Creed Puts Christian Rock Into Mainstream

Over the previous decade plus, a handful of Christian rock bands attempted to break through into the national spolight, with little or no impact. All that changed in 1997 when the band Creed released their first nationally successful album My Own Prison, with the many album rock radio hits that followed over the next year, including the album's title track. In short, Creed became an instant success!

Originating from Tallahassee, Florida, the band combined the popular post · grunge musical style with lyrics documenting a man's search for God and spiritual truth and guidance.

Although termed a "Christian Rock Band" by the critics, lead singer Scott Stapp explained in an interview during Woodstock '99 that Creed wasn't technically a "Christian Rock Band", but pundits and audiences didn't know "what to make of them" based on their lyrics. During the same interview, Stapp also mentioned that, as the band's songwriter, Christian · based lyrics were one of the ways he could be original, and in that, he certainly was!

The band became arguably the most successful rock band from the late 1990's to early 2000's.

Along with Creed mentioned above, Days Of The New also saw their first successes with a national audience in 1997. Like Creed, Days Of The New also sported a post · grunge style - which almost seemed to mimic that of Creed - but with lyrics more typical of a rock band from this era. Also like Creed, Days Of The New, with their self · titled debut album, became an immediate success with rock radio listeners! Both the tracks Touch, Peel and Stand and The Down Town saw the number of weeks spent at number one on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart reach double digits! The track Shelf In The Room also proved enormously popular over the next year with rock audiences!

Days Of The New saw their success last from the late 1990's to the mid-2000's.