As some of you know Micheal Been has passed away. David over at The Greatest Christian Albums of All Time, has a very nice write up on him. click the link and give it a read it's very nice. Thanks for the write up David, Johnny http://greatestchristianalbums.wordpress.com/2010/08/20/michael-been-remembered/
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I love you, Michael, and I'll be joining you shortly -- as soon as I get my 7 kids raised and my mortgage paid and my wife set up. Anyway, I discovered the Call as a transformational "searcher" during the 1980s in high school (Class of '84). I sought out "positive" messages (and even though they were "negative" about this world, I considered that to be a "positive" message -- and still do!). Along with U2, Alarm, Kansas, Bob Dylan and a small cadre of more Christian-bookstore-mainstream but gritty-edged Christian artists, they had a big impact on me. I got saved in '86 through a campus housechurch -- my early listening to the Call could be seen as preparatory to my acceptance of Christ. Later, I became a D. J. at a secular radio station with a Christian program ("Faithrock") and had occassion to play Michael Been's music often. I discovered him on the early 2nd Chapter album (was it "Footnotes In The Book Of Love" or something like that? they never had a better one, Mansion Builder notwithstanding). I hitch-hiked from Blacksburg, VA to Miami, Fl to see the Call in 1986? 1987? -- Reconciled? tour double-header with Simple Minds (New Gold Dream?) -- it was Spring Break and the only time I could justify going since I didn't have stellar grades. One of my favorite concerts I ever made it to, along with Alarm's Strength tour. [I always wanted to see the Alarm and the Call together -- poetic, don't you think?] After the concert, I waited around to chat with Jim Kerr and Michael Been and others, and found that the drummer for the Call (was it Scott Musick?) was a particularly nice guy, with real enthusiasm for the gospel message of their music -- "That's what it's all about!" he said. I was not ready for Mark Heard's death in 1993. I was not as personally involved with Keith Green or Larry Norman (met him once though) or several others who have died now, but Michael Been I feel keenly. Give God credit for putting us each where we ought to be when we ought to be, including our departure for our [real] life. But I will miss Michael Been while I'm still here. I would add that he is survived by several really good singer-songwriters in the rock and acoustic genres such as Bill Mallonee, Bruce Cockburn, Brooks Williams, Pierce Pettis, Phil Keaggy and Pat Terry who share the poetic truth and gritty flavor of Michael's lyrics.
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