(Early Promotional Shot by Mark Tucker)

1986

• Rich's musical influences at this time included Bruce Cockburn, Peter Gabriel and U2.
  
  
• Rich Mullins and Niles Borop write "Why Should the Spirit of a Mortal Be Proud?"
  
  
• Rich Mullins writes "What Trouble Are Giants?," which he would record later in the year for his second solo album, Pictures in the Sky. Also written this year is "Love that Knows No Bounds" with Cathy Snyder and Wayne Kirkpatrick.
  
  

  January 1986

• CCM Magazine includes an article about Rich Mullins.
  "Songs of Another Kind"
  
  

  January 2, 1986

• Ennio Morricone's Soundtrack to The Mission is released. This becomes one of Rich's favorite albums.
  
  

  January 14, 1986

  
  
  
  
• Rich Mullins first self titled solo album, is released on Reunion Records.
  Album Reviews
  
  

  February 1, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs at Neapolis Church of Christ in Neapolis, OH at 7:00 p.m.
  
  

  February 14, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs at Bethany Baptist Church in Boulder, CO at 7:30 p.m.
  
  

  March 1986

• Rich Mullins begins opening for Amy Grant's Unguarded tour. Rich later stated that during this tour, he threw up almost every evening from anxiety.
  Rich: "It was really scary. Up until that point, all I had done was play for youth groups, and all of a sudden I was in a room with 10,000 people. It was really terrifying. I don't remember the whole thing exactly, but people tell me it happened. What they say I did was just walked out and grabbed a hold of the microphone for dear life. I also was used to being able to hide behind the piano and guitar. This time, everyone else was playing instruments and I was singing. I just grabbed a hold of the mic, closed my eyes and sang."
  
  Rich: "Amy Grant is one of those people who the more I know the more I respect her. I can't think of a single minister I have met that exhibits the kind of servanthood that she does, the kind of calmness. She's very pleasant, loving, and caring"
  
  
  
• Rich Mullins, Gary Jones, Renee Garcia, Reed Arvin and Lang Bliss write "Could Be A Celebration while on the tour.
  
  

  March 7, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Jacksonville Memorial Stadium in Jacksonville, FL. Songs included "Sing Your Praise to the Lord," "It Don't Do," "Live Right," "Save Me," "A Few Good Men," and "Elijah."
  Rich: "I threw up every night. I got off this bus and we go up to this auditorium in Jacksonville, Florida that was gigantic and I just remember walking out and without anyone even being there and suddenly feeling nauseous." (Source: Radio interview with Brian Mason, April 23, 1995, WLAC FM, Nashville, Tennessee)
  
  

  March 8, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Lakeland Civic Center in Lakeland, FL. at 8 p.m.
  
  

  March 10, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the ONU Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA at 7:30 p.m.
  
  

  March 12, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, SC at 8:00 p.m.
  
  

  March 13, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, VA at 7:30 p.m.
  
  
  

  (Early Promotional Shot by Mark Tucker)

  March 14, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC.
  
  

  March 15, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Omni Coliseum in Atlanta, GA. at 7:30 p.m.
  
  

  March 17, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Summit in Houston, TX.
  
  

  March 18, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour Tour at the Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center at the University of Texas in Austin, TX. at 8 p.m.
  
  

  March 20, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Taylor County Coliseum in Abilene, TX. at 8:00 p.m.
  
  

  March 21, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Mabee Center at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, OK at 8:00 p.m.
  
  

  March 22, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, TX. at 8:00 p.m.
  
  

  March 24, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Al G Langford Chaparral Center, Midland College, Midland, Texas at 8:00 p.m.
  
  

  March 25, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Heart 'O Texas Coliseum in Waco, TX.
  
  

  March 27, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at Laurie Auditorium, Trinty University, San Antonio, TX.
  
  

  April 1986

• CCM Magazine reviews Rich's first self titled album.
  Album Reviews
  
  

  April 1, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at Towson Center at Towson State University in Towson, MD. at 7:30 p.m. .
  
  

  April 2, 1986

• Amy Grant performs Rich's "Love of Another Kind" on NBC's Late Night with David Letterman.
  
  

  April 3, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania at 7:00 p.m.
  
