Christian Rock Pioneer Eddie DeGarmo Shares The Story of His Award-Winning Career As Musician & Music Executive
“In Eddie DeGarmo’s book Rebel for God, you will read the story of one man’s walk with Jesus in the highly competitive music industry. You will also come to know the roots and mission behind what we know today as Contemporary Christian Music. He was one of the pioneers of it. I urge you to get this book and reserve time to read it, because once you start, it will be very difficult to lay it down.”
—BART MILLARD, lead singer for MercyMe and writer of “I Can Only Imagine”
WASHINGTON, D.C.— “How dare you use flashing lights? I could see the demons rising up from the smoke and lights while the devil’s rock music was blaring!”
That’s what mainstream Christians had to say about the music played by Eddie DeGarmo—the father of the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) genre—when his band, DeGarmo & Key, began to play Christian rock music in the 1970’s.
In his brand-new memoir, Rebel for God: Faith, Business, and Rock ‘n’ Roll (Salem Books; $24.99; June 26, 2018), DeGarmo shares how he knew the Lord wanted to use rock music to preach the gospel in a way that would reach a whole new group of people—even if it meant rebelling against the conservative Christian status quo—and how that turned into a lifelong mission and career to win souls for Christ through music.
DeGarmo & Key reached millions for Jesus through rock ‘n’ roll with massive tours around the world throughout their 17-year career in music. Once the band retired, DeGarmo and Key started an independent record label, ForeFront, which discovered legendary CCM artists like rap group dcTalk (comprised of TobyMac and Michael Tait), Dove and Grammy nominated artist Chris Tomlin, chart topping teen singer Stacey Orrico, international recording artist Rebecca St. James, and hundreds more.
DeGarmo’s stories in Rebel for God span the depths of sorrow and the heights of joy. Eddie has embraced the changes life sent his way. He has shifted gears, changed keys, and kept rocking through it all. DeGarmo’s powerful memoir will leave readers inspired, motivated, entertained, and maybe even challenged to be bold rebels for God in their own faith journeys.
For more information, visit EddieDeGarmo.com.
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