Retrospect: Local band played in Indy

Thirty years ago this week, a local band was preparing for its Indianapolis debut. 

Forte, an eight-member band made up of Jay County residents, performed on March 18, 1988, on the center stage at the Indianapolis Union Station. 

The group performed contemporary Christian music. Its members — Ric VanSkyock,  Cindy VanSkyock, Keri Spradling, Michael Peterson, Stephanie Shappell, Chris McKibben, Ginny Gillum and Don Hutchens — ranged in age from 16 to 37 years old. 

The musical group was invited to perform at Union Station after Cindy VanSkyock responded to an article seeking musicians from every Indiana county to play at the railroad station. The article was titled “Celebrate the Hoosier Heartland.” 

The members practiced for their five-song, 25-minute set every night for a month leading up to the performance. One of the songs they planned to sing was performed entirely in Swahili and was titled “O Sifuni Mungu,” which means “Praise the Lord.” 

The VanSkyocks formed Forte in 1987 and did most of the booking for the group. Forte had previously performed mainly in the Jay County area at nursing homes and local churches. However, the group had big plans for the coming summer, including performing at more malls and possibly Lincoln Park in Chicago. 

Other plans for the group were to switch from pre-recorded backing music to live accompaniment, to write their own songs and to possibly incorporate other genres of music into their performances.