The Churches of Christ thing is especially interesting because it's largely unknown outside of the South, and it's never been much more than 2 million or so adherents.
So, per capita basis, alone, the church has produced an phenomenal number of superstars.
2
5
40
Replies
The a cappella Churches of Christ has probably been the most musically significant religious group of the past century.
The following musicians were all raised in the Churches of Christ: Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Roy Orbison, Weird Al Yankovic, Glen Campbell, Dwight…
21
101
439
Another religious group that unexpectedly punches way above its weight are the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Here's a quick list of JW music stars: Michael Jackson and the Jackson Five, Prince, Patti Smith, Ja Rule, Notorious B.I.G., Jill Scott, George Benson, Donald Glover and…
4
8
38
Speaking of superstars, here's some other Church of Christ musicians, I failed to mention: Brenda Lee, Patti Page and Jason Isbell.
Here's Jason Isbell talking about a capella singing in Church in a 2013 NPR interview.
2
3
35
To clarify, Dolly Parton wasn't raised in the Churches of Christ. She was a Pentecostal, but Carl Dean, her husband was CoC. Which is why she ended up at the Radnor Church of Christ.
2
2
29
At Buck Owens's funeral, in 2006, Dwight Yoakam talks about being raised in an a capella church and begs his mother's forgiveness for using a guitar in a house of worship.
5
5
40
Meat Loaf briefly attended Lubbock Christian College and his grandfather was a Church of Christ minister.
1
4
25
Songwriter Albert Brumley's son, Tom Brumley, is usually considered one of the greatest pedal steel guitar players of all time. He was instrumental in making the Bakersfield sound, as one of Buck Owens's Buckaroos, and spent ten years as one of Rick Nelson's Stone Canyon Band.…
1
4
15
@hdmillr
People were always so confused about the lack of instrumental music. I’m in Southern Ohio and we have/had quite a few Churches of Christ in and around the area.
0
0
0