Solid Rock Records
Encyclopedia
Solid Rock Records is the record label
of Larry Norman
. It was set up in 1975
to distribute his own work, after he had been released by Capitol Records
. Solid Rock had a distribution deal with Word Records
until 1980.
Besides releasing his own work, other artists like Randy Stonehill
, Tom Howard
, Mark Heard
, Daniel Amos
, Pantano & Salsbury (formerly known as the J.C. Power Outlet), and Salvation Air Force were signed to his label. Larry Norman also worked with David Edwards (ex-J.C. Power Outlet), who finally got to release his debut recording, a self-titled album on Myrrh Records
in 1980, as well as the British artist Steve Scott
. Steve Scott
got to record one album called Moving Pictures, produced by Larry Norman
and Mark Heard
, that in the end was put on the shelf. A new album, Love in the Western World, was released on Exit Records
in 1983, though.
, and his community at L'Abri
in Switzerland, which Norman had visited with his wife Pamela on his honeymoon in 1972, and "possibly inspired by the Apple imprint
of The Beatles
", in 1974 Norman founded Solid Rock Records to produce records for Christian artists who, like himself, had "no commercial value." Norman intended Solid Rock to be "a "musical L'Abri", and "more than business though, it was community." "Solid Rock became an important moment in the history of Christian rock music since it was the first truly artist-driven label". According to Norman, the purpose of Solid Rock was "to help other artists who didn't want to be consumed by the business of making vinyl pancakes but who wanted to make something 'non-commercial' to the world". Solid Rock "was a community of shared ideas and discussion. Artists would work on each other's projects and even tour together. It seems to have been a place where they were trying to create art that would cross over. Larry Norman in particular had a desire to not simply create Christian music but music that was from a Christian worldview
that would stand up in the mainstream and that people could accept and be challenged by". According to Solid Rock alumnus Tom Howard: "We ate together, laughed together, cried together, travelled together. It wasn't like a cult or anything; I mean we'd go off to our own families and our own pockets of friendships but there was definitely a sense of gathering among that small handful of artists".
, Mark Heard
, Tom Howard
, Pantano/Salsbury, and Salvation Air Force. Norman also produced artists who were signed to other labels, such as Malcolm and Alwyn
, Bobby Emmons and the Crosstones, and Lyrix. While Norman received production credits for two songs on Sheila Walsh's first album Future Eyes
, he remixed the songs that were already recorded. In 1977 Norman signed James Sundquist to Solid Rock, which produced some of the songs on Sundquist's Freedom Flight, an album that blended ragtime
and ballads, that was later released by Pat Boone's Lamb & Lion label. About 1978 Norman produced an album, Moving Pictures, for British poet and musician Steve Scott
that was never released.
In December 1978 Norman signed Christian rock band Daniel Amos
to Street Level Productions and also to his Street Level Artists Agency. Daniel Amos had almost completed Horrendous Disc
, their third album, co-produced by Mike "Clay" Stone, when under contract to Maranatha! Music
. When Maranatha! released them, as it was changing direction to children's and praise music, Horrendous Disc still needed to be mixed. Norman asked the band to replace two songs, had the album mixed and took new photos of the band for the album's cover to replace those he deemed too controversial for the Christian market, and in September 1979, Norman released a test pressing. In mid-May 1980 Norman released Daniel Amos from their management contract with Street Level Productions, resulting in an estrangement in their relationship. Just before the finalization of his divorce from Pamela, in August 1980, Norman performed at the Kamperland Youth for Christ
Music festival (now the Flevo Totaal Festival
) in Zeeland
the Netherlands with Daniel Amos
band backing him. Due to the laryngitis
of Terry Scott Taylor
, lead singer of Daniel Amos
, Norman sang their songs from Horrendous Disc
with the rest of Daniel Amos backing him so that Daniel Amos could be paid.
