Bob Carlisle

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:20:47 -0500

Brandon Heath

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:43:16 -0600

Brandon Heath is a songwriter’s songwriter. Although his debut album, Don’t Get Comfortable, hosts an arsenal of pop-rock tunes that are as smart as they are catchy, Heath wants more than mere pop-stardom.
“Music, for me, has always been about the songwriting,” Heath says. For him, songwriting is a lifestyle, not merely a necessity of building a pop career. Therefore, he’s destined to be a power player in the music scene for years to come.

Brian Littrell

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:35 -0500

One-fifth of the Backstreet Boys, Brian Littrell first learned to sing in the choir of his Lexington, KY, Baptist church. Music was always important to him, but Littrell had originally planned on entering school to become a music minister, not to be a pop star. Things changed, however, when cousin Kevin Richardson asked him to come to Orlando, FL, to join the boy band that was being started there. Littrell, who at the time was still a senior in high school, agreed, and embarked on what would become a long career with the Backstreet Boys.

Casting Crowns

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:35 -0500

Christian pop group Casting Crowns began as a student worship band in Daytona Beach, FL, in 1999. Led by singer, songwriter, and youth pastor Mark Hall, the group initially included guitarists Juan DeVevo and Hector Cervantes and violinist Melodee DeVevo. The group relocated to McDonough, GA, in 2001, adding Chris Huffman on bass, Megan Garrett on keyboards and accordion, and drummer Andy Williams. This augmented version of Casting Crowns released two independent albums on CD, both of which were well received in the Atlanta area.

Darlene Zschech

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:35 -0500

One of the international gospel community's best contemporary worship leaders, Darlene Zschech was nominated for Song of the Year at the Dove Awards for "Shout to the Lord." The album Shout to the Lord had been released in early 1996, and a slow build over the course of the next year made it one of the most popular songs of 1997. In early 2000 she released a live album, The Power of Your Love, that also featured Ralph Carmichael and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Day Of Fire

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:35 -0500

Diana King

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:56:31 -0500

Disciple

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:35 -0500

New York-based Disciple were formed in 1970 when singer Sandy Crespo joined a band called the Outer Limits, which included Jon Oliver on guitar, Dennis Lattman on organ and keyboards, Al Christopher on drums, and Chris Sheppard on bass. Blessed with five vocalists and a capable frontwoman in Crespo, Disciple crafted a bright, summery mix of harmonies and occasional garage band crunch into a sunshine pop sound that had a little bite around the edges, drawing comparisons at the time to the West Coast's Jefferson Airplane.

Don Moen

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 11:09:45 -0500

Donnie McClurkin

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:35 -0500

Donnie McClurkin is a gospel vocalist with the soul of AndraÃ© Crouch and the contemporary flair of Kirk Franklin. Born into a home filled with domestic violence and drug abuse, McClurkin was saved by an aunt who sang background vocals with Crouch himself. After staying close to Crouch throughout his boyhood, he began to play piano and sing with his church youth choir. He formed the McClurkin Singers by the time he was a teenager, and later formed another group, the New York Restoration Choir.

eleventyseven

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:36 -0500

Flatfoot 56

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:36 -0500

Grey Holiday

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:51:27 -0500

Israel And New Breed

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:47:05 -0500

Jars of Clay

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 10:56:36 -0500

Jars of Clay were the breakout band of the so-called alternative CCM movement of the '90s, scoring an enormous mainstream hit with their debut single, "Flood." The group's lyrics may have been exclusively Christian, but their mostly acoustic music fit perfectly into the folky jangle pop wing of alternative rock radio, at the time a rarity on the contemporary Christian music scene.

Kids In The Way

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:36 -0500

Kirk Franklin

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:36 -0500

Since his debut, 1993's Kirk Franklin & the Family, Kirk Franklin has been one of the brightest stars in contemporary gospel music. The album spent 100 weeks on the gospel charts (some of those on top), crossed over to the R&B charts, and became the first gospel debut album to go platinum. His second album, Kirk Franklin & the Family Christmas, became the genre's first Christmas album to make it to number one, and his 1996 album Whatcha Lookin' 4 went gold as soon as it was distributed.

Krystal Meyers

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:36 -0500

Leeland

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:36 -0500

Melodic Baytown, TX, alternative CCM ensemble Leeland formed in 2005 around their talented lead singer, guitarist, and frontman, Leeland Mooring. The group, which also includes keyboard player/vocalist Jack Mooring, guitarist Austin Tirado, bass player Jake Holtz, and drummer Mike Smith, released its debut, Sound of Melodies, on Essential Records in 2006. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide

Mary Mary

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:36 -0500

Mary Mary is the duo of sisters Erica and Tina Atkins, who grew up in Inglewood, CA in a family also containing five other sisters and a brother. Their parents were gospel singers, and before long the children were singing in the church choir, eventually turning up on the Bobby Jones Gospel show on BET. Erica and Tina Atkins joined the Michael Matthews traveling gospel show Mama I'm Sorry in 1995, followed by a second Matthews production, Sneaky. Each sister subsequently toured as a backup singer for a variety of R&B acts. Meanwhile, they wrote gospel material.

MercyMe

Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:56:33 -0500

Michael W. Smith

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:37 -0500

Michael Whitaker Smith has become one of the most enduringly popular artists on the Christian Contemporary Music front and is also finding considerable success as a mainstream artist. He was born in Kenova, West Virginia, the son of an oil refinery worker and a caterer. He became a devout Christian at age ten and spent his teens hanging around with a solid support group of fellow believers who frequently gathered to play and make music. After high school, that support group split up, and Smith turned to alcohol, drugs and wild times.

Nevertheless

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:37 -0500

Pillar

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:37 -0500

Pillar is comprised of Rob Beckley (vocals), Lester Estelle (drums), Noah Henson (guitar), and Kalel (bass). These Christian rockers with an alt-metal edge have been honing their infectious sound since 1998 while attending Ft. Hays State University in northwestern Kansas. A deal with Flicker was inked in 2000 after the band's self-released debut, Metamorphosis, impressed the label. Within months, Pillar followed things up with Above. Their first single, "Open Your Eyes," was popular on the college charts, earning Above nearly 60,000 in sales.

Red

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:37 -0500

Rich Mullins

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:52:11 -0500

Sara Groves

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:18:28 -0500

T-Bone

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:14:53 -0600

The Afters

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:37:05 -0600

Third Day

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 00:45:37 -0500

Influenced by the Southern rock of Lynyrd Skynyrd and other artists such as U2 and Rich Mullins, Third Day was originally formed by vocalist Mac Powell and acoustic guitarist Mark Lee. The duo added bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr from another local band, and recorded some demos. Third Day's live shows gradually built a loyal fan base, and just after lead guitarist Brad Avery joined, the band signed to Gray Dot Records. Their eponymous debut followed in 1996, with Conspiracy No. 5 appearing a year later.

Tramaine Hawkins

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 11:27:00 -0500

Born Tramaine Davis in San Francisco and raised in Berkeley, Tramaine Hawkins is the granddaughter of Bishop E.E. Cleveland, one of the founders of the Church of God in Christ Church, the largest Black Pentecostal organization in the U.S. She got her start as a teenager in 1968 performing with the Edwin Hawkins Singers during the homemade recording session that produced the crossover smash "Oh Happy Day," the biggest-selling gospel single to date. In the early '70s, she married Walter Hawkins, Edwin's brother, who went on to lead the Berkeley Love Center Church of God in Christ Church.

Wavorly

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 11:32:53 -0500