Jars of Clay has shown themselves as a band with enough talent to keep them relevant and enough drive to keep them going. They have weathered an unforgiving industry and controversies over their methods, and yet continue to produce original, interesting music. They have also started working on an aid project called Blood Water Mission. It focuses on the AIDS epidemic in Africa as well as the areas lack of access to clean water. They began to have a heart for this cause after visiting Africa.The band started from a chance encounter on the campus of Greenville College in Illinois in the early 1990s with Dan Haseltine as the singer and Charlie Lowell on keyboards. Stephen Mason soon joined them on guitar as well as Matt Bronleewe. Scott Savage also came in for the drums. He and Bronleewe both left the band and Bronleewe was replaced by current member Matt Odmark. They came together and recorded a demo called Frail. The demo created so much buzz the band moved to Nashville, signed with a record company and released their self-titled first album in 1995. The album found success and won them multiple Dove Awards. Despite their Christian theme, their album was not marketed simply as a Christian album, and they toured with secular bands.Their second album, Much Afraid, came out in 1997 and won the band a Grammy for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. If I Left the Zoo came next in 1999 and won them their second Grammy. Who We Are Instead was released later in 2003 followed by Redemption Songs in 2005. Unlike their other, more rockin' albums, Redemption Songs featured a new take on classic hymns and spiritual songs. They released Good Monsters as a follow up in 2006 and returned to their signature sound. They also released a Christmas album in 2007.
