Testimonies

Read about how the music and ministry of DeGarmo & Key has touched the lives of fans around the world!

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If you were around our house in the early 90's you would have heard two of my Dad's cassettes being played regularly. One was a compilation of songs by The Imperials and the other was a copy of Communication by DeGarmo & Key simply labeled "DeGarmo & Key - Rock Gospel" on the tape (I didn't find out the real name of the album until years later). I grew up hearing those songs being played by one of my older sisters over and over. At some point between 5 and 10yrs old my Dad gave me both of those tapes. I had no information about either of the groups and no way of finding out about them. My Dad didn't have the original albums and couldn't remember much about either group. When I was in the 4th or 5th grade I ran across the D&K album on cassette at a local flea market. I recognized the band name from the tape I had at home so I bought it. Needless to say when I played it the sound was much different than I was used to hearing on Communication, nevertheless I was hooked! At this point I made it my mission to learn everything I could about this band and their music. I grew up in (and still attend) a church that is really big into bluegrass Gospel music. Up until this point all I had ever heard within the CCM genre was the Imperials compilation, Communication, and a copy of The Ride by 4Him that I got from one of my sisters. Listening to the D&K album was the first time I had ever heard such powerful music combined with such powerful lyrics. Since we now had a computer with internet access in our home I began to search for anything and everything related to this DeGarmo & Key band. I soon discovered a list of their discography and began searching everywhere I could for their albums.

Though their music opened my ears to the many other great Christian bands of the 70's and 80's DeGarmo & Key has remained my favorite band. Their music and ministry has certainly had a part in keeping my spiritual life healthy. They've been an encouragement to me in my decisions to live for God and follow His Word. I could never thank them enough for their ministry.

Some fun and interesting memories involving DeGarmo & Key from my life:

-I once gave an oral report on the history of the band in the 6th grade. I brought in the tapes I had at the time to show off for my report. A year later in the 7th grade a classmate found a cassette of "To Extremes" at her house. She brought the tape to school and gave it to me because she remembered the report I had given last year on DeGarmo & Key.

-I met one of my best friends because of DeGarmo & Key. During my 6th grade year I was sitting in my Dad's truck at my younger sister's little league practice listening to a new CD I had just recently ordered: DeGarmo & Key's Greatest Hits Vol 1. The next thing I knew another kid my age had walked over to the truck and asked what I was listening to. I asked if he had ever heard of DeGarmo & Key and when he said no I proceeded to tell him about my favorite Christian band. He then told me he was a Christian too and liked how the music sounded. So he hopped in and we listened to the album and talked a while. We've been close friends ever since!

-During my senior year in high school I took a class about current events. Our teacher was always coming up with cool projects and reports for us to do to spark conversation, broaden our thinking, and get everyone involved. One project was for us to pick a favorite song and give an oral report on why we chose that song and what kind of impact it has had on our life. After our report our teacher would play the song we picked in its entirety. I chose the song "Every Moment." I brought in my Streetlight record and 45 single and talked about what the song meant to me and how revolutionary the album was for the band. Our teacher loved the song so much that he played it at the beginning of class at least once a week or more for a month or two! I've corresponded with him since high school and he has said he still rocks out to the song often!

Don't stop the music!

