What began as a group of songwriters working together in one room has grown into one of the most revolutionary music collectives in contemporary Christian/Gospel music: Maverick City Music.
The group – which oscillates between seven and nine members, including Naomi Raine, Chandler Moore and Brandon Lake – formed in 2018. Since then she has recorded hits like “Jireh” and “Kingdom” and won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album in 2022.
Here are five things you should know about Maverick City Music ahead of their July 28 concert at the Ak-Chin Pavilion in Phoenix.
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Maverick City Music never wanted to start a band
Maverick City Music founders Tony Brown and Jonathan Jay never intended to start a full-fledged music group. Both men were already songwriters for Housefires, another worship music group.
But in the realm of Christian writing, Brown and Jay — both African American — found few equals.
“Tony realized he was in a room with people who only looked like white men,” said Naomi Raine, one of the early members of Maverick City Music. “He wanted to see what it would be like to get some other people in the room because the church looks like more than one thing.”
While Raine was singing in Redding, California, Brown invited her, along with other musicians and now-members Dante Bowe and Chandler Moore, to come together and write songs for other artists to sing.
Things changed quickly, said Raine.
“We got together in a room, sang the songs and recorded them to send to artists if they wanted to sing them,” Raine said. “It ended up being this really beautiful music.
“A week later I got a text message from Tony called Maverick. ‘What do you think of Maverick City Music? Why do we have to make someone else sing when we’re already singing for them?’”
These recordings became 2019’s Maverick City Vol. 1, the group’s debut album. Since then they have recorded more than 10 albums and 100 songs including “Kingdom Book One” and “Old Church Basement” which won a Grammy award in 2022.
“We always say we built the plane while it was flying,” said member Lizzie Morgan. “It wasn’t on purpose, none of it was planned, but God had better plans.”
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Songs are written and recorded in intense weekend sessions
Maverick City Music members do not live in the same city or spend months preparing their music for release. Their music is raw and was created during weekend writing workshops.
More than 100 people fly to Atlanta, Maverick City’s headquarters, for the workshops. The weekend begins with prayer and worship, followed by two-hour songwriting sessions in which the artists switch rooms to work on different music. The next day – after a few more writing sessions – the group gathers in a studio, stands in a circle and records the songs.
“It’s always been more about community and meeting people,” said member Lizzie Morgan. “There are hundreds of authors involved.”
All of Maverick City Music’s songs — with the exception of “Most Beautiful,” which Moore wrote prior to the songwriting sessions, Raine said — will be written during the workshop weekends. Their YouTube videos show raw footage of the group recording the music.
“After these days of writing, you do this recording session and fly off and go home, wherever you belong,” Raine said.
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Maverick City Music never expected to win a Grammy
Maverick City Music won its first Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Album earlier this year with its album Old Church Basement.
The group was nominated in three other categories: Best Gospel Performance/Song, Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song and Best Gospel Album.
The victory was surreal, Raine and Morgan said, and not just because Christian music is often less recognized in broader circles.
The real shock was this: the collective never expected to produce as many albums as they did, let alone receive one of the most prestigious awards in music.
“We started out in such small spaces, so seeing something small that we didn’t know was going to get so big, like it’s really, really special to celebrate everyone together,” Morgan said.
“It’s also a testament to the impact worship music has had on the world in recent years and what God is doing through Maverick City Music and in the Church,” Raine said.
“When we talk to people, they say, ‘Wow, your music helped me pray again’ or ‘I wanted to kill myself and your song got me through it’ or ‘My dad died of COVID and your music was there ‘when we couldn’t bury him,’” Rain said. “It’s proof that God is using our music to show them he loves and cares about them. It’s an honor to be recognized for that too. Christian and gospel music has been helping people for years and years and it’s nice that it’s being recognized as such.”
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They recorded Kingdom Book One in a prison
Maverick City Music’s current tour is the focus of their latest album, Kingdom Book One, which they recorded over seven days at Miami’s Everglades Correctional Institution.
Prison ministry is nothing new to the group, Raine said. His Maverick City Music Initiative helps children with incarcerated parents. Founder Tony Brown grew up with his imprisoned mother.
On songs on the new album, including “Kingdom” and “Bless Me,” listeners can hear a chorus of inmates singing with Maverick City Music.
“It was just our desire and our passion to visit the prisons and just really minister and work with the residents there and bring the love, joy and worship of Jesus Christ into these spaces,” Raine said. “It’s so important to us that they know we love them.”
What to expect at Maverick City Music’s Phoenix concert
The band will be joined on tour by Kirk Franklin, a choir director, gospel singer and songwriter who has won more than 16 Grammy Awards.
Franklin decided to work with Maverick City after seeing them reach new audiences and the work they’ve been doing during the COVID-19 pandemic. He began writing songs with the group, which led to his collaboration on Kingdom Book One.
“He’s a real legend,” Morgan said. “And a lot of us grew up listening to this music. If you’re at this particular concert, it’s probably one of the most diverse crowds you’ll ever see, even in age groups. There are old people, there are young people, there are all kinds of people. Kirk is fun, his songs are hype. It brings with it an element of joy that is so special.
The concert will feature collaborations by Maverick City Music members as well as songs written and performed by Franklin.
Most importantly, Morgan said the show isn’t just a concert, it’s a time of worship.
“It’s not just about music, this change is happening. It’s a show, but it’s also a service. We want people to feel closer to Jesus after the show and that His presence was above all else.”
Maverick City Music in Phoenix
When: 6:45 p.m. Thursday, July 28.
Where: Ak Chin Pavilion, 2121 N 83rd Ave., Phoenix.
Entry: Tickets start at $35.
Details: www.maverickcitymusic.com.
Reach the reporter at sofia.krusmark@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram @sofia.krusmark.