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The Choir is an atmospheric alternative rock band currently comprising Derri Daugherty on guitar and lead vocals, Steve Hindalong on drums and percussion, and Dan Michaels on saxophone and Lyricon. Long-time bass guitarist Tim Chandler died in 2018, and guitarist Marc Byrd was the fifth member of the band between 2005–2014. As of 2024, the band has released 19 full-length studio albums, three EPs, five live albums, one single-disc compilation album, one retrospective box set, and is still actively recording new material. History Southern California period (1983–1993) The Choir was originally formed as Youth Choir in the early 1980s by Daugherty and Hindalong. Chandler, who was also the bass guitarist for Daniel Amos, introduced Hindalong to Daugherty, who was the band's roadie and sound man. The two quickly became friends, and Youth Choir got its start within the Calvary Chapel Christian punk and alternative music scene, which also included the bands Undercover, Crumbächer, Altar Boys and 4-4-1. The band's first official recording was the track "It's So Wonderful," released in 1983 on the compilation album What's Shakin', which also included early work from Undercover, Altar Boys and The Lifters. This song was one of the few times that Daugherty wrote both lyrics and music; as the band developed, the majority of the Choir's lyrical output would come from Hindalong. As Youth Choir, they released their debut album Voices in Shadows in 1985, with Mike Sauerbrey on bass; their first EP Shades of Gray followed a year later, when Dan Michaels joined the band. The Choir made a high-profile move to Myrrh Records in 1986 with their next release, Diamonds and Rain. Dropping the "Youth" from their moniker, they would be known as the Choir from that point forward. This was followed by three more albums for Myrrh, which featured musical contributions from an array of performers, including Charlie Peacock, Mark Heard, Steve Griffith of Vector and Gene Eugene and Riki Michele from Adam Again. The Choir's lineup also changed. Chandler was the primary bass player until 1989's Wide-Eyed Wonder, when Robin Spurs replaced him on that album and tour, but she left the band during the recording of 1990's Circle Slide. Sauerbrey returned to the band for those recording sessions, and remained with the Choir for two more years until Chandler rejoined the lineup for the independently-released Kissers and Killers. Sauerbrey would not play with the band again; Spurs would rejoin the Choir briefly in 2017, when she performed on the Wide-Eyed Wonder reunion tour. In the 1980s and early 1990s, the Choir toured extensively within the United States, and was most notably the first band on stage at the inaugural Cornerstone Festival in Chicago in 1984. They also preceded Bruce Cockburn on stage at the Greenbelt Festival in England in 1986, and opened for Russ Taff on his nationwide tour in 1990. References to the band's tour experiences would remain an ongoing source of lyrical inspiration. During their Southern California period, the Choir's music was described by the Los Angeles Times as "magical songs that combine strains of murky psychedelia with pure pop." Billboard praised the band for its "dark poetic leanings, effects-laden guitars and strong melodic hooks." Hindalong's lyrics became known for their vulnerability and honesty, particularly about the challenges inherent in romantic relationships and the simple joys of family life. Initial Nashville period (1994–2000) With much of the contemporary Christian music, or CCM, industry centered in Nashville, Tennessee, the band opted to make a permanent move there. Daugherty and Hindalong were both married with children, and the Christian alternative music scene in Southern California was no longer as active as it was in its mid-‘80s heyday. By contrast, the CCM industry had begun flourishing in Nashville in the early 1990s. Soon after the band’s arrival, Michaels went into artist management, becoming a successful A&R man in the Christian music industry, eventually serving as the Choir’s manager as well. Daugherty and Hindalong would musically contribute to, and produce, numerous projects, including the Lost Dogs, and most notably, the City on a Hill worship music series. The Choir's first release after arriving in Nashville was Speckled Bird, a reworked version of 1993’s independent Kissers and Killers, with five additional songs recorded in Nashville. Their next album, Free Flying Soul, released in 1996, would bring the band their most notable industry recognition to that point, as they were awarded a GMA Dove Award for Alternative/Modern Rock Album of the Year. Five years later, the Choir received a nomination for Best Rock Gospel Album at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards for their album, Flap Your Wings, released in 2000. Journey to independent status (2000-present) Despite the belated awards attention, both Hindalong and Daugherty have gone on record numerous times over the years about the limitations of the CCM distribution model, the musical and lyrical expectations from record labels, and their rejection of the term "Christian band" to describe the Choir, as the band never fit the "Christian music" mold, according to Hindalong. "You were either one of two things: you were evangelization or edification,” he explained. “You’re either edifying the Body, or getting people saved—one of these two functions. To us, music is not a means to an end. It's not a tool. We're not going to meet your expectations.” Instead, the band soon realized they were primarily interested in writing music about their everyday life experience, inspired by the music of bands such as Romeo Void, the Church, and My Bloody Valentine. As a result, "we couldn’t be sold," Hindalong said. "Whoever promoted the show was not happy with what we did." Daugherty was more measured in his assessment. "In the early days, we did have some promoters that really liked us," he clarified. "They just couldn't make any money off of us. If they can't make a living promoting our show, then they're not going to book us.” This led to the band traveling extensively outside of Southern California, playing anywhere they could be booked, whether a bar, a club, a high school auditorium, a coffeehouse, or a state fairground. Even when the Choir directly addressed matters of faith in their lyrics, the band's music rarely gained airplay on mainstream Christian radio. Instead, their music was limited to the small number of Christian radio shows that played a mix of alternative, rock and metal music for only a few hours a week, often after midnight. "How would you care about radio success on a radio station that you, yourself, would not listen to?" Hindalong asked. "We had no chance succeeding commercially, plus we didn't want to say what we were expected to say, at least at that point." In an attempt to broaden the Choir’s appeal to Christian audiences, Myrrh had the band open for Russ Taff on his hi.... Discover the Dan Michaels popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Dan Michaels books.