PetraPetra was a prominent Christian rock band, regarded by many as a pioneer of the Christian rock and of the Contemporary Christian music genres. Petra was formed in 1972 1972 in music in Fort Wayne, Indiana, by Bob Hartman, Greg Hough, Bill Glover, and John DeGroff, while they were students of the Christian Training Center. The name of the band comes from the Greek Greek language word for "Rock". With a style initially compared to bands like The Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Petra's sound evolved into a more energetic, driving rock sound in the early 1980s. The late 1980s and early 1990s was a successful period for the band, when it was considered the best-known, It released two RIAA Gold-certified albums during this period. With their music and style, Petra influenced other Christian Christianity artists at times when Christian rock was considered "inadequate" by many. There was strong opposition from within some churches when Petra began its career, and the act fell in a niche without radio representation. The band continued to experience this opposition through the years. For more than three decades the band showed stability (in musical quality and output, at least, though few consecutive albums contained the same line-up) despite changes in genre, and released 24 albums Petra Discography , selling nearly 10 million copies. They have won 4 Grammys and 10 Dove Awards and have reached the #1 position on five CCM Update radio and retail charts simultaneously. It is the first band to win more than 20 CCM Magazine Reader's Poll Awards, which were won in every category of eligibility. Asia, Africa, America Americas and Australia. Through numerous line-up changes, Petra maintained its commitment to preaching the Gospel Gospel of Jesus Christ through music. On May 24, 2005, guitarist, founder, and songwriter Bob Hartman announced that the band would be retiring. The band then launched the Farewell tour, which included many songs from the last studio release, Jekyll and Hyde Jekyll and Hyde (album) , and other songs from older albums. The band members recorded one of their final performances, in Franklin, Tennessee, to release as Petra's last album, Farewell Petra Farewell , which was released in November, 2005. The DVD of the live performance was released in March 2006. Petra finished its 33-year long career with a final performance in the early hours of January 1, 2006 in Murphy Murphy, North Carolina , North Carolina. Band members reunited for a single concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 1, 2007. In the 1980s, the band began using synthesizers and keyboards Keyboard instrument . In 1986 1986 in music -87 1987 in music , under the tutelage of John John Elefante and Dino Elefante, it transitioned to a hard rock style. Contemporary bands with similar styles include Def Leppard, Cinderella Cinderella (band) , and Journey Journey (band) . This style garnered the band its most successful albums, including their first three Grammy winning albums, Beyond Belief, Unseen Power and Wake-Up Call Wake-Up Call (album) ; of these, Beyond Belief was certified gold by the RIAA, along with the band's first praise album, Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out. In the middle of the 1990s, with the decline of slick commercial rock music and the rise of alternative rock, the band revamped and tried to adapt to the new style. These changes met with mixed reviews. In 2000 2000 in music , the band released Double Take which consisted of ten previously released songs set to new tunes. Following a label change in 2001 2001 in music , the band released its third praise album, Revival Revival (Petra album) . Revival was the only album from the band which contains no original song material. The musical style of the album reflected the contemporary worship genre of that period. Petra returned to its roots with a hard rock album in 2003 2003 in music , Jekyll & Hyde Jekyll and Hyde (album) , which earned more favorable reviews than those the band had received in years. However, it was not enough to reverse the band's fortunes and was their final studio album. 