At the Greenbelt Festival
held a few days later, Daniel Amos refused to back Norman as previously agreed due to their unfolding legal action against Norman, forcing Norman to recruit another group of musicians. During this performance, Norman sang for the first time, "May Your Feet Stay On The Path", as a beatific benediction
to the Solid Rock artists he had released. Norman explained in 2001: "It's a song I wrote for all my artists because I wasn't going to work with them any more. So I stayed up one night praying all night and working on this song asking God to help me bless the artists one more time so that they would know that I loved them even if I didn't want to work with them". Despite being advertised as soon available in November 1979, Horrendous Disc was not finally released by Solid Rock until 10 April 1981, ten days before the band's follow-up ¡Alarma!, was released on Newpax Records
. In 2000 Norman sang "Hound of Heaven" on the Daniel Amos tribute album, When Worlds Collide: A Tribute to Daniel Amos
.
In June 1980 the Solid Rock community imploded due to concerns about delays in releasing albums, concerns about royalties and publishing rights, and rumors that Norman was not only unfaithful to his wife, Pamela, but involved in an extra-marital relationship with Stonehill's wife, Sarah, while Stonehill was on tour.
One of the areas of disagreement within Solid Rock was over their philosophy of ministry. The concerns of Stonehill, Taylor and Howard and other Solid Rock musicians led to an intervention on June 17, 1980 with Norman organized by Philip F. Mangano, the Solid Rock business manager. According to Rimmer, Fallen Angel claims that "it was at this memorable meeting that Larry, rather than bowing to the concerns of his fellow artists and the Solid Rock family, chose to strike out. With accusations against his co-workers, he began the process of winding up the Solid Rock operation and the dreams of the artistic community came crashing down."
Norman and Mangano severed their business association, with Norman selling his interest in Street Level Artists Agency to Mangano, who subsequently resigned in October 1980 to start a new career in working to help the homeless, and becoming the Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness for seven years from March 2002,
American Christian rock historian John J. Thompson identifies several factors in the collapse of Solid Rock, including possibly an over reliance on Norman's celebrity; Norman's confrontational lyrics and music, which alienated both the Christian and mainstream music industries; Norman's over-commitment, including producing almost all of the Solid Rock albums, contributing songs, and singing backing vocals; and "by releasing high-quality music by the best bands, Norman doomed his label to almost certain failure. He was simply way ahead of the curve". Additionally, the emergence of several punk
-influenced Christian bands in the late 1970s, who "cranked out music that made Larry Norman and Love Song
look like antiques. Some of them even considered the members of Daniel Amos to be geezer
s".
American professor of religious history Randall Balmer
believed that the causes of the demise of Solid Rock were "Idealism, marital difficulties, and financial naivete — as well as changing musical tastes". Stonehill opined in 1994: "As artistically heady as the days at Solid Rock were ... and as good as the ideas were on paper, the business end was always very loose-knit. ... We were young guys with good ideas but not a whole lot of business sense". Norman acknowledged in a 1984 interview: "I've never been really good in the business side of it. I haven't had a problem with creativity but I've never had the business side of it together." In a 1998 letter to Randy Stonehill, Norman indicated:
Norman gave his rationale for the winding up of Solid Rock Records in a 1989 interview: "I couldn't run Solid Rock Records anymore because of my mental condition due to an accident, I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't finish anybody's album. I couldn't get any work done in the office, it was just real hard. And I'd already done the one album for each artist that I'd promised, and I wanted to liberate them and get them signed up with a real big record company. But they all wanted to stay together because that was what they knew....I hadn't intended to produce any second albums for any of the artists. They were all out of contract. My contract wasn't really a contract to hold them to me. I had a contract with them because Word required it of Solid Rock. So, I just gave them their contract back as soon as their album was out. There was a lot of personal strife in everybody's life. My wife had decided she wanted to marry somebody else and all of the artists at the same time were leaving their wives, and I just thought this was an appropriate time for introspection. I didn't want to be up on stage and having kids come back afterwards and ask me why everyone was getting divorced. The tensions of the Solid Rock community resulted in the fracturing of several personal and professional relationships, Norman's departure overseas, the dispersal of the Solid Rock artists to other labels, and to the formation of Phydeaux Records. Norman became "a musical hermit, ceasing relationships with record companies and focusing on selling his music directly to his fans through the mail".
