Chris Christian

Last updated
Chris Christian
Birth nameLon Christian Smith
Born (1951-02-07) February 7, 1951 (age 71)
Abilene, Texas, U.S.
GenresPop, contemporary Christian music
Occupation(s)Recording artist-songwriter, record producer, sports owner, author
LabelsYMC/Home Sweet Home
Website chrischristianmusic.com

Chris Christian (born Lon Christian Smith on February 7, 1951 [1] [2] is an American songwriter, record producer, and a record label executive. His songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, Hall and Oates, Natalie Cole, Sheena Easton, The Pointer Sisters, Al Jarreau, The Carpenters, Amy Grant, Patti Austin, Dionne Warwick, America, the Imperials, B.J. Thomas, B W Stevenson, Marilyn McCoo, Dan Peek, Cheryl Ladd, Jane Olivor, Sandi Patti, Pat Boone, Ali Lohan, Donnie Osmond, and others.

Contents

Christian has produced albums that have been nominated for nine and won four Grammy Awards. He has also been nominated for seven Gospel Music Association Dove Awards as an artist, songwriter, and producer, winning five. He has also released sixteen other albums as a solo artist.

Throughout his career, he has written music for many major TV sports events such as the Super Bowl, NCAA finals, The Masters, Olympics, NFL Today, US Open, and many more.

Biography

As a member of the trio of Cotton, Lloyd & Christian, put together by Mike Curb in the early 1970s, he enjoyed two hits on the Billboard adult contemporary chart on 20th Century Records. The group performed on Dick Clark's American Bandstand and Midnight Special . As a solo artist he performed on The Merv Griffin Show , Solid Gold , and was a judge on Star Search . Christian also played guitar with Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed, and the Wayne Newton band.

As a record producer, he is best known for starting Amy Grant's music career by signing her at age 16 to his production company, and calling Myrrh Records executive Stan Moser, to advise he was making an album with Grant as part of a long-term production agreement Christian had signed with Myrrh Records. Christian produced her first album and acted as executive producer for her second, handing over production duties to his college friend Brown Bannister. He owned her songs until 1997 when they were sold to Gaylord Entertainment.

He has produced the Pointer Sisters, Patti Austin, Al Jarreau, Natalie Cole, Amy Grant, Dallas Cowboys, B J Thomas, Dan Peek, B W Stevenson, Debby Boone, Steve Archer, Bill Gaither, Marilyn McCoo, Eric Champion, Ali Lohan, Pat Boone, and over 100 other albums.

As the first artist signed to Boardwalk Records owned by Neil Bogart, with Bob Gaudio (Four Seasons) producing, he recorded "I Want You, I Need You," which peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1981 and reached the No. 8 on Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart. "I Want You, I Need You" was a number one song in some countries outside the US. Cheryl Ladd sings back-up on the song along with many other artists on the album including Christopher Cross, Nigel Olsson, Frankie Valli, Dann Huff, Tommy Funderburk, Bill Champlin, Paul Jackson, Amy Holland, and Robbie Patton. Other artists on Boardwalk were Ringo Starr, Joan Jett, Mike Love (Beach Boys), and Night Ranger. Robert Kardashian (the Kardashians' father) was his best friend, manager and was responsible for Chris signing with Boardwalk Records. Chris Christian penned the lyrics and melody to The Pointer Sisters' hit single "I'm So Excited". A second hit, a medley of the 1968 Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell Motown songs "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" and "You're All I Need to Get By" sung with Amy Holland, hit No. 21 on the Adult Contemporary chart and No. 88 on the Hot 100 in 1982.

In 1981, Christian launched his own label Home Sweet Home Records. On that label he signed and produced albums for White Heart, Steve Archer, Mark Heard, Dan Peek, B.J. Thomas, Eric Champion, Rick Riso, Luke Garrett, Marilyn McCoo and others.

In 1992, he founded HSH Educational Media with his brother Brad. He executive produced and wrote the music for the children's series Gerbert , which aired on PBS and what is now ABC Family for over 10 years. His company continues to own and license the Gerbert shows and music. The Gerbert TV series won an ACE award for best Pre-School Show.

Christian purchased The Studios at Las Colinas in 1992 with partner Steve Jarchow. Ross Perot Jr. bought Jarchow's interest in 1993. Christian and Perot purchased the acreage around the Studios Complex selling their interest in the studio and the remaining land to Fox Sports Southwest in 2003.

Christian was CEO of World Digital Media Group and YMC Records, a joint venture by Radio Shack, Dish Network, and Sirius Radio, until May 2007.

In 2015, he became the vice-chairman and managing partner for the WNBA's Dallas Wings. [3]

He was inducted into the West Texas Music Hall of Fame, [4] as well as the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2007. He is listed among the Distinguished Alumni of Abilene Christian University (class of 1973). [5] His family was a founding family of The Covenant School in Dallas. [6]

Discography

Studio Albums

Instrumental Albums

Live Albums

Compilation Albums

Other Albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Stonehill</span> American songwriter

Randall Evan Stonehill is an American singer and songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music. His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but some of his albums have focused on new wave, pop, pop rock, roots rock, and children's music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debby Boone</span> American singer, author, and actress (born 1956)

Deborah Anne Boone is an American singer, author, and actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life", which spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and led to her winning the Grammy Award for Best New Artist the following year. Boone later focused her music career on country music, resulting in the 1980 No. 1 country hit "Are You on the Road to Lovin' Me Again". In the 1980s, she recorded Christian music which garnered her four top 10 Contemporary Christian albums as well as two more Grammys. Throughout her career, Boone has appeared in several musical theater productions and has co-authored many children's books with her husband Gabriel Ferrer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pointer Sisters</span> American family R&B vocal group

The Pointer Sisters are an American pop and R&B singing group from Oakland, California, that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, jazz, electronic music, bebop, blues, soul, funk, dance, country, and rock. The Pointer Sisters have won three Grammy Awards and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994. The group had 13 US top 20 hits between 1973 and 1985.