  

  April 4, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, PA. at 8:00 p.m.
  
  

  April 5, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Community War Memorial in Rochester, NY.
  
  

  April 7, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Centrum in Worcester, MA.
  
  

  April 8, 1986

  
  
• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY.
  Rich's sister Debbie: "I went with a friend to see him when he was playing with Amy Grant at Radio City Music Hall. After the concert we were standing outside, and this white limousine someone had provided for him pulled up to take him back to the hotel. He told the driver to go on because he wanted to ride with the guys in the equipment van. We said good-bye, and he left in the van. My friend said, 'Do you ever get tired of people treating your brother like he's different from you or anyone else?' When I said no, she asked why. I said, 'Because he is different. I would have gotten into the limo.'"
  Rich's sister Debbie: "When he played at Radio City - I forgot what the conversation was, but we were talking about seduction. And he said, 'you know the one thing I have found more seductive than anything is applause.' And he said, 'You can't imagine what it feels like to have, you know, a thousand people applauding you. He said 'I could really get lost in that.' He was really afraid of that. In the same way that he was afraid of the money thing. He could really get lost in it."
  
  
• The Boston Globe runs a review of Amy Grant's show the previous night in Worcester, PA. The mostly glowing review paints Rich's performance in a less-than-flattering light, calling it "Preachy" and "Self Righteous."
  
  

  April 10, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Ohio Center in Columbus, Ohio at 7:30 p.m. Rich and Amy performed "Sing Your Praise to the Lord" together.
  
  
• Amy Grant won a Dove award for Artist of the Year. Since she was on tour and unable to attend the awards ceremony in in Nashville, TN, Roland Lundy, the executive vice president for Word Inc. accepted the award oh her behalf.
  
  

  April 11, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, IN.
  
  
• It was during the Unguarded Tour that Rich met Gay Quisenberry, who would later become his agent and manager.
  Gay: "In 1986, I was doing the booking for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour. Rich Mullins was the opening act, but I had never met him. We were in Indiana for the first show I was working on, and we had this room for the artists to come and relax and have some refreshments. This guy comes in the door dressed in shabby clothes, and he looked like he hadn't bathed or shaved for days. I assumed he was a roady, or one of the truck drivers, so I went up to him and asked him to leave, telling him the food and drinks were for the artists. He said he was sorry and politely left and stood out in the hallway. An hour later, the show began, and the announcer said 'Please welcome Rich Mullins,' and out walks this same guy! After the show I apologized, and I asked him why he didn't tell me who he was after I told him it was for the artists, and he said he just assumed it was for the artists in Amy's band. For years to come, after we began working together full-time, he loved to remind me of our first meeting and how I ran him out of the room."
  
  

  April 12, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan at 7:30 p.m.
  
  

  April 14, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Richfield Coliseum Theater in Richfield, near Cleveland, Ohio at 7:30 p.m.
  
  
  
  

  (Rich in concert opening for Amy Grant)

  April 15, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Elliot Hall of Music, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana at 8:00 p.m.
  
  

  April 17, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Grand Valley State College fieldhouse, Allendale, near Grand Rapids, Michigan at 7:30 p.m.
  
  

  April 18, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, Illinois at 8:00 p.m.
  
  

  April 19, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at Met Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota at 8:00 p.m. Songs performed included "Sing Your Praise to the Lord," "Save Me," "Live Right," "Doubly Good to You," "Love of Another Kind," "A Few Good Men" and "Elijah."
  
  

  April 21, 1986

  
  
• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska at 7:30 p.m.
  
  

  April 22, 1986

• Rich begins to write "Calling Out Your Name" while driving through Nebraska on the Ungarded tour.
  Rich: "The first line of that I wrote when I was on tour with Amy Grant on the Unguarded tour I think or whatever tour that was. That was years and years ago. We were driving through Nebraska and there was a big beautiful full moon and I don't know how it happens but I just thought well, the moon moved past Nebraska and spoke laughter on those cold Dakota hills. Buffalo Bill. (laughs) That was where it started. I went, 'Oh I will use that someday. I have no idea where but I know I will use it.' And so I just kind of stored it away. Then I was riding my motorcycle in the Flint Hills and pretty much finished the song there. This would have been six years later that I finished it. But I do that. I keep little scraps. I think writing-wise, I am probably more of a quilter than a weaver cuz I just get a little scrap here and a little scrap there and sew them together."
  