1972-1979: The birth of Petra In 1972, at the Christian Training Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, guitarists and songwriters Bob Hartman and Greg Hough teamed up with bassist John DeGroff (with whom Hartman had played in the past) to form Petra. Drummer Bill Glover was added later. Sometime after the release of Never Say Die the band acquired drummer Louie Weaver, who remained with Petra for the next 22 years. With the momentum gathered by Never Say Die, the band released a string of three successful albums, More Power To Ya in 1982 1982 in music , Not of this World Not of this World (album) in 1983 1983 in music and Beat the System in 1984 1984 in music , and toured as often as possible. Contributing factors in popularity were national tours with full-budget sound and lighting—arguably the first contemporary christian music act to do so—and a series of eye-catching illustrated album covers portraying the electric guitar as seagoing and space ships, the latter likely inspired by Star Wars. Lyrically, the albums traversed creative and intellectually challenging terrain, with use of a fearless double entendre ("Killing My Old Man" - a play on the spiritual significance of baptism), theologically deep themes such as the judgement seat Bema Seat ("Bema Seat"), spiritual warfare ("Occupy", "Not By Sight"), the second coming of Christ ("Grave Robber"), and upbeat songs of encouragement ("Second Wind", "Clean"). While many CCM songwriters wrote from an experiential perspective, Hartman's songwriting mastery essentially crafted topical Bible lessons with contemporary rock sensibilities. In the midst of the backmasking controversy, Petra deliberately preceded "Judas Kiss" with a short speech excerpt that required manual spinning of a phonograph turntable in the opposite direction for intelligible playback. The message stated "What are you looking for the devil for, when you ought to be looking for the Lord?". Whether the decline of interest in the backmasking was based on scientific debunking or Petra's outright challenge, the topic rapidly dropped from culture following distribution. With continual touring, radio airplay, and album production, Petra stood out as the first touring Christian rock act with a sustained fan base. During this period, Slick departed and John Lawry joined the band as the keyboardist. Being on the road for such lengthy durations began to take its toll on the band's members, and in 1985 1985 in music , Volz decided to leave the band to spend more time with his family and pursue a solo career.. 1986: John Schlitt arrives At the end of 1985, Hartman was looking for someone to replace Volz. He managed to coax John Schlitt — former Head East vocalist — out of a self-imposed retirement from rock music to join Petra as lead singer. The band also needed to replace producer Jonathan David Brown, the man who helped develop Petra's sound through the early 1980s. Petra turned to brothers John John Elefante and Dino Elefante. The Elefantes produces every subsequent Petra album but one through the rest of the century. Schlitt's voice, fuller and raspier than Volz's delivery, necessitated changing to a harder rock/heavy metal sound. In 1990 1990 in music , the album Beyond Belief Beyond Belief (Petra album) again catapulted the band to the top of the charts of gospel music. The album has been reviewed as "a phenomenal arena rock/AOR album". Beyond Belief won the band's first Grammy, which was awarded for Best Rock/Contemporary Gospel Album Grammy Award for Best Rock Gospel Album , making Petra the first band to win this award. Petra partnered with Christian author and apologist Josh McDowell for several tours, helping to legitimize the band's ministry in the eyes of many Christians. During this period, Kelly left the band and was replaced by Ronny Cates. The line-up, consisting of Schlitt, Hartman, Cates, Lawry, and Weaver, was the most stable in the band's history. These five members remained together until 1994 1994 in music when Lawry left. The albums following Beyond Belief, Unseen Power and Wake-Up Call Wake-Up Call (album) , won the band several more awards which included two more Grammys, and several Dove Awards. Unseen Power is considered their most diverse and experimental album. He did remain as producer, songwriter, and studio guitarist. Although the album was a commercial success, it signaled a change in the band's music, departing from the edgy hard-rock they had played. Also, rumored situations between the new members and Schlitt prompted them to leave the band a year later. During this transition period, Cates left the band and was replaced by Lonnie Chapin. Despite the instability in membership, they released their second praise album (Petra Praise 2: We Need Jesus) in 1997 to much critical praise and commercial success. With Chapin came guitarist Pete Orta and keyboardist Kevin Brandow. This line-up of young musicians combined with the experience of Schlitt and Weaver geared for the band's next album. The new members, along with Hartman, released God Fixation in 1998. Shortly after, Chapin left the band to join Tait Tait (band) , and Orta went on to pursue a solo career. Brandow also left. The band was dropped from their record label. 