By October 1981 Norman was still represented by Word and the only artist signed to Solid Rock. In a 1982 interview with British Christian musician Norman Miller, then Executive Director of Word Europe, Norman discussed both the original purpose for Solid Rock and its future:
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,...
of Larry Norman
Larry Norman
Larry David Norman was an American Christian musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer, who worked with Christian rock music...
. It was set up in 1975
1975 in music
-January–April:*January 2 - New York City U.S. District Court Judge Richard Owen rules that former Beatle John Lennon and his lawyers can have access to Department of Immigration files pertaining to his deportation case....
to distribute his own work, after he had been released by Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. Solid Rock had a distribution deal with Word Records
Word Records
Word Records is a Christian record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a division of Word Entertainment , which, itself is co-owned by Warner Music Group and Curb Records...
until 1980.
Besides releasing his own work, other artists like Randy Stonehill
Randy Stonehill
Randall Evan "Randy" Stonehill is an American singer-songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the so-called "fathers of contemporary Christian music". His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but he has assayed other styles, with various albums focused on...
, Tom Howard
Tom Howard (musician)
Tom Howard was an American pianist, musical arranger and orchestral conductor.In 1983, Howard helped the rock band Daniel Amos form the Alarma! Records label....
, Mark Heard
Mark Heard
John Mark Heard was a record producer, folk-rock singer, and songwriter originally from Macon, Georgia, USA....
, Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos is a rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. Current members include bassist Tim Chandler, guitarist Greg Flesch and drummer Ed McTaggart...
, Pantano & Salsbury (formerly known as the J.C. Power Outlet), and Salvation Air Force were signed to his label. Larry Norman also worked with David Edwards (ex-J.C. Power Outlet), who finally got to release his debut recording, a self-titled album on Myrrh Records
Myrrh Records
Myrrh Records, also known as Myrrh Worship, is a Christian music record label. According to Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music, the label was instrumental in developing a popular following for Contemporary Christian music as the label that first published music by Barry McGuire, 2nd Chapter of...
in 1980, as well as the British artist Steve Scott
Steve Scott (poet)
Steve Scott is a poet, spoken word artist, and musician. His written work was published by PRIZM Magazine, Radix Magazine, Monolith:UK publications and STRIDE UK publications...
. Steve Scott
Steve Scott (poet)
Steve Scott is a poet, spoken word artist, and musician. His written work was published by PRIZM Magazine, Radix Magazine, Monolith:UK publications and STRIDE UK publications...
got to record one album called Moving Pictures, produced by Larry Norman
Larry Norman
Larry David Norman was an American Christian musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer, who worked with Christian rock music...
and Mark Heard
Mark Heard
John Mark Heard was a record producer, folk-rock singer, and songwriter originally from Macon, Georgia, USA....
, that in the end was put on the shelf. A new album, Love in the Western World, was released on Exit Records
Exit Records
Exit Records was an independent record label founded in 1982 and run by Mary Neely, a veteran of the music business and longtime host for several national rock and roll radio shows, including Rock Scope...
in 1983, though.
Origins
Strongly influenced by Christian philosopher Francis SchaefferFrancis Schaeffer
Francis August Schaeffer was an American Evangelical Christian theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor. He is most famous for his writings and his establishment of the L'Abri community in Switzerland...
, and his community at L'Abri
L'Abri
L'Abri is an evangelical Christian organization founded by Francis Schaeffer and his wife Edith in Huémoz-sur-Ollon, Switzerland on June 5, 1955. They opened their alpine home as a ministry to curious travellers and as a forum to discuss philosophical and religious beliefs.- The development of...
in Switzerland, which Norman had visited with his wife Pamela on his honeymoon in 1972, and "possibly inspired by the Apple imprint
Apple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
", in 1974 Norman founded Solid Rock Records to produce records for Christian artists who, like himself, had "no commercial value." Norman intended Solid Rock to be "a "musical L'Abri", and "more than business though, it was community." "Solid Rock became an important moment in the history of Christian rock music since it was the first truly artist-driven label". According to Norman, the purpose of Solid Rock was "to help other artists who didn't want to be consumed by the business of making vinyl pancakes but who wanted to make something 'non-commercial' to the world". Solid Rock "was a community of shared ideas and discussion. Artists would work on each other's projects and even tour together. It seems to have been a place where they were trying to create art that would cross over. Larry Norman in particular had a desire to not simply create Christian music but music that was from a Christian worldview
Christian worldview
Christian worldview refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which a Christian individual, group or culture interprets the world and interacts with it. Different denominations of Christianity have varying worldviews...
