From: ras@controls.hccd.harris.com (Russell Soule)
Subject: Whose music is it?
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 14:30:58 GMT
Organization: Body of Christ


I've got an interesting question that I haven't seen posted here before. So I
thought I'd throw it out there and see what you guys (and gals) think.

Before I pose my question, please bear with me while I give you some background
on the problem.

I used to play keyboards and bass guitar for a small time local (Central Florida) 
Christian band called Redemption. We originally formed in the 1984-85 time frame
when we were in high school, but we split up when our singer went off to bible
college in Kentucky (We had to since he wrote most of our songs). Then, in 1989, 
we reformed with three of the four original members and a new drummer. After two
shows, we added a second guitarist, a background vocalist, and a sound man who
liked us so much when he heard us that he invested a large chunk of money on a
new sound system.

We played a decent number of concerts in the Central Florida area and seemed to
have quite a good ministry going but cracks began to show. Fights would break
out between the other two founding members and the rest of the band about 
priorities and money. It seemed that Satan had gotten a foothold in our band.
Then, a HUGE fight broke out between the two founding members. From then on,
things went downhill fast. By the time we finally broke up, our lead singer had
threatened to quit several times. He also had a major fight with everyone else
in the band, including the sound man. The day we broke up, he physically attacked
our drummer, who was still a minor and much smaller than him.

Over the next year, two ex-members regrouped their former band, the drummer went
off and did his own thing, and the three others (including the sound man) played 
together occasionally. The only one who was excluded from any of this was the singer. Well, to make an already long story short, my problem is (obviously) with 
the singer.

You see, he wrote nearly all of our lyrics. I wrote nearly all of our music. And
the music he wrote I would arrange with help from the rest of the band. Now, he
has stated during concerts and such, that the reason he did all the talking 
between songs was because he wrote the words and knew best what the songs were trying to say. From this attitude arose the problem. After the breakup, I told
him that one of our guitarists and I were trying to get a group together and
told him that I would like to perform some of the old songs that I had helped
write. His answer was that those lyrics were personal between him and God, and
that no one was to sing them except for him.  These songs weren't copyrighted or
anything, so legally, I guess I could play the songs to my heart's content. But
I want to know what you think I should do according to the word of God. He has
stated and re-stated explicitly that "those songs are mine, mine, MINE. And no
one else is to play them".

The reason I bother you with this, is that it has become quite a stumbling block
for me. I don't mind not playing those songs, although some were actually quite
good and I enjoyed playing them. The thing is his attitude. I feel that those
songs were written for God's glory (or so I thought), not for our singer's glory.
And if that is the case, why shouldn't I be allowed to praise God through those
songs also? Whose music is it anyway? If everyone followed his philosophy then
our hymnal and praise books would be empty, and all those accompaniment tapes
would no longer exist. Please give me your comments on the subject.

Thank you and God bless you all,

Russ Soule


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=        =              Jesus Christ is the answer.                =      =-=
=      =====         Now, what was your question again?          =====    =-=
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=        =            God doesn't believe in atheists              =      =-=
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Newsgroups: rec.music.christian