Welcome to Monday Memories, where we take a look back at the Christian songs, artists, albums, and moments that have helped shape the music we love. From timeless favorites to songs that may have slipped from memory, each week we revisit a piece of Christian music history and remember why it still matters today.
Christian Skate Nights
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Does anyone remember roller rinks? For those of us who grew up in the ’70s and ’80s, there was something special about lacing up a pair of roller skates, hearing the music playing, and gliding around the rink with friends.
During much of the 1980s, one of the things I loved to orchestrate was Christian Skate Nights at roller rinks throughout the Atlanta area. It was a wonderful opportunity to bring people together for an evening of skating, fellowship, music, and Christian fun. We took something that was already popular with young people and created an opportunity to share our faith in an atmosphere where everyone could have a great time.
And these weren’t just skating parties with Christian music playing over the speakers! Every Christian Skate Night featured a live concert right there on a stage at the skating rink. We brought in talented Christian musicians and singers who performed while everyone enjoyed the evening on wheels. That meant coordinating the performers, setting up the stage and sound equipment, and making sure everything was ready for a great night of music and skating. It was a unique combination of a live concert and a roller rink experience, and that’s a big part of what made these nights so special!
Looking back, those nights bring back some wonderful memories. So, for this week’s Monday Memories, let’s take a trip back to the days of roller rinks, wheels on the floor, music in the air, and Christian Skate Nights around Atlanta!
Songs You Can Skate To
Organizing Christian Skate Nights involved a lot of logistics, including coordinating artist availability, arranging setup and sound checks, and doing plenty of heavy lifting to get everything ready for the event. But there was another important part of the planning: choosing exactly the right music! After all, you have to be able to skate to it! Back then, I worked primarily with female singers, and over time, we discovered some songs that were especially well-suited for keeping those wheels rolling around the rink. Our live performances gave us plenty of room for experimentation, and here are some of the songs we discovered were the most “skatable!”
“Wise Up” – Amy Grant
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Amy Grant’s “Wise Up,” the third single released from her Unguarded album, hit that perfect sweet spot for roller skating when we performed it live! With its upbeat pop-rock sound, driving percussion, energetic guitars, and infectious mid-’80s feel, this song had just the right combination of rhythm and momentum to keep those wheels rolling around the rink. It had enough energy to keep skaters moving without feeling like they were racing around the floor, and performing it live brought an extra dimension of excitement to the experience. This was exactly the kind of song I loved featuring at Christian Skate Nights: great Christian music, a terrific beat, and a live performance that made you want to get out there and skate!
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“Love of Another Kind” – Amy Grant
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Amy Grant’s “Love of Another Kind” was another one of those songs that could really get the roller rink rocking during our live concerts! This was a favorite for skaters who loved to catch the groove and let the music take over. Plenty of folks would find their rhythm and half-step their way around the rink at a comfortable pace, but then there were always those skaters who heard that upbeat tempo and decided it was time to hit the fast lane! They’d fly around the rink lap after lap, matching every bit of that infectious energy and showing off some serious wheels. When we launched into our performance of “Love of Another Kind,” you could count on the rink to come alive, and those who wanted to skate fast knew they had found their soundtrack!
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“Angels” – Amy Grant
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Amy Grant’s “Angels” takes us back a few years before the upbeat energy of “Love of Another Kind,” offering a much more relaxed tempo that many skaters absolutely loved. Not every song needed to send everyone into the fast lane, after all! When we performed “Angels” it gave skaters a chance to settle into a comfortable groove, glide smoothly around the rink, and simply enjoy the moment. It was the kind of song that let you find your own rhythm without having to push the pace, making it a welcome addition to our Christian Skate Night concerts. Sometimes, the best skating songs weren’t about speed at all; they were about finding that perfect flow and letting the live music carry you along!
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Couples Skate – “Love In Any Language” – Sandi Patty
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The “Couples Skate” was always a special part of the roller rink experience, and at our Christian Skate Nights, one of the songs we frequently turned to was Sandi Patty’s beautiful “Love in Any Language.” When we performed this song, couples would pair up, take each other’s hands, and enjoy a few laps around the rink together. It was a chance to slow things down, share a little closeness, and simply enjoy the moment while listening to a song that reminded us that God’s love reaches across every barrier. There was something especially meaningful about watching people skate together as we performed a song with such a beautiful message. It was romance, fellowship, and a reminder of God’s love all rolled into one memorable roller rink experience!
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“Sing Your Praise To The Lord” – Amy Grant
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After the slower, more intimate moments of “Love in Any Language,” we would almost always follow up with Amy Grant’s “Sing Your Praise to the Lord” to get the skating action going again! It was the perfect transition from couples skate back to open skating, with an upbeat rhythm that practically invited everyone to get moving. You could feel the energy building as skaters let go of their partners, found their places on the floor, and started gliding around the rink while we performed the song. It had just the right cadence to get everyone back into their skating groove without missing a beat. And what better way to get the wheels rolling again than with a live performance of a song that celebrates praising the Lord? At our Christian Skate Nights, the music wasn’t just something to skate to; it was part of what made the entire experience so much fun!
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“Old Man’s Rubble” – Amy Grant
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Amy Grant’s “Old Man’s Rubble” has just about the perfect relaxed cadence for skating, that is, unless you decide to double it! Most skaters would settle into that comfortable rhythm and glide around the rink, enjoying the music at a nice, steady pace. But every time we performed this song, there were always a few who decided to double-step the cadence and take things up a notch, flying around the rink as fast as they could! And you know what? It actually works pretty well with this song’s driving beat. The only little catch is that when you’re flying around the floor at twice the speed, you might want to keep an eye out for the other skaters! After all, the goal was to have fun, not to turn Christian Skate Night into a demolition derby! 😂
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“Radically Saved” – Carman
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There was one song I almost always sang myself at our Christian Skate Nights, and that was “Radically Saved” by Carman! Now, I have to give credit where credit is due: the band always did a spectacular job with the song, quite possibly to distract everyone from my own attempt at singing! 😂 But all joking aside, this was one terrific skating song, with an upbeat rhythm that made it easy to keep those wheels moving around the rink. And what surprised me was just how much the crowd loved it! Sometimes, the songs that become crowd favorites aren’t necessarily the ones you’d expect, but “Radically Saved” had that special combination of energy, a great message, and a whole lot of fun. Looking back, I’m glad I got to be part of bringing that song to life at the rink, even if the band had to do a little extra work to make me sound good!
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As the 1980s progressed, our Christian Skate Nights eventually drew to a close. Several of my musician friends headed off to college, and around the same time, roller rinks began closing their doors one after another. Before long, that special season of music, skating, fellowship, and shared memories became a chapter in the past. But some experiences never really leave you, and these nights are certainly among them. When I look back on those years, I remember the music, the laughter, the skaters flying around the rink, and the joy of bringing people together through Christian music. Those Christian Skate Nights will always hold a special place in my heart, and I’m grateful I had the opportunity to be part of something so much fun and so meaningful. The wheels may have stopped turning, but the memories will keep rolling forever!
On that note, I’ll leave you with a song. This one is dedicated to the many lifelong friends who shared the Christian Skate Nights experience with me, week after week. We may have moved on to different chapters in our lives, but the memories we made together will always be a part of me. To the wonderful musicians who worked alongside me to make these nights possible, thank you for sharing your incredible talents, your friendship, and so much of yourselves with me. I love and cherish all of you! ❤️ And to all of you who laced up those skates, shared the music, filled the rink with laughter, and made those nights so special, thank you all for the memories that will last a lifetime.
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