Song:Got To Believe
Album:The Light Years
Sweet Comfort Band were pioneers in what would be called Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). It was called Jesus Music when they started in the mid 70s. Their music is slick pop very similar to a band like Pablo Cruise except Sweet Comfort Band sings about Jesus. Bryan Duncan formed Sweet Comfort Band in 1973 with Kevin Thomson on bass and his brother Rick Thomson on drums. Guitarist Randy Thomas joined in 1976 after his band Psalm 150 split up. Duncan and Thomas shared lead vocals. After one album, Sweet Comfort Band signed with Light Records. They brought in Seawind drummer Bob Wilson to produce. And he brought with him Jerry Hey and The Seawind Horns. The 1978 album Breakin' The Ice was very successful in the Christian market. And Got To Believe was a popular song. At the time CCM was only sold in Christian bookstores. It wasn't until the 80s that record companies tried to sell CCM in secular record stores. Elektra Records picked up one of their albums to try to cross them over to pop. Sweet Comfort Band recorded five albums for Light. This comp covers those years and it is available as a digital download. John Andrew Schreiner was brought in to play keyboards so Duncan could concentrate on singing. Sweet Comfort Band split up in 1984. Bryan Duncan has had a significant solo career. He was one of the most popular CCM artists of the 90s. Randy Thomas formed Allies with Bob Carlisle. Their real success came with Carlisle's 1997 monster hit Butterfly Kisses. Thomas co-wrote that song and made a whole lot of money. Rick Thomson became a contractor and owns a recording studio. After Kevin Thomson died in 2010, the other three reformed Sweet Comfort Band and recorded and toured in 2013. But there's no question Sweet Comfort Band was a an integral part of the advancement of Contemporary Christian Music. Here's Sweet Comfort Band performing Got to Believe 1977.
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