The label's roster also included Randy Stonehill, Tom Howard, Mark Heard, Daniel Amos, Pantano & Salsbury (formerly known as the J.C. Power Outlet), and Salvation Air Force.
Strongly influenced by Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer,[1] Schaeffer's community at L'Abri in Switzerland (which Norman had visited with his wife Pamela on his honeymoon in 1972),[2] and "possibly inspired by the Apple imprint of The Beatles"[3] in 1974, Norman founded Solid Rock Records to produce records for Christian artists who like himself, had "no commercial value.
[9] In addition to his own recordings, Larry Norman produced music for several artists on his Solid Rock label: Randy Stonehill, Mark Heard, Tom Howard,[8] Pantano/Salsbury, and Salvation Air Force.
[14] About 1978 Norman produced an album, Moving Pictures, for British poet and musician Steve Scott which was never released.
[19] In mid-May 1980 Norman released Daniel Amos from their management contract with Street Level Productions,[20] resulting in an estrangement in their relationship.
[25] During that performance, Norman sang for the first time, "May Your Feet Stay On The Path",[26] as a beatific benediction to the Solid Rock artists he had released.
[30] In June 1980 the Solid Rock community imploded due to concerns about delays in releasing albums, royalties and publishing rights, and Norman's personal life.
[31][32] According to Rimmer, Fallen Angel claims that "it was at this memorable meeting that Norman, rather than bowing to the concerns of his fellow artists and the Solid Rock family, chose to strike out.
With accusations against his co-workers, he began the process of winding up the Solid Rock operation and the dreams of the artistic community came crashing down.
[36] Mangano became the executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness for seven years from March 2002,[37] By October 1981 Norman was still represented by Word and the only artist signed to Solid Rock.
My plan has always been to provide them with an intense education, support their efforts with concerts and record production, and then graduate them into the mainstream where they can stand on their own feet.
[41] Additionally, the emergence of several punk-influenced Christian bands in the late 1970s, who "cranked out music that made Larry Norman and Love Song look like antiques.
American professor of religious history Randall Balmer believed that the causes of the demise of Solid Rock were "Idealism, marital difficulties, and financial naivete—as well as changing musical tastes".
I trusted Philip [Mangano] to keep track of royalties, gave him an open checkbook, and never looked over his shoulder.
[41] In February 1992, Norman had a heart attack and limited the activities of his record label until his death in 2008, but work continued to release CD versions of archival material from the 1970s.