Crowder | |
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![]() Crowder in 2018 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | David Wallace Crowder [1] |
Also known as | Crowder |
Born | [2] Texarkana, Texas, U.S. | November 29, 1971
Origin | Waco, Texas |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
Years active | 1996–present |
Labels | sixsteps, Sparrow |
Website | crowdermusic |
David Wallace Crowder (born November 29, 1971 [2] ), known professionally by his mononymous stage name Crowder since 2012, is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and author. [3] He was the lead singer in the now defunct Christian Rock and Modern Worship band David Crowder Band, before he started his solo career in 2012 on sixstepsrecords and Sparrow Records labels.
He released his first solo album, Neon Steeple , on May 27, 2014. Crowder released his first solo single off the album, "I Am", on November 25, 2013, which rose to the No. 3 position on the Christian Songs chart. [4] American Prodigal , Crowder's second solo album, was released on September 23, 2016 and his third, I Know a Ghost , on November 9, 2018. His fourth solo album, Milk & Honey , released on June 11, 2021.
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David Wallace Crowder was born on November 29, 1971, in Texarkana, Texas. [2] Following high school, he went to college at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Crowder was the lead vocalist of the David Crowder Band from 1996 until the group disbanded in 2012. At that time, Crowder started his solo career on the Sparrow Records imprint, sixstepsrecords. During the band's time together they released sixteen singles through six studio albums, two live albums, four Extended Plays (EPs) and one compilation album. David Crowder Band (stylized as David Crowder*Band and The David Crowder*Band) was a six-piece Christian rock and modern worship band from Waco, Texas. Their final album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian and No. 2 on the Billboard 200 charts. They disbanded in 2012, with David Crowder pursuing a solo career under the name Crowder and the rest of the band, except for Mike Hogan, forming The Digital Age.
David Crowder*Band | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Waco, Texas, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 1996–2012 |
Labels | sixstepsrecords,Sparrow,EMI,Capitol CMG |
Past members | David Crowder Jack Parker Jeremy "B-Wack" Bush Mike D Hogan Mark Waldrop Jason Solley Taylor Johnson |
Prior to the album Church Music, the band preferred not to be referred to as "The David Crowder*Band". They explained that they preferred to omit the article, and stated that they "may revisit this issue if other groups named 'David Crowder*Band' begin performing," and may in fact, should that eventuality occur, insert "The Original" in front of the band's present appellation. As of the release of Church Music, however, the band has begun referring to themselves using the article, and explained "we've been at for a while now without incident, so we felt justified in its formal inclusion."
The band's name is usually rendered with an asterisk, as "David Crowder*Band". In a faux-documentary, while recording Church Music, Crowder joked that the asterisk meant, "David Crowder [is about to go insane because Jack Parker continually tries to sabotage the work of the rest of the] band."
The band began when Crowder realized that almost half of the students at Baylor University, a Christian university, were not attending church. Finding this very surprising he and Chris Seay started University Baptist Church (Waco, Texas) in 1995, while he was still a student. Crowder became pastor of worship at the church and led worship and continued to do so throughout the year. The church's congregation grew, as did the band's lineup.
Crowder began writing songs to incorporate into the worship times at the church and eventually the church released an independent CD, Pour Over Me, followed by All I Can Say in 1998.[ citation needed ] These CDs brought the band to a wider audience and invitations to festivals and events followed. The band was signed to sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records when Louie Giglio talked to Crowder about the music and how it could be used more than just at UBC and more worldwide. Although the band toured extensively, they made it a point to be back at their home church UBC in Waco Texas for most Sundays.[ citation needed ]
Kyle Lake, University Baptist Church's former pastor and also longtime friend of the band, had a strong influence on the band's music in terms of content and inspiration both during his life and after Lake's death.[ citation needed ]
With their September 2005 release, A Collision or (3+4=7) , David Crowder Band explored a new realm of musical diversity. The album houses a mix of bluegrass, folk, alternative, and worship, woven together with a touch of electronic ambience. This release landed them the No. 2 spot on the iTunes Music Store and the No. 39 spot on Billboard 200 the second day after its release. The same day as the release of A Collision, their song "Turkish Delight" was released on the Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia compilation CD. This song, which is a reference to the magical Turkish delight in C. S. Lewis's book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , has an old-school disco feel.