that would stand up in the mainstream and that people could accept and be challenged by". According to Solid Rock alumnus Tom Howard: "We ate together, laughed together, cried together, travelled together. It wasn't like a cult or anything; I mean we'd go off to our own families and our own pockets of friendships but there was definitely a sense of gathering among that small handful of artists".
Solid Rock implosion (1980)
In addition to his own recordings, Larry Norman produced music for several artists on his Solid Rock label: Randy StonehillRandy Stonehill
Randall Evan "Randy" Stonehill is an American singer-songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the so-called "fathers of contemporary Christian music". His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but he has assayed other styles, with various albums focused on...
, Mark Heard
Mark Heard
John Mark Heard was a record producer, folk-rock singer, and songwriter originally from Macon, Georgia, USA....
, Tom Howard
Tom Howard (musician)
Tom Howard was an American pianist, musical arranger and orchestral conductor.In 1983, Howard helped the rock band Daniel Amos form the Alarma! Records label....
, Pantano/Salsbury, and Salvation Air Force. Norman also produced artists who were signed to other labels, such as Malcolm and Alwyn
Malcolm and Alwyn
Malcolm and Alwyn were a popular British gospel beat music group in the 1970s. They played Beatles-influenced rock music with lyrics reflecting their conversion to Christianity. The duo was composed of Malcolm Wild and Alwyn Wall, who had been performing together in a band called The Zodiacs prior...
, Bobby Emmons and the Crosstones, and Lyrix. While Norman received production credits for two songs on Sheila Walsh's first album Future Eyes
Future Eyes
Future Eyes is the title of the first solo album by the Scottish singer Sheila Walsh. Recorded in Spring 1981 at Chapel Lane Studios near Hereford, engineered and produced by Paul Cobbold. It was released in the UK in 1981 on Chapel Lane Records. Sparrow Records released a slightly modified version...
, he remixed the songs that were already recorded. In 1977 Norman signed James Sundquist to Solid Rock, which produced some of the songs on Sundquist's Freedom Flight, an album that blended ragtime
Ragtime
Ragtime is an original musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged," rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being published...
and ballads, that was later released by Pat Boone's Lamb & Lion label. About 1978 Norman produced an album, Moving Pictures, for British poet and musician Steve Scott
Steve Scott (poet)
Steve Scott is a poet, spoken word artist, and musician. His written work was published by PRIZM Magazine, Radix Magazine, Monolith:UK publications and STRIDE UK publications...
that was never released.
Daniel Amos (1978-1980)
In December 1978 Norman signed Christian rock band Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos is a rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. Current members include bassist Tim Chandler, guitarist Greg Flesch and drummer Ed McTaggart...
to Street Level Productions and also to his Street Level Artists Agency. Daniel Amos had almost completed Horrendous Disc
Horrendous Disc
Horrendous Disc is the title of the third studio album by the rock band Daniel Amos, that was recorded in 1978 and released in 1981 on Solid Rock Records.-Background:...
, their third album, co-produced by Mike "Clay" Stone, when under contract to Maranatha! Music
Maranatha! Music
Maranatha! Music began as a non-profit outreach of Calvary Chapel in 1971. The Jesus People of the late 1960s and early 1970s began to write new hymns and worship songs with a folk-rock style. Maranatha! Music was founded at this time in order to publish and promote this new type of Christian...
. When Maranatha! released them, as it was changing direction to children's and praise music, Horrendous Disc still needed to be mixed. Norman asked the band to replace two songs, had the album mixed and took new photos of the band for the album's cover to replace those he deemed too controversial for the Christian market, and in September 1979, Norman released a test pressing. In mid-May 1980 Norman released Daniel Amos from their management contract with Street Level Productions, resulting in an estrangement in their relationship. Just before the finalization of his divorce from Pamela, in August 1980, Norman performed at the Kamperland Youth for Christ
Youth for Christ
Youth for Christ is the name of a number of previously unaffiliated evangelical Protestant religious campaigns which led to the creation of Youth for Christ International in 1946....