  
• The Omaha World Herald in Omaha, NE includes a review of the Amy Grant/Rich Mullins show the previous night in Omaha. "Mullins songs were more specifically Christian than Miss Grant's. He and his four-piece band set most of them to pulsing rock beats, with Mullins betling out the lyrics. He, too, drew a strong audience reaction."
  
  
  

  April 23, 1986

• Prior to the concert later in the evening, Rich met Devlin Donaldson and Mark Hollingsworth and they went to MacDonalds together and talked about Rich becoming a sponsor and a spokesperson for Compassion International. He spent the next eleven years of his life promoting Compassion International.
  Mark Hollingsworth: "...I wanted to introduce Rich to some of my cohorts at Compassion. I had warned my boss and the others that Rich could be a tad unpredictable, and that he was never shy about expressing whatever thought process his mind was churning. 'Be prepared... and take whatever he may spout-on about with a huge grain of salt,' I cautioned with a wink and a smile. We drove up to Boulder, Colorado to see him open for Amy Grant on the Unguarded Tour. Rich was not in a particularly good mood after his sound check in the cavernous Univ. of Colorado Fieldhouse was completed. Once he got permission from the road manager to go off site with us to eat, he was grousing in the van about the idiocy of Amy's fandom that were waiting like cattle in long lines outside the hall. Rich claimed that he would enjoy going up to those pre-teen wanna-be's who were all wearing their leopard skin jackets and black spandex tights and 'slap some sense into each and every one of them.' My fellow Compassionates laughed nervously.
  
  We drove to several area restaurants, but they were all over-run with said fan base, and the waits were over thirty minutes to be seated, so we kept moving. This did not assist in changing Rich's demeanor whatsoever. Since we had limited time before Rich had to return backstage, we had to settle for a McDonald's that was, once again, full of Amy-ites. My chums were doing their best to make small talk with Rich, but he was sullen and somewhat withdrawn. My boss, Dave, looked at me as if to say, 'What is this guy’s deal?'
  
  As Rich was munching on his fillet-o-fish and slurping some orange drink, he suddenly plopped the cup on the table top and declared with intentionality that would make Idi Amin flinch, 'Ya know, I could pull out a sub machine gun and mow down every single person in this restaurant, and not feel one moment of remorse.' Trying to lighten the mood I interjected, 'Aw Rich, you're so full of it sometimes... just relax and let the kids have their naïve fun.'
  
  He then took another bite and mumbled, 'I am so very, very serious. Get me a gun and I'll prove it.' More uncomfortable acknowledgement and tittering ensued from our group. Thankfully, his mood began to lighten, and he apologized for being such a jerk just as we dropped him off at the arena. To this day, I'm amazed that my teammates at Compassion were willing to keep moving forward with Rich. But it was a tremendous partnership that grew deep and more precious over the next eleven years."
  
  
• Zion Ministries, Inc. was officially dissolved because it's license to operate was not renewed.
  
  

  April 24, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Casper Events Center in Casper, WY. at 7:30 p.m.
  
  

  April 26, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Arizona Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, AZ. at 8:00 p.m.
  
  
  

  April 28, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, NV. at 7:30 p.m. Steve Taylor also performs.
  
  

  April 29, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Boise State University Pavilion in Boise, ID. at 8:00 p.m.
  
  

  Mid 1986

• Rich Mullins and Justin Peters write "Can I Be With You?," which would later be retitled "Be With You" for Rich's second album, Pictures in the Sky
  
  

  May 1, 1986

  
  
• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at Concord Pavilion, Concord, CA. at 7:30 p.m.
  
