MondayMorningInsight - Leadership & Encouragement for Church Leaders

Keith Green Rises from the Dead

Posted by: Todd
Posted on: Thu, August 02, 2007
Viewed 92
(11) comments so far

Noted for his uncompromising attitude, Green became a visionary leader in his days. Besides his calling as a Christian musician, he devoted his time to ministry work and reaching out to people.

He was also critical of the Christian music industry, and the direction that it was going. He felt that ministry should not cost money and even made arrangements to try to sell his CDs for what people could afford.

During his lifetime, he sold between 560,000 and 1 million records, according to estimates.

His work was cut short on July 28, 1982, however, while giving an aerial tour in a Cessna plane of his Last Days Ministries in East Texas. The accident claimed the life of all twelve passengers including Green, one daughter, his only son, the pilot, and two missionaries and their six children.

“I feel that through this many others will catch the vision and burden of Keith’s work,” said Melody Green, his then pregnant wife, to reporters days after the crash. “People can’t look to Keith now because he’s gone. So if they ask who’s going to do the work, they’ll see that they will.”

Melody has kept every musical piece that Keith created while still alive. Because of new technologies that have come out, she felt that it was the right time to release the tunes.

EMI/Sparrow Records producers are planning to release some music that has never been heard by the public. This includes an iTunes release set to come out in August and more material in the next year, according to Bryan Ward, director of artist development with EMI Christian Music Group (CMG).

Melody hopes that the music will have a positive impact towards culture and society. She feels that there is a need for his compositions today.

“I keep having people tell me how no one has really taken that place. Everyone thought, ’Well, God will raise someone else up to be similar and do something like that.’ I thought that,” added the former wife to the Associated Press. “He was just a unique person with amazing talent and with an amazing heart for God.”

Comments

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Paul J. on Thu, August 02, 2007

This is a good thing to me. I think it will be good to put Keith back “on the radar” for a lot of young CCM listeners.

Of course, whether or not the music is “marketable” and interesting to today’s listener is another matter…
J.C. Jennings on Thu, August 02, 2007

yup, Keith Green, Rich Mullins, their early deaths are make me go hummmm…..

Don’t understand it but I chalk it up to the fact God knows what He’s doing.

I agree with Paul J. It will be interesting to see what “technology” they employed to the recordings but for those of us that have enjoyed and have been impacted by Keith’s music, it will definitely be worth checking out.
Derek on Fri, August 03, 2007

This is great! I am a huge KG fan, but I am curious about the money involved. As the post noted, KG hated the commericialization of the CCM industry. He sold his albums for what-ever-you-can-afford.

I doubt EMI/Sparrow will do that. How could they?

I hope KG’s voice makes its way into a new generation. He is a prophet.

Derek
reGeN on Fri, August 03, 2007

i look forward to hearing new keith green music….the christian music scene could use a prophetic voice right now even if that person is long gone
Art Rogers on Fri, August 03, 2007

Love Keith Green, but Todd, he sold ALBUMS, not CDs. http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif
Chuck @ Detroit Populist Times on Sun, August 05, 2007

Keith’s Song, “Asleep in the Light”, was the best thing written, ever…

Nice Blog. http://www.mondaymorninginsight.com/images/smileys/smile.gif
Randy Ehle on Fri, August 10, 2007

Keith Green is actually alive and well at our church - Imago Dei, in Portland, OR (http://www.imagodeicommunity.com). Well, we have a musician/pastor who looks a whole lot like KG!

Keith was an early influencer for me and I remember exactly where I was when I heard of his death. (Talk about useless info!) My favorite album is “So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt.” Like others, though, I wonder if his sound is marketable today.
Rich Young on Mon, January 14, 2008

Here it is 1142008 and no new Keith Green Cd. I called the book store and they said they never heard of it and it was not on the new release list through June.

Waiting,

Rich
C. J. Summers on Wed, February 13, 2008

Two new Keith Green albums are coming out—the tentative date is April 15, 2008. One album is “The Live Experience” (collection of concert footage; this will be released as a CD and DVD), and the other is called “Greatest Hits”—although, according to Last Days Ministries, it will also include some new material. We’ll have to wait and see.
C. J. Summers on Wed, March 12, 2008

The new release date is April 29 for the recordings I mentioned in my previous comment. Also, they’ve released track lists and cover art for the albums now, except for the two new songs on the “Greatest Hits” CD. They just say there’s a new live recording and a new studio recording, but no titles are given yet for those two.

Also, they’re releasing a revised and expanded version of Keith’s biography (this time through Thomas Nelson publishers) in November of this year, and there’s apparently a movie in the works based on Keith’s life set for release in 2009.
art online degrees on Wed, December 16, 2009

Church leaders sure need this. It’s so hard. I’ve seen members of my church “begging” people in front of the ny subway to come to the church. People have lost their faith in god and replaced it with faith in money!