Frontline Records (1980s)
Encyclopedia
Frontline Records was a Christian
record label
founded in 1986
by James Kempner. The label focused primarily on modern rock, rap, and hip-hop. The label closed in the early 1990s.
series at Knott's Berry Farm
, growing the event to one of the largest Christian events in the country before forming Frontline.
Artist Terry Scott Taylor
became the production manager for the label, and Drummer Ed McTaggart
became the primary art director, designing many of the label's album covers. Sublabels included Intense Records
, Alarma! Records (a resurrection of Taylor's early 1980s lablel), and MYX Records (a dance music
label supervised by Scott Blackwell
).
Initial distribution was through Benson Records
.
Frontline Records became an important label in the development of the West Coast Christian alternative music scene. Their roster included what 7ball
magazine would later refer to as "truly classic alternative, rap, metal, and rock" music, and HM editor Doug Van Pelt would call "the lion's share" of classic hard Christian music.
Frontline and all of its assets were acquired by KMG Records
in early 1998.
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
founded in 1986
1986 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986.-January-June:*January 23 – The first induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame takes place...
by James Kempner. The label focused primarily on modern rock, rap, and hip-hop. The label closed in the early 1990s.
Background
Kempner had a background in concert promotion, and had run the New Years Eve Christian music festivalChristian music festival
A Christian music festival is a music festival held by the Christian community, in support of performers of Christian music...
series at Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
, growing the event to one of the largest Christian events in the country before forming Frontline.
Artist Terry Scott Taylor
Terry Scott Taylor
Terry Scott Taylor is an American songwriter, record producer, writer and founding member of the bands Daniel Amos and The Swirling Eddies . Taylor is also a member of the roots and alternative music group, Lost Dogs. He is currently based in San Jose, California, USA.Taylor is highly regarded for...
became the production manager for the label, and Drummer Ed McTaggart
Ed McTaggart
Ed McTaggart is an American drummer and artist. He is best known as the drummer of the rock band Daniel Amos.McTaggart joined DA in 1976, after years of playing with Bill Sprouse Jr.'s band The Road Home....
became the primary art director, designing many of the label's album covers. Sublabels included Intense Records
Intense Records
Intense Records was an independent record label whose releases were mostly in the metal genre. Intense was bought out in 1989 by Frontline Records and became an imprint of that company...
, Alarma! Records (a resurrection of Taylor's early 1980s lablel), and MYX Records (a dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
label supervised by Scott Blackwell
Scott Blackwell
Scott Blackwell is a Christian dance music artist, born in Fort Worth, Texas. He is generally credited with being the first artist to produce such music for the Christian marketplace...
).
Initial distribution was through Benson Records
Benson Records
Benson Records was founded by Bob Benson & John T. Benson, beginning as the John T. Benson Music Publishing Company in 1902. The record label started out as Heart Warming Records and would come to house labels such as Impact Records, Greentree Records, RiverSong, StarSong and Home Sweet Home...
.
Frontline Records became an important label in the development of the West Coast Christian alternative music scene. Their roster included what 7ball
7ball
7ball was a Christian music magazine, first published in 1995, founded and created by Frank Chimento. They focused on rock, hip-hop, and other "alternative" forms of Christian music. The magazine was initially published by the Royal Magazine Group alongside Release magazine and others...
magazine would later refer to as "truly classic alternative, rap, metal, and rock" music, and HM editor Doug Van Pelt would call "the lion's share" of classic hard Christian music.
Frontline and all of its assets were acquired by KMG Records
KMG Records
KMG Records was a Christian record label. The label was established in 1997 by Buddy Killen as a subunit of the Killen Music Group / Buddy Killen Enterprises and sold in late 1998 to Cal Turner III, who is related to the Cal Turner of Dollar General stores...
in early 1998.
