login
Jars Of Clay
Jars Of Clay
Favorite
Get Ringtone
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.

Jars of Clay were formed at Illinois' Greenville College in 1993 by singer/songwriter Dan Haseltine and keyboardist Charlie Lowell; they soon added guitarist Stephen Mason, who like Haseltine, was a big fan of Toad the Wet Sprocket (a good secular reference point for the typical Jars of Clay sound). All three were music majors in the college's new CCM department, and at first played together just for fun, writing a song for a class recording project. Eventually, they chose a name for the band from a verse in the second book of Corinthians, which emphasized the frailty of the physical vessels in which God had placed the human spirit. Second guitarist Matt Bronleewe joined up later, and drummer Scott Savage became part of the band's live lineup, though they continued to use electronic drum loops on some of their recordings. Encouraged by the response to their small repertoire of originals, the band entered a talent competition run by the Gospel Music Association in 1994. Chosen as finalists on the strength of their demo tape, the band traveled to Nashville to perform for industry executives, and wound up winning the contest. They returned to Greenville and began selling a self-released demo CD called Frail, and record companies were soon calling the group's dorm hoping to sign them. With such intense interest, the band decided to leave school and relocate to Nashville permanently; at this point, Bronleewe departed, wanting to finish school and settle down with his fiancée, and was replaced by Lowell's childhood friend Matt Odmark.

After considering several offers, Jars of Clay signed with the smaller Essential label, which nonetheless had ample distribution power through its parent company Brentwood's arrangement with the secular label Silvertone. As the group was recording its self-titled debut album, Frail caught the ear of prog rock guitarist and recent Christian convert Adrian Belew, who offered to produce a couple of tracks for the record. One of those songs was "Flood," which became a runaway hit on Christian radio when the album was released in the spring of 1995. When "Flood" began to catch on with secular stations (particularly in the Northwest), Silvertone threw its full promotional muscle behind the album, and by early 1996, the song was a major crossover hit on mainstream rock radio, modern rock radio, and the pop charts (its peak of number 37 on the latter makes it one of many '90s-era hits whose release formats affected its chart eligibility, thus obscuring how massively popular it really was). "Flood" helped push sales of Jars of Clay past the double-platinum mark, a stunning showing for a Christian group.

Some secular listeners and radio programmers hadn't realized that Jars of Clay were a Christian band, and there was something of a backlash when that fact became more widely publicized. What was more, they were criticized in some Christian quarters for touring with secular alternative rock bands during 1996. They spent most of the year on the road, then took a break to work on material for their second album (they'd already released the Christmas EP Little Drummer Boy at the end of 1995). Signing on with British producer Steve Lipson, Jars of Clay released Much Afraid in 1997. The record debuted in the Top Ten on the pop charts and not only went platinum, but won a Grammy for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. Yet, despite some success with the singles "Five Candles" and "Crazy Times," Much Afraid didn't gain the same level of mainstream exposure as its predecessor. Nonetheless, their Christian audience remained loyal, sending their 1999 follow-up, If I Left the Zoo, to gold sales; the record was produced by Dennis Herring, who'd also worked with Counting Crows. By this time, Savage had left the band's concert lineup to back Jaci Velasquez, and was replaced by Joe Porter. Jars of Clay self-produced their fourth album, The Eleventh Hour, which was released in early 2002 and followed by a live DVD.

The next year, the band issued the impressive double-disc set Furthermore: From the Studio/From the Stage. This album highlighted fresh, acoustic-driven classics as well as cuts from some of Jars of Clay's intoxicating live shows. In November 2003, the group released their fifth album proper, Who We Are Instead. Comprised of the band's take on significant church hymns and popular spirituals, Redemption Songs followed in early 2005. Jars of Clay returned in fall 2006 with Good Monsters and supported their seventh effort on the road with Matt Wertz and ex-Sixpence None the Richer frontwoman Leigh Nash opening. The compilation Essential Jars of Clay, Live Monsters, and the all-new Christmas Songs arrived the following year. ~ Steve Huey, All Music GuideMore

Official Profile

Jars Of Clay
Jars of Clay has sold more than six million albums, won three GRAMMYS, headlined thousands of sold-o...
Songs: 38, Videos: 1, Playlists: 1, Blog Posts: 0, Polls: 0, Battles: 0

Most Popular Music Videos (7)

Flood
(Duration: 3:31)
Jun 23rd, 7:31pm
Work
(Duration: 3:58)
Jun 23rd, 8:05pm
Unforgetful You
(Duration: 3:05)
Jun 28th, 10:29pm
Five Candles (You Were There)
(Duration: 3:43)
Jun 19th, 10:47pm
Two Hands
(Duration: 4:58)
Jul 28th, 4:39am
Good Monsters
(Duration: 4:07)
Jun 29th, 11:13pm
view all

Fan Comments

Nov 8th, 10:28pm
One of my favorite bands - love most everything they've produced!

Author, Reaching Towards His Unbounded Glory
http://www.squidoo.com/book-isbn-1419650513/
Sep 13th, 4:51pm
If you like Jars of Clay, you will definitely like Derek Webb. His new album "Stockholm Syndrome" is out, and it is amazing!! Check it out!!
Mar 27th, 5:46am
I love your songs so MUCH!!!....
Dec 30th, 5:45am
Keep up the good work, guys!! I love your music.
Dec 23rd, 9:29pm Last edited Dec 23rd, 9:30pm.
I love all your music but your first CD will always be my favorite. Why don't you go back to the style that made you famous. Your song "Blind" will always be my favorite song in the world. It is relaxing to listen to and is a reminder to me. Above all, it is the only song I truly know by heart.
Oct 28th, 4:34pm
Good Monsters is my favorite album of you guys. It's just a really spot-on album from a genre that's ignored by the general public.
Sep 17th, 10:58pm
hey guys! you all are so sick! i saw yall at music builds tour on the 12th! You all rocked out loud! I loved meeting you and getting all ur autographs and takin' a pic with you, Dan! COLSER is the best song you have ever done! I listen to it a whole lot! Thank you for bringing great music!
Jul 8th, 8:20am
cool music....hey for anyone out there that cares, God sent his only son to die on the cross for our sins, and, because he did that, we can now get to heaven. Just ask God into your heart and confess your sins to him. This is called getting saved. If you are not saved when you die, you will go to hell and burn forever in a lake of fire...ask God into your heart before it's too late. He will never leave you, nor forsake you.
Jun 22nd, 8:50pm
I love your music (:
Jun 21st, 3:34pm
I just heard 'Jars of Clay' music, and it's so comfotable in my ear.....love it.