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Loving Where it Hurts the Most Loving Where it Hurts the Most

Bill Mallonee has been called one of the top 100 songwriters in the world, but an audience is hard to find.

Nate Anderson | posted 11/21/2008 09:15AM

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Jason

Posted: December 04, 2008 9:49 AM


Excellent article about one of the best musicians out there... thanks for writing this tribute to Bill.

Music Master

Posted: December 03, 2008 3:57 PM


Wow this really takes me back, I remember seeing VoL at Cornerstone in '93. I always hoped that it would eventually work out better for Bill. He along with Mike Knott never quite got the break they deserved. The article brought a tear to my eyes as I read the piece. Good job CT, I hope that you find room in your pages for more articles like this.

DarthSCSI

Posted: December 02, 2008 9:56 PM


It's not every day you find your "private house show just over the border in Illinois" mentioned...

Brent Thomas

Posted: November 26, 2008 12:06 AM


Thanks for this. Read my interview with Bill here: http://www.colossiansthreesixteen.com/archives/1760.

Paul Ferrell

Posted: November 25, 2008 9:25 PM


Interesting read. To me, Bill having a recognized hit song would be like my Cleveland Indians finally winning a World Series. And how I wish there were radio stations that played music with a deeper meaning than today's top 40.

Bruce & Lisa in Indy

Posted: November 24, 2008 10:55 PM

We had the pleasure of hosting a private show a couple weeks back and they are fantastic people. Bill is the definition of a trobadour and gives us the gift of his music the way God intended live and intimate. It is a tragedy that there is no place in our radio friendly culture for music made for those of us with a brain that can appreciate genuine songwriting. Kudos to Christianity Today fo giving voice and hopefully some additional exposure to a great American artist.

Jim O'Dell

Posted: November 24, 2008 1:55 PM

Thank you CT and Nate for writing this article! You have captured very well an artist of rare talent and humility. Bill writes and sings about the human condition like no one else in Christendom today. While Bill may not call himself a Christian artist per se, the music is definitely informed by his Christian faith and worldview - I find this to be a refreshing antidote to some other music that seems to be agenda-driven. My prayer is that Bill and Muriah Rose would be encouraged and that many people would be drawn to the music of Bill and VoL through this article. Eric L. - Good to "see" you here! I'll go with you the next time Bill and/or VoL are in this area. It's been too long (a couple years now) and I'm long overdue! Makes me ashamed I hadn't told you about Bill before. We talked about Terry Taylor - I should have known you would have liked Bill!

Jameson

Posted: November 24, 2008 12:26 PM

I discovered Bill some 15 years ago. I'm still hooked. There were moments we thought he would get his break, but the cards have never fallen quite right. It's broken my heart to watch him go thru the Van Gogh-esque struggles he has, trying to pay the bills, trying to get/maintain a fanbase, trying to maintain hope and some frail grasp on reality. That's why we love him, he never gives up, and we hope we will do the same when the storms of life rage. Those of us he has touched, have been permanently altered. Bill's story has opened my eyes to the imperfection of American Christianity. We're so timid when faced with extending God's grace to the imperfect. Bill has flaws, as we all do. But what I wouldn't give to see myself, and the body of Christ, be the loving, open, grace-filled arms of the Father to him. Most of us are yearning for this grace and love and would probably be more apt to find it if we tried to express it. We're all walking wounded "yearning for something more."

Luke	Posted: November 24, 2008 9:44 AM


I've always considered Bill's honesty in his songs to be their greatest virtue. The guy just won't shy away from telling it like it is (or how he sees it). His songs are toe tapping, but it's when you are in the shadow of despair that his songs carry their power. I don't know many Christians making music that can match that.

bill mack

Posted: November 22, 2008 4:35 PM

luckily for us bill has comitted to play-live-record in a time when most "christian" music is very comfortable living in the suburbs. don't misunderstand me andrew peterson, andy gullahorn, derek webb, sarah groves and jars along with others all hang out on my play list, but when i want to hear perservering-insight in the midst life experiences i listen to bill. we desperately need singer songwriters who can be transparent before a listening world. bob young is right we ought to embrace and support artists like bill! good article and deeply appreciated.

