The band began when Crowder realized that almost half of the students at Baylor University, a Christian university, were not attending church. Finding this very surprising he and Chris Seay started University Baptist Church (Waco, Texas) in 1995, while he was still a student. Crowder became Pastor of worship at the church and led worship and continued to do so throughout the year.
The church's congregation grew, as did the band's lineup. Crowder began writing songs to incorporate into the worship times at the church and eventually the church released an independent CD, Pour Over Me, followed by All I Can Say in 1999.These CDs brought the band to a wider audience and invitations to festivals and events followed.
The band was signed to sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records when Louie Giglio talked to Crowder about the music and how it could be used more than just at UBC and more world-wide. Although the band toured extensively, they made it a point to be back at their home church UBC in Waco Texas for most Sundays.
Kyle Lake, University Baptist Church's former pastor and also longtime friend of the band, had a strong influence on the band's music in terms of content and inspiration both during his life and after Lake's death.
With their September 2005 release, A Collision or (3+4=7), David Crowder Band explored a new realm of musical diversity. The album houses a mix of bluegrass, folk, alternative, and worship, woven together with a touch of electronic ambience. This release landed them the No. 2 spot on the iTunes Music Store and the No. 39 spot on Billboard 200 the second day after its release. The same day as the release of A Collision, their song "Turkish Delight" was released on the Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia compilation CD. This song, which is a reference to the magical Turkish Delight in C. S. Lewis's book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has an old-school disco feel.
March 19, 2007, the band officially started recording Remedy; the band also revealed the album's website, http://www.remedyiscoming.com/ , which allows fans to follow the band via live webcams, and discover more about the album. Famously controversial rock musician Ted Nugent made a special guest appearance on the album, on the song "We Won't Be Quiet".
Remedy was released on September 25, 2007. The day after its release, it reached No. 4 on the iTunes Music Store. When Mark Waldrop joined the band as the album Remedy was released, his sidekick Rupert came with him. Rupert is a gnome.
During the Remedy Tour the band had up a live web feed on Crowder's Xanga account. The feed had a chat room where fans chatted live with the band and their tourmates. It showed more than half of the tour stops live which included their tour bus, live stage feeds of shows, places the band went, etc. Much of the time the video feed would be on Rupert at different stops. On the final night of the tour Phil Wickham and The Myriad came on stage for a hoe down for the song "I Saw the light". The camera for the feed was on the lid of a ball-cap and was wired into a laptop the band had in a backpack; this equipment was provided by Xanga. The band also used the feed for some time after their Remedy Tour.
July 16, 2008, the band announced it would be releasing a live album and DVD titled Remedy Club Tour - Live,The DVD was filmed In NYC and GA.
Crowder's Xanga entry from January 31, 2009, mentioned the preproduction of the band's next studio album. Also on Mike Hogan's MySpace entry from March 4, 2009, he confirmed that actual recording and production had commenced and provided directions for getting to the live webcam feed, which is in a page simply titled "Church Music". The album was titled "Church Music" and was released on September 22, 2009. The first single off the album was a cover of John Mark McMillan's song "How He Loves". Crowder received permission from McMillan to change the words "So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss" to "So heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss".
The band hosted Crowder's Fantastical Church Music Conference September 30 through October 2, 2010 at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Other presenters at the conference included Louie Giglio, Rob Bell, Israel Houghton, Hillsong London, Matt Redman, Jars of Clay, Matt Maher, Leeland, David Dark, Gungor, Derek Webb, and Isaac Wardell. Mark recorded a Rap song for the band titled "Bwack Be Creepin'" for the band's YouTube channel.
February 5, 2011 the band announced the official start to recording of Give Us Rest or (A Requiem Mass in C [The Happiest of All Keys]). On May 21, 2011, the band announced through their website that the band will end after the completion of the Fall 2011 "The 7 Tour" and the release of their sixth album.
Later, on July 21, 2011, the band announced that a Christmas album, Oh for Joy, would be released on
October 4, 2011.
The band stated that they began to record Give Us Rest and subsequently Oh for Joy came out. Some of the songs in the albums Give Us Rest and Oh for Joy were recorded in green rooms and restrooms during the band's last tour.
The band played their final show at the Passion 2012 Conference on January 3, 2012 at the Georgia Dome.
David Crowder is still signed with Sparrow Records and sixstepsrecords under Capitol CMG. He is now making music under the name "Crowder."
Parker, Dodson, Bush, and Waldrop have formed a new band, called "The Digital Age",and run a recording studio in Waco, Texas.
O Come O Come Emmanuel
David Crowder Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appears
[Chorus]
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee O Israel
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of of hell thy people save
And give them vict'ry o'er the grave
[Chorus]
O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here
And drive away the shaves of night
And pierce the clouds and bring us light
[Chorus]
O come, Thou Key of David, come
And open wide our heavenly home
Make safe the way that leads on high
And close the path to misery
[Chorus]
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might
Who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height
In ancient times did'st give the law
In cloud and majesty and awe
[Chorus]
The lyrics to David Crowder Band's holiday song "O Come O Come Emmanuel" are rich with spiritual significance and convey the longing of the Israelites for the coming of their savior, the Son of God. The first verse speaks of the captivity of the Israelites and their exile, both physical and spiritual. The Israelites mourn in loneliness because they are separated from the presence of God, and they long for His appearance. The use of the word "ransom" suggests that they are held captive, perhaps by sin or by the oppression of others, and they cannot free themselves. Only the Son of God can bring them salvation and freedom.
