Sweet Comfort Band was a Christian rock

Christian rock

Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...

 band that first performed in 1973 in Riverside, California

Riverside, California

Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...

, and were active until 1984. The band was initially composed of keyboardist/lead vocalist, Bryan Duncan, and brothers Kevin (bass guitar) and Rick (drums/vocals) Thomson. The band was the brainchild of the Thomson brothers. Randy Thomas, guitarist/vocalist joined the group about 2 years later. After their second album, SCB also became well known for their highly detailed, airbrushed album cover art by Kernie Erickson, a trend that had previously been considered too costly for Christian groups who did not produce the high-volume album sales of mainstream bands such as 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"...

. The SCB logo was created by Rick Griffin.

Sweet Comfort Band was a late entry into Jesus music

Jesus music

Jesus music, known as gospel beat music in the United Kingdom, is a style of Christian music which originated on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This musical genre developed in parallel to the Jesus movement...

 with their 1977 self-titled release on Maranatha! Records

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 they started, they had a funky, jazzy, R&B

Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...

 and 70's rock sound. This set them apart from many of the bands in the nascent Contemporary Christian

Contemporary Christian music

Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...

 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...

 who were primarily performing folk-rock and soft rock

Soft rock

Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...

. Few bands had the musicianship displayed by this quartet. However, Maranatha! decided to quit releasing rock and roll albums and focus on children's releases, gospel and worship music. The band did not fit the new direction, so Light Records welcomed them for their sophomore release Breakin' The Ice. The next six years saw them touring heavily to support their releases and the band drifted towards a more traditional radio-rock sound. Keyboard-Wizard John Andrew Schreiner was added as a supplemental musician during their tours in later years, as Duncan took more of a vocal-heavy, lead frontman role on stage and away from performing integrated keyboard parts.

The band went their separate ways in the summer 1984, culminating at their final concert near their home at Riverside Municipal Stadium...having released six albums and garnering a large fan base, but never achieving great national radio success. Bryan Duncan

Bryan Duncan

Bryan Duncan is an American CCM musician. he is best known for his role in the Sweet Comfort Band and subsequent solo career that, combined, spanned more than twenty-five years...

 released a number of solo projects over the next fifteen years. Randy Thomas

Randy Thomas (musician)

Randy Thomas is an American Christian musician best known for being a member of the Sweet Comfort Band and Allies. In 1984 He formed "Allies" with Sam Scott and teamed up with Bob Carlisle. They spent 9 years between 84-93 doing concerts and recording six albums...

 went on to found the band Allies

Allies (band)

Allies is a Christian rock band. They released six albums during the 1980s and early 1990s.-Band members:The most notable band members were guitarist Randy Thomas, formerly of the Jesus music group Sweet Comfort Band and vocalist Bob Carlisle...

 and co-wrote radio hit Butterfly Kisses

Butterfly Kisses (song)

"Butterfly Kisses" is the title of a song written by Bob Carlisle and Randy Thomas from Carlisle's third studio album Butterfly Kisses . The song was written for his daughter Brooke's 16th birthday. Carlisle also wrote a journal entitled Butterfly Kisses for fathers and their daughters...

 with former Allies band member Bob Carlisle

Bob Carlisle

Bob Carlisle is a Grammy Award and Dove Award-winning American musician who performs Christian music. He performed with several bands, most notably Allies and Billy Thermal, before launching a solo career...

.

As of January 13, 2010, the wife of Rick Thomson reported online that Rick Thomson, Randy Thomas, and Bryan Duncan are in the studio for the first time in over twenty-five years, having written several new songs. The band is currently in the planning phases for their first tour since the reunion tours of 2001, and are getting ready to tour again in 2010. Kevin Thomson, brother of Rick and longtime bassist for the group, died on May 30, 2010, after a long illness.

Band members

• Bryan Duncan
  Bryan Duncan
  Bryan Duncan is an American CCM musician. he is best known for his role in the Sweet Comfort Band and subsequent solo career that, combined, spanned more than twenty-five years...
  
  : Keyboards, Vocals
• Kevin Thomson: Bass Guitar
• Rick Thomson: Drums, Vocals
• Randy Thomas
  Randy Thomas (musician)
  Randy Thomas is an American Christian musician best known for being a member of the Sweet Comfort Band and Allies. In 1984 He formed "Allies" with Sam Scott and teamed up with Bob Carlisle. They spent 9 years between 84-93 doing concerts and recording six albums...
  
  : Guitars, Vocals

Discography

• Sweet Comfort - 1977 (Maranatha! Records
  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...
  
  )
• Breakin' the Ice - 1979 (Light Records)
• Hold on Tight - 1980 (Light Records)
• Hearts of Fire - 1981 (Light Records)
• Cutting Edge - 1982 (Light Records)
• Perfect Timing - 1984 (Light Records)

Reissues

• Breakin' the Ice - 2009 Remastered (Retroactive Records)
• Hold on Tight - 2009 Remastered (Retroactive Records)
• Hearts of Fire - 2009 Remastered (Retroactive Records)
• Cutting Edge - 2009 Remastered (Retroactive Records)
• Perfect Timing - 2009 Remastered (Retroactive Records)

"Breakin' the Ice" Album

• Got to Believe - 3:56
• Breakin' the Ice - 3:40
• Young Girl - 3:15
• Melody, Harmony - 3:20
• I Need Your Love Again - 4:50
• Good Feelin' - 4:00
• Searchin' for Love - 4:06
• The Lord is Calling - 3:56
• I Love You With My Life - 4:01

"Perfect Timing" Album

• Perfect Timing - 3:29
• Habit Of Hate - 3:52
• You Led Me To Believe - 4:06
• Don't Bother Me Now - 3:31
• Never Should Have Left You - 4:54
• Singing For The Melody - 3:42
• Lookin' For The Answer - 4:42
• Envy And Jealousy - 4:08
• Computer Age - 3:28
• Neighborhood Kids - 3:48