Halo (Christian rock band)
Encyclopedia
Halo was a Christian rock band formed in Alabama
in 1980. Touring in the South
for almost a decade before a chance meeting with an encouraging Bob Hartman
of Petra
fame, Halo was signed by Pakaderm Records and recorded their first album in 1989. Another album followed in 1992 before the group disbanded in 1993.
in 1980 when drummer Mike Graham, age 14 at the time, was introduced to vocalist and bass player Scott Springer and guitarist Keith Mims, both seven years older than Graham. Mead and Springer made it clear to Graham that their interest was in pursuing Christian music
. Graham, who had already played drums in a Southern Gospel
group for two years without taking up the Christian
faith, had his reservations, but he liked the music Springer and Mims were playing and assumed he could play with them, just like he had in the Southern Gospel group, without any conflicts of interest.
with a ministry, it was at this point that the group really started to take form. Working to get their stride, Halo toured the Southern United States
, performing mostly in Alabama
, Tennessee
, Florida
and Georgia
. While playing the circuit, Halo had the good fortune of meeting Bob Hartman
, founder and guitarist for perennial favorites in the Christian music
industry, Petra
. Hartman acted as a mentor
to Halo, providing advice on song-writing as well as sound equipment. Despite their efforts and advice, Halo was still unsigned after nine years of touring, and their performances were effectively equal to a diversion that consumed many hours.
and Dino Elefante, owners of Pakaderm Records in Los Alamos, CA
and the producers of the last few Petra albums. Not long thereafter, Pakaderm offered Halo a recording contract.
and session players, guitarist Tony Palacios
(Guardian
) and keyboardist John Andrew Schreiner (Carman
, Steve Camp
, Petra
). Altogether, the album is said to exude the "sound of a cohesive power pop
band", drawing likenesses to both secular
and Christian
artists, such as Foreigner
, Journey
, Kansas
, Petra
, and Mastedon
.
, Barry Graul (later to become a frequent session player in the Christian music industry
and member of MercyMe
) replaced Keith Mims on guitar, and Scott Springer and John Elefante
teamed up to write lyrics and music, respectively, for all the songs on Heaven Calling, except "It's Your Decision" and "Secret to Love", to which Mike Graham contributed. This musical pairing proved to be successful because on November 2, 1991, the title-cut, "Heaven Calling," debuted on Billboard
's Top Contemporary Christian chart at No. 21. Additionally, online reports show that Halo had four number one Christian Rock hits in its career, and although no verification has been found at the time of this writing to prove it, high probability is that a majority of those hits came from Heaven Calling. The album also garnered success outside the U.S.
In touring, Halo found an amazingly receptive audience in South America
in places like Guatemala
, where they played in Christmas
1991.
s about living a pure life without sex
and drug
s; prayer
; altar call
s while getting the audience to join in praise choruses
, and the distribution of Bibles. Despite the band's evangelistic tone, Springer was reported as humbly saying, at least once, that he could not force anyone to live a life of Christ
, but that it must be a person's own decision.
--although an executive hand in the business is also suspected considering its name—for Halo Productions, a booking agency
representing ministry-minded Christian recording artists and bands
. As Springer began touring with Hello Forever, he took a part-time Student Minister position at a small church. This eventually led him to a full-time youth ministry
position, where he took a break from the road, was ordained as a minister, and began teaching and evangelizing
youth
in his community. He also became chaplain
of local youth sports teams. In 2004, Springer became head pastor
of a new church with a casual
atmosphere in Clanton, AL
called New Life Community Church.
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
in 1980. Touring in the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
for almost a decade before a chance meeting with an encouraging Bob Hartman
Bob Hartman
Robert Hartman is a Christian artist, guitarist, writer and songwriter. He is the founder of Christian rock band Petra. Hartman was involved with the band from its foundation in 1972 to its end in 2005. He took a break from touring in 1995, but continued to write most of the band's songs,...
of Petra
Petra (band)
Petra is a music group regarded as a pioneer of the Christian rock and contemporary Christian music genres. Formed in 1972, the band took its name from the Greek word for "rock"...
fame, Halo was signed by Pakaderm Records and recorded their first album in 1989. Another album followed in 1992 before the group disbanded in 1993.
Beginning with reservations
Said to be an acronym for "Heavenly Angelic Light Orchestra," Halo began in AlabamaAlabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
in 1980 when drummer Mike Graham, age 14 at the time, was introduced to vocalist and bass player Scott Springer and guitarist Keith Mims, both seven years older than Graham. Mead and Springer made it clear to Graham that their interest was in pursuing Christian music
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....
