Tony Cummings interviewed Peter Meadows, David Payne and Geoff Shearn and scoured 10 years of Buzz magazine to gather a history of British CCM from 1965 to 1975. Here is the first part.



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Whispers Of Truth
Whispers Of Truth

At the beginning of 1967 MGO made the decision to showcase Britain's emerging Christian music talent by booking the prestigious Westminster Central Hall for an event called Sound Vision to be held on 20th May. Given the size of the venue - 2200 seats - and that it was the first paid-for Christian music event in the UK, it was certainly a risky venture. And all the more so as it was also Cup Final day. "Failure," said Pete, "never crossed our minds. We felt it was something that just needed to be done." When the influential Christian Herald newspaper flagged Sound Vision as 'the event of the year,' any thoughts of lots of empty seats began to evaporate. In fact there weren't any. It was sold out. The line-up featured Roger, Jan & Michael (an early version of the soon-to-be-popular Roger & Jan), the Gospel Four, the Whispers Of Truth (the psych folk group featuring Graham Kendrick), the Pilgrims, the Ribbonettes and a yodeling cowboy from Northern Ireland. Emceeing the event was actor Nigel Goodwin.

The audience lapped it up including a planned crowd invasion as a way to introduce the notices. The big failure of the day was the 'official' cameraman's camera! So, no photographs exist. Perhaps reflecting the traditional spirit still evident in many churches, the reporter sent by The Christian weekly newspaper wrote that, as he'd walked over Westminster Bridge towards the event, he'd approached it "with dread". It appears most left the event with a great sense of delight. More Sound Vision events followed. Remembered David Payne, "We did the Central Hall maybe six or seven times and then moved onto the Royal Albert Hall. We were regularly selling out, including afternoon and evening performances on the same day. We also began to tour major cities, booking the largest venues we could."

But these things were in the future. Back in September 1967 MGO was supporting the burgeoning number of groups with training, cut-price equipment, 15-minute disc jockey-led music programmes on cassette, insurance for bands and, for potential concert organisers, the Buzz Directory with its long list of available groups. That issue Buzz increased its size from A3 to A4 commendably keeping its price at nine pence. The magazine was also expanding beyond exclusively music coverage, the October issue featuring an evangelistic performance piece The Story Of The Band Shepherd by Gordon Bailey.

The January 1968 cover featured four bands playing at Civic College Theatre, Ipswich: The Mission Beats, The Pathways, The Messengers Of The Cross and The Challengers. Though British bands were now in abundance, it was with an American band MGO was to launch its own record label later that year. A band that was as American as mom's apple pie - The Forerunners.

The Forerunners
The Forerunners

Enthused Pete Meadows in Buzz, "What makes The Forerunners so special? Basically it is the sheer professional enthusiasm they generate. I first heard them while sitting in one corner of a room in the Kensington house where they all live. I still can't get over seeing nine beaming faces; hearing nine precise voices pounding out a New Christy Minstrels' sound with such vigour and verve I felt they could sing 'Old Man River' and people would be converted."

Geoff Shearn was no less enthusiastic. "They were a fantastic bunch, but typical American Christians: they just wanted - and expected - people to say yes to Jesus. Their genuine enthusiasm and commitment was so infectious we set out to do all we could to help them. This included trying to find a record label to take them. But none of the Christian ones would as they considered the group 'too contemporary'. In the end we said, 'OK, if you guys are willing, we could maybe do it ourselves'. And that was the birth of MGO's Key Records."

When it came to manufacturing and distributing records, once again MGO were learning as they went. Geoff remembered, "We went, 'How do we make a cover for a record album?' We had no idea how to do it. Through his contacts in advertising Pete found a printer and managed to get the sheets printed. Then we thought, 'We've got them back, but how do we make them into sleeves?' We were sitting around with glue, trying to stick these things together when David said, 'Give 'em all to me!' He disappeared to an East End company and got them all glued up. Then we sleeved them up and gave them all to the agreed distributors, Scripture Union - plus a bunch to the band themselves - and that was it: we were a record company!"

MGO lacked the funds to pay for the pressing of the albums. At which point Geoff is at pains to give credit to the late Charles Henshall of Scripture Union. Geoff explained, "He had pity on us and took the risk involved of paying up front before they had sold even one of the albums. Without Charles I doubt Key Records would have gone much further."

Decades later Jesus music expert and author Ken Scott described 'The Forerunners' album: "Acoustic guitars, upright bass, banjo, tambourine and tight harmonies are all put together for invigorated treatments of standards like 'You Can Tell The World', 'Jordan's River' and 'If I Had My Way'. . .a well-worn example of the '60s folk hootenanny format."

The growing synergy between MGO's live events, the magazine, the record company and training weekends made it possible for Pete Meadows to be the first on the MGO payroll, setting up office in a North London attic owned by John Webb's parents. Until then it had been mostly long nights - often working through the night - and weekends. Geoff and David sold insurance which gave them flexible hours. And, when not enough policies had been sold at the end of the month, it was not unknown for one of the four to buy one to make up the deficit.

They also depended on a small team of dedicated volunteers, without whom progress would have been minimal. Typists, in particular, were in great demand. Pete found a Christian who was a secretary working in the same building and she would valiantly transcribe his appalling handwriting. David would dictate to a volunteer secretary seated next to him on the tube each morning and sign the resulting letters on the way home.

A few months later David Payne left "policy selling" to work full time with MGO. But with Pete operating in the north of London and Geoff and David in the south it was decided to search for a more central location. Not an easy task when operating on a shoestring budget and almost impossible in central London unless you can find a disused hall owned by a church. And find one David did - almost butting up to some railway arches in Vauxhall, London.

It was run down and dirty and with what Pete described as its own "hot and cold running mice." But it at least offered office space for a small rent and a commitment to haul away the church debris inside. This included some old church pews which probably would now fetch a princely sum. Only one item was saved from the dump - a magnificent carved lectern in the shape of an eagle becoming affectionately named Archie.

Archie was no ordinary eagle. He went on to become the official mascot of Buzz magazine and his gossip column became a "must read!" This was just one of the editorial innovations that was to bring a 'freshness' so lacking at the time in most other Christian publications. Of course, Archie didn't have it all his own way in Buzz. Shorts by St Michael was an equally popular news column - named, rather cheekily, as a nod at the underwear brand of M&S at the time.