Church of Christ A Cappella
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The recorded praise-group tradition of the Churches of Christ, whose congregations sing exclusively a cappella by doctrinal conviction — inside the fellowship it is usually just called "a cappella worship". Professional vocal bands arrange hymns and contemporary worship songs in polished multi-part harmony with vocal bass and percussion standing in for instruments, serving both as entertainment and as teaching recordings congregations sing along with. The style ranges from pop-inflected vocal band material to massed congregational praise-and-harmony tracks recorded expressly for church learning.
History
The Churches of Christ, heirs of the 19th-century American Restoration Movement, rejected instruments in worship and so built a strong four-part congregational singing culture; Keith Lancaster founded Acappella Ministries in Paris, Tennessee in 1982, and his group Acappella broke through with Sweet Fellowship (1988) and, signed to Word Records, reached its commercial peak with Rescue (1990), while spin-off AVB (formed 1986) took a more contemporary direction; The Acappella Company became the hub of a recording industry that now includes The ZOE Group, Hallal Music, Vocal Union, Durant, and Lancaster's Praise & Harmony series, which records massed a cappella worship expressly for congregational learning.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Sweet Fellowship(1988) — AcappellaSpotifyYouTube
- Everybody Said (But Nobody Did)(1990) — AcappellaSpotifyYouTube
- In Christ Alone — The ZOE GroupSpotifyYouTube
- Shout to the Lord — Keith Lancaster & The Acappella CompanySpotifyYouTube
- Just a Closer Walk with Thee — Praise & HarmonySpotifyYouTube
- Whose Side Are You Living On — Keith Lancaster & The Acappella CompanySpotifyYouTube
Sources
- "Acappella (group)", Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acappella_(group)
- The Acappella Company, https://acappella.org/
- Christian Music Archive, Acappella discography, https://www.christianmusicarchive.com/
- "Keith Lancaster", Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Lancaster