New Classic Petra Update as of 7-23-10

[CatNamedManny]

[It was nice to see Volz again, but he seemed to be taking just a little too much credit for the Christian Rock movement - I'm sure he (along with Petra) was a key figure, but I don't think he was first in the genre.

He has about as much claim as anyone but Larry Norman and Bob Hartman. I'm pretty sure his band, e, predated Petra, and the song that put Petra on the map, "The Coloring Song," was written by a member of Volz's band. On top of that, it's hard to imagine Petra ever becoming as popular as they were without a better vocalist than Bob, and Volz's was essentially the voice the band featured from their second album forward (even though it wasn't official until WWT).

So yeah, some of that is coincidence. If it hadn't been Volz, maybe it would have been someone else, but then if it hadn't been Volz, there would have been no "Coloring Song," and it's hard to describe exactly how much that song propelled Petra forward in the early days, but it was significant, especially after the relative radio success of "Why Should the Father Bother?" was wasted by distribution screw-ups on the previous album.

Of course, it was all God, and that's what matters.

[executioner]

They would have the same amount of success with or without Greg, and the same holds true in the John era.
God would have someone in there that was comparable I guess you could say.

[brent]

I don't think there would have been success with any other combination of singer, writer and producer. I have a hard time believing that God has a plan and anyone will do. We have a music history full of bands that had no success with one combination, made some changes and then broke the world open. If this was true, every crappy singer doing the Lord's work would do. When we are selling music, this will not do.

We have a bible with stories of God punishing whole nations because of one man. We have a bible with stories of God blessing whole nations because of one man. We have a bible full of stories where it was just as important for servants to learn a less as it was for the work to be done. Heck the work was just an object lesson for Jonah. So, no person will convince me that any singer would have put Petra on the map. Volz's voice was so unique, Bob's songs and playing were so good, and JDB's production was so good, that they had something special enough to turn the world on it's ear and lay a foundation for a 30 year run.

Hey Ex, how are you holding up with all the heat down there? Has that had an affect on your ticker?

[guitardude68]

Whoa! Amen Brent!

[separateunion]

Or maybe it was all part of God's plan and it happened the way it did because He wanted it to happen that way. Although, if God wanted to work through someone else in that position, He would have made it work. But it's kind of dumb to argue about that since we didn't get someone else, we got Greg and John.

[brent]

What about the other singers?

[Dan]

I remember reading an interview with the original members of Reo speedwagon when asked about asking GXV to become lead singer, they didn't know who he is and labeled it a fabrication for publicity. There was a link petrafanclub.com like 12 years ago. I was really hurt by this statement. I just don't know anymore what people will do for publicity.

[separateunion]

I remember reading an interview with the original members of Reo speedwagon when asked about asking GXV to become lead singer, they didn't know who he is and labeled it a fabrication for publicity. There was a link petrafanclub.com like 12 years ago. I was really hurt by this statement. I just don't know anymore what people will do for publicity.

GXV didn't necessarily put the story out there (unless you have a link to it). There's a story out there about Eric Clapton being asked how it felt to be the greatest guitarist in the world, and he responded by saying, "I don't know, ask Phil Keaggy". This story is a fabrication, but I highly doubt that Keaggy started the rumor.

[corolla1]

This may have been addressed before, but with Classic Petra coming back what happens to the Farewell edition of Petra or II Guys? Will John and Bob still do those?

[Dan]

I remember reading an interview with the original members of Reo speedwagon when asked about asking GXV to become lead singer, they didn't know who he is and labeled it a fabrication for publicity. There was a link petrafanclub.com like 12 years ago. I was really hurt by this statement. I just don't know anymore what people will do for publicity.

GXV didn't necessarily put the story out there (unless you have a link to it). There's a story out there about Eric Clapton being asked how it felt to be the greatest guitarist in the world, and he responded by saying, "I don't know, ask Phil Keaggy". This story is a fabrication, but I highly doubt that Keaggy started the rumor.

I have a link to audio were GXV gives his spiel on how he was asked by Reo Speedwagon and knocked it back to join Petra. Will see if I can find the Reo where they debunk the idea.

Never heard the one about Eric Clapton, but sounds a myth like the Reo one.

[Dan]

This may have been addressed before, but with Classic Petra coming back what happens to the Farewell edition of Petra or II Guys? Will John and Bob still do those?

Sue would know, I guess they will still be there as they will be more affordable.

[sue d.]

I can't push Petra since the classic version is coming up, but if a promoter wants Petra and if it doesn't conflict with classic - then a concert could very well happen.

Same with II Guys... it all depends on the timing. But I'm not 'advertising' either one at this point.

[corolla1]

Sue thanks for the clarification. I wasn't sure what would happen with John and Bob since Classic Petra is reuniting.

[brent]

ALL of the stories about Phil K being the best guitarist are false. This rumor goes back a looooong time. Phil has debunked all of them for a looooong time. The major ones at the time were Gene Simmons and Eddie Van Halen. Eric Clapton is one I hadn't heard. The facts are, there has never been a guitar player publication or any other interview documentation to prove anyone has said this.

The Greg X Volz/REO thing happened BEFORE REO was big. This was long before the 80s came. There was a singer before Kevin. Kevin came. Then Kevin got mad during a session and quit. The band DID try different replacements, but Kevin came back and the rest is history. If you check the old Rock Line transcripts, you should be able to find this. I heard it when it aired live via Westwood One in LA.

There was a story floating around on the Zone that someone asked a REO band member about Greg trying out. They said Greg fell on his butt and then was not called back. I don't know if this was a poetic or literal statement, or if it was even truthful. Sometimes people say stupid things to distance themselves from others and their beliefs.

[CatNamedManny]

Volz explicitly says he was offered a job by REO and took the Petra gig instead. From his bio page on his official website (http://www.gregxvolz.com/bio.html?cart= ... 8316001939):

An incredible rock singer with a 4-octave range, Greg Volz was offered the role of lead vocalist for REO Speedwagon in the 70s, but decided instead to join Petra.

Now, someone else obviously wrote this (I can't imagine anyone with a decent sense of humility would write that first part themselves), but Greg is ultimately responsible for the content of his site, and I imagine he at least approved the factual veracity of the contents. Maybe he's not telling the truth to make himself seem more important than he really was during that era. Or maybe the REO guys don't want to be associated with someone who is such an open and avowed Christian. Given the discrepancy, I'm going to lean toward trusting the Christian guy.

I alluded to what Brent fleshed out when I said maybe it's not so much because of Greg but because of God that Petra was so popular. Could God have used someone else? Sure. But he used Greg because his vocal style was exactly what was needed to push Petra through the barriers that stood in the way of Christian rock at the time. It was a clean style, clearly a voice anyone could appreciate. If he had had John's voice or a more metal-style vocal sound, would Petra EVER have won over youth leaders or parents, as they needed to do? The early Petra days are much tamer musically than their sound in the late 1980s/early 1990s; that's because God was orchestrating the right people to come together to create the right sound at exactly the moment when that sound would allow Christian rock to be accepted by the mainstream churches. Petra threaded the needle between too light for kids to enjoy and too heavy for churches to accept. Another vocal style, another songwriting style, another production style, and Petra would have enjoyed a fraction of the success -- and Christian music, as a result, may have never affected the number of young lives it has today.