Before Buddy & Julie Miller were recording and performing together, Julie had a career as a Contemporary Christian artist. I have her Meet Julie Miller album on the Myrrll label.
Iris Dement was raised in a Pentecostal home, and her albums are filled with Christian themes and references. The Christian Right did not take well to her criticism of GWB (give a listen to her "Wasteland Of The Free"). Her Lifeline is a Gospel album, and if you haven’t heard her sing, when you do you will see why Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Buddy Miller, and Joan Osborne are big fans of hers, as was John Prine, with whom she collaborated and toured.
So am I; I saw her live in a smallish theater just before the pandemic shut down social gatherings. She told some great stories, including one involving John. She’s much funnier than you would expect, very self-deprecating.
I recorded an album with a real good Christian songwriter in 1975-6, which remains unreleased. I have the master tapes (I engineered), if anyone wants to put it out ;-) . He employed the chord progression, and melodies and harmonies of J.S. Bach, Mozart, and Brian Wilson as fodder for his songs. One spooky one is entitled "Who'll Be Ready For The Big Surprise?"
