Christian Music
Christian music is a term that refers to songs that are based on faith and religious themes. There are a large number of Christian Music genres. While there only used to be genres like Southern Gospel and Christian country music, new, modern genres have emerged such as Christian Punk and Christian Metalcore. A long way off from choir boys.
Contemporary Christian music emerged around the nineteen sixties. Christian pop music is sometimes refered to as inspirational music and typically has a country music vibe to it. It was born in the late nineteen sixties at a time called the Jesus Movement. It grew in popularity because it sounded like popular rock and roll songs. Within ten to fifteen years it became less a movement and more a huge money making industry. Soon, Christian music stars like Amy Grant and Jars of Clay appeared among the top musical acts in the country.
Another form of modern Christian music is Christian Rock. This form of Christian music began to grow in popularity in the nineteen nineties, around the same time as the grundge movement was at its peak. Soon, bands like P.O.D., Creed and Switchfoot became mainstays in the top music acts in the country.
One more, less popular form of Christian music is Christian Hip Hop. This form of music was born in the mid-nineteen eighties when rapper Stephen Wiley released his record "Bible Break". By the early nineteen nineties the genre had grown. acts like Disciples of Christ and Gospel Gangstaz began to make a dent in the American music market. This genre is being kept alive today by internet downloads. Several Christian rap websites like Rapzilla and HolyHipHop sell hundreds of thousands of downloads every year. Hundreds of radio stations around the country play Christian Hip Hop and is listened to twenty-four seven on ITunes.