The music of Third Day combines faith with the pure energy of rock ‘n’ roll to give the fans a way to show their faith that isn’t watered down.
As they started getting famous, they decided to change direction and were not well received by their supporters. Let’s take a deep dive into what really happened.
Early Beginnings
Third Day started in 1991 when singer Mac Powell and guitarist Mark Lee graduated from Powder Springs, Georgia’s McEachern High School. The name of the band comes from the Bible story of Jesus’s resurrection on the third day after he was crucified. They had played together before in a garage group named Nuclear Hoedown, and now they wanted to make a band in which they could talk about their faith in God. Powell & Lee got to add a keyboard player, Billy Wilkins and started writing songs and playing shows all over Georgia.
In 1992, they played at Lee’s church on the same night that Bullard Family Singers’ drummer David Carr & bassist Tai Anderson played there with their band. The person in charge of their youth group requested the band to play at their church. The group got along quickly, and the band asked them to join. The album that Carr made would be called “Long Time Forgotten” when it came out the following year.
In 1993, this same band began playing in the Atlanta area more often so that they could save money to make an album. Also during this period, original band member Billy Wilkins, who worked as a teacher, left the group. Still, Third Day kept working on their first album, which they recorded at Atlanta’s Furies Studios. Third Day recorded “Long Time Forgotten” at Atlanta’s Furies Studios, and Carr helped with the production. The album came out in 1994, and 2,000 copies were made and sold.
The band began looking for a 2nd guitarist in 1995. Brad Avery was asked to try out after he played with singer Chris Carder. Avery was invited to join the band after he played “Consuming Fire” at the first practice.
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The band paid $3,000 out of pocket to make their second album, Contagious, which was recorded at Furies Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. The demo was put out on CDs and cassettes in 1,000 copies.
As soon as the band had all of its members, they started to play regularly in the South-East. They also started to play at the Strand Theatre in Atlanta.
The owners of the bar decided to sign the band to Gray Dot Records, a new independent record label. In that same year, the band put out an album called Third Day, which sold 20,000 copies. Shortly after that, Reunion Records gave the band a deal for more than one album.
In 1996, the band was nominated for a Dove Award in the category of “New Artist of the Year,” and the video for “Consuming Fire,” which was directed by Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer, won a Billboard Music Award in the category of “Best Christian Video.”
The video was shot in Bombay Beach, California, and other areas around the Salton Sea. This event, and the fact that Leonard Knight’s Salvation Mountain was nearby, gave the band’s album Revelation its cover art.
Their self-titled first album came out in 1996, and Conspiracy No. 5 came out a year later. Sam Taylor made the album. He had started working with King’s X and other Christian bands in the past. The album was up for a Grammy and did win Dove Awards for Rock Album of the Year and Rock Song of the Year.
The band went on a tour of the United States the following year, both on their own and again as an opening act for the Newsboys. Furthermore, in 1998, the band recorded a cover of “Agnus Dei” by Michael W. Smith for his compilation project Exodus, which won a Dove Award.
In 1998, the group began to work on their next album, which was called “Time” and was produced by Monroe James. During the last year, they put together about 30 songs to choose from, but they only chose ten.
The album also got the band a Grammy nomination and another Dove Award. On the EP Southern Tracks, you can find a few of the other songs that the band recorded but didn’t use. The worship part of the band’s live shows was getting more “powerful,” so they made an album called Offerings: A Worship Album that was just worship songs.
They made the album in about a week, and then they went on tour with Jennifer Knapp. They also worked together on the City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise project.
The next year, Offerings came out. It was a collection of new and live songs. Offerings II: All I Have to Give came out in 2003.
In the same year, they were nominated for Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist by the American Music Awards. The Experience of Offerings.
The band won five Dove Awards and their first Grammy in the same year. Come Together, their fifth studio album came out at the end of the year. It won them multiple Dove Awards and a Grammy.
The album and Time were both given a gold rating the following year. Christmas Offerings was the band’s first Christmas-themed album, which came out in 2006. Chronology, a collection of all of their hits, came out in 2007.
Third-Day put out a statement on February 28, 2008, saying that Brad Avery was leaving the band after thirteen years and over 1,000 shows.
The official press release says that Avery left the band to work on solo projects, and Third Day will not replace him. Instead, they will keep going as a quartet. After Avery left, the band played at the Papal Youth Rally at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., in April 2008.
On August 4, 2017, to mark their 25th anniversary, Third Day released Revival, an album that goes back to its roots. It was recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Third Day got back together with producer Monroe Jones. Jones had worked with Third Day on six albums before, such as Time, Offerings I and II, and Come Together.
On March 2, 2018, Third Day said that it would be their last concert and that they would be doing 12 more. In the end, there were 20 concerts on the farewell tour. The last show added was in Denver, Colorado, on June 27, 2018.
Controversies and Allegations
Third Day is one of the most notable Christian bands. In 2018, the band announced that its frontman Mac Powell would take a hiatus to make a country album.
Third Day’s debut album in 1994 had Powell’s raw voice, which was one of Southern rock’s gems. Mac’s music from that time included “Call My Name” and “Cry Out To Jesus”.
Many readers were not too receptive to Powell’s change of style. This decision brought a comment from one Third Day follower who exclaimed that she had “lost all respect” for Powell, she was very disappointed and asked how he could have gone from “cry out to Jesus” to “fell in love with a stranger”.
Speaking to JesusFreakHideout, Powell detailed his interest in country music. “I think there are a couple of things that I would love to come out of, with me making this whole country record.” he said, “ I think one thing is that it would be great for people to recognize that as a songwriter you can be a Christian and not just have to write about Jesus in every song. Because I think as a person of faith, my life is not compartmentalized.” He continued.
In the field of music, Christians might not be all that different from those in other industries. While faith certainly plays a role in their lives, it’s not the only force driving them forwards.
Powell described his long-time passion for country music. “I grew up listening to this style of music, and I think that’s pretty evident in Third Day, There’s always been a little tinge of it“
It’s understandable that there might have been controversy over the release of the album, but it has been well received by those who’ve listened to it. Mac released it on his own independent label.
Regardless of whether we will ever see another country outing from Powell, it’s clear he’s been thoroughly enjoying his unexpected foray into the country.
It’s unclear whether we’ll ever see another country outing from Powell, but remains to be seen. What’s clear is that Powell enjoyed this unlike journey and he was happy with it.
Conclusion
Third Day, a famous Christian rock band, worked in very friendly ways and released many outstanding and well-known albums and songs that are still on the top list of listeners. They went on many tours and won many awards. Although the group is different now, it doesn’t mean they made this decision because of any clashes.
But still, they have the same mission, sing for God’s Glory.
So, what do you think about Third Day? Do you love their music?