Music festival (now the Flevo Totaal Festival
Flevo Festival
The Flevo Festival is an open air Christian music festival held each August in The Netherlands. The festival was first organized as the Kamperland Festival in 1978 by the Dutch arm of Youth for Christ and became a private foundation in 2002....
) in Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
the Netherlands with Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos is a rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. Current members include bassist Tim Chandler, guitarist Greg Flesch and drummer Ed McTaggart...
band backing him. Due to the laryngitis
Laryngitis
Laryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx. It causes hoarse voice or the complete loss of the voice because of irritation to the vocal folds . Dysphonia is the medical term for a vocal disorder, of which laryngitis is one cause....
of 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...
, lead singer of Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos is a rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. Current members include bassist Tim Chandler, guitarist Greg Flesch and drummer Ed McTaggart...
, Norman sang their songs from Horrendous Disc
Horrendous Disc
Horrendous Disc is the title of the third studio album by the rock band Daniel Amos, that was recorded in 1978 and released in 1981 on Solid Rock Records.-Background:...
with the rest of Daniel Amos backing him so that Daniel Amos could be paid.
At the Greenbelt Festival
Greenbelt festival
Greenbelt Festival is a festival of arts, faith and justice held annually in England since 1974. Greenbelt has grown from a Christian music festival with an audience of 1,500 young Christians to its current more secular festival attended by around 20,000 - Christians and non-Christians.The festival...
held a few days later, Daniel Amos refused to back Norman as previously agreed due to their unfolding legal action against Norman, forcing Norman to recruit another group of musicians. During this performance, Norman sang for the first time, "May Your Feet Stay On The Path", as a beatific benediction
Benediction
A benediction is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service.-Judaism:...
to the Solid Rock artists he had released. Norman explained in 2001: "It's a song I wrote for all my artists because I wasn't going to work with them any more. So I stayed up one night praying all night and working on this song asking God to help me bless the artists one more time so that they would know that I loved them even if I didn't want to work with them". Despite being advertised as soon available in November 1979, Horrendous Disc was not finally released by Solid Rock until 10 April 1981, ten days before the band's follow-up ¡Alarma!, was released on Newpax Records
NewPax Records
NewPax Records was founded in 1975 by Gary S. Paxton as an outlet for his gregarious ideas in songwriting and engineering. This gave Paxton the edge he needed to create music that was far ahead of its time....
. In 2000 Norman sang "Hound of Heaven" on the Daniel Amos tribute album, When Worlds Collide: A Tribute to Daniel Amos
When Worlds Collide: A Tribute to Daniel Amos
When Worlds Collide: A Tribute to Daniel Amos is an indie tribute album by a variety of artists that pays musical tribute to the band Daniel Amos and its chief songwriter Terry Scott Taylor. It was released in July 2000 by Ferris Wheel....
.
June 17, 1980 meeting
In June 1980 the Solid Rock community imploded due to concerns about delays in releasing albums, concerns about royalties and publishing rights, and rumors that Norman was not only unfaithful to his wife, Pamela, but involved in an extra-marital relationship with Stonehill's wife, Sarah, while Stonehill was on tour.
One of the areas of disagreement within Solid Rock was over their philosophy of ministry. The concerns of Stonehill, Taylor and Howard and other Solid Rock musicians led to an intervention on June 17, 1980 with Norman organized by Philip F. Mangano, the Solid Rock business manager. According to Rimmer, Fallen Angel claims that "it was at this memorable meeting that Larry, rather than bowing to the concerns of his fellow artists and the Solid Rock family, chose to strike out. With accusations against his co-workers, he began the process of winding up the Solid Rock operation and the dreams of the artistic community came crashing down."