-Elisha Belcher

I didn't know that there was such a thing as Christian Rock until I discovered DeGarmo & Key. I thought Christian music was just the stuff that was sung in "church." Then while shuffling through the record bin at the local Christian bookstore (which I would manage the music dept. of about a decade later) I spotted the "StreetLight" LP and thought I'd check it out. It opened a door to a whole new realm! The music ROCKED and it was/is about Jesus! My first opportunity to see D&K was March 25, 1988 at the Calvin college fieldhouse in Grand Rapids, Michigan. When my wife and I got to the venue D&K's bus was in the parking lot. The doors opened and then out stepped Dana and then Eddie. I walked up to them and Dana said, "You're a big guy." LOL. He was holding a bag of Fritos and he quickly wiped his hand on his coat so he could shake mine. We talked a little and then they said that they hoped we enjoyed the show and went in to get ready to rock the field house. I was too dumb to get pix. Enjoy the show we DID. Except for a moment. The school had those pull-out bleachers. When we stood up for a song my cheap camera got knocked off my seat and fell down bouncing off the bleacher framing. It seemed like it bounced for hours and bounced at least 100 times (probably more like 1-2 minutes and 7 or 8 times) until it met the floor with a crunchy crash. My heart sank as I went down under the bleachers in the dark. I was able to locate what used to be my camera. I was wearing a sweat suit type jacket and I scooped the mechanical corpse into it and wrapped it up. After the awesome show (Steve Geyer was the opener, ftr) we waited in the lobby hoping to get an autograph. A few minutes later Mr. Eddie DeGarmo came bounce-walking toward us with THOSE striped pants, THAT trench coat and hair a-flappin asking if we enjoyed the show.' I was sitting on a bench and he came and sat down next to me. I had grabbed one of the pink folded fliers off a table and asked him to sign it. He took it and got Dana, Greg and Tommy to sign it. We gabbed/fellowshipped for a short while. He asked me about my spiritual life and stuff like that. As he headed back to load up he wished me well on the camera as I had told him about the misadventure. The next day I went to the Meijer photo lab with everything still wrapped in the jacket. They put it in a special darkbox and retrieved the film. Prayer worked and the pix were saved. They can be seen in the photo album in the D&K fan group on Facebook. I wrote a review about it for my mag, Conquest. The second, and last, time we saw them they were at the L.C. Walker here in Muskegon on July 16, 1989. dc Talk was doing their debut tour as the opener and Merch booth workers. I was working with "Breakaway," the youth group at Calvary Memorial church with Youth Pastor, Steve Kennedy and we bought a group bundle. I've seen well over 100 concerts by big and small artists/band's but that concert was the best one EVER! I did take pix and they are also in an album in the Facebook group. After the show we went backstage where Eddie and Dana were standing. I handed Dana a flier for the Conquest mag. He signed it and handed it back to me...LOL. I told him that it was for him and have it back to him. I kinda wish I woulda kept it. I'm pleased to say that my wife and I got a pic with Eddie and Dana. It is the permanent cover photo on my Facebook page. I wish we coulda had digital cameras and smartphones back then...I think. Through the years I have wandered down other musical and personal paths but D&K and their message was always the anchor that kept me rooted and brought me back. The songs and books put out by "the boys" have been a wealth of teaching, encouragement, entertainment and Biblical Truth. These days I almost exclusively listen to D&K music. Their solos and compilations that they have been included on and other artists' that they have contributed to. I'll never get Tired of it. My favorite album of all time is their Rock Solid: Absolutely Live album. I was part of that tour and it's an awesome memory. A very close second is their No Turning Back Live album even though it was released long before I had ever heard of them. I now own every D&K album on LP, CD and digital download. I have a couple on 8-track and am working on the cassettes. I have always been a collector of different things but these days I focus on D&K collecting. Not because I idol worship them but because they continue to be a source of Truth. I was stunned when I heard of Dana's passing but I was/am happy for him. I look forward to seeing him again when I get Home. DeGarmo & Key is the real deal. The music and the Message.

-Jeff Cooke

My un-churched brother received Christ at a DeGarmo &Key concert in Traverse City MI. Mike was pretty damaged by home violence & abuse, and he never fit in at Church. D&K were the openers for Servant at the time, & I'm not sure Dana giving an altar call was a planned part of the program, but I’m so very glad he listened to God that night and followed the Holy Spirit’s leading. Hundreds responded to the message (including my brother Mike) and went forward. With so much ministry taking place Servant couldn’t start their set for quite awhile; pretty sure they couldn’t get too upset about hundreds coming to Christ though.

I served as a Youth Pastor for several years, and I would drive hundreds of miles to take my youth to see D&K. It was worth it to me because I knew my kids would hear world-class rock & roll. More importantly, they would also hear an anointed presentation of the gospel. In addition to my brother Mike, several of my Youth Group Kids received Christ at DeGarmo & Key concerts. The importance of these events was so critical because these were kids the Church wasn’t reaching. As a Youth Pastor in one Church, I started Saturday services for unchurched people; my brother Mike showed up in Church for the 1st time in years, only to have the Pastor make fun of his appearance. Didn’t darken a Church door again until just before he died a few years later.

I've always wanted to thank all the band for their faithfulness through the years for ministering to people like Mike; people the Church didn’t seem to much care about. I'll thank Dana in person when I see Him.

Pastor Will McDonald

Christian Life Fellowship

Quincy, CA