What's Happened To? - Pam Mark Hall
u104...@csdvax.csd.unsw.edu.au
Anyone knows what's happened to Pam Mark Hall? I miss her songwriting and
her vocals. The last time I heard her was when she released the album "Keeper"
on Reunion Records.
Thanx
Rodney Ho
hotu...@vms1.iscs.nus.sg
hotu...@nusdiscs.bitnet
Bob Miller
> Anyone knows what's happened to Pam Mark Hall? I miss her songwriting and
> her vocals. The last time I heard her was when she released the album
> "Keeper"...
I asked the same question of Larry James a year or so back (co-owner of the
now-defunct Aslan label, produced her first two albums w/ Dan Collins). He
said that she went through a painful divorce and hung it up (her marriage had
been struggling for years). That's about all I know, except that she moved from
California to Nashville.
Makes her final album rather poignant and ironic:
"...we're gonna make it, you and I"
Bob (no jokes today) Miller
andrew.j.whitman
Indeed it does. I've seen a lot of CCM-type concerts over the years,
and a lot of them have blended together in my mind, but the thing
that stands out about the time I saw Pam Mark Hall is that she
talked *a lot* about the struggles she was having, particularly in
her marriage. It was one of the most real and heart-felt concerts
I've seen.
Larry Virden's comments about supporting Christian artists are
apropos here as well. Most of these folks are away from their
families for long stretches of time. They're lonely, and sick
of fast food restaurants and cheap hotel rooms and having to be
upbeat and "victorious" as soon as they take the stage. And
some of them just get tired of wondering whether the freewill
offering will cover the bus fare to the next town.
Folks like Pam Mark Hall, who was one of the most open, transparent
Christians that I've ever encountered, have staked a *lot* on
their musical ministries. The least we can do is pray for them,
encourage them when they're tired of the whole mess, maybe put
a couple of extra dollars in the offering basket.
Here's hoping and praying that Pam is doing well.
>Bob (no jokes today) Miller
Andy Whitman
AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio
att!cblpo!ajw or
a...@cblpo.att.com
Claude W. Anderson
I, too, was extremely saddened by this news. I have been often encouraged by
Pam's honesty in dealing with personal struggles and the issues of life. The
first song on her "Never Faades Away" album (I think it's called "I'm gonna
love you") is one of the best I've ever heard on forgiveness and restoration in
a relationship. Diane and I used one of her songs ("Holy Union") in our
wedding.
Let's pray that God will lift her up and restore her vitality. Does anyone
know an address where we might write with words of encouragement? I
wholeheartedly agree with Larry's and Andy's suggestions of ways that we can
support artists whom God uses to minister to us.
Claude Anderson
u104...@csdvax.csd.unsw.edu.au
> Let's pray that God will lift her up and restore her vitality. Does anyone
> know an address where we might write with words of encouragement? I
> wholeheartedly agree with Larry's and Andy's suggestions of ways that we can
> support artists whom God uses to minister to us.
WE shouldn't just support artists that minister to us.. we should be
supporting all artists.. 8)
Now if only someone would provide us with an address we can reach Pam, and
I'll let her know that there are still people who miss her and support her.. 8)
> Claude Anderson
Rodney Ho
hotu...@vms1.iscs.nus.sg
hotu...@nusdiscs.bitnet
Daniel Lane Edelen
> {Stuff deleted about PMH's divorce}
>Folks like Pam Mark Hall, who was one of the most open, transparent
>Christians that I've ever encountered, have staked a *lot* on
>their musical ministries. The least we can do is pray for them,
>encourage them when they're tired of the whole mess, maybe put
>a couple of extra dollars in the offering basket.
>
>Here's hoping and praying that Pam is doing well.
>
I guess I need to ask the question (considering the rash of divorces among
Christian musician in the last five years, like Bruce Carroll, Benny Hester,
Pam Mark Hall, Michelle Pilar, and others) "IS IT REALLY WORTH IT?"