2001-2004: Petra in the new millennium The band signed with Inpop Records in 2001. Inpop convinced the band to release another praise album, this time with a "modern worship" sound. Inpop brought in former Sonicflood members Jason Halbert and Dwayne Larring to produce the album, which was titled Revival Revival (Petra album) . Though it was an obvious reference to the song "Send Revival," it was also a subtle message about what Inpop hoped to do for the band. One step the label made toward reviving Petra's image was to focus on the "core" of the band: Schlitt, Hartman, and Weaver. They ignored the other touring members in the product packaging and marketing. And there were new touring members. Bryce Bell (keyboards), Quinton Gibson (guitars) and Greg Bailey (bass) joined Schlitt and Weaver for the Revival tour in 2002. The tour was somewhat of a success: There were more dates with Bob Hartman performing with the band for a special "Night of Joy" concert at Disney World. In December, 2002, Petra made its first trip to India, playing to huge crowds in Tiruvalla, Kerala Weaver disputed the notion of an amicable split. On his website, Weaver claimed he did not leave Petra but was fired months earlier by lead singer John Schlitt and manager Wayne Seboa. Weaver said he had been "shocked" by the move. Hartman later acknowledged Weaver was fired but said that it was Schlitt alone who made the decision after consulting with a pastor and Hartman. No reasons for the firing were given publicly by either side. Weaver eventually joined the Viktor Band. In August 2003, Petra released Jekyll & Hyde Jekyll and Hyde (album) . Schlitt said the album's harder sound was a result of fans' demands for a straight-up rock album, not another praise album or acoustic retread. Jekyll & Hyde was noteworthy for its lack of keyboards and guitar solos, which had been a staple of Petra's sound, and was well-received by critics. Without keyboards, Petra became a four-member band. The band needed a drummer, so they used Justin Johnson briefly before hiring Paul Simmons as Weaver's replacement. The band played more dates in 2004 than it had in several years, hitting many U.S. festivals and traveling to Europe. The band's performances were re-energized by Hartman's return and the harder sound. On June 12, 2004, the band held a reunion concert in Angola, Indiana. Founder Hartman performed with original members Greg Hough and John DeGroff for the first time since the 1970s. Original drummer Bill Glover was invited but was unable to attend. Sandwiched between two sets from the 2004 incarnation of the band, the original members joined Hartman and Simmons for a set of eight classic Petra songs from the 1970s. At the end of 2004, the band returned to India with its new lineup playing in Aizawl and Shillong where a crowd of about 20,000 saw them perform.. They continued their heavy touring in March 2005, playing in Australia. and a farewell tour was hastily booked. On October 4, 2005, Petra taped a concert performance in Franklin, Tennessee, for release on a final live CD and DVD titled Petra Farewell. Former members Greg X. Volz and John Lawry joined the current band on stage for a few songs each, including a ballad medley in which Volz and John Schlitt traded off vocals on songs from their respective eras. Volz took the stage alone for "Grave Robber" and keyboard player John Lawry played his signature keyboard solo "Jesus Loves You" from the Captured in Time & Space album. The CD was released in November 2005, and the DVD was released in March 2006. More reunions took place later in the "Farewell" tour. The original Petra lineup of Bob Hartman, John DeGroff, Greg Hough, and Bill Glover performed together at two shows. The sets for these shows were comprised mostly of tracks from their first two albums—Petra and Come and Join Us—but also featured an unrecorded song