Twenty-five years ago the word download had nothing to do with music. You heard it occasionally when a senior level of government decided to dump some responsibilities onto a lower level. They could them claim to have cut costs, though the same taxpayers were still on the hook for whatever the service was, they were just paying someone else. But let’s save taxes for another day and talk about music.

In 1989 we were living in Monrovia, Liberia, and new music options were limited. There was no such thing as an mp3 or internet download. So when a friend in Winnipeg mailed me a cassette tape that a guy in her church had released, I was eager to listen, though I wasn’t optimistic. I know how it is in churches; people there buy your record to encourage you, whether they like it or not, even if it isn’t any good. I’d never heard of this Steve Bell, so I was a little skeptical.

Comfort My People was a pleasant enough folksy-sounding record (I admit I had been hoping it would be a rock album). I liked it, but the only song that really stood out for me was a traditional piece that was done with just percussion, “Ride On King Jesus.” It was new music, so I listened over and over.

This year Steve Bell celebrates the 25th anniversary of the release of that first solo album. It was a small beginning – I thought the initial run was 500 cassettes, while Wikipedia says 300. There have been a few more records in the interim, another 16, including a four CD box set, Pilgrimage, released this fall.

Longevity in the music business doesn’t just happen; it is earned. You don’t put out 17 records if someone isn’t buying them. Yet Steve Bell remains in many ways a secret that even his fellow Canadians aren’t aware of. We’re a big country, and it’s easy for one singer-songwriter to get overlooked, especially if he is a Christian. With that in mind, I thought we might join Steve for a couple of stops on this pilgrimage.

I saw Steve in concert on Sunday, perhaps the 15th time I have seen him – I never thought to count. I have seen him perform solo shows, band shows and with a symphony orchestra. Each time is different, each show is unique – but what they have in common is a very special bond between audience and performer. Video clips can’t catch it, because video isn’t live and interactive. Steve Bell is. He also can be what some people consider to be irreverent. There are those who believe Christians should be dull, boring and never have fun. Steve isn’t one of those.

For example: There seems in some Christian circles to be a desire to discover what each person has as their favourite Bible verse. I’m not quite sure why that matters. Maybe it has something to do with humans liking to label things.

So anyway, for a number of years Steve in his concerts would mention that he does indeed have a favourite Bible verse, and quote Proverbs 5, verses 18 and 19, which read: “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer – may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.” I suspect that has shocked a few people in the audience when he has quoted it, but it is in the Bible, don’t take my word for it, you can look it up.

Those who are scandalized by such things probably don’t come to another show. Others though appreciate Steve Bell’s sense of humour, which explains why he’s still going strong after 25 years.