The Maranatha! Singers are the in-house choir of praise & worship label Maranatha! Music. Founded in 1971, the label would release dozens of self-produced albums over the next five decades with a variety of Maranatha ensembles, including the Singers. The choir's releases have included live collaborations with artists such as Terry Clark and Morris Chapman, and the long-running Praise series, which debuted with 1974's Praise 1: The Praise Album and concluded with Praise 20: Who Is Like the Lord in 1999.
Maranatha's other releases have comprised children's records, several Christmas releases, and worship recordings including but not limited to acoustic, instrumental, and a cappella offerings.
Maranatha! Music was founded in 1971 by Chuck Smith Sr. of Calvary Chapel, to promote the “Jesus Music” his young hippie followers were writing and singing up and down the California coast. In the early years, Maranatha! Music started signing artists because of their passionate profession of faith through music. These songs became the influential calling card of the worship music genre of that time; they belong to the Maranatha! song catalog today. Back then, the songs considered unsuitable for the ‘traditional church’ were still being sung by millions of young people around the world. Pastor Chuck Smith, Chuck Fromm and Tommy Coomes were among the leaders of Maranatha! who were serving the church at that time. The mission these faithful men began continues today: It is still the song of faith that leads people into the presence of God.
