Lincoln Brewster

From Marching Band to a Band called Lincoln and the Missing Links

Musically gifted all through school, by the age of 12, Brewster had a band called Lincoln and the Missing Links, which included his mother on bass and vocals. In his late teens, he moved with his family to Modesto, California, where he attended Grace M. Davis High School and joined the high school jazz band, playing guitar and drums. His versatility also saw him play snare drum in the school marching band.

Due to connections gained in Los Angeles, Lincoln had recording contract offers by the time he was 19. Feeling an emptiness in his life, Brewster attended church services with his high school sweetheart, Laura. He recalls feeling God drawing him close after attending a drama ministry performance with Laura. “I was afraid to lay down a lot of things in my life,” Brewster said. “One night, I laid all my cards on the table. I asked the Lord to come into my life, all by myself. It was the best night of sleep I’d ever had. I was very peaceful. I think that was what enabled me to blow off that record deal.”

Despite blowing off the record deal, Lincoln Brewster continued to hone his guitar skills, and recorded a demo that caught the attention of music industry insider and former “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson. That led to an invitation for Lincoln to meet and collaborate with legendary rocker Steve Perry.

The Next Step For Lincoln Brewster

After receiving a call from Steve Perry inviting him to audition as lead guitarist for his solo project For the Love of Strange Medicine, Brewster accepted and began songwriting and rehearsals for the album. Brewster’s guitar technique, tone and equipment choices possessed similar qualities and texturing to Journey’s Neal Schon, and was touted as a key in the success of the album which was received positively both critically and commercially.

This collaboration and the success Lincoln brought to the album lead to Steve Perry inviting Lincoln on tour with him. The pair toured for six months, which proved crucial in putting Lincoln’s name out in the industry and created an exciting buzz around the emerging artist.

At the end of the tour, Brewster moved back to Modesto, California to be with his wife where they attended Calvary Temple Church. After working as a sound technician for the church for a while, the senior pastor offered Brewster the position of associate music director and youth worship leader.

In 1997, the Brewsters left California and moved to Nashville to serve as youth pastors and eventually as full-time music ministers at The Oasis Church. It was there that Brewster met with executives from Integrity Incorporated who were there to work on a new Hosanna! Music album.

After recognising his talent on the guitar, one executive listened to a demo project Brewster had produced. Already impressed with the production work and artistry, the executive was also surprised to learn that Brewster had played every instrument and performed all the vocals himself. In 2001, Brewster moved back to California to become the worship pastor at Bayside Church in Sacramento and was soon after offered a signing deal with Integrity’s Vertical Music label.

This deal with Integrity Music allowed Lincoln Brewster the chance to work on his debut self-titled album alongside label-mate Darrell Evans, for whom he had contributed vocals, guitar and co-writing on Evans’ Freedom project.

Brewster released his self titled debut and numerous other albums in sequence, all to universal acclaim, some critics touting him as the new face of contemporary Christian music. The most popular of these albums would be the record Real Life. The record is packed full of upbeat, contemporary worship tracks such as “Best Days” and the optimistic “Reaching For You”. It also includes contemplative radio-ready songs such as the title track “Real Life”, and the rhythmic “Whom Shall I Fear”.

In 2012, Brewster released his first Christmas album, Joy to the World. A deluxe edition was released on November 5, 2013, with seven new tracks and an additional DVD. Following this, progress slowed down and some fans began to wonder whether this Christmas album would mark the end of Lincoln Brewster’s life as a Christian musician.

Luckily, these fears were misplaced when in 2014 Brewster released Oxygen, his ninth studio album after signing with Integrity Music for 15 years. He called the album a “new sound”, which explained the album’s high sense of modern pop music, while still featuring his trademark guitar riffs and solos.

What's Next For Lincoln Brewster?

Another hiatus became the talk among Lincoln Brewster’s fans as they eagerly awaited a new addition to their favourite artists’ discography. However these fears were again put to rest when in 2021, Lincoln released the album Perfect Love, through Integrity Music. Highly anticipated, the album was received positively yet again, marking another success for the talented artist.

What the future holds for Lincoln Brewster is yet to be seen, however, according to the biography in his official website, “Lincoln now combines his talents and determination to record songs that will minister to a new generation of believers.” It is certain that his fans and the whole Christian music community wish for this to be true, as more work from such an influential artist in the genre would be a blessing.