Boardwalk Records is a record label founded by Neil Bogart in 1980, after PolyGram acquired Casablanca Records from him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Jackson Jr.</span> Musical artist

Paul Milton Jackson Jr. is an American fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. He was born and raised in Los Angeles. Jackson knew by the age of fifteen that he wanted to become a professional musician. He attended the University of Southern California, majoring in music.

Neil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist.

Michael Omartian is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and music producer. He produced number-one records in three consecutive decades. He has earned 11 Grammy Awards nominations and won three. He spent five years on the A&R staff of ABC/Dunhill Records as a producer, artist, and arranger; then was hired by Warner Bros. Records as an in-house producer and A&R staff member. Omartian moved from Los Angeles to Nashville in 1993, where he served on the Board of Governors of the Recording Academy, and has helped to shape the curriculum for the first master's degree program in the field of Music Business at Belmont University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home Sweet Home Records</span>

Home Sweet Home Records is a record label, based in Dallas, Texas.

Jack Joseph Puig is an American audio engineer, A&R executive, and record producer. He has worked with Tonic, Hole, Jellyfish, The Black Crowes, John Mayer, Weezer, Fiona Apple, Roger Hodgson, Taxiride, Green Day, Counting Crows, No Doubt, Klaxons, Rancid, Panic! at the Disco, Stone Temple Pilots, U2, and many others. Puig has shared Grammy Awards with The Goo Goo Dolls, Sheryl Crow, Vanessa Carlton, John Mayer, Fergie, U2, and No Doubt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Peek</span> American musician (1950–2011)

Daniel Milton Peek was an American musician best known as a member of the folk rock band America from 1970 to 1977, together with Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell. He has been called a "pioneer in contemporary Christian music".

Steve Archer is an American singer-songwriter and producer. He is a pioneer of the genre of Jesus music, later to become known as contemporary Christian music. He is the former lead singer of the Archers, a contemporary Christian music and Jesus music band who toured and recorded throughout the decades of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Elliott Brown Bannister III is an contemporary Christian music (CCM) producer and songwriter. Bannister released one album of his own, Talk to One Another, in 1981 on NewPax Records. It was reissued on the Reunion Records label five years later, featuring a newer recording of the album's final cut, "Create in Me a Clean Heart". The original NewPax version featured Ed DeGarmo on the Hammond B3 organ; the 1986 version featured Amy Grant and her then husband Gary Chapman on vocals. The 1986 version was released as a radio single and gained moderate airplay in some markets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulsa Shock</span> Basketball team in Oklahoma, United States

The Tulsa Shock were a professional basketball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Detroit, Michigan before the 1998 WNBA season began; the team moved to Tulsa before the 2010 season. The team was owned by Tulsa Pro Hoops LLC, which is led by Bill Cameron and David Box. On July 20, 2015, Cameron announced that the franchise would move to Arlington, Texas for the 2016 WNBA season, rebranding as the Dallas Wings.

The 23rd Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 9, 1992, recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 1991. The show was held in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Marilyn McCoo and Glen Campbell.

The 15th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on 1984 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 1983. The show was held in Nashville, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savannah Smith</span> American basketball player

Savannah Smith is an American All State basketball player from Dallas. She is the youngest of four children.

<i>All Things Are Possible</i> (Dan Peek album) 1979 studio album by Dan Peek

All Things Are Possible is the solo debut album by Dan Peek after his departure from the popular soft rock band America. The album was released in 1979 and was a hit on contemporary Christian music radio stations. It was released by Pat Boone's label Lamb & Lion Records and was produced by Chris Christian, who also helped with the songwriting and contributed acoustic guitar and backing vocals on the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Wings</span> WNBA team based in Arlington, Texas

The Dallas Wings are an American basketball team based in Arlington, Texas. The Wings play in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team is owned by a group which is led by chairman Bill Cameron. Greg Bibb is president and CEO. Brad Hilsabeck joined the Dallas Wings ownership group in March 2019 with the acquisition of Mark Yancey’s interest in the Wings.

References

  1. Communications, Emmis (December 1985). "Texas Monthly".
  2. "It's just music with a message". Del Rio News Herald. November 29, 1986. p. 4. Retrieved March 13, 2018 via Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
  3. "What WNBA Dallas Wings arrival means for Dallas, women's hoops | Dallas Morning News". Archived from the original on 2015-11-07. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  4. "West Texas Music Hall Of Fame". 25 April 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  5. "Distinguished Alumni Citation". 22 July 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-07-22. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  6. "Our History - the Covenant School". Archived from the original on 2016-08-21. Retrieved 2016-07-24.