Biography
(See The Servant for the London-based alternative band.)
Servant was a Christian rock group that grew out of the counter-culture Jesus Movement of the sixties and seventies. The band was founded by evangelist Jim Palosaari in Victoria, British Columbia in 1976 and performed to audiences throughout North America, Europe and Australia for over 12 years. Originally named Higher Ground, Servant was known for challenging the Christian church to repent and turn back to social justice and caring for the poor. A Servant rock concert was more like a festival event. The band was known to incorporate comedy and short skits in their sets on stage. Servant was also the first Christian rock group to use laser lights, flame tubes, fireworks, and fog machines, as well as an extensive light show and quadrasonic sound.
Servant toured extensively through out America, Europe, and Australia in concert halls and at music festivals like Creation and Greenbelt. They recorded 6 studio albums with songs that ranked in the Top 40 Contemporary Christian Music Charts including "Come Jesus Come", "Holding on to You", "Thank God", "We are the Light", and "Surrender."
From 1981 to 1985, bands that fronted for Servant included DeGarmo & Key, Joe English, Will McFarlane, Randy Matthews, Jerusalem, and Steve Camp. Grammy award winning Petra opened for Servant on tour in late 1981 and early 1982, just as Petra's breakthrough album, Never Say Die, was being released.
Formative Years: Servant found its origins in 1973 from Lonesome Stone, a Christian rock musical touring Europe that Palosaari billed as a multi-media production of the Jesus generation portrayed in music, film, and drama to rival the likes of the musical Godspell. As Lonesome Stone disbanded in 1974, many members of the group joined together to form a Christian community known as the Milwaukee Jesus People. This short-lived community formed the basis of what eventually became Jesus People USA in Chicago, and the Highway Missionary Society based out of Grants Pass, Oregon. By 1980, Servant was an outreach of the Highway Missionary Society, which was later named The Servant Community, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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