Tony Cummings chronicles the life and times of Texan singer/songwriter TODD AGNEW

Todd Agnew

Todd Agnew is a Texas-born singer/songwriter of Native American origin who in the US has secured a string of successful CCM albums. His latest release 'Need' is set for release here in October by Integrity-Provident. The album, produced by Agnew along with Curry Weber, Scott Hardin and James Joseph, is already being praised by US critics as his most mature. The singer himself said, "Once we finished recording this record, I looked back at it trying to find the theme running throughout. I started to realise how much of this project is about need. My need to be loved. My need for answers. My need for assurance. Our need to worship. Our need to be rescued, redeemed, restored. I noticed that God has been teaching me all year that all of my needs are met in Jesus."

The first single from 'Need', "Joy Unspeakable", is already a hit on US Christian radio. Agnew, who got married in February last year, has experienced a considerable amount of joy recently. He said, "There was a great deal of joy added to my life through this amazing gift - a wife - God had given me. Now, being over a year into [our marriage], I know that it's not all easy and fun; some of life is still quite difficult. But what I have found is that joy runs through it all, and that is God's plan for his bride as well. The strength, the comfort and the joy that comes from our relationship with him is ever present, even in our troubled times. That is a joy that I do not have words to describe."

Todd was born on 15th March 1971 in Dallas, Texas. Todd was adopted and embraced by Texan parents who were dedicated in their church attendance. Crediting his spiritual growth stemming from his family's commitment to God, he was enveloped by the music of the church from his earliest remembrance. But while his own musical skills and interests grew, including serving as worship leader at local churches, the traditional music began to lose its power, becoming ingrained as a habit instead of a worship experience and a relationship with God. He said, "As I grew as a worship leader, I realised that when I learned a song at a camp, I sang it with all I had, but when I sang in church, it was just routine. I've been in church all my life, and it was just habit for me. I knew every word to every song, and there was no speaking of God in that, just rote practice. But when I started breaking down these songs, realising the depth and value of their meaning, I realised that I would have to teach them again, making them more relevant."

In 1997 Todd recorded an independent album, 'The Blue', but it wasn't until 2000 that the singer/songwriter's gifts really came into focus. He said, "I was at a point where I had many different avenues I could have gone down in my ministry: I was leading worship, I was doing my little coffee-house, singer/songwriter thing, and I was playing cover stuff while doing evangelism by playing in clubs. That's where you get all the Dave Matthews, Creed, Counting Crows pop music influences; it came from playing covers. About a year and a half ago, God said to me, 'Why don't you marry all of those influences together?' I started combining that mainstream sound with worship because that's what our generation liked, wanted and needed."

As a result of the not-so-gentle prods from a friend, Todd reached out to Ardent Records' Dana Key about using Ardent Studios in Memphis, where Todd had relocated, to work on a record. The longtime Christian music veteran gave Todd more advice than he had expected. "When I started it, I went to Dana because I knew him from an earlier project. He talked to me about the business and everything, and I had to interrupt him, saying 'Look, I'm not coming to ask to be on your label, I just want to use your studio.'"

"Walking by where Todd was recording, I found myself stopping and listening to his music," said Dana. "It wasn't long before I wanted to get involved. Similarly, whenever I play some of Todd's music for people, it has the same effect of stopping them in their tracks. His music is definitely not background material - it's music that demands attention."

Todd was signed to Ardent Records and his album 'Breath Of God' with its rock-tinged worship and insightful songs of personal devotion immediately found a CCM audience. His next release, 2003's 'Grace Like Rain', proved an even bigger hit with the title track taking one of the world's best known hymns, John Newton's "Amazing Grace", and placing it within the context of a groove-laden, alt-rock track while Todd's gritty vocals exuded joy, amazement and thankfulness that his sins had been washed away.

A further album, 'Reflection Of Something', was released in 2005 followed by 2006's epic retelling of the Christmas story 'Do You See What I See'. His 2007 album 'Better Questions' featured the hit single "Our Great God", a duet with Rebecca St James. One of the striking things about 'Better Questions' was that it posed more questions than it tried to answer. At the time of its release he said, "I'm a musician, so I'm writing songs all the time. I had written a few that I like to call 'closet songs'. They're the songs I write for me and I play them around the house but I don't really share them with anybody. All of a sudden I had like eight of them all in a span of a few months. I just went, 'Oh no, I think God's fixing to take my closet and open it up for everybody to look into.' That is really what has happened with this CD. It's a very personal record. I've tried to be pretty open and honest through all my music so far but this one definitely dug deep."

One of the most powerful songs on 'Better Questions' is "On A Corner In Memphis". Agnew explained the inspiration behind the song. "I've been a worship leader for a long time and I've been leading worship in Memphis for five years. I got this juxtaposition in my head one day of going out to Beal Street where the old guys sit on the corner. Maybe they're homeless, maybe not, but they have an old beat up guitar and they're sitting there playing the saddest songs you've ever heard while singing with every fibre of their being - just letting it loose. So I'd see that on Saturday night and then I would wake up on Sunday morning, go to church and see people singing about the blood of Christ with absolutely no passion at all. I just went, 'What's the problem here? Why are these two things going on? It should be the opposite. The hurt guy, the lost guy, should be the one that has no passion about life and on Sunday morning, those in church should be the most passionate people in the world.' I really wrestled with this concept for years.

"This past year, these thoughts turned into what the Church is supposed to look like. I read a book called Reading The Bible With The Damned by Bob Ekblad and it's about reading the Bible with people in prison. I love prison ministry and so I was really excited about reading this book. I was like, 'Yeah, it's going to show me all these things in the Bible that I can talk to them about.' I was just looking forward to me being able to go and do prison ministry. The first chapter, right out of the gates, Bob just blows my mind by saying this book isn't about going to do ministry to people, it's about reading the Bible with them because they are the Church too. Their interpretations of the Bible are just as valid and valuable as mine. I've never thought that way before and I had to wrestle with it for a little bit. But what he's saying is totally valid. We'll never understand verses about being free in Christ like they will. So I thought, what if this guy singing out on the street corner has something that we need in the church? What if we need him instead of us needing to go share Jesus with him? What if his songs are the next generation's hymns? That's the inspiration behind that song."

This autumn Todd will join forces with pop rockers Building 429 and newcomers Kimber Rising for the Promise Remains tour, sponsored by Christian humanitarian organisation World Vision. The tour will visit 40 cities across America.

A few years ago Agnew was asked by one magazine what characteristic of God had surprised him the most. His response was, "How many times can God's faithfulness be the answer to this question? I keep thinking that, after all this time, it won't surprise me anymore. But it does. He never lets me down. I don't have anything else like that in my world. And I don't have any part of me that can learn to expect it. So I'm surprised every time."