Prodigal (band)

Prodigal was a Contemporary Christian music group from Cincinnati, Ohio that released three albums in the 1980s. The group's sound ranged from radio-friendly pop to keyboard-driven new wave to pop country. The group members were keyboardist Loyd Boldman, drummer Dave Workman, guitarist Rick Fields and bassist Mike Wilson.[1] Boldman, Workman and Fields would trade off lead vocalist duties depending on the track. Boldman generally handled the rock-oriented tracks, while Workman and Fields split the more pop- and new wave-focused material. Boldman died in 2014.

Prodigal
OriginCincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
GenresChristian rock, Contemporary Christian music
LabelsHeartland/Priority (CBS), Heartland/Benson, Silver Orb Media, Retroactive Records
Websiteprodigalnow.com

Career

Prodigal's self-titled debut album was released in 1982. It was named Album of the Year in 1982 by Group magazine (along with Amy Grant's Age to Age and Petra's More Power to Ya).

Electric Eye, the group's second album, was published in 1984. It received Best of the Year honors in 1984 from both CCM Magazine and Campus Life. A computer program for the Commodore 64 was mastered into a "stop-groove" or "locked groove" at the end of the vinyl record. The short BASIC program shows a static screen containing a lightly paraphrased quotation from Albert Einstein and a Biblical verse (John 14:27).[2] The video for "Boxes" (written by Workman and directed by Boldman), won the first Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Award for music videos ("Best Visual Song").[3] The music video for the song "Fast Forward" was named Video of the Year by the National Federation of Local Cable Programmers (now the Alliance for Community Media).

Just Like Real Life was the group's third and final album, appearing in 1985. The Christian Music Archive said "This is an excellent album by one of the early new wave/rock hybrid bands of the early to mid-eighties, using equal parts keyboards and rock guitar. Sadly the band didn't get the recognition they so richly deserved, as this was a cut above most Christian albums of the time with instantly memorable songs and lyrics so intelligently written as to be in a class of their own. If they had been a secular band, they would have been early MTV stars. An essential album."

Prodigal had success on Christian radio with the songs "Invisible Man" (from Prodigal), the No. 1 single "Scene of the Crime" and "Emerald City" (from Electric Eye) and "Jump Cut" from Just Like Real Life. The band also created a number of promotional music videos for Electric Eye and Just Like Real Life.

The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music says, "Prodigal was in tune with the sounds and spirit of the early ‘80's...while writing songs that expanded the boundaries of the worship and evangelism fare that typified contemporary Christian music at the time."[4]

Prodigal discography

Loyd Boldman discography
  • 1988 Sleep Without Dreams[23]
  • 1997 One Hallelujah: A Northland Worship Album
  • 2000 How Can I Keep From Singing: A Northland Worship Album
  • 2007 Where God Wants To Be: Northland Christmas Worship

Rick Fields discography
  • 1988 Sleep Without Dreams - Loyd Boldman
  • 1998 My One Desire - Vineyard Community Church
  • 1999 Finishing School - The Perkolaters
  • 2000 Deeper State of Blue - Janet Pressley
  • 2001 Open Hands Bare Feet - Crossroads Band
  • 2001 World of the Satisfyn' Place - David Wolfenberger
  • 2002 (It's Always) Sunrise For Someone - Sunrise for Someone
  • 2004 Songs for the Journey - Crossroads Band
  • 2006 Portrait of Narcissus - David Wolfenberger
  • 2008 Summer Lake Champion - Sunrise for Someone
  • 2009 On Top of the World - The Perkolaters
  • 2010 Blue Water - Mick Denton

Dave Workman discography
  • 1981 Behold the Man - Zion\Rich Mullins
  • 1998 My One Desire - Vineyard Community Church

References
  1. "Christian Music Archive (CMA) entry for Prodigal". Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
  2. Harbron, Robin. "35 Year-Old C64 Easter Egg Hidden On Vinyl". YouTube. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  3. Dunphy, Dw. (February 5, 2009). "Dw. Dunphy On… Prodigal". Popdose. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  4. Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, Volume 1. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. p. 731. ISBN 9781565636798.
  5. "CMA entry for Prodigal". Archived from the original on September 27, 2006. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
  6. "Prodigal on YouTube: "Boxes"". YouTube.
  7. "prodigalnow.com".
  8. "CMA entry for Electric Eye". Archived from the original on September 29, 2006.
  9. "Prodigal on YouTube: "Fast Forward"". YouTube.
  10. "prodigalnow.com".
  11. "CMA entry for Just Like Real Life". Archived from the original on September 26, 2006.
  12. "Prodigal on YouTube: "Just Like Real Life (Jump Cut)"". YouTube.
  13. "Prodigal on YouTube: "Future Now"". YouTube.
  14. "prodigalnow.com".
  15. "prodigalnow.com".
  16. "prodigalnow.com".
  17. "prodigalnow.com".
  18. "CMA entry for Just Like Real Life". Archived from the original on September 26, 2006.
  19. "Prodigal on YouTube: "Just Like Real Life (Jump Cut)"". YouTube.
  20. "Prodigal on YouTube: "Future Now"". YouTube.
  21. "prodigalnow.com".
  22. "prodigalnow.com".
  23. "Loyd Boldman on YouTube: "Wall of Sound"". YouTube.
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