  
• Rich Mullins writes a letter to fellow artist Steve Taylor.
  Rich, to Steve: "Steve Taylor -- There is some clumsiness in giving someone a tape of yourself. It's like saying to them 'listen to me because I want you to like me' and so then you get stuck with the chore of responding under conscription. Sorry. But, here's my tape anwyway. I will do you this favor tho - I will tell you that I have appreciated your stuff before you ask. Ok - so it may be presumpuous of me to think that you have any concern about how I feel or what I think about your music -- but as an artist, I know that it is good to hear an encouraging word from just about anybody. So just think of it like that because that's how it is. And if it lets you off the hook any, I gave another tape to a security guard and I hope he likes it too.Thank you for being someone whose approvalcan mean much. It is good that you are in this world. -- Rich Mullins"
  
  

  May 2, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Forum in Inglewood, California at 7:30 p.m. Also appearing on the bill is Steve Taylor and Some Band.
  
  

  May 1986

• Rich Mullins performs at Milligan College in Johnson City, TN.
  
  
• David "Beaker" Strasser graduate from Cincinnati Bible College.
  
  

  May 17, 1986

• Rich Mullins attends the wedding of former Zion-band member Jenny Filson and Mark Wesner at Broadway Church in Fort Wayne, IN. Prior to the ceremony, Rich went to Jenny's dressing room and performed "The Courting Song" for her.
  
  

  May 21, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant's Unguarded Tour at the Mabee Center in Tulsa, OK.
  
  

  May 22, 1986

• The Tulsa World in Tulsa, OK includes a review of the Amy Grant concert the previous Friday at the Mabee Center. Rich Mullins is mentioned as the opening act. "Contemporary Christian artist Rich Mullins began the night with a well-played 40-minute set. Mullins has a nice voice and performed well, but didn't have the pizazz that was to come later."
  
  

  Summer 1986 - 1987

• Steve Cudworth lives with Rich at his home in Bellsburg, TN. and toured and sang with him regularly.
  
  

  Unknown Date 1986

• Rich and a friend take a motorcycle trip up to New England and into Canada. While on the trip, Rich writes "When You Love."
  Rich: "A friend and I had taken a motorcycle trip up to New England and into Canada. Riding motorcycle can be really fun. In fact I wrote this song, I wrote this song do do do I forget the name of it, but it was on my second album, and I mostly wrote it because we were going over one of those road construction places where they had all the bumps in the road and it just set up that rhythm, when my tires were going over it, I started just kind of feeling that rhythm and started kind of mumbling things to myself." ("Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth" Radio Special, 1988)
  
  

  June 4, 1986

• "Elijah" debuts on the AC Charts. It would spend 4 weeks on the chart and peak at #26.
  
  

  July 11, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs at Music Mill Ampitheatre at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, TX. at 8:00 p.m.. Russ Taff and Leon Patillo also perform.
  
  

  Summer 1986

• Rich performs at Christ in Youth in Adrian, MI. Songs included "Offertory Rag (Instrumental)," "When You Love" (a song written "on his motorcycle"), "Save Me," "Beggar's Ball," "Elijah."
  
  

  August 16, 1986

• Rich Mullins opens for Amy Grant at Summerfest '86, at the Seattle Coliseum in Seattle, WA. Gary Chapman, Leon Patillo, The Randy Stonehill Band and These Three also perform. While in Seattle, Rich visited his old friend, Steve Page.
  
  

  August 1986

• Rich Mullins performs at Rock Lake Christian Assembly high school camp near Vestaburg, MI.
  
  

  August 30, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs as part of Solid Rock '86 at Sandstone Outdoor Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, KS. from 2:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Other performers included Amy Grant, Mylon LeFevre, Bryan Duncan, Undercover and Steve Taylor & Some Band. Songs performed included "Sing Your Praise to the Lord."
  
  

  September 2, 1986

• "These Days" debuts on the AC Charts. It would spend 4 weeks on the chart and peak at #29.
  
  

  September 6, 1986

• Former Zion Ministries coworker Pamela Zea marries David Ping in Cincinnati, OH.
  
  

  September 7, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs at Ellettsville Christian Church in Ellettsville, IN at 6:00 p.m.
  
