MICHAEL BLANTON
ON LIFE LESSONS, THE MUSIC BUSINESS, AND SONGWRITING
By Alexander MacDougall
Michael Blanton is a legend in the Christian Zappa’s assessment of past recording history Forget about the artist. Let’s just worship God.
music and mainstream industries. As a label taking risks rings so true today. What stories Let’s get in that lane. We don’t need to worry
head, manager, and visionary, he has been can Christian songwriters craft that are not about the imperfect people. We just talk about
inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, being told today? the perfect lyrics. We can just focus on that. We
was awarded the “Outstanding Alumnus of the
needed a little bit of a reset.” But now today we
Year Award” from Abilene Christian University, [Michael] Well, I think we have to go back. are in a culture that is changing so fast that we
is a board member of Lipscomb University, Talking as a Christian listening audience need new poets. We need new lyrics that really
and co-founded the hugely impactful Reunion we got our feelings hurt when we started express honesty, brokenness, redemption, and
Records and Publishing. It was my great embracing robust CCM music. We thought, healing in a different way that we have ever
pleasure to visit with Mike in his Nashville office “You know, this is going to be fun”. We’ve got used those terms. I’m on the lookout for those
recently and listen to his wise counsel on the our “Madonna”, we’ve got Michael W. Smith. new artists that are going to be able to speak to
business and creation of, music. We saw this explosion of Christian artists. a different culture setting.
What embarrassed us is we found out these
[WM] Mike, you have a remarkable story. I people aren’t perfect, either. Whether it’s Amy Kids today don’t even know if there is a God.
remember first meeting you when we were both (Grant) going through a divorce, or you can pick How do we even address that? I heard Tim
young and somewhat just “starting out”, and anybody’s story. We have this brokenness. If you Keller use a term the other day that I loved.
since then, you’ve had many great successes haven’t run the wheels off, you are going to run People are walking into conversations and the
but also some disappointments as well. What the wheels off. In the world of entertainment you same mental furniture that we used twenty
have the extremes of these dynamics taught are going so fast. We do get intoxicated by the years ago is not in the room. They are walking in
you, and how did a west Texas boy end up in fan appeal. Somebody likes what I’m doing. If to a whole new set. We need to find new ways
downtown Nashville? you are selling, or now streaming, selling tickets, to sell those lyrics. We don’t call this the “lyric
you are thinking you are doing something. Back business”, we call it the music business. I still
[Michael Blanton] (laughs) Number one then in those days it was so energizing to feel think as Christians we tend to walk away from
they’ve taught me to be grateful. I have learned like we are truly making contact with the real the power of music, just the power of chord
to be more merciful and more patient. Ultimately world. But then the real world does what the changes and heart coming through chords and
at the end of the day I am grateful. The good real world does… it humbles you. You realize music. And then the power of lyrics on top of
days, the bad days, the miscommunication by the grace of God, I can’t hold this together, that is just incredibly important. I’ve been lucky
days, I am very grateful for. Life will teach you I can’t be perfect. I can’t hold my life together. to have lived a few years of watching great
that. If you buck it, life will still bring you to your But then we as a listening group started saying, music and great lyrics. Obviously, everything
knees. “We need to get back to scripture and God. you do is not at a “10”. We have to push for that
again. We tend to go, “This is a Bible verse”,
[WM] So many absolutely classic album and then we put a song with it. We don’t put
releases have come out under your direction. nearly as much as God did into that verse. Part
Projects by Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, of our creativity is challenging each other to
Rich Mullins, any many more, allowed you make better music, while we are using great
to make a huge impact upon our many lives. lyrics, either original or from scripture.
These were wildly risky yet robust times for
Christian music, and far more impactful than
church musicians today probably realize. Frank
[WM] Chris Anderson’s book The Long Tail
Zappa
March 2020
from 2006 was incredibly prophetic in foretelling
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