Other well-known hymns in the Getty Music catalog include "Rejoice", "The Lord Almighty Reigns", "His Mercy Is More", "He Will Hold Me Fast", "The Power of the Cross", "The Lord Is My Salvation", "By Faith", and "Speak O Lord". The Gettys have recorded 26 albums and have been nominated for a Grammy Award, as well as winning two Dove Awards.[2] In 2017, Christianity Today named the Gettys "preeminent" hymn writers who have "changed the way evangelicals worship".[3]
The couple run Getty Music, a record label and publishing house in addition to an education program for developing hymn writers and worship leaders. In 2020, the Gettys founded the Getty Music Foundation which provides resources to churches and families, especially resources pertaining to theology and education in congregational singing. They have four children.
Formation and members
Keith & Kristyn Getty
Kristyn Getty's uncle John Lennox, introduced the couple to each other and the pair soon began writing songs together. They worked with several organizations and in projects in Northern Ireland. The Gettys were married in 2004, moving to Switzerland and working at an international church in Geneva. They then moved to Cleveland, Ohio and were based in Parkside Church with Alistair Begg for four years. They moved again to Nashville in 2010.[citation needed]
Kristyn Elizabeth Rebekah Getty (née Lennox, born (1980-05-22) 22 May 1980 (age45)) was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She is the daughter of Gilbert Lennox and Heather Lennox (née Wright). She is the niece of John Lennox, a mathematician. In 1999, she studied English literature and ethnomusicology at Queen's University of Belfast (1999-2003) in Belfast. Kristyn was a member of various local bands during her early career, before meeting Keith Getty and beginning to write music. Her first song to be published was titled "Your Song to Me," which was released on her album with Keith, under her maiden name Kristyn Lennox.
The duo's debut release was In Christ Alone, released in 2006. This record was a collection of ten hymns remade with Kristyn as the vocalist.[14]
After distribution of approximately 200,000 units, In Christ Alone was nominated for a Dove Award in 2007. "The Risen Christ", a choral collection based on the album, was also nominated for a Dove Award in 2009.[15]
Awaken the Dawn album
In 2008, Awaken the Dawn was the duo's second album.[16] The album was nominated in the 41st GMA Dove Awards for "Praise and Worship Album of the Year". Awaken the Dawn introduced a more "worship band" approach as Keith and Kristyn Getty started touring and performing their music to an American audience. The album was produced by Phil Naish with string arrangements by Rob Mathes, and the contributions of rhythm musicians in Nashville. With a distribution of approximately 110,000 units, Awaken the Dawn was nominated for a Dove Award in 2009.
In 2012, The Gettys released Hymns for the Christian Life, a collection of music strongly portraying the Gettys move to Nashville.[10][19] The album is personal, both in terms of writing more hymns on how the gospel speaks to the issues of everyday life and moving away to a more acoustic musical style blending the two cultures in which they live— from Northern Ireland and American folk music. The album was produced by Charlie Peacock and Ed Cash. It features guests artists including Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs, and Máire Brennan.[20] In 2014, The Greengrass Sessions EP was released as a supplement containing additional songs used on the Hymns for the Christian Life tour. It is a limited edition EP with recordings of the live touring band.[citation needed]
The pair first performed at Royal Albert Hall in 2012 for the 40th anniversary of Prom Praise with the All Souls Orchestra and returned to the same venue in 2022 for the 50th anniversary concert. In 2013, they performed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville for the first time for a Saint Patrick’s Day concert. In the spring of 2013, the National Conference of The Gospel Coalition was held in Orlando, Florida. The Gettys arranged the music at the event with traditional and modern hymns, including several selections from their own catalog. It became a live album as well as a printed songbook.[21] The album was produced by Ed Cash and features 13 previously released songs.
