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Petra Retires
Christian Rock Pioneers Say Goodbye After 33 Strong Years

Nashville, TN - After 33 years of music and ministry, Christian rock pioneer PETRA will come to a close. December 2005 will mark the end to a ministry that has boldly and consistently proclaimed the gospel in the United States and abroad. The decision to retire the band was mutual by all members.

“It has been a privilege and honor to represent our Savior and participate in His Great Commission. We have nothing but thanks to God for all He has done,” says PETRA founder, guitarist and primary songwriter Bob Hartman.

“God used PETRA in my life in so many ways, as He did in so many other lives,” says lead singer since 1986, John Schlitt. “I am truly thankful for having been part of PETRA. We’ve had a good long run and have seen so much. We’ve seen God’s hand at work in our music on every continent and in every language,” he says.

The band has impacted generations of musicians and fans alike over the years with over seven million CDs sold, four Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards and an induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. PETRA, initially formed in 1972 by Hartman on vocals and guitars, paved the way for the rock genre perhaps more than any other in the Christian music industry. Though a rotating cast of musicians comprised PETRA’s lineup over the years, the band is closing 2005 strong with over 20 albums to its credit, the latest being the 2003 Grammy-nominated Jekyll & Hyde.

At present, Schlitt and Hartman have made no immediate plans for the future.

“I’m not sure what the future will bring for me,” says Schlitt, “but when God chooses to show us His will, then we just go in faith and walk in faith toward Him. He has never let us down, and He never will.”

There are currently talks of a live album or box set to release in the future. Final PETRA tours in the United States and Europe are in the planning stages. There will be no further concerts booked after this year.

“PETRA has always been one of the biggest names in Christian rock,” says Inpop Records President Wes Campbell. “PETRA’s contributions to our industry are innumerable, and the band was very instrumental in the beginning stages of newsboys career. We are honored to have supported PETRA in its ministry and music,” he says.

I hate to say this; but it’s time to fold. I remember Petra as Christian music’s powerhouse from their first self-entitled work and the Greg X. Volz era to the Schlitt / Hatrman era throughout the eighties with powerful works such as Back to The Street, This Means War, On Fire, Petra Praise, The Rock Cries Out (the original), Beyond Belief, Unseen Power, and the enigmatic Wake Up Call. I also remember when Petra Praise was released that the fans were surprised when it was revealed that Petra changed labels from Star Song to Word. At the same time, the band Mylon and Broken Heart switched labels from Word to Star Song mwhich caused a major shaking in the Christian music scene. From the time Petra left Star Song for Word, the Christian music fans were ‘harrassed’ with release upon release of Petra greatest hits compliations. It seemed as if we would never escape one Petra compliation after another. This told me back then that Star Song was in serious trouble when their main breadwinner left and the only way to make money was with Petra greatest hits CD’s.

I feel as if the turning point of the band came in 1995 when Petra released “No Doubt” which featured a massive change in band members along with an overhaul in their musical genre. I was so disappointed with this CD that I never purchased another Petra CD again but listened to their later releases when friends purchased them and loaned them to me. It was hard to imagine Bob Hartman (he wrote lyrics and compositions but did not tour) and John Lawry gone and the sparkle and anointing on this CD was not there.

Then the band went onward with more compliation CD’s from Star Song and then released Petra Praise 2 which the band revived the praise format that worked with the original praise CD but came out as being a very flat, monotoned, and uninspiring CD. By then, the band had lost alot of it’s steam and the spiral decline was in full force.

We then saw the band in a state of not knowing where it wanted to go. God Fixation was essentially Petra meets Hanson musically with the newer members that joined during “No Doubt” were now gone and replaced. Then Petra did something that is considered a no-no within the music industry, they released a CD entitled Double Take where they remade their own songs with a different musical genre and this uninspiring CD backfired. One would think that the band would be finished. Not yet.

More praise and worship CD’s and more tribute and greatest hits CD’s came and went. The band also lost their record deal with Word and eventually signed with InPop records (headed by Wes Campbell and Newsboys Peter Furler). The last CD, Jekyll & Hyde, was released in late 2003 with Bob Hartman re-joining the band (but Louie Weaver released) and coming close to the old sound but still was something missing. Along with the small record label and lack of marketing, the entire CD was approximately 35 minutes which is short for most CD’s. We never heard from the band again until now when they officially announced their own retirement scheduled at the end of 2005.

Petra will always be remembered as a band who valued ministry over musicianship and will always have a deep respect in my heart because of that. If one had to place a finger on what happened to cause the end to this group it could be attributed to four main things:

• The sudden and unstable band member changes since No Doubt was released (many Petra fan boards blame John Schlitt outright for this).
• The band musically got into a ‘rut’ and never got of the rut and became repetitious over and over again while musically producing a shoddy sound that was not appealing except to the diehard “Petheads”
• The Christian music industry scene changed from ministry to marketing with marketing emphasized over ministry and Petra paid the price as a result.
• The Christian music industry scene changed from ministry to money with money emphasized over ministry and Petra paid the price as a result.

I, in many ways already missed the band (In reference to their older stuff) while not mising them at all (the later stuff). I find myself to be more of a Volz, Hartman/Lawry era personwith regards to their music.

The band announced that a tour of the United States and Europe are in the planning stages ending in December of 2005 with no more concerts to be scheduled. I would like to see a farewell tour with Greg X. Volz, Bob Hartman, John Lawry, Louie Weaver (a very underrated drummer and who could ever forget the Mickey Mouse stickered DW Drum drumset at a time and era when Conservative Christianity was boycotting Disney), John Schlitt, Mark Kelly, and Ronny Cates together (if any differences could be placed aside) to do the tour. I guess that the band will probably go out on one last hurrah and release a live CD box set and videotape the tour for a DVD box set release.

If they do, I may go out and purchase the DVD.