  

  Mid September 1986

• Rich Mullins performs a "Lutz Benefit Concert" at Cincinnati Bible College for Beth and Mark Lutz.
  Beth Snell Lutz: "Returning to CBS just to do a benefit concert for our anticipated move to Zimbabwe was a gift, the memory of which I cherish."
  Set List: Alma Mater/Nothing But A Miracle/A Few Good Men/Be With You/What Trouble Are Giants/Live Right/Prisoner/House Of Gold (Hank Williams cover)/Marching On/Save Me/New Heart/Hello Old Friends/Seminary Girl - Guy/For Unto Us/Hope To Carry On/Sing Your Praise To The Lord/I See You/Elijah
  

  September 13, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs a free concert on the grounds of WHME studios in South Bend, Indiana, along with Bob Bennett and Chris Christian.
  
  

  September 20, 1986

• Lee Lundgren and Nicki Lundgren are married in Kansas. They later formed the singing group Avenue G and tour extensively with Rich Mullins.
  
  

  October 1, 1986

• The Cross Examiner publishes an interview with Rich Mullins.
  "Live Like You'll Die Tomorrow: Rich Mullins Speaks His Mind"
  
  
• Pam Mark Hall's Keeper is released. The album includes a song she cowrote with Rich, called "Jordan."
  
  

  October 17, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs in Elgin, IL.
  
  

  October 19, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs in Lombard, IL. in the morning.
  
  
• Rich Mullins performs a free concert at Christian Life Church, Mount Prospect, IL. at 6:30 p.m.
  
  

  October 1986

• Rich Mullins performs in Waukesha, WI.
  
  

  Late 1986

• Rich Mullins begins recording his second album Pictures In The Sky in Nashville.
  Chris Harris, on "Screen Door": "We spent 8 hours in the studio with Rich and Producer Reed Arvin up on the 8th floor of the UA tower on Music row singing these vocals. So good! Mark Heimermann, Chris Rodriguez, Wayne Kirkpatrick and (myself)."
  Reed Arvin: "Pictures in the Sky is my favorite Rich Mullins album. It's not the best - that title easily belongs to The Ragamuffin Band - but it's still my favorite. We knew little more than we did the first time, but again it didn't really matter."
  Reed Arvin: "Pictures is the album where Rich first shows us his elfish sense of humor. 'What Trouble Are Giants,' 'Screen Door,' even the title song - they all refused to take themselves seriously, which is a bit of an art form in this business."
  
  

  October 21, 1986

• Rich Mullins celebrated his 31th birthday with friends in Chicago.
  Kathy Sprinkle: "Rich had to be in Chicago for interviews and concerts, so about eight of us threw a party for him, surprising him in Chicago. A wonderful weekend."
  
  

  October 22, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs in Naperville, IL.
  
  

  October 23, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs in Chicago, IL.
  
  

  October 24, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs in Chicago, IL.
  
  
• Rich Mullins works on completing "Verge of a Miracle" while in Chicago.
  Rich: "Well, this was written because I do a lot of retreats I work with a lot of church groups and like that and just had talked to a kid who had attempted suicide. And I was thinking that that was a bad thing to do, but people don't do it for no reason. And I thought maybe I could reach out a little bit and say there is a reason not to maybe it would help them. The music was already written - I started the music at Hummingbird studio when we started the album and I worked a lot on it in Chicago when I was up there. This was like one of those that I was inspired just out of real compassion for someone."
  
  

  October 25, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs in Beloit, WI.
  
  

  October 26, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs in Aurora, IL.
  
  

  October 28, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs in Evergreen Park, IL.
  
  

  October 31, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs in Waukesha, WI.
  
  

  November 1, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs in Dundee, IL.
  
  

  November 20, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs a benefit concert at the Highland High School in Highland, Indiana with members of Amy Grant's band backing him at 7:30 p.m. The concert was sponsored by "an anonymous fellowship of Christians as a gift to the community." The concert was free with a suggested donation of canned goods for the needy.
  
  

  November 23, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs at Kentwood Christian Church in Grand Rapids, MI. at 6:00 p.m. Rich's friend, David McCracken attended the performance.
  
  

  December 6, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs at Central Christian Church in Wichita, KS at 7:30 p.m.
  
  

  December 21, 1986

• Amy Grant's "Headin' Home for the Holidays" airs on NBC. The show included a concert clip of Amy performing Rich's "Love of Another Kind."
  
  

  December 28-31, 1986

• Rich Mullins performs at the Christ in Youth Conference at Loretto Heights College in Denver, CO.
  
  

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