Randy Stonehill’s music is synonymous with the Jesus Movement of the late 1960s-1970s, celebrated in the movie Jesus Revolution. Those decades brought vast changes in popular music, and Stonehill’s generation of believers played a role in those changes, revolutionizing worship music. Stonehill, along with the other “usual suspects,” as he calls them on his website, was a pioneer on the front lines of the contemporary Christian music scene responsible for how many of us worship today.
Stonehill’s “usual suspects” were Larry Norman, Keith Green, Phil Keaggy, Barry McGuire, Noel Paul Stookey, Russ Taff, Michael Card, and Phil Madeira, to name just a few.
Besides revolutionizing contemporary worship music, the musicians of Stonehill’s believing generation also pioneered radical transparency about their lives. That transparency lets us glimpse the accomplishments of musical giants but also the messy lives of sinners authentically receiving and relying on Jesus’ grace. Their sins and slips forced people to ask important questions about the lifestyles, repentance, and grace they should expect from well-known Christians.
Anyone who prefers their Christian music makers airbrushed, packaged for easy consumption, will be disappointed with these people. They became Christians during a revival but grew up in their faith in its aftermath, with the public watching. These were grown adults but baby believers, and they suddenly found themselves in the spotlight. They often heard their music was too Christian to be mainstream but too secular to be Christian. To pursue their callings, they risked their sins revealed, judgment from Christians, rejection from mainstream listeners, and even fallouts with one another. Yet, Jesus’s love still broke through their music and their stories.
Just as their lives were not about perfection, neither were the music and lyrics they crafted. The ragged edges of their sound, the rawness of their lyrics, and their relentless focus on Jesus promoted a message of grace that still stands.
In a 2009 interview with Cross Rhythms, Randy was asked about the fans expecting too much from Christian artists. He responded, “It’s born out of a need for heroes. And though you can say, well God is holy and he loves you, in our subconscious we’re saying, ‘Yeah, but can I have a hero with skin wrapped around it?’”
He added, “No one is larger than life than Jesus and you just have to be really careful about how you negotiate that terrain.” Randy Stonehill learned to navigate the terrain well and continues creating music today.
In March of 1952, Randy Stonehill was born in Stockton, California, and grew up in San Jose. He played guitar before entering junior high and did well in talent competitions.
By 16, he was eager to pursue music as a career. It was 1968, and youth across America played guitar, protested the war, and pursued political, musical, and spiritual revolutions. Stonehill was a young man of his time.
He moved to Los Angeles and, in 1970, famously came to faith in Jesus Christ in Larry Norman’s kitchen. The two wrote a song about it called “Norman’s Kitchen.” Stonehill had his own sound, distinct from his mentor’s—an easier, folkier style, often compared to James Taylor. Norman’s music was more classic rock-and-roll. Norman is often called “the father of Christian rock,” but his sound (and his conflicts with various producers and musicians) led to many Christians not accepting his music. Stonehill had his challenges, too.
In 1976, Randy released what many call one of the most important albums of contemporary Christian music. Welcome to Paradise was produced by Norman and is now considered a classic. In 1989, with Mark Heard as producer, Stonehill released Return to Paradise, a clear reference to this earlier album.
Stonehill built relationships with some then well-established names in Christian circles that helped pave the way for his credibility and acceptance. Pat Boone produced Randy’s first album, Born Twice, in 1971. Randy performed on the movie soundtrack for Time to Run, a production of the Billy Graham Association.
The period’s groundbreaking musicians sharpened one another, alternately collaborating and competing in this new market. Stonehill often tells the story of Keith Green, “a bull in a china shop,” insisting that Stonehill write a song with him and Todd Fishkind. Green was certain God would use this song “around the world.”
“He was like a hurricane you almost had to brace yourself for,” Stonehill writes on his website. Green’s words about “Love Broke Through” would prove to be prophetic as God has used the song around the globe.
Keith Green-your love broke through from jessebob on GodTube.
Performing in coffeehouses, church basements, and outdoor stadiums, Stonehill and others insisted on using their newfound rock-and-roll or folk music to express their love for their newfound savior. This sometimes put them at odds with the traditional, established church. Still, the teens and young adults who found Jesus during the awakening of the revolution welcomed them with open arms, thrilled their music had followed them into their new lives.
According to Musician Guide, after the release of The Sky is Falling in 1980, Stonehill and Norman had a falling out and wouldn’t work together again for over 20 years.
At the time, their divide was fodder for a public scandal. Reasons speculated for it included arguments over creative differences, copyright disputes, and a woman. Sarah Mae Finch, Stonehill’s first wife, would later marry Norman. Only Norman and Stonehill know the roots of their fallout, and Norman died of heart failure in 2008.
Stonehill, however, speaks of Norman now with tenderness and forgiveness. Creative people are known to have big feelings. Christian creatives are no different. Conflict is inevitable, but the road to forgiveness is also inevitable for Christians. When asked about his appearance in the documentary Fallen Angel: The Outlaw Larry Norman, Stonehill told Cross Rhythms, “I believe when people see my participation in the film they’ll see grace and forgiveness.”
