Christian Folk Rock
tagStarted 1988Peak 1991-2000Last big hit still active
Located in 2 routes
Acoustic-rooted, storytelling faith music: strummed guitars, hammered dulcimer, mandolin, gentle organic percussion and warm, conversational vocals. Lyrics lean literary and reflective, finding the sacred in everyday detail and Celtic-tinged melody rather than arena bombast. Intimate and earthy, the singer-songwriter wing of the family. Cross-listed in Folk Rock / Acoustic Rock.
History
Rich Mullins shaped the template, his hammered-dulcimer-laced 'Awesome God' and acoustic, Irish-tinged 1990s albums setting a stripped-back, poetic standard before his 1997 death. Andrew Peterson, frequently compared to Mullins, carried folk-rooted CCM forward with 'Dancing in the Minefields' and the Behold the Lamb tradition of literate, acoustic faith songwriting.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Mullins
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Peterson_(musician)
- https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/guide-music-andrew-peterson/