Chuck Smith Jr. founded a record company in 1971 out of a chapel in Costa Mesa, California. The original goal was to promote praise and worship singers and songwriters who were just beginning to emerge outside of traditional church music circles. Over time, the label grew into a publishing and recording giant in the contemporary Christian music (CCM) industry. The company also started several popular ongoing praise song album series, including the Praise Band series. These albums featured guitar-driven worship music.