-
Brian Doerksen, Beloved Worship Songwriter, Enters Heaven at 61
For an entire generation of worshippers, the songs of Brian Doerksen were the soundtrack of the modern worship movement. From the reverence of “Refiner’s Fire” to the global anthem “Come Now Is the Time to Worship,” Doerksen helped define the sound of congregational worship throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. His songs found their way into churches of every denomination, conference halls, youth camps, weddings, funerals, and living rooms around the world, giving believers language for praise, repentance, surrender, and hope. Brian Doerksen has passed away at the age of 61, leaving behind an influential catalogue of contemporary worship music. Among his best-known compositions are “Refiner’s Fire” (1990), “Light the Fire Again”…
-
Veteran CCM Contributor John J. Thompson Enlists Keaggy, Hindalong & Friends for New Song
Author, songwriter, professor, and former CCM Rock News Editor and regular feature writer John J Thompson will release his first new single in several years this week when “Sweet Marianne” comes out on Friday, July 24. The tune comes from the pages of his latest book, a “rock and soul fable” called The Ballad of the Lost Dogs of East Nashville (no connection to the real-life band), and features electric guitar and backing vocals by Phil Keaggy, accordion by Jeff Taylor (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Amy Grant, Keith & Kristin Getty), percussion by Steve Hindalong (The Choir, the real Lost Dogs,) and backing vocals by his longtime musical partner (and…
-
Brian Doerksen Passes Away at 60, Leaving a Lasting Worship Legacy
The beloved songwriter behind “Come, Now Is the Time to Worship” and countless modern worship anthems died peacefully after a brief battle with stage 4 cancer, leaving a global legacy
-
The CCM Avengers Just Declared: Christmas Is Coming!
It’s Christmas in July and the first major Christmas tour announcement of the season has arrived, and suddenly we’re craving hot cocoa. There’s something wonderfully disorienting about scrolling through Christmas tour dates while your weather app still says 97°. We’re halfway through July. Kids are still squeezing in summer vacations. Pumpkin Spice hasn’t returned. Mariah Carey is (presumably) still asleep. And yet…Christmas officially arrived in Christian music and we are here for it. Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and CeCe Winans have become the first major Christian artists to throw open the holiday season, announcing the return of their Christmas Together arena tour. After a successful inaugural run, Christmas Together…
-
Nineties Worship Night and Elenee Revive a Beloved 1990s-Era Worship Anthem
“I Will Never Be” is out now
-
Tyscot Records Celebrates 50 Years of Gospel Music Excellence
The ‘Midnight Homecoming Concert’ will take place on July 23
-
John Van Deusen Releases New Single Ahead of Upcoming Album
The fourth single is out now from the forthcoming double album ‘As Long As I Am In The Tent Of This Body I Will Make A Joyful Noise’
-
ActsSocial Publicly Launches as Faith-First Social Platform Built on Community Instead of Outrage
Already connecting more than 7,000 verified members across 195 countries, the ad-free platform offers a new vision for meaningful online connection
-
Rapzilla Launches ‘Bless the Mic’
The new open-genre platform is dedicated to showcasing Christian artists
-
Tree 63: The Soundtrack of Your Early 2000s Walk Is Back for the Rest of the Journey
They were the soundtrack to youth groups, summer camps, late-night sporadic worship services in your friends first apartment, and countless church stages. Songs like “King,” “Treasure,” “Look What You’ve Done,” and their Dove Award-winning rendition of “Blessed Be Your Name” became woven into the fabric of modern worship during the early 2000s. Then… they disappeared. After what was intended to be a six-month sabbatical turned into nearly fifteen years away, founding vocalist and songwriter John Ellis wasn’t sure Tree63 would ever return. Burnout, life, family, and a season away from music left him believing the band’s story might already be finished. Instead, it became the beginning of a new chapter.…