March 19, 2007, the band officially started recording Remedy ; the band also revealed the album's website, which allowed fans to follow the band via live webcams, and discover more about the album. Ted Nugent made a guest appearance on the album, on the song "We Won't Be Quiet". Remedy was released on September 25, 2007. The day after its release, it reached No. 4 on the iTunes Music Store. When Mark Waldrop joined the band as the album Remedy was released, his sidekick Rupert came with him. Rupert is a gnome. During the Remedy Tour the band had up a live web feed on Crowder's Xanga account. The feed had a chat room where fans chatted live with the band and their tourmates. It showed more than half of the tour stops live which included their tour bus, live stage feeds of shows, places the band went, etc. Much of the time the video feed would be on Rupert at different stops. On the final night of the tour Phil Wickham and The Myriad came on stage for a hoe down for the song "I Saw the light". The camera for the feed was on the lid of a ball-cap and was wired into a laptop the band had in a backpack; this equipment was provided by Xanga. The band also used the feed for some time after their Remedy Tour. July 16, 2008, the band announced it would be releasing a live album and DVD titled Remedy Club Tour - Live , The DVD was filmed In NYC and GA.
Crowder's Xanga entry from January 31, 2009, mentioned the preproduction of the band's next studio album. Also on Mike Hogan's MySpace entry from March 4, 2009, he confirmed that actual recording and production had commenced and provided directions for getting to the live webcam feed, which is in a page simply titled "Church Music". The album was titled "Church Music" and was released on September 22, 2009. The first single off the album was a cover of John Mark McMillan's song "How He Loves". Crowder received permission from McMillan to change the words "So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss" to "So heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss".
The band hosted Crowder's Fantastical Church Music Conference September 30 through October 2, 2010 at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Other presenters at the conference included Louie Giglio, Rob Bell, Israel Houghton, Hillsong London, Matt Redman, Jars of Clay, Matt Maher, Leeland, David Dark, Gungor, Derek Webb, and Isaac Wardell. Mark recorded a Rap song for the band titled "Bwack Be Creepin'" for the band's YouTube channel.
February 5, 2011 the band announced the official start to recording of Give Us Rest or (A Requiem Mass in C [The Happiest of All Keys]) . On May 21, 2011, the band announced through their website that the band will end after the completion of the Fall 2011 "The 7 Tour" and the release of their sixth album.
Later, on July 21, 2011, the band announced that a Christmas album, Oh for Joy , would be released on October 4, 2011. The band stated that they began to record Give Us Rest and subsequently Oh for Joy came out. Some of the songs in the albums Give Us Rest and Oh for Joy were recorded in greenrooms and restrooms during the band's last tour.
The band played their final show at the Passion 2012 Conference on January 3, 2012 at the Georgia Dome.
Crowder has formed a new collective called "Crowder" that made its first performance at the Creation East Festival in June 2012. Parker, Dodson, Bush, and Waldrop have formed a new band, called "The Digital Age", and run a recording studio in Waco, Texas. David Crowder is still signed with Sparrow Records and sixstepsrecords under Capitol CMG. He is now making music under the name "Crowder."
The band often incorporated unconventional instruments and elements into their music, many of which were created by the band's drummer Jeremy Bush. He modified a Speak & Spell for the song "I Can Hear the Angels Singing (...Andeverandeverand...)", and used a robot drummer, named Steve 3PO, for use in "Church Music", a silver box with blue lights and switches for "Can You Feel It?", and a MOTM modular synthesizer used by Hogan. He also manufactured a seven square-foot MPC style-MIDI controller for the band Family Force 5.
A guitar-shaped controller from the Guitar Hero game was used in "... neverending ...". According to Crowder, the controller was transformed to a MIDI instrument. Jeremy "B-Wack" Bush programmed the controller such that each of the buttons were put into USB Overdrive, an application for reading signals off of USB devices. The buttons were programmed to each specific chord in the song "...neverending...". Once the buttons were programmed and sent to USB Overdrive, the results were put in to Ableton Live as a MIDI note programmed by the band. There were 12 samples in the controller.