It seems to me that if someone gets married, then that is a high calling. To
sacrifice any marriage to do any kind of ministry is wrong. Rather than tour
and tear a family apart, why not just call it quits? Does everyone have to
tour? It seems that most Christian musicians barely squeak by financially on
tours so it really can't be helping them financially.
To me it seems stupid and makes me question how someone can put music above
their marital partner. Making that choice to marry means abandoning anything
that gets in the way of the marriage, even if it is music ministry! There are
many kinds of ministries someone can be involved in without the time
involvement and touring of Christian music ministry.
My advice would be that if you truly feel called to this kind of time
intensive ministry, then don't get married.
Dan
--
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daniel Lane Edelen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dled...@david.wheaton.edu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ uunet.uu.net!tellab5!wheaton!dledelen @ @ @ @ @ @ @
@ @ @ @ @ @ "No matter where you go, there you are." @ @ @ @ @ @
Bob Miller
> Let's pray that God will lift her up and restore her vitality. Does anyone
> know an address where we might write with words of encouragement? I
> wholeheartedly agree with Larry's and Andy's suggestions of ways that we can
I will try to get one, though it may take me a while (L. J. moved out of
Ft. Collins & I have no address). I will also try to get a bit more appropriate
info so that (and *only* so that) prayers and encouragement can be more
specific. I doubt if she needs "staightening out" right now...
Bob
andrew.j.whitman
>I guess I need to ask the question (considering the rash of divorces among
>Christian musician in the last five years, like Bruce Carroll, Benny Hester,
>Pam Mark Hall, Michelle Pilar, and others) "IS IT REALLY WORTH IT?"
>
>It seems to me that if someone gets married, then that is a high calling. To
>sacrifice any marriage to do any kind of ministry is wrong. Rather than tour
>and tear a family apart, why not just call it quits? Does everyone have to
>tour? It seems that most Christian musicians barely squeak by financially on
>tours so it really can't be helping them financially.
>
>To me it seems stupid and makes me question how someone can put music above
>their marital partner. Making that choice to marry means abandoning anything
>that gets in the way of the marriage, even if it is music ministry! There are
>many kinds of ministries someone can be involved in without the time
>involvement and touring of Christian music ministry.
>
>My advice would be that if you truly feel called to this kind of time
>intensive ministry, then don't get married.
Well, I appreciate your points, but I'm not sure I'd go as far as you
do. Sure, touring and life on the road are tough on families, and
unfortunately a number of Christian musicians have had to suffer
through divorces. That's tragic. But it's not clear to me that
the divorce wouldn't have happened if, say, Pam Mark Hall had
worked in her hometown as a computer programmer instead of as a
musician/performer. We just don't know. Yes, the divorces get our
attention, but it should also be pointed out that there are many,
many Christian musicians who are able to hold their marriages
and families together. So I'd hesitate to formulate any hard-and-
fast rules about marriage and Christian music ministry.
In any event, being on the road as a married person is a drag. But
there *are* things we can do to help these folks. As Jeff noted,
there are quite a few Christian musicians who welcome the opportunity
to stay in people's homes. When I was an undergrad back in the
Jurassic era, I and my housemates had the pleasure of entertaining
Phil and Bernadette Keaggy, Glenn and Wendy Kaiser, Phil McHugh,
and Chuck Girard on their various stops in Athens, Ohio, where
I was living at the time. Why? Not because I or my housemates
were anybody special, I can assure you. Simply because we had
some extra room, and we volunteered our house. And we found that
these folks were not only willing, but often *excited* about the
prospect of spending the night in a real home instead of a Motel 6.
I would seriously recommend that more folks consider this. It's
not as impossible as it sounds, and it can often mean a lot to
people who have been on the road for a long time. If you're
going to do this, however, let me at least offer a few pointers
that I had to learn the hard way:
- Don't expect Phil Keaggy to participate in a special acoustic
midnight jam session just for you and your family. Don't
expect Glenn Kaiser to preach from your front porch. Don't
invite a bunch of your friends over so you can exhibit your
special guests.
(Sigh). Yes, I speak from experience. What I found is that these
people are tired. All of them were friendly. All of them were
appreciative. And all of them pretty much wanted to be left
alone. Please respect that.
