Other PC&D songs include “Friend Of God,” “Mercy Came Running,” “Your Name,” “Tell Your Heart To Beat Again,” and many more.
Organized by Faith and Friends Radio, a Dayton-based classic and contemporary Christian music station, the upcoming Phillips, Craig & Dean concert serves as the 14th annual Faith and Friends Radio Anniversary Concert. The concert is 14 years to the day Faith and Friends Radio launched in 2011.
Faith and Friends is a 24/7 broadcast outreach of Wells of Salvation Ministries, and is available to listen to online.
Phillips, Craig & Dean is celebrating 32 years of touring, with no current plans to stop. The vocal group, still fronted by the three original members, spreads a positive message through both sermons and concerts.
“The music we produce comes from us as a follower of Jesus Christ,” said Randy Phillips, the baritone of the group. “So as a follower of Jesus, there’s going to be a lot of songs about hope. There’s going to be a lot of songs about finding peace again, finding your place again, and finding purpose again.”
Despite the music being rooted in faith, the topics PC&D cover transcend a specific ideology, opting to start conversations about universal themes, like divorce, addiction, despair, loss, depression, and death.
“We write not from ‘life sucks’ but ‘when it sucks for us, there’s great hope,’” Phillips said. “Whether you’re a believer or not, you’ll come away from hearing one of our songs going, Man, I felt something there. Something resonated.”
In Phillips’ sermons at Life Family church in Austin, Texas, he approaches his preaching as he does in his songwriting: everything should have a memorable hook. Sometimes he turns those hooky sermons into songs. The built-in melodies and rhythms from his congregation often make his two professions intersect.
“Sometimes a song has influenced my message, and sometimes my message influences a song,” Phillips said. “There’s a melody there, whether it comes from scripture, something I preach, or just a journey I’m walking through with one of my members who is just broken.”
Phillips, Craig & Dean brought contemporary Christian music into the church and made it mainstream. While clearly of Christian faith, PC&D aims to appeal to a broad audience — or, as Phillips put it, the human experience circle.
“We want people to love our music, love our voices, and sing our songs,” Phillips said. “All that’s great, but I want to impress on their hearts that no matter how dark it is, no matter the odds against you, failure is not final. When they walk out of our concert, I want them to feel hopeful.”
Brandon Berry writes about the Dayton and Southwest Ohio music and art scene. Have a story idea for him? Email branberry100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: Phillips, Craig & Dean concert
When: 7 p.m., May 16
Where: Sinclair Community College, Centerville Campus, 5800 Clyo Rd., Dayton
Cost: $30-60
Tickets: itickets.com/events/482623
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