Marsha Stevens

Marsha Stevens-Pino (born Marsha Carter August 20, 1952[1] in Pomona, California) is a singer, musician, songwriter and recording artist of Christian songs.[2]

Marsha Stevens-Pino
Birth nameMarsha Carter
Born (1952-08-20) August 20, 1952
OriginPomona, California United States
GenresGospel music, Inspirational
Occupation(s)Christian music singer, songwriter
InstrumentsPiano
Years active1969–present
LabelsBALM Ministries
Websitehttp://www.balmministries.net/

For Those Tears I Died and "Children of the Day"

Shortly after professing to become a Christian in 1969 at sixteen years of age, Stevens-Pino wrote "For Those Tears I Died (Come to the Water)",[3][4] a song that was to become widely known and sung in Charismatic Christian churches and youth-groups across the United States. Utilizing her songwriting and singing talents with sister Wendy Carter and friends Peter Jacobs and Russ Stevens, the Contemporary Christian Music group known as "Children of the Day" was formed. An entry in the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music states:

If Larry Norman is to be called the father of Christian Rock, then Marsha Stevens certainly deserves to be known as the mother of contemporary Christian music ... She was the leader of what is considered to be the world's first contemporary Christian music group, Children of the Day, and she has continued as a solo artist to produce albums of worship-oriented and edifying adult contemporary pop. As such, she remains the progenitor of what, by 2002, would become the single most popular genre in the contemporary Christian music market.[5]

The album "Come to the Water" was recorded with money borrowed from Calvary Chapel, whose minister Chuck Smith supported Stevens-Pino's career.[6] However, her later memoir accounts that he enforced female subordination, including appointing a male bandmate as leader of the band. Smith's mentoring ended when she came out and Smith suggested that she hadn't "married the right man."[7]

Albums
  • Songs of Praise in a Strange Land
  • Is this the real you?
  • In Retrospect
  • The Waiting's Over
  • The Gift is on the inside
  • UP (Unashamed Praise)[8]
  • I Will Not Behave Like Prey
  • I Found You
  • You Called Us Good

Personal life

Stevens-Pino married Russ Stevens in the 1970s and they were together for seven years before divorcing.[4] The judge gave Stevens half the royalties of all her songs, as well as custody of their children.[6] She married Cindy Stevens-Pino in August 2003[9] and they ran a music ministry training school for LGBT+ Christians at King of Peace MCC in St. Petersburg FL.[4] They currently lead BALM Ministries and attend Pass-a-Grille Community Church.[10][4]

When she came out as a lesbian after her divorce from Stevens, she faced much vitriol from the conservative Christian community. People tore her songs out of hymnals and songbooks and sent her hate mail.[11][3]

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See also

https://www.balmministries.net/home

https://www.facebook.com/marsha.stevens

References
  1. "BALM Ministries Website". BALM Ministries. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  2. Beaujon, Andrew (2006), Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock, Da Capo Press, p. 23, ISBN 0-306-81457-9
  3. Putnam, Neal. "MCC congregation hears Christian singer's inspiring story". LGBT Weekly. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  4. "Marsha Stevens-Pino • Profile • LGBT-RAN". lgbtran.org. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  5. Stevens, Marsha. "The Mother of Contemporary Christian Music". Canyourhearmenow. Encyclopedia Of Contemporary Christian Music. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  6. "Children of the Day: Pioneers of California's Jesus music whose career ended in scandal – Children Of The Day". crossrhythms.co.uk. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  7. "The Unlikely Endurance of Christian Rock". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  8. GLBT Christians Compilation CD
  9. "Marsha Stevens-Pino". facebook.com. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  10. "About Us". balmministries.net. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  11. "Who the F Is ... Christian Musician Marsha Stevens?". March 20, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  • Stowe, David W. No Sympathy for the Devil: Christian Rock and the Rise of the Religious Right, The University of North Carolina Press, April 25, 2011, ISBN 9780807878002
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