written in the 1970s called "Rocking On With Jesus." II Guys From Petra Following Petra's retirement, Schlitt and Hartman joined forces again for a self-produced praise and worship CD entitled Vertical Expressions. The CD was released in January 2007 under the band name "II Guys From Petra" and was originally available exclusively through Petra's website (it was later made available as an electronic download through iTunes and the like). The idea for the album came about when Hartman was invited to lead worship for a youth retreat in Canada at Millar College of the Bible in Pambrun, Saskatchewan, and asked Schlitt to join him. The Vertical Expressions CD has a sound similar to the Petra Praise 2: We Need Jesus album and is similar to Petra's material released from the mid 1990s onwards. Also included are two bonus live tracks, "Lord I Lift Your Name On High" and "Judas Kiss" which are outtakes from the Petra Farewell concert and CD. Reunions The band reunited for a single concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 1, 2007. The show took place during the Rock & Vida festival as part of the World AIDS Day. Also, according to John Schlitt's website, Petra is listed to appear at two festivals this summer: Heaven Fest in Longmont, Colorado, and Hills Alive Festival in Rapid City, South Dakota. Both shows will be on July 2010 and the tentative line-up consists of John Schlitt, Bob Hartman, and Greg Hough.When Petra's career started in 1972, their music was considered groundbreaking for the genre at that time and was generally well-received by most people. They were signed by Myrrh and released two albums for that label, in 1974 and 1977. These recordings didn't sell as well as hoped, and the band was dropped from the label. Petra continued touring until Star Song approached them and signed them for a record contract in the late 1970s. The resulting 1979 album, Washes Whiter Than garnered the band their first radio hit with "Why Should the Father Bother?". For their next album, producer Jonathan David Brown was brought in. He began what became the traditional Petra sound, taking them into bigger success. Their first album with Brown (Never Say Die Never Say Die (Petra album) ) produced several hits like "The Coloring Song" and "For Annie". During this time, Petra had the opportunity to tour with Servant Servant (band) which helped them improve their craftsmanship on stage. Their next album (More Power To Ya) continued their string of hits with "More Power To Ya", "Road to Zion", and "Stand Up." They immediately followed it with Not of this World Not of this World (album) which gave them their first Grammy Award nomination and sold a quarter million units. Its follow-up (Beat the System) also gave them a second Grammy nomination. Each of the ten albums produced by the Elefante brothers (from 1986 to 2000) received at least a Grammy nomination and won a total of four Grammies. Two of the Elefante-produced albums were also certified gold. In the new millennium, despite slower sales than during their peak years, the band continued to draw crowds in the United States and around the world. The band was sometimes criticized for abandoning their hard rock roots and "softening" their music. This claim was shut down by the band's final studio album, Jekyll & Hyde Jekyll and Hyde (album) , which is considered by many to be their heaviest.During its 33-year career, the band influenced countless artists in and out of the Christian scene. Petra was the only Christian band to play at the 1992 Farm Aid concert and the first Christian band to be included in the Hard Rock Cafe. Many other Christian artists have recorded tributes to Petra. Secular artist Tim McGraw has included "More Power To Ya" in some of his concerts. The band had a daring presence during the early 1980s which included wearing camouflage clothes in their presentations. This helped draw attention to the genre during times when Christian rock was not well received. Over the years, Petra refused to compromise their clear Christian message like other bands have done to try to break into the mainstream market. Though Petra was opposed by Bill Gothard, Jimmy Swaggart, David Wilkerson, and other evangelists Evangelism , the band is credited with opening conservative Christians Conservative Christianity to rock music as a form of ministry Religious ministry (Christian) . Petra's founder and lead guitarist Bob