If the Beatles and The Beach Boys had a child who made Christian records, this would be it.

12 MP3 Songs
GOSPEL: Contemporary Gospel, POP: Beatles-pop



Details:
"One of my greatest pleasures is seeing someone without hope learn to laugh and hope and trust and love again," says singer/songwriter Roger Ferguson.
And while this Licensed Clinical Social Worker finds joy in helping people through his profession of psychotherapy, he's even more excited about sharing his joy through his music.
"I'm like the man whose big debt that was cancelled in the parable in Luke 7," says Ferguson. "I am so thankful for grace. Because of it, I don't have to carry around all the past junk in my life. I want everyone to experience the relief and freedom I've received from God's forgiveness through Jesus' sacrifice.
"For a long time, I thought salvation and forgiveness were something you had to earn. When I figured out that I couldn't be perfect, I just gave up - thinking I was lost anyway.
"Thankfully, later in life, I came to understand God's grace as His gift to imperfect sinners and that Jesus continually covers my sin. That's when the joy kicked in!"
* * * * * * * * * *
Roger says he's loved music for as long as he can remember. Born in 1952, he believes he grew up at a perfect time. "I've been able to experience the birth of rock and roll and everything since."
The first records he owned were "50 Million Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong" and "The Chipmunks Christmas." According to him, there was always music around his house. His parents loved big bands and swing music, and singing along was always encouraged. In fact, some of his earliest memories include he and his sister and his parents riding in the car and singing harmony.
But Roger's desire to do more than just sing along was really sparked in February of 1964 when The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. "I begged for a guitar," he said. "And I got one - a massive Harmony Sovereign that was incredibly hard to play."
At age 13, he played bass in a band called The Coachmen - "I wasn't very good at it," admits the self-taught musician. But that didn't stop him, and he kept playing and singing until he got better.
At 15, Roger wrote his first song "Because that's what The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Brian Wilson were doing." The song, Seems Like Yesterday, was a love/protest song - and "not particularly good." It was recorded on two reel-to-reel recorders at his friend R. Stevie Moore's house.
Growing up in Nashville, he was surrounded by great musicians including three he met at church as a youngster- R. Stevie Moore and Billy Anderson, and Myron Bryant.
"We've all been connected musically in some form or fashion since. Billy is a successful Nashville producer, engineer and writer. He and I have written around 100 songs together. R. Stevie Moore (www.rsteviemoore.com) is a do it yourself underground musical legend and creator of a massive body of excellent work. We have also written several songs together. And, Myron plays drums on 'I Need Your Mercy.'"
After he turned 30, Roger had four songs cut by other artists - including gospel artist Brice Henderson. While the songs never made the charts, one of them - Midnight Rain - was cut by Charlie Mattingly and The Rebel Creek Band and received quite a bit of regional airplay.
It wasn't until 2003 that Roger decided to try his hand at writing Christian songs. "Up until then, my songs were secular in nature," he says. " I thought all the great church songs had already been written, and to be honest, I wasn't excited by much of what I was hearing on Christian radio. So, one night I had this thought that if I didn't like what I was hearing on the radio, I should write something that I like and that's what I started doing."
Growing up listening to Elvis and the Jordanairres, The Everlys, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Hollies and many others, as well as attending a church that sings four-part a cappella harmonies gave Roger a strong love of harmony. "I believe the sound of human voices blending together in harmony is the closest thing we have to heaven on earth. I still love singing a cappella songs in groups and continue to sing tenor on a praise team at my church."
That love for harmony can be experienced in his first Christian album -- "The Mercy Beat."
"I was writing the song "I Need Your Mercy" as I was preparing to move from Kentucky back to my home near Nashville and was without my recording equipment, so I prevailed upon my son, John, to let me record a rough draft in his home studio. When I was done, he handed me the cd on which he had written "mercy beat" - a play on Mersey Beat which was synonymous with The Beatles 40 years ago. This was only the second song I had written for the project, but I was inspired to write several of them with a Beatles flavor - which I naturally tend to do anyway since they are still my favorite group after all these years!"
While Roger enjoys singing and playing his music as well as the music of others, his real desire is to hear his songs used in praise and worship. Already, his song "Glorify the Lord With Me" is being sung in the congregation where he worships.
Roger lives with his wife, Dawn, and their dogs - Blossom and Mikki - in Gallatin, Tennessee. He has one son, John ( who has a great band-- Big Fresh), who lives with his wife, Kendra, and their baby, Violet, in Kentucky.

"I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy."
Psalm 116:1