Norman and Mangano severed their business association, with Norman selling his interest in Street Level Artists Agency to Mangano, who subsequently resigned in October 1980 to start a new career in working to help the homeless, and becoming the Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness for seven years from March 2002,
American Christian rock historian John J. Thompson identifies several factors in the collapse of Solid Rock, including possibly an over reliance on Norman's celebrity; Norman's confrontational lyrics and music, which alienated both the Christian and mainstream music industries; Norman's over-commitment, including producing almost all of the Solid Rock albums, contributing songs, and singing backing vocals; and "by releasing high-quality music by the best bands, Norman doomed his label to almost certain failure. He was simply way ahead of the curve". Additionally, the emergence of several punk
Christian punk
Christian punk is a form of Christian music and a subgenre of punk rock with some degree of Christian lyrical content. Much disagreement persists about the boundaries of the subgenre, and the extent that their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies among bands...
-influenced Christian bands in the late 1970s, who "cranked out music that made Larry Norman and Love Song
Love Song (band)
Love Song was one of the main Jesus music bands, one of the first Christian rock bands. It was founded in 1970 by Chuck Girard, Tommy Coomes, Jay Truax, and Fred Field. Additionally, the earliest members included David Ingram on keyboards, Ernie Earnshaw on drums and Jack Schaeffer on bass. It was...
look like antiques. Some of them even considered the members of Daniel Amos to be geezer
Geezer
Geezer is a term for a man. It can carry either the connotation of age and eccentricity or, in the UK, that of self-education such as craftiness or stylishness.Geezer may also refer to:* Geezer Butler, the founding bassist for Black Sabbath...
s".
American professor of religious history Randall Balmer
Randall Balmer
Randall Herbert Balmer is an American author, professor of American religious history at Barnard College, Columbia University, an editor for Christianity Today and an Episcopal priest. He earned the Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1985...
believed that the causes of the demise of Solid Rock were "Idealism, marital difficulties, and financial naivete — as well as changing musical tastes". Stonehill opined in 1994: "As artistically heady as the days at Solid Rock were ... and as good as the ideas were on paper, the business end was always very loose-knit. ... We were young guys with good ideas but not a whole lot of business sense". Norman acknowledged in a 1984 interview: "I've never been really good in the business side of it. I haven't had a problem with creativity but I've never had the business side of it together." In a 1998 letter to Randy Stonehill, Norman indicated:
"I DIDN'T DO IT RIGHT: You know I never cared about money, so it's something I never worried about. Which was probably not helpful to running a record company and keeping track of everything to the artists' satisfaction. ... I couldn't run the label without competent assistants. I trusted Philip [Mangano] to keep track of royalties, gave him an open checkbook, and never looked over his shoulder. I thought he was my other half. And Philip just wasn't that man. He made a lot of money ... and I'm sorry about your royalties, but I ran the musical side and Philip ran the business side".
Norman gave his rationale for the winding up of Solid Rock Records in a 1989 interview: "I couldn't run Solid Rock Records anymore because of my mental condition due to an accident, I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't finish anybody's album. I couldn't get any work done in the office, it was just real hard. And I'd already done the one album for each artist that I'd promised, and I wanted to liberate them and get them signed up with a real big record company. But they all wanted to stay together because that was what they knew....I hadn't intended to produce any second albums for any of the artists. They were all out of contract. My contract wasn't really a contract to hold them to me. I had a contract with them because Word required it of Solid Rock. So, I just gave them their contract back as soon as their album was out. There was a lot of personal strife in everybody's life. My wife had decided she wanted to marry somebody else and all of the artists at the same time were leaving their wives, and I just thought this was an appropriate time for introspection. I didn't want to be up on stage and having kids come back afterwards and ask me why everyone was getting divorced. The tensions of the Solid Rock community resulted in the fracturing of several personal and professional relationships, Norman's departure overseas, the dispersal of the Solid Rock artists to other labels, and to the formation of Phydeaux Records. Norman became "a musical hermit, ceasing relationships with record companies and focusing on selling his music directly to his fans through the mail".
