My dad, the preacher, never completely fit into the Pentecostal/evangelical Christian mold.
That is not to say he did not embrace the charismatic experience. He did, and he preached the critical need to be “born again” (a future blog on that one, I promise), the imperative to be baptized by immersion and the desirability of “second work of the Holy Spirit” for an effective Christian life.
Yep, that was pretty much doctrinaire for Pentecostals at the time (and still is for a significant portion of the movement sparked by the Azusa Street Revival).
Then there was that banjo. Dad played it so well, with such skill and innovation, that he was repeatedly offered secular performance gigs (including at Disneyland). He turned it down — eschewed the big money for “the call” (and paltry salary) of a preacher’s life. Still, that just didn’t matter to some of our co-religionists.
There was something tainted about the banjo, what with its African origins and early associations with the “worldly” music of smoke-filled bars, minstrel shows, burlesque shows and dance halls.
Well, if the worst sinner can be redeemed, so can music and musical instruments. Dad persisted, and as a youth evangelist — accompanied by my mother’s high-energy, racing-up-and-down-the-keyboard piano style — he packed in the kids into tent and church revivals through the Pacific Northwest and Canada. When he gave up the road to raise a family and pastor churches, the banjo and piano remained a draw for Sunday worship services.
Dad is long since retired now, and arthritis forced him to switch to the shorter and lighter ukelele, albeit still tuned like a four-string plectrum banjo. His love for music is unmitigated by time, or genre. I once sent him a CD of Eric Clapton’s acoustic blues. He loved it, and began experimenting with ways to incorporate what he heard in his own playing.
So, it got me to thinking. Could there be such a thing as Christian Blues? I mean, theologically speaking, would that be an oxymoron? Well, no. There are numerous sites dedicated to this genre (here’s one: ChristianBlues.net).
The late, great blues great Muddy Waters occasionally tipped his hat to the influence of gospel music on the blues. “You get a heck of a sound from the church. Can’t you hear it in my voice?” he is quoted as saying.
Now, the blues genre is paying back gospel with a variety of offerings. Click here to watch 3Thirty3 perform No More Blue Mondays and check out some of the links below, and I bet you will be pleasantly surprised. Great instrumentals, honest faith, and music that speaks to the soul:
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