Artist:Petra
Song:God Gave Rock and Roll to You
Album:Rock Block
Petra was the most popular CCM band of the 90s. But they started out in the 70s when CCM was called Jesus Music. Their 1977 cover of Argent's God Gave Rock and Roll to You was controversial at the time in the religious community because it was a secular song. Word Records would get so jittery about this that they dropped Petra. God Gave Rock and Roll to You also signaled a change to a hard rock style. For their 1974 debut album Petra, Petra didn't have a lead singer. Guitarist, songwriter and Petra leader Bob Hartman and guitarist Greg Hough handled the vocals. Their sound was similar to Eagles. But Hartman knew that he would have to find a real lead singer. For the 1977 album Come and Join Us, Hartman brought in several guest singers in what amounted to an extended audition. Among them was Steve Camp who had a successful CCM career in the 80s, 1974 Miss USA Karen Morrison and Austin Roberts who scored the 1975 top ten hit Rocky. Roberts produced the album. Greg X. Volz sang lead on God Gave Rock and Roll to You. His hiring led to Petra's move to a hard rock sound. He was born Jan. 12, 1950 in Peoria, IL. He had been in several Jesus Music bands since the early 70s. And he had just turned down the lead singer position in REO Speedwagon just before he got the call from Petra. So Volz was exactly who Hartman needed. And after Petra left Word for StarSong, Volz was a big part of Petra's rise in the early 80s. He left to go solo in 1986 because Volz felt he wasn't making enough money for the extensive touring they were doing. He wanted to spend more time with his family. After recording a few albums, Volz took a hiatus from music. In recent years, he has reunited with members of Petra as Classic Petra. They toured as Classic Petra Resurrected in 2017. Volz' most recent solo album was in 2009. But there's no question that he was a key figure in the development of Petra. Here's Petra performing God Gave Rock and Roll to You 1985.
No comments:
Post a Comment