel Thornton reviewed God Rock, Inc. for the Journal of World Popular Music.
Religion Journal Reviews God Rock, Inc.
Rosalind I. J. Hackett reviewed God Rock, Inc. for the journal Religion.
MEIEA Journal Reviews God Rock, Inc.
Jason Lee Guthrie reviewed God Rock, Inc. for the Journal of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA).
ARSC Journal Reviews God Rock, Inc.
Robert M. Marovich reviewed God Rock, Inc. for the Association for Recorded Sound Collections Journal (ARSC).
God Rock, Inc. Shortlisted for Award
God Rock, Inc. has been shortlisted for the 2022 Ralph J. Gleason Award in pop music writing.
Keith Green Vs. the Music Industry
Keith Green was a Christian artist whose ethics came to contradict the commercial necessities of the Christian music industry. I glossed over this contradiction and its conflict in my earlier primer to Green’s career and discography, but here I go more detail and provide some primary sources that I have found to be very enlightening.
Oral History Interviews as Primary Sources
While conducting the research for God Rock, Inc., I was fortunate to interview many current and former Christian music industry executives and musicians. I also used the archives at MTSU’s Center for Popular Music, and I was thrilled to find several relevant interview transcripts available through Baylor’s Institute for Oral History. In this post I discuss these components of my research methodology and approach to oral history interviews.
Larry Norman Primer and Discography (1968–1981)
Larry Norman, the “father of Christian rock,” released several albums in the 1970s after contributing to two records by the Bay-area psych-rock band People! in the late 1960s.
An Origin Story
When I was growing up, my family attended a Southern Baptist church in New Jersey. I was first introduced to Christian rock in the 1990s but didn’t start researching it until 2009. In this piece — a longer version of the origin story to God Rock, Inc. found in the book’s introduction — I describe discovering and abandoning Christian music during my adolescence, ultimately rediscovering it (with more than a little help from my youngest sister).
Keith Green Primer and Discography (1965–1982)
Keith Green released several general (secular) market singles as a pre-teen artist in the 1960s, followed by 4 Christian albums between 1977 and 1982.
Reading Religion Reviews God Rock, Inc.
Shannan Katherine Baker reviewed God Rock, Inc. for Reading Religion, the open book review website published by the American Academy of Religion (AAR).
Recent Books on Christian Music
Popular Music Books in Process roundtable presentation (2021). Nathan Myrick, Marcell Silva Steuernagel, and myself discussed our recent books in conversation with each other as part of the PMBiP series of author talks, co-sponsored by IASPM-US, JPMS, and the Popcon.
Amy Grant Primer and Discography (1977–2013)
Amy Grant released 15 studio albums between 1977 and 2013, plus several Christmas albums, live recordings, and greatest hits packages. She has recorded for Myrrh and Word, and has been signed to Sparrow since 2007.
Studying Congregational Music: Key Issues, Methods, and Theoretical Perspectives
Routledge, Congregational Music Studies Series (2021)
Autographed Bookplates for God Rock, Inc.
Promoting a new book during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic means no in-person events, and thus no easy way for me to autograph your copy of God Rock, Inc. But I found a middle ground: autographed, self-adhesive bookplates! If you have already purchased God Rock, Inc.: The Business of Niche Music and would like an autographed bookplate, free of charge, just contact me and let me know!
A soundtrack to God Rock, Inc.
Listen to the curated playlists of God Rock, Inc. I have created separate Spotify playlists for each individual chapter of the book; individual songs are flagged within the book itself with a little LP icon.
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