ATLANTA , Georgia ( CNN ) -- Long before U2 and Bono blazed their own paths , and decades before the Christian music industry became a half-billion-dollar annual business , a hippie musician with long blond locks paved the way . Larry Norman sang about drugs , politics , racism , sex and Jesus -- sometimes in the same song . Larry Norman was a Christian rock musician before the genre existed , combining faith with a backbeat and social consciousness . Think of him as rock music 's street preacher , often referred to as `` the father of Christian rock . '' `` Between 1969 and 1979 , Larry Norman was the Christian rock scene 's answer to Bob Dylan , John Lennon and Mick Jagger , '' said Emmy-nominated director David Di Sabatino , who takes a critical look at Norman 's career and life in his documentary `` Fallen Angel : The Outlaw Larry Norman . '' `` He set the standard . He created the space for others to exist . ... The vision he created for where Christian rock music could go still resonates today . '' The documentary is scheduled to go into limited theatrical release in early 2010 . Norman hit the U.S. music scene at a turbulent time for the nation . His first solo album , `` Upon This Rock , '' came out in late 1969 , after he left the band People ! The San Francisco Bay area psychedelic group was fresh off the success of a Top 20 hit with a cover of the Zombies ' `` I Love You . '' It was a time when college campuses were erupting in anti-Vietnam War protests and the nation was still trying to digest what had just happened that summer at Woodstock . As many Americans looked for answers , Norman offered his faith , a bold decision for an unknown solo artist making his major-label debut . `` It was a pretty gutsy move to sing about Jesus on his first record , '' younger brother Charles Norman said . `` To take a chance on mentioning Jesus on a secular record was a pretty important step . '' `` 'Upon This Rock ' was written to stand outside the Christian culture , '' Larry Norman said in an interview with CCM magazine . `` My songs were n't written for Christians . ... I was saying , ' I 'm going to present the Gospel , and I 'm not going to say it like you want . This album is not for you . ' `` No small surprise , given that rock music at the time was the soundtrack of the counterculture and was far from the mainstream . A national survey conducted by Louis Harris and Associates in 1966 found that rock ' n ' roll was by far the most unpopular music in the country . About 45 percent of adults said they disliked it , with only about 5 percent saying it was their favorite . Compare that with today , when nearly two-thirds of those asked in a recent Pew Resource Center poll said they listen to it . Being a rocker in the late 1960s was n't just flying in the face of a conservative Christian music industry but mainstream America as well . Then there were the lyrics , especially on Norman 's second solo effort , 1972 's `` Only Visiting This Planet . '' There were no happy songs about going to heaven ; the tunes tackled the social issues of the day . Norman sang about drugs , politics , racism , sex , venereal disease and Jesus -- sometimes in the same song -- getting his music banned from Christian bookstores that might have sold it . `` Stuff like that shocked uptight Christians , '' Charles Norman said in an NPR interview shortly after his brother 's death in February 2008 at age 60 . `` One of his songs , it 's called 'Why Do n't You Look Into Jesus , ' one of the lines is : 'You 've got gonorrhea on Valentine 's Day [ VD ] and you 're still looking for the perfect lay . ... Why do n't you look into Jesus ? He 's got the answer . ' '' The album also contained what became Larry Norman 's signature song , `` Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music . '' Nearly two decades after its release , `` Only Visiting This Planet , '' helmed by Beatles ' producer George Martin , was recognized as a seminal recording for the genre , voted by CCM magazine in 1990 as the greatest Christian album ever recorded . A similar list released in 2001 by CCM , a Christian music and lifestyle magazine , put the album at No . 2 all time . U2 's `` The Joshua Tree '' was sixth . Norman was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame that same year , along with Elvis Presley . The accolades came much sooner in the mainstream media . In 1971 , Billboard Magazine called Norman `` the most important writer since Paul Simon , '' while Time magazine pegged him as `` probably the top solo artist in the field . '' Norman 's fans include U2 , Guns N ' Roses and Bob Dylan , according to his brother Charles . John Mellencamp said he 's one , too . British pop star Cliff Richard made no secret of his admiration . `` When I first became a Christian , I hunted around in vain to find Christian rock ' n ' roll music I could relate to . It just all sounded horrible , '' Richard said on `` Rockspell , '' a Gospel-music-themed BBC television show he hosted in 1986 , and on which Norman appeared . Then he was introduced to Norman 's music , `` and I just was overjoyed and thrilled , because suddenly I could relate ... and there seemed to be a Christian who could do it as well , if not better , than the rest of us . '' Black Francis of the alternative rock group the Pixies said Norman has been a lifelong influence . `` I listened to his records growing up , and saw him perform many times . In fact , I used to dress up like him ; long blond hair with bangs , sort of a grown-out British invasion look , with black jacket , black shirt , black pants and two-tone black and white cheerleader shoes , '' Francis said . `` While Larry is always referenced by his Christian beliefs , to me he was always an entertainer ... humorous , poignant and always rock ' n ' roll . His respect for the arena of entertainment is what gave him his power as a performer . '' More than 300 versions of Norman 's songs have been recorded by other artists , including non-Gospel acts as diverse as Richard and Francis , as well as Sammy Davis Jr. , Petula Clark and Tennessee Ernie Ford . Christian music has come a long way in the 40 years since Norman pioneered Christian rock . `` Before Larry Norman , there was not any Christian music industry , '' said Shawn McSpadden , manager for Switchfoot and the Grammy Award-winning band Third Day . But today is a different story , according to figures from the Gospel Music Association . It says 56 million units of Christian/Gospel music sold in 2008 , totaling nearly $ 500 million . `` The Christian music industry has been very business-savvy , probably without even realizing it , in that a lot of the artists and bands use their local church as their home base when they begin their careers , '' said Bruce Burch of the University of Georgia 's Music Business School . `` They immediately have fans that are passionate and devout not only about them as a band or artist , but to their message . '' Album sales for the genre , during 2008 , outsold classical , jazz , new age and Latin , according to Nielsen SoundScan . Norman , a hippie musician who set out to sing about his faith , blazed the trail for Christian rock .
Larry Norman was Christian rock musician before genre existed . His first solo album , `` Upon This Rock , '' came out in late 1969 . Norman 's fans include U2 , Guns N ' Roses and Bob Dylan . More than 300 versions of Norman 's songs have been recorded by other artists .