The second verse personifies Jesus as the rod of Jesse, a reference to Isaiah's prophecy of the Messiah coming from the line of Jesse, the father of King David. His coming will free his people from Satan's tyranny and conquer the grave, symbolizing victory over sin and death through his death and resurrection. The third verse addresses Jesus as the Dayspring or the dawn, who brings light and cheer to a world darkened by sin and despair. He pierces the clouds and brings light, both literally and figuratively. Finally, in the fourth verse, Jesus is addressed as the Key of David, who will open the gates of heaven and make the way safe for his people to enter. Closing the path to misery symbolizes his power to protect his people from the harm that sin and death can cause.
Overall, the song expresses the Israelites' deep longing for the Messiah to come and save them from their captivity and despair. It also highlights the power and majesty of Jesus as the Savior who conquers sin and death and opens the way to eternal life.
Line by Line Meaning
And ransom captive Israel
To free the people of Israel who were captured and held captive
That mourns in lonely exile here
The people of Israel are in a state of sadness and isolation
Until the Son of God appears
They will continue to suffer until the arrival of the Son of God
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Celebrate the arrival of Emmanuel
Shall come to thee O Israel
Emmanuel will come to Israel
O come, thou rod of Jesse, free
Please come and free the people of Jesse with your power
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
Free people from the domination of Satan
From depths of of hell thy people save
Your people are in the depths of hell, save them
And give them vict'ry o'er the grave
Provide your people with the victory over the grace
O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer
Please come, o Dayspring, and bring joy
Our spirits by thine advent here
Your presence will bring happiness to our world
And drive away the shaves of night
Get rid of the darkness of the night
And pierce the clouds and bring us light
Break through the clouds and enlighten us
O come, Thou Key of David, come
The key of David is ensuring your arrival, please come
And open wide our heavenly home
Open the gates of the heavenly home for us
Make safe the way that leads on high
Please make the road that leads to the top safe
And close the path to misery
Please ensure the path that leads to misery is closed
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might
Please come, o powerful Lord
Who to thy tribes, on Sinai's height
On the heights of Sinai, you bestowed your laws on your people
In ancient times did'st give the law
You gave your laws to your people in ancient times
In cloud and majesty and awe
Your arrival was spectacular, majestic, and awe-inspiring
[Chorus]
Celebrate the arrival of Emmanuel
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID WILLCOCKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Chris & Teena Johnson Project
Verse 1
O come, O come, Emmanuel
and ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear
Chorus
Rejoice rejoice
Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel
Verse 2
O come Thou Dayspring come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight
Repeat Chorus
O come Desire of nations bind
In one the hearts of all mankind
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease
And be Thyself our King of Peace
Repeat Chorus
Bridge
Rejoice rejoice
Emmanuel has come
Rejoice rejoice
Emmanuel has come
Rejoice rejoice
Emmanuel has come
He has come
He has come
Repeat Verse 1
Repeat Chorus
Ending
He's coming toward us now
He's coming toward us
He's coming toward us now
He always will
Dorothy Sherman
I particularly love his very expressive voice and the words!!🎸❤✝️
Zachary King
Absolutely amazing. My new favorite version of this song. :)
Dorain Jacobs
What I would not give to see an Ode to Joy Christmas concert (NC)! This has been my favorite Christmas album since it's release (2019, and still hasn't been topped!).
Becca Records
amazing..I dont know how else to put it..loved every second of it, thank you so much for posting this!
The Chris & Teena Johnson Project
Verse 1
O come, O come, Emmanuel
and ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear
Chorus
Rejoice rejoice
Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel
Verse 2
O come Thou Dayspring come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight
Repeat Chorus
O come Desire of nations bind
In one the hearts of all mankind
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease
And be Thyself our King of Peace
Repeat Chorus
Bridge
Rejoice rejoice
Emmanuel has come
Rejoice rejoice
Emmanuel has come
Rejoice rejoice
Emmanuel has come
He has come
He has come
Repeat Verse 1
Repeat Chorus
Ending
He's coming toward us now
He's coming toward us
He's coming toward us now
He always will
Matthew Mowry
The best version by far. Ever.
Like if you agree
julienne B MBA
j'adore ce son!!!jarret pas de lecouter en boucle!!
apmarcus
@CateAT @JezzAngel O Come O Come Emmanuel is a hymn that was composed in the middle ages, and itself drew inspiration from a number of 9th+ century 'Vespers' (evening liturgical songs) i believe it was composed by a collection of monks. The musician in this band is indeed the David Crowder Band as you said, @JezzAngel
unprofitableservant
No one captures the desperate weight of glory like DCB. No one. "Rejoice!" is a commanding victory cry when sung by DCB. MTC, Enya, etc are deaf mutes by comparison. DCB should get back together to do more of this.
sillellis
<3