Dogwood - After the Flood, Before the Fire (2013)

This contemporary Christian duo was formed in Nashville, Tennessee by childhood friends Ron Elder and Steve Chapman. Growing up in West Virginia, they were both the sons of ministers and shared common interests in gospel and country music. After parting so that Elder could go to college and Chapman join the American navy, they reunited in the early 70s and began to play concerts around the country. As a return to the Christian values of their upbringing they formed Dogwood in 1974 as what they termed ‘a mobile, positive musical ministry’. A sequence of albums followed, beginning with After The Flood, Before The Fire. Successive releases helped introduce them to a wider Christian following, genre critics focusing on what Campus Life magazine described as the duo’s ‘crystal clear acoustics and vocals’. That reputation eventually led to noted artists such as the Imperials and Boones recording the duo’s compositions on their own records during the 70s.