. Graham, who had already played drums in a Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel music—at one time also known as "quartet music"—is music whose lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
group for two years without taking up the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
faith, had his reservations, but he liked the music Springer and Mims were playing and assumed he could play with them, just like he had in the Southern Gospel group, without any conflicts of interest.
Unified mission, separate from signing
After playing in Halo for only two years, Graham was won over to the Christian faith in January 1982, and, with a unified mission to be a Christian bandChristian 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....
with a ministry, it was at this point that the group really started to take form. Working to get their stride, Halo toured the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, performing mostly in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. While playing the circuit, Halo had the good fortune of meeting Bob Hartman
Bob Hartman
Robert Hartman is a Christian artist, guitarist, writer and songwriter. He is the founder of Christian rock band Petra. Hartman was involved with the band from its foundation in 1972 to its end in 2005. He took a break from touring in 1995, but continued to write most of the band's songs,...
, founder and guitarist for perennial favorites in the Christian music
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....
industry, Petra
Petra (band)
Petra is a music group regarded as a pioneer of the Christian rock and contemporary Christian music genres. Formed in 1972, the band took its name from the Greek word for "rock"...
. Hartman acted as a mentor
Mentorship
Mentorship refers to a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person....
to Halo, providing advice on song-writing as well as sound equipment. Despite their efforts and advice, Halo was still unsigned after nine years of touring, and their performances were effectively equal to a diversion that consumed many hours.
Full-time ministry, part of the Pak
In 1989, Springer announced that God was calling him to full-time ministry. Originally, it appeared that he was going to head off to seminary to become a youth pastor. However, around the same time, Bob Hartman told Graham that he had given a Halo demo tape, recorded in Hartman's studio, to brothers John ElefanteJohn Elefante
John Elefante is an American singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer.-Early years:Born in Levittown, New York, his family soon moved to Long Beach, California. Growing up, he sang and performed drums for his family band, the Brotherhood...
and Dino Elefante, owners of Pakaderm Records in Los Alamos, CA
Los Alamos, California
Los Alamos is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Although located in the Los Alamos Valley, the town of Los Alamos is usually considered to be a part of the Santa Ynez Valley community...
and the producers of the last few Petra albums. Not long thereafter, Pakaderm offered Halo a recording contract.
Debut imbues confidence, connections
By 1990, Halo had released their self-titled debut album, featuring ten tracks written and played by Springer, Mims, Graham, and the Elefante brothers, with arrangements by Bob HartmanBob Hartman
Robert Hartman is a Christian artist, guitarist, writer and songwriter. He is the founder of Christian rock band Petra. Hartman was involved with the band from its foundation in 1972 to its end in 2005. He took a break from touring in 1995, but continued to write most of the band's songs,...
and session players, guitarist Tony Palacios
Tony Palacios
Tony Palacios is the lead guitarist of the Christian hard rock band, Guardian. Palacios joined the band in 1989 and has remained with them since, releasing nine studio albums, including three in Spanish....
(Guardian
Guardian (band)
Guardian is an American Christian hard rock/metal band. The band released six studio albums, three additional albums in Spanish—and toured extensively worldwide...
) and keyboardist John Andrew Schreiner (Carman
Carman (singer)
Carmelo Domenic Licciardello known by his stage name, Carman, is a contemporary Christian music artist and evangelist.-Biography:...
, Steve Camp
Steve Camp
Steven J. Camp is a prominent American Dove Award and Grammy Award-nominated contemporary Christian music artist with an adult contemporary pop sound. He was very popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, where he has sold more than a million albums, who also has written or co-written 21 number one...
, Petra
Petra (band)
Petra is a music group regarded as a pioneer of the Christian rock and contemporary Christian music genres. Formed in 1972, the band took its name from the Greek word for "rock"...
). Altogether, the album is said to exude the "sound of a cohesive power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
band", drawing likenesses to both secular
Secularity
Secularity is the state of being separate from religion.For instance, eating and bathing may be regarded as examples of secular activities, because there may not be anything inherently religious about them...
and Christian
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....
artists, such as Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
, Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
, Kansas
Kansas (band)
Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on Album-Oriented Rock charts, and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"...
, Petra
Petra (band)
Petra is a music group regarded as a pioneer of the Christian rock and contemporary Christian music genres. Formed in 1972, the band took its name from the Greek word for "rock"...
, and Mastedon
Mastedon
Mastedon is the name of a Christian rock band formed by brothers Dino and John Elefante in the mid-80s. The band was formed mainly as a studio project and released two full-length albums and two stand-alone songs on compilation albums.Mastedon have recently signed with Italian label Frontiers...
