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Showing posts with the label Plymouth

Dartmoor prison blues

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This is continuation of my short series of posts about how I became involved with Contemporary Christian Music. Previous posts are listed and linked at the foot of this post. Me c 1980 I met Roger Lenk while we were both at Marjons in Plymouth (then a teacher education college). I soon discovered that Roger identified as a 'Messianic Jew' - someone who had been born into the Jewish tradition, but had accepted Yeshua (Jesus) as his mashiach (Messiah). We actually first met during a journey up to Dartmoor Prison where we were both billed to play at an event organised by Youth for Christ. It was a daunting trip for me, because Dartmoor Prison can be a forbidding place at the best of times, and we arrived at Princetown that autumnal evening as an eery fog was drifting in over the moors and the sun had already set. The granite walls of the prison stared at us gauntly, and the sodium lamps cast a sickly yellow hue over the stonework. As the large gates of Dartmoor slammed sono...

Upon this rock

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Welcome to a new blog about Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). The title of the blog - Upon This Rock - was borrowed from a 1969 album by the 'grandfather of Christian rock music' - Larry Norman . I'm a musician and songwriter, and I've performed my songs in a variety of bands and as a solo artist for quite a few years. Many of the songs I write reflect my own personal faith but I'm also keen to share my insight and knowledge of the CCM world with anyone who wants to read these pages. I'm also keen to see any views and reviews from others (the comments box is always open). I'm a presenter on CrossRhythms Radio  Plymouth (96.3 FM), where I host a programme called Just Vinyl . It does exactly what it says on the can - my programme features music from CCM artists across the vinyl years - and if it ain't on vinyl, I don't play it. My album collection spans the 1970's to the early 1990's, and includes back catalogues from pioneering CCM ar...