'Lucas McGraw' Voted Best Christian Rock Song Of All Time

[Lirpa Loof]

A song from veteran Christian rock band Petra's first album has been voted Best Christian Rock Song of All Time by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Last February, delegates in 40 countries were sent lists of Christian bands to consider. Groups on the list, which included almost 100 bands from the past 30 years of Christian rock, included well-known bands such as Stryper, Kutless, Third Day, and Rez Band. Lesser-known entries such as Dakoda Motor Co and Ghoti Hook appeared among several more questionable groups such as King's X and Mr. Mister, and solo artists such as Michael W. Smith, Steve Taylor, Rebecca St. James, and Amy Grant were represented. There were even a few entries that would barely even be considered rock now, but which were in their day: Twila Paris, 2nd Chapter of Acts, Keith Green.

The lists were of bands and not songs; delegates in the countries were given the freedom to choose from among the substantial catalog of bands with many albums such as Stryper. Petra has made over thirty albums, which equates to several hundred songs, but "Lucas McGraw," from Petra's 1974 debut album, was an interesting choice because of its twangy bluegrass style. "There's a banjo in it and everything," said Petra lead singer John Schlitt. "It sounds like something some Kentucky hillbilly would play out on his porch!" When asked what he thought of the win, Bob Hartman, one of the founding members of Petra and the original lead singer on the track, shook his head slowly and said "I can't believe it. I just can't believe it."

Apparently sometime back in the 1970's, the son of a missionary to a nation in Africa brought a Petra record with him on the field. When the missionaries had completed their tour and were preparing to return home to the United States, the young man gave his record to a friend he had made in that country. That friend, now a traveling evangelist, has spent the past thirty-three years making copies of the album, first on eight-track, then on cassette, then on compact disc, for anyone who wanted a copy. Because of a loophole in the copyright laws in effect at that time, his actions were, and are to this day, perfectly legal. "The people of Africa love the song 'Lucas McGraw,' Joseph Amudabi, the friend who has spread the song across a continent, told us via satellite phone from his current location in the jungle. "They play the pig sounds over and over."

Apparently all of the delegates from the African continent were already big fans of that particular song; the votes from the African nations were unanimous. They even campaigned for the song with associates from other parts of the world. When those associates were people who did not know anything at all about Christian rock, they added their votes to the list. When all was totaled, that song alone received 68% of the votes. Most of the other songs voted for were from either Third Day, Rebecca St. James, or Stryper, but no other song received more than 1% of the votes except for "Am I In Sync?" by Steve Taylor.

"We think the Steve Taylor song was voted on by a technopop-loving bloc in the German nations and Great Britain," said Tedd Bedderhead, director of voting for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

[sue d.]

Welcome back, Lirpa Loof! It's been what... a year since we seen ya hangin' 'round here?!

Always enjoyed yer posts.... thanks for showing up!