NewSong
There are certain Christian artists who have been part of my musical life for so long that it is hard to remember a time when I didn’t know their music. NewSong is one of those groups.
I first met the guys from NewSong at the very first AtlantaFest in 1987, which was held at what was then called Atlanta International Raceway. That first AtlantaFest, held June 17–20, 1987, was a pretty big deal in the Christian music world, and for me it became one of those events that I would remember for the rest of my life.
It wasn’t just because of the big-name artists who were there. My friends Sonny and Randy, who did the music at Metro Bible Study, were providing the fill-in music throughout the day between the major acts. So I got to see friends of mine involved in the festival while also meeting and hearing some of the Christian artists whose music I had been enjoying. NewSong was one of those groups, and it was also there that I met Carman for the first time.
Over the years, I ended up performing several NewSong songs myself. There were quite a few of their songs that I enjoyed playing, but my favorite has always been “Say Yes.” I performed that song a number of times, and it became more than just a song I liked listening to. It became a song that was part of my own musical life.
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And “Say Yes” eventually led to another interesting connection in my musical journey. A keyboardist friend of mine, who knew Mark Aramian, introduced me to him. Mark had produced the Say Yes album, and I ended up spending several sessions at his home studio working on keyboard music with him. I always thought that was pretty special. Here was a song I had come to love and perform, and that song ultimately led to me meeting and working with the very person who had produced the album it came from. Music has a funny way of connecting people who might otherwise never have crossed paths.
Then, several years later, I had another NewSong memory that has stayed with me. In the mid-1990s, I was on a singles retreat in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Eddie Middleton was there doing the music. Eddie was one of the original members of NewSong, so seeing him there brought another personal connection to a group whose music had been part of my life for years. By then, NewSong was already woven into a number of my own musical memories, and this was yet another unexpected place where those paths crossed.
Eddie passed away in 2021, so that Gulf Shores memory means even more to me now. Sometimes we don’t realize how significant an encounter is when it happens. It is only years later, when we look back, that we realize we were sharing a moment with someone who had been an important part of our own musical memories.
And if you want to see the NewSong I remember from those early years, take a look at this 1987 performance of “Arise, My Love.” There is something special about seeing these guys as they looked and sounded back then. For me, it is like opening a little window back into that era of Christian music.
NewSong has continued on through the years, even as the faces and lineup have changed. Eddie Carswell and Billy Goodwin have remained important parts of the group’s history, and NewSong has continued recording, performing and ministering to audiences. The group is still active today, carrying that NewSong legacy forward for a new generation.
When I think about NewSong, though, I don’t just think about a band whose records I listened to. I think about meeting them at that very first AtlantaFest and seeing them many times during those years. I think about standing on stage myself and singing their songs, especially “Say Yes.” I think about Cheryl introducing me to Mark Aramian and the time I spent working with him at his home studio. And I think about unexpectedly running into Eddie Middleton years later on a singles retreat in Gulf Shores.
Some musical memories are really memories of songs. Others become memories of people. With NewSong, I got both.
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