Artists
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Jon Gibson (Christian musician) Jon Gibson , born in San Francisco, is a pioneering gospel/Christian Music singer and musician. He is one of the most influential artists and producers in Christian, Gospel and R&B music with 22 Top Five Hits, 20 Top Ten Hits, nine Number One songs and an Album of The Year to his credit.-Music... Benny Hester Benny Hester is a music artist and songwriter. He is best known for his chart-topping songs, "When God Ran" and top 40 crossover hit "Nobody Knows Me Like You"... Idle Cure Idle Cure was a hard/arena rock band based ouf of Long Beach, California. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music calls their sound "the best example of cloning a sound for Christian markets", likening it to that of Def Leppard's Pyromania... Jacob's Trouble Jacob's Trouble was an American, Christian, rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia area in the 1980s. The group originally consisted of members Jerry Davison , Mark Blackburn , and Steve Atwell , with Davison and Blackburn handling the lead vocals.-Biography:In 1989, Jacob's Trouble released their... Crystal Lewis Crystal Lewis is an American contemporary Christian/Gospel vocalist, songwriter and author.-Early years:Lewis grew up singing in her father's church... Michael Knott Michael Knott is an American singer-songwriter and frontman for various bands, many of them Christian. He has released some 35 albums, including solo albums and with bands such as LSU and Cush.... Mad at the World Mad at the World was a Christian rock band active from 1987 to 1998 in Southern California. It originally consisted of brothers Roger and Randy Rose with Mike Pendleton, later joined by Brent Gordon. Pendleton and Gordon left the band in 1992 and were replaced by Mike Link and Ben Jacobs... Tim Miner Tim Miner is an American R&B/gospel singer.Miner released three albums as a gospel artist in the 1980s before releasing one album on Motown Records. He also works as a producer and songwriter.-Discography:*Tim Miner... Mortal (band) Mortal was a Christian industrial/dance band fronted by Jerome Fontamillas and Jyro Xhan. Both members went on to found the alternative rock group Fold Zandura, and for a time were members of both bands simultaneously... Nicole C. Mullen Aileen Nicole Coleman-Mullen, known professionally as Nicole C. Mullen, is an award-winning singer, songwriter, and choreographer. She was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio.-Music career:... ) |
Poor Old Lu Poor Old Lu was a pioneering alternative Christian band based in the American Northwest. The band experimented with a variety of sounds and genres, particularly grunge, funk and psychedelic rock. The band consisted of Scott Hunter with the vocals, Jesse Sprinkle as the drummer for the band, Aaron... Sacred Warrior Sacred Warrior is a Christian Heavy metal band formed in 1988 and based in Chicago, Illinois. Their music is often compared to that of Queensrÿche or Iron Maiden.-Background:... Saviour Machine Saviour Machine is an American Christian metal band that formed in 1989. They have released five studio albums and two live albums on Frontline and subsequently on MCM Music, distributed through Massacre Records... Scaterd Few Scaterd Few was a Christian punk band originating from Burbank, California. CCM magazine described their music as "pure punk for dread people," stating that it was a cross between Janes Addiction and Charlie Mingus.-Sin Disease era:... Shout (band) Shout was a Christian glam metal band formed in 1987 by Ken Tamplin. Musically the band was similar to Stryper, but the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music cites them as being "more competent than Stryper". Lyrically, their songs were generally more straightforward than other Christian... The Swirling Eddies The Swirling Eddies are a band that began as an anonymous spinoff from the band Daniel Amos, along with new drummer David Raven.-Career:For each Swirling Eddies release, band members adopted pseudonyms for the liner notes; "Camarillo Eddy" , "Berger Roy Al" , "Gene Pool" , "Arthur Fhardy" , "Spot"... Terry Scott Taylor Terry Scott Taylor is an American songwriter, record producer, writer and founding member of the bands Daniel Amos and The Swirling Eddies . Taylor is also a member of the roots and alternative music group, Lost Dogs. He is currently based in San Jose, California, USA.Taylor is highly regarded for... Dr. Edward Daniel Taylor Dr. Edward Daniel Taylor is the name of a fictional character created by musician and songwriter Terry Scott Taylor for a series of comedy albums.... Tourniquet (band) Tourniquet is a Christian thrash / heavy metal band that was formed in 1989 by Ted Kirkpatrick, Guy Ritter and Gary Lenaire in Los Angeles, California, USA. They are known for incorporating elements of thrash, neo-classical and progressive metal into their music... Bernard Wright Bernard Wright is an American funk and jazz keyboardist who began his career as a session musician and later released several solo albums in the 1980s.... David Zaffiro -Career:His professional career began as guitarist for the metal band Bloodgood. Though he officially left the band following their third album, he did play various parts on later albums. He then began producing records independently and for others... |