CCM (Contemporary Christian music)

Contemporary Christian music (often acronymized as CCM) is a broad category of popular music focused lyrically on Christian spirituality and faith. CCM is primarily associated with Pop; due to this connotation, CCM is sometimes used interchangeably with the term Christian pop. CCM additionally encompasses Christian takes on Rock (Christian Rock), Hip Hop (Christian Hip Hop), Contemporary R&B and Electronic/Dance among other styles CCM originated in the latter-half of the 1960s, initially under the name Jesus music (which itself was closely tied to the contemporary Jesus movement). This movement sought to espouse Christian values outside of traditional Christian music styles like Christian Liturgical Music and Gospel. The Crusaders and Larry Norman are considered pioneering figures of the Jesus music movement, with the latter artist receiving the moniker "The Godfather of Christian Rock." CCM received mainstream popularity during the 1970s with the continuation of the Jesus music movement, as well as forays into Christian music by rock stars Elvis Presley and later Bob Dylan. The growth of CCM continued during the 1980s, with the success of pop artists like Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant, the latter singer referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop." This decade also saw the commercial emergence of Christian Metal by way of Stryper's To Hell With the Devil as well as Christian hip hop in the works of dc Talk. Following Alternative Rock's entry into the mainstream in the early 1990s, Christian alt-rock groups like Newsboys and Jars of Clay experienced success.