Paul Clark

Paul Clark quickly emerged as a pioneer of Jesus Music, releasing Songs from the Savior Volume 1 in 1972. By Volume 2, six months later, it was clear: this wasn’t just a movement. It was a mission.

Unlike many of his peers, Paul refused to stay in one lane musically. Folk, jazz fusion, rock, worship, contemplative—Paul adapted and innovated with every cultural wave, always asking: What are people actually listening to? If music is bait, he said, then he wanted the lure that worked. And it did. His 1976 album Hand to the Plow became a turning point, fusing deep scripture with genre-defying sound.

Yet even when Christian music shifted into corporate formulas and commercial polish, Paul never chased industry trends. “I’m not an entertainer,” he says. “I’m a witness.”

Essential Paul Clark Tracks:

1. Abide (*from Hand to the Plow) — A jazz-rock meditation on John 15.
2. Land of Peace (Come Into His Presence, 1974) — A call to pray for the government long before it was popular.
3. Sharpen the Axe (Recent) — A prophetic anthem for a weary Church.
4. Make Me a Soldier of Your Army (Written the morning after his conversion)
5. Spoon Logic (When the Moon is Behind the Clouds, 1991) — A poetic reflection on pain, memory, and surrender.

For Paul, the Jesus Movement didn’t end. It matured. He planted churches. Raised a family. Faced rejection. Got quiet. But he never quit. Even when the spotlight faded, the call didn’t. He sharpened his axe in silence. He built guitars, sold antiques, flipped cars—anything to keep the music and message alive.

Younger artists today are stunned by Paul’s range, his risk-taking, and his authenticity. Singer-songwriter Josh Garrels called him “a prophet with a poet’s soul.” Others say his genre shifts paved the way for the freedom many Christian musicians enjoy now.

What would Paul say to the next generation? Stay sharp. Stay surrendered. Learn to testify. Don’t just play music—live it. Live a story worth singing.

“I believe I’m still called as a prophetic voice,” he says. “Not for nostalgia, but for now. For the digital age. For the battle against deception. God doesn’t need another movement. He needs messengers.”

Paul Clark is still that messenger. Unfinished. Undeterred. And still singing songs that matter.

What Younger Artists Say About Paul Clark

Taylor Armstrong, indie worship leader:
“Paul wasn’t trying to impress anyone—he was trying to tell the truth. That gave the rest of us permission to stop pretending and just write from the Spirit.”

Alina Rae, synth-psalmist & poet: “Listening to Hand to the Plow felt like eavesdropping on someone’s quiet time. It was raw, reverent, and weird in the best way. That album changed how I approach songwriting.”

Zion Wells, lo-fi producer & ambient composer: “Paul’s ability to fuse genres with scripture is unreal. He’s not just an artist—he’s a blueprint. I sample his chords when I want something sacred and subversive.”

Micah Tull, urban chaplain & spoken-word artist: “Paul’s honesty was the revolution. Not loud. Not trendy. Just spirit-led storytelling that still haunts me—in the holiest way.”

Jude & the River, Americana trio: “We owe our freedom to explore sound and theology in part to people like Paul. He made it okay to write a song that’s both praise and protest.”