Paul Janz (born 1951) is a Canadian theologian who was formerly a prominent singer-songwriter of
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
music in the mainstream and
contemporary Christian
Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...
markets. He is known for such hits as "Every Little Tear", "One Night", "All I Have", "One Last Lie", "Believe In Me", "Go to Pieces", "Rocket to My Heart", "Close My Eyes", "Stand", "Prince Of Pain King Of Fools" and "I Won't Cry".
Career
Janz began his music career in the 1970s with his brother, cousin, and friends in several bands under the names Danny and Paul, Danny Paul and Wayne, the Janz Team Singers and, finally,
Deliverance
''Deliverance'' is a 1972 American survival thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman, and starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox, with the latter two making their feature film debuts. The screenplay was adapted ...
. Brought up in a Mennonite family, he first learned the trumpet and by age 13 was engaged with his local chapter of the Salvation Army. Interested in Gospel music and rock, combined with a broad interest in music saw him record four albums with Deliverance in four years. These were successful in Germany and included 1979's ''Leaving LA'' which reached No. 56 on ''Billboard''. In 1984, he launched his solo career, which culminated in four projects with a string of chart-topping hits from each album. The first solo album recorded at Greenhouse Studios in Vancouver would achieve gold record status in Canada. In 1986, Michael Godin, who was vice president of A&R with A&M Records Canada, left to become Janz's manager. The success of his projects led to his nomination for a
Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
, Canada's most prominent music award. Despite achieving great success in Canada, his U.S. record label's restructuring of its roster of artists led to the end of promotion in the American market. Janz's final project, ''Trust'', which was recorded under a co-partnership with the
Taco
A taco (, , ) is a traditional Mexican food consisting of a small hand-sized corn- or wheat-based tortilla topped with a filling. The tortilla is then folded around the filling and eaten by hand. A taco can be made with a variety of filling ...
and
Peter Cornelius
Carl August Peter Cornelius (24 December 1824 – 26 October 1874) was a German composer, writer about music, poet and translator.
Life
He was born in Mainz to Carl Joseph Gerhard (1793–1843) and Friederike (1789–1867) Cornelius, actors i ...
. Instead,
Lena Valaitis
Lena Valaitis (born 7 September 1943) is a Lithuanian–German schlager singer who had her greatest success during the 1970s and 1980s. She finished second at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest.
Early life and education
Valaitis was born on 7 Se ...
was selected to represent Germany at the
Eurovision Song Contest 1981
The Eurovision Song Contest 1981 was the 26th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Dublin, Ireland, following the country's victory at the with the song "What's Another Year" by Johnny Logan. Organised by the Europea ...
with the song "
Johnny Blue
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Varian ...
". The song has also been recorded in English with his band Deliverance, a longer version titled "Last Road to Forever".
In 1989 ''Songwriter'' was released, an album distributed by the publisher, Irving Music of Canada, to promote Janz's songs to other artists and producers, not intended for commercial release.
Prior to retiring, he was the Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology and Head of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
. He formerly taught philosophy at
Trinity Western University
Trinity Western University (TWU) is a Private university, private Christian liberal arts university with campuses in both Langley, British Columbia (district municipality), Langley and Richmond, British Columbia, Richmond, British Columbia. The sch ...
in
Langley Langley may refer to:
People
* Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name
* Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer
* Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfor ...
, British Columbia, and has written a book entitled ''God, the Mind's Desire: Reference, Reason and Christian Thinking'' published by Cambridge University Press. In 2004, Janz's first album, ''High Strung'', was re-released on CD for the first time by Escape Music in the UK. More recently, he has launched a new brand, Transformation Theology, a remake of
Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world have ...
's grass-root theology.
His son Chris Janz was a recording artist and
GMA Canada
The Gospel Music Association of Canada or GMA Canada (formerly known as the CGMA) is a not for profit association, founded in 1974, whose purpose is to promote Christian music in Canada.
History
GMA Canada is created in 1974 in Ontario with ...
Covenant Award
The Covenant Awards are awarded to the Canadian gospel music industry by GMA Canada, the Gospel Music Association of Canada. The association is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the growth and ministry of Christian music in Ca ...
winning songwriter and Covenant Award-nominated producer. Chris died in
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford is a city located in British Columbia, adjacent to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver and the Fraser River. With an estimated population of 153,524 people it is the largest municipality in the province outside metrop ...
* ''Presence: A Collection of Hit Singles'' (1992)
Promotional albums
* ''Songwriter'' (1989)
With Deliverance
* ''To God Be the Glory'' (1976)
* ''Give It a Try'' (1977)
* ''Lasting Impressions'' (1978)
* ''Tightrope'' (1979)
Singles
"Believe in Me" also reached No. 25 on the U.S. ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Adult Contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...