Jars of Clay

Jars Of Clay were the breakout band of the so-called alternative CCM movement of the '90s, scoring an enormous mainstream hit with their debut single, "Flood." The group's lyrics may have been exclusively Christian, but their mostly acoustic music fit perfectly into the folky jangle pop wing of alternative rock radio, at the time a rarity on the contemporary Christian music scene. Not only did their success set the stage for breakthroughs by Christian bands like Dc Talk and Sixpence None The Richer, but it's also difficult to imagine the later popularity of heavier, Christian-themed hard rockers like Creed and P.o.d. without Jars Of Clay having established the viability of fusing spiritual themes with mainstream alternative rock sounds. As popular tastes shifted, Jars Of Clay found it increasingly difficult to maintain their secular audience, but still commanded a sizable following among Christian youth and remained one of the highest-profile groups in any gospel-music subgenre.

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