Born in Southern California and raised throughout the Golden State, Steve Archer grew up in a very musical family. His earliest musical experience came at the age of nine when he and his brothers began singing together for the sheer joy of it. "We would sing in my dad’s church" he recalls, "and when I was thirteen, my brother, Tim and I entered the Teen Talent Search and won second place nationally. That success inspired us to form our own group, ‘The Archer Brothers.’ We were still in school, so it was a part-time effort." After graduation however,Steve was able to turn his full attention to his music career, and that he did!

With the addition of Nancy Short (later replaced by their sister, Janice), they became known as The Archers. They were one of the first ensembles to perform what was later to be known as contemporary Christian music. The group toured extensively, both in the United States and abroad, performing at a number of auspicious events, including one at the White House, for President and Mrs. Carter. Many television appearances followed, including the Jerry Lewis Telethon, the Easter Seal Telethon, a home-video series entitled America’s Music, the Mike Douglas Show, and their own half-hour television show produced by, and aired on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. In 1980, The Archers participated in a project entitled The Lord’s Prayer, a musical written by Reba Rambo and Dony McGuire. Their performance earned the group a Grammy Award and an appearance on the Grammy telecast. The following year they were again invited to appear on the show, as their album Spreadin’ Like Wildfire was nominated.

After ten years and seven albums with The Archers, Steve embarked upon a solo career. In 1982 he released his first solo album, appropriately entitled Solo. Steve started an active schedule of solo appearances "...as a tremendous way of expanding my musical base," he explains. Steve’s second album, Through His Eyes established him as an important solo artist. The title tune jumped to #1 on the Contemporary Christian Music Charts. His first music video was produced to accompany the song. It proved to be popular and in great demand by video shows around the country. In 1986, Steve released his third musical offering, Action, a brilliant album produced by Skip Konte, Chris Christian, and Keith Thomas, featuring a duet with Solid Gold and Fifth Dimension star Marilyn McCoo. The song Safe, quickly climbed the chart to #2 nationally and was voted by Contemporary Christian Music Magazine’s year-end chart as the #4 song of 1986.