Bart	Posted: November 22, 2008 8:59 AM


Beautifully done! You have captured this story very well. I need to pay Bill a visit, and soon.

Eric Lathrop

Posted: November 22, 2008 8:35 AM


Wow....my parents subscribed to CT for decades...I just did a few weeks ago. This was my first e-mail version and what a great article. I sampled Bill's music and was surprised by the Dylanesque voice and lyrics. If he wrote more about the One he believes in, he'd be #1. The next time Bill comes to NY/NJ area, I'm there.

Bob Young

Posted: November 21, 2008 11:12 PM

Wonderful article - it came out right as we were having Bill & Muriah out to play at The Junction in Farmington, MI. The world needs more artists like Bill, and the church needs to embrace and support such brave, beat-up, persistent souls. He writes and records music you live with - it gets in your skin, crawls around, and connects some place deep inside where you are most vulnerable and honest. "Resplendent", "Skin", "Songwriter (Numb)", "Solar System", "Threadbare", "Bank" - oh I could go on and on and on. If you haven't heard of Bill or V.O.L., you simply MUST give it an honest, careful listen - it just might change your life...

Jim	Posted: November 21, 2008 10:57 PM


Beautifully written. Charitas, sorry he didn't meet your low standards.

sirhemlock

Posted: November 21, 2008 10:28 PM


Finest article I've read in CT in a while. Godspeed to you, Bill.

Steve Cuss

Posted: November 21, 2008 6:03 PM


Bill Mallonee is a wonderful gift to the church. His song "Resplendant" (from Audible Sigh) is one of the finest ever written in my opinion. Also, for what its worth, I think the comment about VOL's connection with Paste is an astute one - Bill and VOL have always been on the outskirts of the music industry. I wish Bill great success in his endeavors

Carol Torrence

Posted: November 21, 2008 5:11 PM

My name means "Song of joy for Jesus Christ". I've been told by my vocal teachers that I have a beautiful voice. I do NOT want to get to heaven and be told that I have hidden this talent. Yesterday I was amazed to hear an absolutely awesome rendition of "Amazing Grace" sung by "Il Divo"! I would like to use this talent to glorify my Saviour and my Heavenly Father. But I have seen those who seek to do so often silenced while those who bring glory to Satan are eulogized. I also am not rich and have not the funds to gamble on such a venture as I have in times past.

john h

Posted: November 21, 2008 4:57 PM

Intelligent lyrics are, by any standard, the rarity & the exception rather than the norm. Voluminous amounts of pithy music make the charts and hence the money. Nate Anderson has captured the soul-feel of one of those artists whose life requires answering a call to create and tell. The shame isn't that Mallonee hasn't "hit the charts"; but that the record industry annoints a few rather than supporting the art itself with a broader brush. Nate could well have been writing about any one of thousands of singer-songwriters who, if you stop & listen, would touch your soul with their lyrics and sound. A well written, heart wrenching piece about a tourchered protagonist. What a pleasant surprise to find it in CT.

Joe Chip

Posted: November 21, 2008 4:11 PM


Wonderful write up. Thanks to CT and Nate Anderson for profiling one of the best songwriters around. All fans of literate, honest, soulful music need to check out Bill's (massive) body of work. I've been listening for over a decade and keep coming back for more. God bless Bill Mallonee.

Warren Smith

Posted: November 21, 2008 3:25 PM


A great article about one of the most interesting guys I know. Mark Heard wrote a song with the line: "You and Me We Know Too Much." Every time I hear that song I can almost see Mark saying that line to Bill.

Steve Thorngate

Posted: November 21, 2008 2:31 PM

Enjoyed the article, and I love Bill's music. But a quick note: He may not be doing quite as well as we was years back, but it's not like he was ever ranked 65th best songwriter by a remotely neutral observer. Before Paste was the major music-mag player it is now, it was equal parts a small magazine of the indie evangelical (i.e., Cornerstone Festival) circuit and a VOL cheerleading routine. He couldn't have missed that particular list if he tried. This just to say: It's not so much how-the-mighty-have-fallen as how-the-mildly-successful-have-become-less-so.

Adam	Posted: November 21, 2008 11:21 AM


Excellent article.

Charitas

Posted: November 21, 2008 10:52 AM


What is this, CT or Rolling Stone?

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