Hartman is respected as one of the best guitarists in the industry. Singer John Schlitt has also been acknowledged first for his stint as the lead man in Head East and then with Petra.Several bands paid tribute to Petra over its 33 years. The best-known tribute album is Never Say Dinosaur released by Star Song Records Star Song Communications in 1996. The album consisted of 12 covers of classic Petra songs by well-known Christian bands like Jars of Clay, MxPx, Galactic Cowboys, and Sixpence None the Richer among others. All but one of the songs chosen ("All the King's Horses") were originally recorded during the band's pre-Schlitt years * The Petra Youth Choir Collection - 1984 * Petra Youth Choir Collection 2 - 1987 Word Records also released two compilation albums with Petra songs performed by a youth choir, with accompanying songbooks. * The Petra Collection - 1991 * Just Reach Out - 1994 Two similar compilations were released by Word Records using Spanish choirs. These were released in the 1990s. * La Colección de Petra en Español - 1993 * La Colección Coral de Petra 2 - 1995 This last compilation was arranged by Alejandro Allen, who later worked on the Spanish version of Jekyll & Hyde Jekyll & Hyde en Español . Other artists have included single song covers of Petra in some of their albums. These are: * "Thankful Heart" by Nathan Digesare (Jubilaté!, 1989) * "Judas' Kiss" by One Bad Pig (Swine Flew, 1990) * "More Power to Ya" by The RapSures (Loud, Proud and Born Again, 1990) * "All Over Me" by Die Happy Die Happy (metal band) (Intense Records Presents Die Happy Recorded Live - Intense Live Series Vol. 4, 1993) * "Adonai" by Hokus Pick (The B-Sides, 1996)See the main article for detailed information on all of Petra's albums and videos, including compilation albums. Also a list of Petra songs available on other artists albums.The band's original lineup consisted of: *Greg Hough – guitar and vocals Singing *Bob Hartman – guitar and vocals Singing *John DeGroff – bass guitar *Bill Glover – drums Drum kit The band's parting lineup (2005) consisted of: *John Schlitt – vocals Singing *Bob Hartman – guitar *Greg Bailey – bass guitar *Paul Simmons – drums Drum kit Former members (This is a partial list. It does not include all of the members that have toured with the band, especially during the late 1970s.) Lead vocals * Bob Hartman & Greg Hough (1972–1978) * Rob Frazier (1979) * Greg X. Volz (Guest 1976-7, lead 1978-1985) * John Schlitt (1986–2005) Drums * Bill Glover (1972–1978) * Mark Pyle (1979-1980) * Louie Weaver (1981–2003) * Paul Simmons (2003–2005) Guitars * Bob Hartman (1972–1995, 2000–2005) & Greg Hough (1972–1979) * Rob Frazier (1979) * David Lichens (1995–1996) * Pete Orta (1997–2000) * Kevin Brandow (1997–1999) Bass * John DeGroff (1972–1979) * Greg Rupp (1979–1981) * Mark Kelly Mark Kelly (bassist) (1981–1988) * Ronny Cates (1988–1996) * Lonnie Chapin (1996–2001) * Mike Brandenstein (2001) * Greg Bailey (2001–2005) Keyboards * Rob Frazier (1979–1980) * John Slick (1981–1983) * John Lawry (1984–1994) * Jim Cooper Jim Cooper (musician) (1994–1996) * Kevin Brandow (1997–1999, 2000–2001) * John Wilkinson III (1997–1999, 1999–2000) * Trent Thomason (1999) * Bryce Bell (2000–2003) Note: After founder Bob Hartman, the band members with the longest tenures were drummer Louie Weaver (22 years), followed by singer John Schlitt (19 years).* Inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame (2007) * Inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame (2000) * Inducted into the Hard Rock Cafe Grammy Awards * Best Rock/Contemporary Gospel Album – Beyond Belief (1990) * Best Rock/Contemporary Gospel Album – Unseen Power (1992) * Best Rock Gospel Album – Wake-Up Call (1994) * Best Rock Gospel Album – Double Take (2000) Dove Awards * Recorded Music Packaging – Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out (1990) * Long Form Music Video – "Beyond Belief" (1990) * Group of the Year (1991) * Rock Album – Beyond Belief (1991) * Rock Recorded Song – "Beyond Belief" (1991) * Recorded Music Packaging – Beyond Belief (1991) * Rock Recorded Song – "Destiny" (1993) * Rock Album – Wake-Up Call (1994) * Rock Album – No Doubt (1996) * Praise and Worship Album – Petra Praise 2: We Need Jesus (1998) Other awards * Holland's Contemporary Christian album of the year - This Means War! (1988 1988 in music )
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