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.
The First Noel
David Crowder Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay:
In fields where they lay a-keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
They looked up and saw a star,
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
And by the light of that same star
Three wise men came from the country far;
To seek for a King was their intent,
And to follow the star wherever it went.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
This star drew nigh to the north-west;
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest,
And there it did both stop and stay,
Right over the place where Jesus lay.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
Then entered in those wise men three,
Fell reverently upon their knee,
And offered there in his presence
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the kind of Israel.
Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord,
That hath made heaven and earth of nought,
And with his blood mankind has bought.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
The First Noel is a traditional Christmas carol that has been performed and enjoyed for centuries. The lyrics tell the story of the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem as it was revealed to poor shepherds and wise men by an angel and a guiding star. The opening verse sets the scene of a cold winter's night when the shepherds were visited by an angel who announced the birth of the savior. The chorus praises the arrival of the King of Israel with the word "Noel" (meaning "born"), repeated four times for emphasis.
The second and third verses describe how the wise men followed a star to find the newborn king and how it led them to Bethlehem. They are often depicted as bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, which they offered to the baby Jesus as a sign of respect and honor. The final verse suggests that we should all join together in singing praises to God for his wondrous creation and the redemption of mankind through the sacrifice of his own son.
The First Noel is a beloved Christmas classic that has been adapted and recorded by countless artists from different genres and backgrounds. The hymn's simple melody and heartfelt lyrics resonate with people of all ages and cultures, making it a timeless symbol of the holiday season.
Line by Line Meaning
The first Noel the angel did say
The angel proclaimed the good news for the very first time
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay:
The news was first heard by humble shepherds who were resting in the fields.
In fields where they lay a-keeping their sheep
The shepherds were watching their sheep while laying down.
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
It was a very cold winter night, and the darkness was immense.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
The refrain declares, 'Born is the King of Israel,' and praises Jesus as the Savior.
They looked up and saw a star,
The shepherds saw a bright star in the sky.
Shining in the east, beyond them far:
The star was shining brightly in the east, far away from where the shepherds were.
And to the earth it gave great light,
The star provided bright light to the earth.
And so it continued both day and night.
The star shone continuously both day and night.
And by the light of that same star
Similarly, three wise men followed the same star.
Three wise men came from the country far;
Three wise men traveled from a distant land to follow the star.
To seek for a King was their intent,
The wise men were looking for a King to worship.
And to follow the star wherever it went.
The wise men followed the star wherever it led them.
This star drew nigh to the north-west;
The star moved closer to the northwest direction.
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest,
The star stopped and remained over Bethlehem.
And there it did both stop and stay,
The star stopped and remained stationary over the place where Jesus was lying.
Right over the place where Jesus lay.
The star was directly above where Jesus was lying.
Then entered in those wise men three,
The three wise men then entered and came before Jesus.
Fell reverently upon their knee,
The wise men humbly fell to their knees in respect and worship.
And offered there in his presence
In the presence of Jesus, the wise men presented their gifts.
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.
The wise men presented precious gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense.
Then let us all with one accord
The song encourages everyone to sing in harmony.
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord,
The song calls for everyone to praise the Lord in heaven.
That hath made heaven and earth of nought,
The song acknowledges and glorifies God's creation of heaven and earth from nothing.
And with his blood mankind has bought.
The song recognizes the sacrifice Jesus made by shedding his blood to redeem humanity.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind