Christian Music Archive Podcast

Steve Bell wears a lot of hats. He's a singer, songwriter, speaker, producer, author, recording artist, husband, and dad. But most importantly, he's a follower of Jesus. With over 20 albums to his credit, and a career spanning more than 30 years, Steve has some amazing stories to share. But what I found most appealing about Steve is his passion to be part of whatever God is doing. I think you'll find his enthusiasm compelling.

When you’ve written more than 300 songs sung in churches around the world, it would appear to many people that you’ve got it all together. But to hear Brian Doerksen talk about it, his songs are a growth out of his very personal and private time with God. So many of these times came through times of grief and hurting. And now, Brian looks at those difficult times as the seeds of Joy that helped spawn songs like "Come, Now is the Time to Worship," "Refiners Fire," and "I Lift My Eyes Up."

John Tibbs released his first album in 2010 and has gone on to release 8 albums. He was touring as an independent artist, got signed to Fair Trade Music and was touring with the Newsboys. He went back to being an independent artist and was as busy as ever. But then in 2020, the world stopped. A global pandemic stopped his ability to tour, which for a musician means a substantial hit to your income. He and his wife were expecting their first child, which added a bit more stress to his life. As you might imagine, John was feeling a bit apprehensive and frustrated.

Bryan Duncan is a Christian music pioneer. As a member of the Sweet Comfort Band, he helped pave the way for contemporary Christian music. After recording six albums with Sweet Comfort, he went on to a successful solo career releasing more than 20 albums. His powerhouse vocals combined with horn-driven rhythm and blues is just about the best music ever recorded. So I’m excited today to sit down with this legend of Christian music.

Garth Hewitt was the first British Christian musician signed to Myrrh records in the UK back in the early 1970s. And for the last fifty years, he has recorded more than 50 records and has toured the world using his music to share about the love of Jesus. Garth was dramatically inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, who used his platform to address social issues and spiritual needs and Garth's music reflects that.

I first learned of Bob Halligan, Jr from reading credits. Early on, I noticed his name as a songwriter and contributor to many of Rick Cua’s albums. If you are a rocker, you have undoubtedly heard Bob’s work as he was the go-to hard rock songwriter of the 80s, penning songs for Judas Priest, Kix, and Michael Bolton. But he also wrote songs for Cher, Kathy Mattea, Joan Jett, and more. Then, I discovered Bob’s band Ceili Rain, an Irish rock band with a penchant for releasing some catchy songs.

Brothers Shawn & Michael Cavallo have been singing and performing together since 1997. In 2004 they reorganized as Manic Drive and released a couple of albums that were recognized by the Canadian Gospel Music Associates with 4 Covenant Awards. Then in 2015 they received a Juno Award for Best Christian Album. Sitting down with these guys was a lot of fun. I really appreciated Shawn & Michael’s intent to make music that will share their faith in places that might not be open to traditional Christian music.

As I’ve been working on this podcast, I’ve found a number of excellent podcasts that I really enjoy. One of those is hosted by Rick Altizer a movie director who has produced movies for Chonda Pierce and Russ Taff. Rick was also a recording artist back in the late 90s. So it was great fun to sit down with Rick and chat about his transition from musician to movie producer, and I think you are really going to enjoy this conversation.