By October 1981 Norman was still represented by Word and the only artist signed to Solid Rock. In a 1982 interview with British Christian musician Norman Miller, then Executive Director of Word Europe, Norman discussed both the original purpose for Solid Rock and its future:
I have very few plans for Solid Rock at all. Originally, I started Solid Rock as a way of helping other young artists become established. My plan has always been to provide them with an intense education, support their efforts with concerts and record production, and then graduate them into the mainstream where they can stand on their own feet. I've been able to get Randy Stonehill to the point where Myrrh Records has signed him directly, while others, like Mark Heard, Tom Howard, and Daniel Amos have all signed with different American companies like New Pax. I've helped about fifteen people get contracts so far, and all the old Solid Rock crowd has graduated and I'm working with new and younger artists now.
Post 1980
In February 1992, Norman had a heart attack and limited the activities of his record label until his death in 2008, but work continues to release CD versions of archival material from the 1970s.Selected Solid Rock Records discography
- In Another LandIn Another Land (album)In Another Land is the title of an album recorded by Larry Norman and released in 1976. It is the third album in Norman's "trilogy," which began with Only Visiting This Planet and continued with So Long Ago the Garden...
, Larry NormanLarry NormanLarry David Norman was an American Christian musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer, who worked with Christian rock music...
, 1976 - Welcome to Paradise, Randy StonehillRandy StonehillRandall Evan "Randy" Stonehill is an American singer-songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the so-called "fathers of contemporary Christian music". His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but he has assayed other styles, with various albums focused on...
, 1976 - View from the Bridge, Tom HowardTom Howard (musician)Tom Howard was an American pianist, musical arranger and orchestral conductor.In 1983, Howard helped the rock band Daniel Amos form the Alarma! Records label....
, 1977 - On Turning to Dust, Mark HeardMark HeardJohn Mark Heard was a record producer, folk-rock singer, and songwriter originally from Macon, Georgia, USA....
, 1978 - Appalachian MelodyAppalachian MelodyAppalachian Melody is the title of an album by Mark Heard, released in 1979 on Solid Rock Records.-Side one:# "On the Radio"# "Castaway"# "Bless My Soul"# "Here I Am "# "With the Setting Sun"# "Appalachian Melody"-Side two:...
, Mark HeardMark HeardJohn Mark Heard was a record producer, folk-rock singer, and songwriter originally from Macon, Georgia, USA....
, 1979 - The Sky Is FallingThe Sky is Falling (album)The Sky Is Falling is the title of an album by Randy Stonehill, released in 1980, on Solid Rock Records.-Side one:# "One True Love" – 4:10# "Through The Glass Darkly" – 5:50# "Teen King" – 4:25# "The Great American Cure" – 4:00...
, Randy StonehillRandy StonehillRandall Evan "Randy" Stonehill is an American singer-songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the so-called "fathers of contemporary Christian music". His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but he has assayed other styles, with various albums focused on...
, 1980 - Horrendous DiscHorrendous DiscHorrendous Disc is the title of the third studio album by the rock band Daniel Amos, that was recorded in 1978 and released in 1981 on Solid Rock Records.-Background:...
, Daniel AmosDaniel AmosDaniel Amos is a rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. Current members include bassist Tim Chandler, guitarist Greg Flesch and drummer Ed McTaggart...
, 1981 - Something New under the SonSomething New under the SonSomething New Under The Son is an album recorded by Larry Norman in 1977 and released in 1981. It was originally intended to be a three-sided album, however Larry's record company felt it was too negative and the project remained unreleased for four years....
, Larry NormanLarry NormanLarry David Norman was an American Christian musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer, who worked with Christian rock music...
, 1981 (recorded in 1977) - Friends on Tour, Larry Norman & Friends, 1981
- Get Me Out of HollywoodGet Me Out of HollywoodGet Me Out of Hollywood is the title of an album recorded by Randy Stonehill in 1973, but not released until 2003. A handful of LPs and test pressings reportedly leaked out, and the album was traded and bootlegged for years until Solid Rock Records released it officially for the first time in...
, Randy StonehillRandy StonehillRandall Evan "Randy" Stonehill is an American singer-songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the so-called "fathers of contemporary Christian music". His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but he has assayed other styles, with various albums focused on...
, 1999 (recorded in 1973)