Hogan often played turntables and played electric violin with guitar effects. A Smule "I Am T-Pain" iPhone app is used on "The Nearness".[ citation needed ] On incorporating bluegrass into the band's repertoire, Crowder stated that the banjo was something he had previously wanted to avoid "at all costs".
The band often recorded their albums in a barn behind Crowder's house.[ citation needed ]
Crowder released his debut solo studio album on May 27, 2014, Neon Steeple. The lead single, "I Am", released on November 25, 2013, charted at No, 3 on the Billboard Christian Songs chart. [4] "Come As You Are" achieved a Grammy nomination in 2015 for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song. [5]
His second solo album, American Prodigal, was released September 23, 2016. The first single, "Run Devil Run", was released on June 18, 2016. [6] "Forgiven" was the second single released.
On September 19, 2018, Crowder announced a third solo album and released the first two singles, "Red Letters" and "Wildfire". The album, I Know a Ghost , was released on November 9, 2018. [7]
Crowder's fourth studio album, titled Milk & Honey was released on June 11, 2021. The album is supported with the three singles, "Good God Almighty", "In the House", and "God Really Loves Us". The album features appearances from Hulvey, Dante Bowe and Maverick City Music. [8]
Beginning in January 2024, Crowder began touring in Jam Nation's Winter Jam Tour with Christian artists CAIN, Katy Nichole, and Newsong. [9]
Crowder announced his new album The Exile on April 5, 2024, after dropping a new single "[DASH]" featuring TobyMac. The album was released on May 31st, 2024. [10]
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [11] | US Christ. [12] | UK C&G | ||||
Neon Steeple | 9 | 1 | — | |||
American Prodigal | 12 | 1 | — | |||
I Know a Ghost |
| 43 | 2 | — | ||
Milk & Honey |
| 59 | 1 | 10 [15] | ||
Milk & Cookies: A Merry Crowder Christmas |
| — | 29 | — | ||
The Exile |
| 102 | 1 | — | ||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart. |
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [11] | US Christ. [12] | US Rock [16] | US Folk [17] | ||
iTunes Session |
| 172 | 9 | 50 | 9 |
Title | EP details | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
US Christ [12] | US Rock [16] | ||
Neon Porch Extravaganza |
| 11 | 39 |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Bub. [18] | US Christ [19] | US Christ Air. [20] | US Christ AC [21] | US Christ Digital [22] | ||||
"I Am" | 2013 | — | 3 | 2 | 6 | 3 | Neon Steeple | |
"Come As You Are" | 2014 | — | 3 | 1 | 6 | 5 | ||
"Lift Your Head Weary Sinner (Chains)" | 2015 | — | 11 | 14 | 15 | 11 | ||
"Run Devil Run" | 2016 | — | 22 | 26 | — | 6 | American Prodigal | |
"My Victory" | — | 12 | 7 | 12 | 10 | |||
"Forgiven" | 2017 | — | 10 | 8 | 10 | 10 | ||
"Back to the Garden" | — | 45 | — | — | — | |||
"All My Hope" (featuring Tauren Wells) | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Non-album single | |
"Red Letters" / "Wildfire" | 2018 | — | 9 | 8 | 11 | 5 |
| I Know a Ghost |
— | 43 | — | — | — | ||||
"Let It Rain (Is There Anybody)" (featuring Mandisa) | 2019 | — | 10 | 6 | 6 | 13 | ||
"I'm Leaning on You" (featuring Riley Clemmons) | 2020 | — | 19 | 15 | 16 | — | ||
"Night Like This" | — | 47 | — | — | — | |||
"Good God Almighty" | 2021 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Milk & Honey |
"In the House" | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 | |||
"O Holy Night" (with Passion) | — | — | 46 | — | — | Non-album single | ||
"God Really Loves Us" (with Dante Bowe featuring Maverick City Music) | 2022 | — | 3 | 3 | 4 | — | Milk & Honey | |
"Grave Robber" | 2023 | — | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | The Exile | |
"[DASH]"(feat. TobyMac) | 2024 | — | 36 | — | — | — | ||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart. |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
US Christ [19] | |||
"Testify" (Social Club Misfits featuring Crowder) | 2019 | 46 | Mood // Doom |
"Home" (Tedashii featuring Crowder) | — | Never Fold | |
"My Jesus" (Anne Wilson featuring Crowder) | 2021 | — | My Jesus |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart. |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US Christ. [19] | US Christ. Digital [22] | |||
