European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 18, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Profile Amy Grant for Rock n Roll and religion mix by Frank Spotnitz United press International Amy Grant failed a math class in she later dropped out just before she got married at the age of 21 and they had a rough go of it for a year and a but things Are Fine these admissions out of the lest anyone think the 24yearold Christian Singer is miss perfect or a Grant can go on to explain that she sees no contradiction Between religious Faith and Rock n sometimes ill have parents at a concert who will come up to me and be really angry with or ill get letters from people saying Rock music is Grant said casually dressed in Black Slacks and a White i dont relate to i relate to getting in the car and being in the worst mood and turning up the Rock station to a just earsplitting i dont care what its its a familiar passionate sound that a but if its not it just seems so strange that i think it frightens some who Speaks with a warm Southern signed a record Deal just before her 16th birthday and has released nine Christian Rock records and won three grammy awards since her sixth age to was the first gospel record to be certified Grants latest is her first to be released by a major a the find a already has zipped into the top 50 on the pop an extensive tour is in Progress to support the unguarded includes one nonreligious track a love song for her but Grant has not backed away from Christian she even quotes from the scriptures on the albums inner although Many of her views coincide with those of moral majority Leader Jerry he has said he still does not endorse Grants work because of what he believes is the disruptive influence of the Rock n Roll if Grant has not been accepted by some neither has her unabashedly religious music put her inside the Rock where even Bob Dylan was ostracized by Many after he became born Grant said she simply has not been around Long i met Cyndi Lauper at the grammy and she was Normal and i was Normal and the labels were she i met boy George at a dinner and from the outside people would there so some things about us Are real but i Shook his hand and he was just George and i was just i feel like when youre around people Long enough you just accept them for who they born the youngest of five daughters in and raised in Houston and grew up listening to Rock n she became a Christian when she was 13 and started writing songs about it two years her parents did not encourage her to pursue to this if my father could maybe name five titles of songs that i have i dont think he knows the words to one mama thinks its great but its not exactly her musical taste she went to prep school and then Vanderbilt Amy Grant Doest Ivan everyone of think Shes a juggling education and her recording career with mixed results on the school she met her Gary while she was 18 and still a freshman in he wrote this song and the Only Way i knew him was his voice on a demo she they met at a listening party for the album and married after a three year i was she we had some rough times that first year and a i just dont think i knew any we we rent dumb but i just thought surely everybody goes through and then i realized everybody Doest go through both husband and wife admittedly hard headed by their relationship was complicated because both wanted to pursue careers in Chapman ultimately had to let go of some dreams he really wanted to Grant Grant is unusually forthcoming about her problems because i Felt if i we rent honest about everything then someone would find fault in the fact that i some people from a churched even the idea of dancing flips pm or for some people for a woman to Wear that or makeup or and i guess from the very i thought in either honest about the whole shebang or in going to drive myself Grants maturity can be traced through her her Early albums use a lot of Christian Lingo that she abandoned As she got realizing if in really trying to communicate this to Lingos not going to Grant realizes her audience is being affected on different some Are enjoying the some Are moved by and most important to her some Are taking its Christian message to i would say to anyone that affected by the music on an internal level to ask Jesus into their although i cant dictate How much there affected and theres still value to anything Short of that Grant said her religious Faith has grown stronger Over the years and she finds no difficulty maintaining it in the face of the notoriously hedonistic life of the travelling people you life on the Road tends to get a Little everybody sleeping everybody taking and in i dont even relate to it was tougher for me in High school than on the there Are strict rules in the Grant including no drugs and no girls in the mens hotel and the band prays each night before a Grant said her religious Faith helps her keep things in it makes a difference to Wake up every morning and say what in doing is not the Center of the its a and the Only truth that going to be Here when i go to sleep or when i die is the fact that there is a god and Hes involved in my life and he gives substance to even the things i cant 20 stripes Magazine july