Dana Key of DeGarmo & Key dead at 56

Co-Founder of the group DeGarmo & Key died from a ruptured blood clot on June 6th, 2010 his services were held June 10th in Tennessee where he was the pastor of a local church.  

I grew up listening to the greats D&K, Petra, and others like them and I can tell you he will be greatly missed among the 30 something's that grew up on his music.  Even after D&K quit performing I knew that anything he produced was good and worthwhile music bands link Big Tent Revival, Skillet, and Small Town Poets are just a few of the bands I bought just because he worked on them.

Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key were grade school friends and knew that they were going to be in music.  They started their first band in sixth grade.  At 16 Dana Key was lead to Christ by no other than Eddie DeGarmo and that started the trend to Christian lyrics with a solid Rock beat. ¹
In 1978 they recorded their first album under Lamb and Lion the label that Pat Boone created. They went on to produce 18 albums and both had several solo albums as well.

Eddie DeGarmo and Dana Key went on to co-found Forefront Records in 1987. Dana Key went on to start a Christian Division of Ardent Records.

Dana Key, a very influential leader in the early Contemporary Scene as a band, singer, songwriter; and later as a Producer and Executive Producer. The band was honored with 7 Grammy nominations and 17 Dove award nominations.

 

Dana Key (12-30-1953 to 6-6-2010)

Wiki - Dana Key

¹ CCM Magazine

 

1968

The year was 1968, Woodstock was a year away, the Vietnam War was raging, and the Civil Rights Movement was still in full force. As it turns out as I am doing my research this seems to be a very pivotal year in the lives of many of the founding members of the early Christian Music scene as well.

Many of the artists that we consider the founders of the Jesus Music era were saved in 1968. Some due to the ministries of Chuck Smith, Lonnie Frisbee, and John Higgins who founded the House of Miracles which first opened in May of 1968 in Costa Mesa California and then spread to other cities throughout the US. Here the artist found the ability to record their work under what would become the Maranatha Music label that is still around recording worship music today.

Noel Paul Stookey (the Paul of Peter Paul and Mary) was saved after Steve Hance was able to get into a concert in Abilene, Texas and get Backstage without so much as having a ticket or a backstage pass.¹ Noel Paul Stookey then served as the best man at Buck and Anne Herrings wedding (soon to be from 2^nd Chapter of Acts (1970)). Buck and Anne Herring both also were saved in 1968 just prior to their wedding in Feb of 1969.²

It seems clear to me that God had a very distinct plan and set in motion a set of divine appointments to spread His message to a generation that had become disenfranchised with the church (as many of these artist grew up in some form of church) It took a group of people to reach out of their comfort zone and talk to these drugged hippie types to great one of the greatest movements of our time.

As I read more of the testimonies of the artist of this time period I will relay more of their stories as well as attempt to put a timeline to the growth and movement of the artist involved.

 

¹ Noel Paul Stookey, "1968" < http://www.noelpaulstookey.com/tl-1968.html>

² 2^ndChapterofActs.com <webcontact@2ndchapterofacts.com>." The Frame Never Out-Did The Picture pt1" e-mail message to Kendall Thomas. 1 October 2009.

The Beginning of a Long Road

Today I start down a long road in studying the history of Contemporary Christian Music. My interest started from a young age, my parents were saved in the early seventies and were products of the Jesus Music era. I grew up listening to bands like 2^nd Chapter of Acts, Love Song, Chuck Girard, and Dogwood. Many of these bands are long ago gone but the influence that they have on modern Christian music is profound. They were artist at a time when no one knew what to do with them, there were no Christian recording labels or Christian distribution groups. My goal is to look into the history, the people, the stories that came out of that time period in the late 60's and bring it into the 80's and 90's. My hopes are that at some point I might be able to interview some of the legends and bring a new appreciation of the struggles that birthed the genre that the modern Christian enjoys today.