.
Heaven Calling: 1991
In 1991, Halo released their second album with Pakaderm: Heaven Calling. Following work with Rick CuaRick Cua
Rick Cua is an American Dove Award and Grammy Award-winning Christian rock singer, songwriter, bassist, author, and ordained minister...
, Barry Graul (later to become a frequent session player in the Christian music industry
Christian music industry
The Christian music industry is a small part of the larger music industry, that focuses on traditional Gospel music, Southern Gospel music, Contemporary Christian music, and alternative Christian music. It is sometimes called the gospel music industry, although this designation is not a limitation...
and member of MercyMe
MercyMe
MercyMe is an American Christian rock band founded in Greenville, Texas. The band consists of vocalist Bart Millard, keyboardist James Bryson, percussionist Robby Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran and guitarists Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul....
) replaced Keith Mims on guitar, and Scott Springer and John Elefante
John Elefante
John Elefante is an American singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer.-Early years:Born in Levittown, New York, his family soon moved to Long Beach, California. Growing up, he sang and performed drums for his family band, the Brotherhood...
teamed up to write lyrics and music, respectively, for all the songs on Heaven Calling, except "It's Your Decision" and "Secret to Love", to which Mike Graham contributed. This musical pairing proved to be successful because on November 2, 1991, the title-cut, "Heaven Calling," debuted on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's Top Contemporary Christian chart at No. 21. Additionally, online reports show that Halo had four number one Christian Rock hits in its career, and although no verification has been found at the time of this writing to prove it, high probability is that a majority of those hits came from Heaven Calling. The album also garnered success outside the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
In touring, Halo found an amazingly receptive audience in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
in places like Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, where they played in Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
1991.
Concerts
Speaking of Halo's concerts, they were said to have included a powerful, aggressive, and energetic air; a compact sound and light system that was surprisingly impressive without overpowering the show; vocalist Scott Springer's comments about the songs' messages before playing them; sermonSermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
s about living a pure life without sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
and drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
s; prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
; altar call
Altar call
An altar call is a practice in some evangelical churches in which those who wish to make a new spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ are invited to come forward publicly. It is so named because the supplicants gather at the altar located at the front of the church building. In the Old Testament, an...
s while getting the audience to join in praise choruses
Praise song
Contemporary worship music is a loosely defined genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship. It has developed over the past sixty years and is stylistically similar to pop music. The songs are frequently referred to as "praise songs" or "worship songs" and are typically led by a "worship...
, and the distribution of Bibles. Despite the band's evangelistic tone, Springer was reported as humbly saying, at least once, that he could not force anyone to live a life of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
, but that it must be a person's own decision.
Third album?
In an interview in February 1993, drummer Mike Graham is reported talking about their new guitarist P.J. Marx and the recording of Halo's third album that, at the time of the interview, Springer was working on in Pakaderm's studios, laying down vocal tracks. Graham says the album was slated for release in May or June of that same year; however, no records show that the album ever came to fruition. Rather, Scott Springer put out a solo album in 1993 called Hello Forever that credited Graham on drums but no mention of a P.J. Marx. The compositions on this solo effort, like Heaven Calling before, were the work primarily of Springer and the Elefantes., and again, the combination gave Springer four No. 1 songs on Christian Hit Radio.Life after Halo
After 1993, no other Halo albums or tours are reported, but Scott Springer continued to tour as a self-proclaimed artist and preacherPreacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
--although an executive hand in the business is also suspected considering its name—for Halo Productions, a booking agency
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
representing ministry-minded Christian recording artists and bands
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. As Springer began touring with Hello Forever, he took a part-time Student Minister position at a small church. This eventually led him to a full-time youth ministry
Youth ministry (Evangelical)
A Protestant/Evangelical Youth ministry is a Christian ministry intended to instruct and disciple youths in what it means to be a Christian, how to mature as a Christian, and how to encourage others to claim Jesus as their Savior. This is accomplished through teaching, relationship building and/or...
position, where he took a break from the road, was ordained as a minister, and began teaching and evangelizing
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
in his community. He also became chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of local youth sports teams. In 2004, Springer became head pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of a new church with a casual
Casual
In the European tradition, casual is the dress code that emphasizes comfort and personal expression over presentation and uniformity. It includes a very wide variety of costume, so it is perhaps better defined by what it isn't than what it is...
atmosphere in Clanton, AL
Clanton, Alabama
Clanton is a city in Chilton County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. At the 2000 census the population was 7,800. The city is the county seat of Chilton County.-History:...
called New Life Community Church.