Childhood friends Jeromy Deibler and Brian Smith had dreamed of forming a band ever since they were young, and their dreams came true when the group Far From Home, or FFH, came alive in 1991. The contemporary Christian rock group, complete with Deibler’s wife Jennifer and close friend Michael Boggs, first tested the waters of FFH’s existence with two albums, Called a Christian in 1996, and then One of These Days in 1998. After these beginning albums, the group got its real liftoff in 1998 with the album I Want to Be Like You, which featured sprightly melodies and a variety of styles in the 12 different songs on the album. “One of These Days,” for example, is an almost folk-like upbeat track, while “Big Fish” is more of a rumba-style, Latin-sounding dance tune.FFH’s next release after I Want to Be Like You is 2001’s Have I Ever Told You, followed by 2003’s Ready to Fly. Still the Cross came out in 2004, and FFH released their last full-length album, Voice from Home, in 2005. With FFH’s most popular six albums (I Want to Be Like You to Voice from Home) have come immense success for the group. FFH has had seven number one hit radio singles, as well as several Dove Award nominations. The 2001 album Have I Ever Told You also reached number two on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Christian Albums.2005 marked the end of a musical decade for FFH, and also signified a temporary halt in the group’s career. Taking a sabbatical from FFH, the Deiblers led worship in Africa for six months before returning to the U.S. Upon return, FFH created music again and, after a two-year hiatus, FFH came out an album Worship in the Waiting in 2007, strongly inspired by the Deiblers’ Africa trip.