Despite parting from his mentor, the eighties were a time of prolific writing and performing for Stonehill. He released Equator (1982), Celebrate This Heartbeat (1984), Love Beyond Reason (1985), and Return to Paradise (1989), all with Myrrh records. Stonehill toured and recorded with Keaggy and the band Daniel Amos during these years. The world lost Keith Green in a plane crash in 1982, but his music lived on—as did his fellow musicians’ love for him.
Randy Stonehill continued to perform and record through the 1990s and 2000s. His most recent album, The Lost Art of Listening, appeared in 2020.
One important lesson from Randy’s career is for Christians to be cautious not to make idols of Christian artists—musicians, actors, writers, or speakers. Those gifted to serve the body of Christ through the creative arts are sinners like the rest of us. They live forgiven and in the process of maturing in their faith.
We certainly root for them to make godly choices. Still, the pressures of the spotlight, the temptations of fame, and grinding business demands can become an “Instant pot” for pressure. The pressure doesn’t excuse sin but creates a wide stage for temptation. Now, with the added microscope of social media, fans need to practice grace, refrain from gossip, and stay focused on Jesus rather than idolize any individual artist.
Another valuable lesson is that the church can grow and benefit from each generation’s varying forms of expression in faith and worship. Psalm 96:1 says, “Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!” We should always be ready for those who sing a new song based on ancient truth. Stonehill, Norman, and their peers faced intense pressure including outright rejection from the established church. This certainly contributed to the stress of these early contemporary artists. We can do better.
Every culture and generation desires to return worship to God in their own language, music, and creative expression. As churches create multi-cultural worship and celebrate intergenerational gatherings, we can listen to one another, respectfully honor differences, and support our attempts to reflect God in authentic forms of worship through the arts. Knowing the history of Christian music can help us respond with love, truth, and respect moving forward.
Stonehill also stands as an encouragement that Christian musicians can survive and mature. When they fall, they can rise. Randy Stonehill’s music and ministry continue now and remain an encouragement to Christians of a new generation, perhaps witnessing the birth of a fresh awakening.
On surviving the music industry:
“I know for me, when I was let go after 20 years with Word Records—either with Word directly or with Solid Rock which Larry Norman created—it was a strange feeling but it also was a good faith builder because I thought, ‘Now wait a minute. I’ve been practicing and I’m pretty good. I have a sense of calling here. I don’t have to rely on a record company. I need to rely on God. What would God do here?’” — Radar Radio interview with Dave Trout
On Keith Green:
“Then when he became a believer, I’ve never seen anyone so relieved to find out where hope lived than Keith Green. And because of that, he really did have this John the Baptist sort of zealot dynamic. Even in the midst of his own growing pains as a young man and as a young Christian, I’m certain that that passion was generated by the Holy Spirit.” — Song Facts interview with Dan MacIntosh
On Phil Keaggy:
“I’ve done a lot of writing with Phil Keaggy, which is just a total joy. As a musician, he’s an embarrassment of riches. But he really tends to tip his hat to me when it comes to the lyrical chores. We balance out each other really, really well.” — Song Facts interview with Dan MacIntosh
On Mark Heard:
“Mark is someone who I would name among the top 50 poets and songwriters of the century. Quite often I knew, in working with him, that I was in the presence of greatness.” — Mark Heard.net interview
On Revisiting His Old Songs in Paradise Sky (2008):
“But I will tell you, it was kind of bittersweet; like to be playing the acoustic lead break on ‘Keep Me Running’ with the same guitar that Larry Norman gave me I think in 1974. I could feel him hovering at my shoulder and I was thinking, ‘Well man, I hope you like this!’” — Cross Rhythms interview with Mike Rimmer
Maybe it’s time for you to stroll back and revisit Randy Stonehill’s music or discover it for the first time. Where to begin?
Best Ever Albums ranks Randy’s top four albums as follows:
Welcome to Paradise (1976)
Born Twice (1971)
Return to Paradise (1989)
Until We Have Wings (1990)
Randy’s most recent albums include:
Together Live! (2006) performed with Phil Keaggy
Randy Stonehill and Buck Storm – Breath of God (2013)
Randy Stonehill and Buck Storm – Breath of God Vol. II (2015)
Lost Art of Listening (2020)
Pioneers may be rough around the edges, but they open new territory for the rest of us. Modern Christians owe a debt of gratitude to Randy Stonehill, Larry Norman, Phil Keaggy, Keith Green, and their peers. They did more than introduce the church to guitars, blue jeans, and drums. They reminded us that the gospel is about what Jesus did for us while we were yet sinners. They reminded us that everything we do now is an act of love and gratitude for the gift of grace. Jesus is worthy of all we have to give.
The Keith Green Story: Your Love Broke Through (2002)
Salt and Light: The Miracle in Hollywood (2018)
First Love: A Historic Gathering of Jesus Music Pioneers (2004)
Strong Hand of Love: A Tribute to Mark Heard (1994)
The Cornerstone Festival: 20 Years and Counting (2004)
Fallen Angel: The Outlaw Larry Norman (2009)
The Making of Mr. Buechner’s Dream (2005)
Further Reading:
20 Great Books about Christian Music
How Did John Michael Talbot Change Christian Music?
Why Did Christian Music Forget The Call’s Michael Been?
Why Should Christian Music Pay Attention to T Bone Burnett?
What You Should Know about Rich Mullins
Photo Credit: Getty Images/chaunpis
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