- Don't expect these folks to participate in Bible Studies with you,
impart spiritual lessons to you, or be a "blessing" of any sort.
Leave them alone. Appreciate the fact that you'll be able to
seem them in concert the next night, and then let them be normal
people.
- Appreciate the fact that most creative artists are introverts.
They create their art when they are alone, and, for the most
part, that's how they get re-energized. That means that
these people, when they come into your home, are automatically
in an inherently stressful environment. They're strangers in
a stranger's home, and they're expected to talk and be upbeat
and be shining witnesses. That's a heavy load to carry. You
can ease it a lot by making them comfortable, expressing some
words of appreciation and encouragement, and then getting out
of their way.
I guess what I'm saying here is that if you're going to do this,
do it for them and not for you. If I had it to do over again, I'd
do it differently. Fortunately, all of these folks seemed to
have moved beyond the trauma of Athens, Ohio and gone on to
lead fine lives :-).
>Dan
>--
> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Daniel Lane Edelen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dled...@david.wheaton.edu @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @
> @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uunet.uu.net!tellab5!wheaton!dledelen @ @ @ @ @ @ @
> @ @ @ @ @ @ "No matter where you go, there you are." @ @ @ @ @ @
You really *do* need to check out some Public Enemy, Dan ;-)
Stacey C. O'Brien
>> {Stuff deleted about PMH's divorce}
>>Folks like Pam Mark Hall, who was one of the most open, transparent
>>Christians that I've ever encountered, have staked a *lot* on
>>their musical ministries. The least we can do is pray for them,
>>encourage them when they're tired of the whole mess, maybe put
>>a couple of extra dollars in the offering basket.
>>
>>Here's hoping and praying that Pam is doing well.
>>
>>Andy Whitman
>
>I guess I need to ask the question (considering the rash of divorces among
>Christian musician in the last five years, like Bruce Carroll, Benny Hester,
>Pam Mark Hall, Michelle Pilar, and others) "IS IT REALLY WORTH IT?"
>
>It seems to me that if someone gets married, then that is a high calling. To
>sacrifice any marriage to do any kind of ministry is wrong. Rather than tour
>and tear a family apart, why not just call it quits? Does everyone have to
>tour? It seems that most Christian musicians barely squeak by financially on
>tours so it really can't be helping them financially.
It is ABSOLUTELY helping financially! A Christian band CANNOT live on
royalties!! (Maybe Amy Grant could, MAYBE). Barely squeaking by by your
standards is surviving by their standards, usually. Some money is made on
merchandise (t-shirts, etc) in particular. In fact, some bands survive just
off of merchandise, and break even on concerts. No one plans to "tour and
tear a family apart". You are really oversimplifying and, in my opinion, taking
a judgemental view of the morives of these people.
I think it's just not that simple. For instance, most artists that I know have
poured their whole lives into this, ie. never went to college or developed
any other career skills. Now they have mortgages and kids and they HAVE to
tour. Also, they take their calling seriously and don't realize the family
problems until too late. Also, perhaps some people are attracted to
the performing arts because of unmet needs for approval and attention and
love. This is a dysfunctional situation from the beginning and doesn't help
a marraige any!
>
>To me it seems stupid and makes me question how someone can put music above
>their marital partner. Making that choice to marry means abandoning anything
>that gets in the way of the marriage, even if it is music ministry! There are
>many kinds of ministries someone can be involved in without the time
>involvement and touring of Christian music ministry.
I maintain that these people, in general, are not just stupid. (Raca?) They
do not intentionally put music above their families, but they are stuck in
the situation. They also cannot just walk out on their LEGAL contract with
the record company, and many contracts REQUIRE touring to support the albums.
>
>My advice would be that if you truly feel called to this kind of time
>intensive ministry, then don't get married.
You really have it all figured out for these people. I think if I looked at
your life I could easily oversimplify it and cast my judgements too. I suggest
we look a little deeper and try to extend a little love in the process....
Just an idea, maybe too radical.... ;-)
--Stacey
My opinion