"He Is" | 2021 | 30 | 11 | Milk & Honey |
"Milk & Honey" | 37 | — | ||
"The Anchor" | — | — | ||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart. |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
---|---|---|---|
US Christ Digital [22] | |||
"This I Know" | 2013 | 14 | Neon Steeple |
"My Beloved" | 2014 | 25 | |
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart. |
Title | Year | Album | Source |
---|---|---|---|
"I Am" | 2014 | Neon Steeple | |
"Come As You Are" | Watch | ||
"Run Devil Run" | 2016 | American Prodigal | Watch |
"Forgiven" | 2017 | Watch | |
"Back to the Garden" | Watch | ||
"Prove It featuring KB" | Watch | ||
"All My Hope (featuring Tauren Wells)" | non-album single | Watch |
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | "Come As You Are" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
"Lift Your Head Weary Sinner (Chains)" | Rock/Contemporary Song of the Year | Nominated | |
"Come As You Are" | Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year | Nominated | |
Neon Steeple | Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year | Nominated | |
Recorded Music Packaging of the Year | Won | ||
2017 | "Run Devil Run" | Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Nominated |
American Prodigal | Rock/Contemporary Album of the Year | Nominated | |
Recorded Music Packaging of the Year | Nominated | ||
Run Devil Run | Short Form Video of the Year | Won | |
2018 | "All My Hope" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
2019 | "Red Letters" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
"Wildfire" | Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Won | |
I Know a Ghost | Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year | Nominated | |
Red Letters | Short Form Video of the Year | Nominated | |
2021 | "Good God Almighty" | Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Nominated |
2022 | Song of the Year | Nominated | |
"Higher Power" (featuring Hulvey) | Rock/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Won | |
Milk & Honey | Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year | Nominated | |
Recorded Music Packaging of the Year | Nominated |
David Crowder has authored two books:
David Crowder Band was a six-piece Christian rock and modern worship band from Waco, Texas. Their final album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian and No. 2 on the Billboard 200 charts. They disbanded in 2012, with David Crowder pursuing a solo career under the name Crowder and the rest of the band, except for Mike Hogan, forming The Digital Age.
Neon Indian is an American electronic music band from Denton, Texas. The music is composed by Mexican-born Alan Palomo, who is also part of the band Ghosthustler and releases solo music under his birth name and the stage name VEGA. The project has been characterized as defining the 2010s music genre chillwave.
Summer Happiness is the third and final EP by the David Crowder Band, released on June 22, 2010 by sixstepsrecords. It consists of acoustic renditions of tracks from their previous album, Church Music. The album was met with positive reviews and commercial viability.
Oh for Joy is the first holiday studio album and tenth album overall from Christian rock group David Crowder Band, and was produced by the band as well. The album was released on October 4, 2011 by sixstepsrecords, and has attracted generally positive critical attention.
Neon Steeple is the debut studio album from the mononymously known Christian musician Crowder. It was released on May 27, 2014 by Sparrow Records and sixstepsrecords, and the producers were Ed Cash, David Crowder, Jared Fox, Will Hunt, Solomon Olds, Christian Paschall, Gabe Scott and Christopher Stevens. The album sold 22,000 copies in its opening week of sales, causing it to debut at No. 9 on the Billboard 200.
"I Am" is the debut solo single by folktronica musician Crowder from his debut album, Neon Steeple. It was released on November 25, 2013 by sixstepsrecords and Sparrow Records, and the song was co-written and co-produced by Ed Cash and Crowder.
Tauren Gabriel Wells is an American contemporary Christian singer, songwriter and pastor from Houston, Texas. Wells was the frontman of former Christian band Royal Tailor.
