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One of the
first hard rock Jesus music bands formed around the
talent of Fred Caban during the early stages of
what became known as the Jesus People movement. Born and
raised in California, the counterculture’s music scene
offered an intimate glimpse into rock 'n 'roll
life-styles of such guitar phenoms as Jimi Hendrix,
after whom the budding musician patterned his style.
Upon graduating from an Azusa high school in the spring
of 1968, he and his bandmates squeezed into a small
Volkswagen van in search of venues to perform. One
night, while they stopped in at a Huntington Beach
called the Lightclub, they met and were befriended by a
group of enthusiastic teenagers whom Caban described as
being "totally immersed with the message of Christ." The
Lightclub coffeehouse by this time had been taken over
by David Berg and family, the genesis point of what
would eventually become the Children of God. After
accepting a small Gospel of John, the band proceeded to
find shelter for the night. As was the testimony of many
other transients, contact with "Christianized" hippies
intensified Caban's personal search for truth. Though
not totally understanding the "Lightclubber's” message,
he began praying for an introduction to "whomever was
out there."
When Caban
returned to the van he shared his experience and found
that fellow bandmate Jeff Newman had also undergone a
spiritual conversion. The two fledgling Christians
returned to the coffeehouse where they were both
baptized. The next day the group returned to Azusa.
Within
months of his conversion, Caban formed another band
naming it Agape, the Greek word for God's love.
Having previously established himself as a guitarist of
some merit in the Azusa area, the three member outfit,
which included Mike Jungkman on drums and Ms. Lonnie
Campbell on bass, capitalized on his name to gather
initial crowds. During the days immediately following
each of their respective conversions, Agape's vision
became evangelistic - desiring to share their experience
with their peers. Where previously their goals had been
to gain the attention of local recording companies,
Agape functioned as one of the first musical missionary,
Jesus people bands. Of their stage protocol and
evangelistic fervor Caban stated, "We'd play one or two
songs - we'd jam,. we'd blow them away - and then boom,
we'd start preaching.....and people would actually stick
around and listen."
Within six
months a group of 50 young converts had joined the trio
as a loose amalgamation of spiritually searching
teenagers who gathered together for Bible studies and
strategy sessions to promote the band's concerts. Caban
recalled that it was a totally spontaneous gathering of
friends; "It never dawned on us to enter a church. There
was no structure but we didn't know that. We were just
enjoying what was happening and taking it one day at a
time.” During the formative stages of their initial
phase of recruitment the band members functioned as the
unofficial leadership.
Agape played
a number or venues throughout the California area
including a number of performances at Hollywood
Presbyterian’s Salt Company coffeehouse. Their
appearances there ran concurrent with the ascendancy of
another premier Jesus musician. Both Agape and Larry
Norman blossomed as Jesus music forces at the same time.
At one point the singer invited Agape into a recording
studio in an attempt to help them with their own
recording career. Though nothing permanent came from
this meeting, Agape eventually approached local record
producer Martin Jones with the desire of recording an
album. Offered free studio time between midnight and
6:00 am, Agape recorded Gospel Hard Rock [1971].
It was
during the recording of this first release that the band
met Ron Turner, who was studying at Azusa Pacific
College with the hopes of entering the ministry. Raised
in the Presbyterian church, Turner was mentored by Don
Williams, then youth pastor of the Hollywood First
Presbyterian Church. During his studies, Turner was a
youth pastor at Arcadia Community Church which opened up
to the band’s small entourage to join for worship
service and concert performances. For a period of three
years, Turner increasingly took on more responsibility
in the group, initially speaking at the band’s
performances, but eventually becoming the shepherd
figure over the growing congregation. Meeting regularly
in Covina Park, the loosely structured group grew to
over 500.
As a musical
entity, the Agape hard rock gained a large following
throughout the west coast, sharing stages with other
Jesus music bands like Love Song and JC Power Outlet,
playing the popular Gazzari's Hollywood-A-Go-Go, and
invited to share the bill at the first California Jesus
Festivals held at the Hollywood Palladium in 1971.
Though some believed their music was a compromise in
it's close imitation of other 'worldly' rock bands, none
of the members backed down from their vision of what
they felt their music should project. Caban states, "We
were basically a secular rock band that became
Christians. When we got on stage we played it as hard as
we did before. But where we had previously been selfish
and desiring fortune and fame, we now sang about our
faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing on the outside changed.
We had been transformed from within." Jesus music
historian Paul Baker wrote of Agape that, "they played
Jesus rock at it's crustiest - music which cut through
the thickest defenses of the non-Christian rock fans.
For those to whom hard rock music was language, Agape...
spoke-clearly."'
Though they
toured for six years as the first itinerant, rock ‘n
roll missionaries of the Jesus people, Agape disbanded
with a farewell concert on December 13, 1974. Their
legacy in the annals of contemporary Christian music has
yet to be fully appreciated. [ from an
Agape biography by
David DiSabatino,
posted on
www.one-way.org
]
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