Neon Porch Extravaganza is an extended play by Crowder, recorded live and released by sixstepsrecords and Sparrow Records on October 30, 2015.
American Prodigal is the second studio album by Crowder released on September 23, 2016.
"Like You Love Me" is a song by American Christian pop artist Tauren Wells. It was released on December 13, 2019, as the lead single from his sophomore studio album, Citizen of Heaven (2020). Wells co-wrote the song with Chuck Butler, and Jordan Sapp. Chuck Butler collaborated with Jordan Sapp on producing the single. The song peaked at No. 17 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart.
"All My Hope" is a song performed by American contemporary Christian music singer Crowder featuring Tauren Wells, released as a standalone single on September 8, 2017. Crowder had released the original version of the song on his second studio album, American Prodigal (2016). Crowder co-wrote the song with Jeff Sojka and Ben Glover.
"Known" is a song by American Christian rock and pop artist Tauren Wells. The song was released as the fifth single from his 2017 album Hills And Valleys on June 23, 2018. The song peaked at No. 3 on the US Hot Christian Songs chart, becoming his fourth Top 10 single from that chart. It departed from the chart after 39 weeks. The song is played in a D-flat major key, and 78 beats per minute. It became his second Christian Airplay No. 1.
Citizen of Heaven is the second studio album by American Christian pop musician Tauren Wells, which was released via Capitol Christian Music Group on January 24, 2020. The album contains guest appearances by Steven Furtick, Jenn Johnson, Kirk Franklin and Rascal Flatts. The album was produced by Chuck Butler, Jordan Sapp, Kirk Franklin, Max Stark, Colby Wedgeworth, and Rascal Flatts.
"Famous For (I Believe)" is a song by American Christian pop artist Tauren Wells featuring Jenn Johnson. It was released on January 10, 2020, as the second single from his sophomore studio album, Citizen of Heaven (2020). Wells co-wrote the song with Alexis Slifer, Chuck Butler, Jordan Sapp, and Krissy Nordhoff. Chuck Butler collaborated with Jordan Sapp on producing the single.
"Never Lost" is a song performed by American contemporary worship band Elevation Worship released as a standalone single, on November 1, 2019. The song was written by Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, and Tiffany Hammer. Chris Brown and Aaron Robertson handled the production of the single.
Passion is a contemporary worship music band, a central part of Passion Conferences in Atlanta, Georgia. Passion band have released 28 albums over the span of two decades under the name Passion. Most of the Passion albums are live albums, recorded during performances in conferences or tours. Passion Conferences also owns sixstepsrecords, a record label that includes Crowder and Passion. Sixstepsrecords artists form the core group of artists performing at the Passion Gatherings, including Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, Kristian Stanfill, Melodie Malone, Brett Younker, and Jimi Cravity. Other artists that have performed at Passion Gatherings include Lecrae, Hillsong United, Jesus Culture, Kari Jobe, Tenth Avenue North, Shane and Shane, SonicFlood, Gungor, Rend Collective, and Sean Curran of Bellarive.
Milk & Honey is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian musician Crowder. The album was released on June 11, 2021, via Sixsteps and Sparrow Records. A deluxe edition of the album was released on March 4, 2022. The album features guest appearances by Hulvey, Maverick City Music, and Dante Bowe. The album was produced by Ben Glover, Jeff Sojka, Hank Bentley, Jeff Pardo, Zach Paradis, Solomon Olds, and Tommee Profitt.
"Until Grace" is a song performed by American Christian pop artist Tauren Wells and American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released on February 14, 2020, as the third single from Wells' second studio album, Citizen of Heaven (2020). Wells co-wrote the song with Chuck Butler and Ethan Hulse.
"In the House" is a song performed by American contemporary Christian music singer Crowder, released on August 27, 2021, as the second single from his fourth studio album, Milk & Honey (2021). Crowder co-wrote the song with Jeff Sojka and Ben Glover.
"God Really Loves Us" is a song performed by Crowder and Dante Bowe featuring Maverick City Music. It was released on June 3, 2022, as the third single from Crowder's fourth studio album, Milk & Honey (2021). Crowder co-wrote the song with Ben Glover, Dante Bowe, and Jeff Sojka.