In May 2019, the Gettys announced via their Facebook page an album named after the Christian worship hymn His Mercy Is More.[24] The album features Getty Music partners Matt Papa and Matt Boswell and came out in August 2019.[25] In 2019 and 2020, TBN aired the program Sing! An Irish Christmas during the Christmas season. The program featured the Gettys as well as Boswell, Matt Papa, and other performers. On 4 September 2020, the Gettys released the album Evensong (Hymns and Lullabies at the Close of Day), which features lullabies written by the Gettys as well as various other hymns. The album is a product of collaboration between the Gettys and various artists including Vince Gill, Heather Headley, Ellie Holcomb, and Skye Peterson, daughter of musician and author Andrew Peterson. In its debut week, it debuted at No. 1 on both the Top Christian Albums chart and the Kid Albums chart[26]
Confessio album
On 29 October 2021, Keith and Kristyn Getty released the album Confessio: Irish American Roots, which includes traditional and original hymns arranged in Celtic and American folk styles. The album featured collaborations with Ricky Skaggs, Alison Krauss, Kirk Whalum, Dana Masters, Jordyn Shellhart, and Sandra McCracken. The album was nominated for a Grammy in the category Best Roots Gospel Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards.[27]
Christ Our Hope in Life and Death album
On 28 April 2023, Keith and Kristyn Getty released the album Christ Our Hope in Life and Death, named after the song with the same title. The album, consisting mainly of original worship songs and hymns, featured collaborations with Michael W. Smith, Rend Collective, Shane & Shane, Laura Story, Skye Peterson, Matt Boswell, and Matt Papa.[28]
In reference to his songwriting and musical performance, Keith Getty wrote in 2015: "I do not pretend to be qualified to write a theological treatise on this particular subject. Congregational singing is a holy act, and as I organize my thoughts, I hear my old pastor, Alistair Begg, reminding me that in our song worship, we have to be spiritually alive..."[30]
Tours
The Gettys performing at The Star Theatre in Singapore as part of the Sing! Asia tour in 2023
Joy – An Irish Christmas and Sing! An Irish Christmas
In 2010, Tom Bledsoe invited Keith and Kristyn Getty to join a special Christmas celebration with George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows. Billy Graham was the speaker. The Gettys prepared 30 minutes of music from their album Joy: An Irish Christmas for the first evening. Their segment was expanded to a fuller evening of music later presented to many churches in 2010.[31]
By 2011, Joy - An Irish Christmas was developed into a full-length album and a month-long concert tour.[32] The tour returned in December 2012.[33] Irish Christmas went on hiatus in 2013 as Keith and Kristyn awaited the birth of their second daughter. The tour went to North America in 2014 culminating with a performance at Carnegie Hall with Ricky Skaggs as a special guest.[34] 2015's Joy - An Irish Christmas Tour went to 20 cities across the southeastern United States. The Gettys were joined by guest artists John Patitucci and Sally Lloyd-Jones in New York City, as well as Buddy Greene and Skaggs at The Fox Theatre and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, with astronaut Butch Wilmore as a special guest at the tour's final stop in Nashville.
Hymns for the Christian Life American & Celtic Tours
The duo along with others toured the UK in 2012 during their The Northern Celtic Islands Tour.[35] Guest performers included Stuart Townend, New Scottish Choir and Orchestra, Jonathan Rea, New Irish Arts, and Dr. Noël Tredinnick. In 2013, Keith and Kristyn embarked on the Hymns for the Christian Life Tour throughout North America.[36]
Personal life
Keith and Kristyn Getty were introduced to each other in 2002 by Kristyn’s uncle, John Lennox. After dating for two years, the Gettys married on 16 June 2004 in Armagh, Northern Ireland. They have four children.[37]
Keith has received two honorary doctorates: one from Lancaster Bible College in 2011, and another from Dallas Baptist University in Dallas in 2021.[39][40] Kristyn received an honorary doctorate from Dallas Baptist University in 2023.[41] In 2012, The British Hymn Society named "In Christ Alone" as one of the top Five Hymns of All Time.
In 2018, Keith was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Elizabeth II, becoming the first church musician of the modern era to be given the award for contributions to music and hymn writing.[42] In August 2019, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) approved a motion to bestow its highest civic order on Keith and Kristyn Getty after a proposal by Alderman Allan Ewart.[43] The award of Freedom of the City of Lisburn and Castlereagh was conferred on 1 June 2023.[44]
In 2019, "In Christ Alone" was voted as the third most popular hymn in Britain as announced on the BBC program Songs of Praise, making it the only modern hymn to be included in the top ten.[45] In 2020, their children’s album Evensong topped Billboard's Kids Album Chart, moving the Frozen soundtrack from the top position.[46][47]
Year
Association
Category
Nominated work
Result
Ref
2018
Christian Book Award
Best New Author(s)
Sing! How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church
In 2013, the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song in the United States sought permission to include "In Christ Alone" in a hymnal with a modification of the lyrics: "Till on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied" to instead say, "Till on that cross as Jesus died, the love of God was magnified". Keith Getty and co-author Stuart Townsend rejected the request for modification and the Committee declined to include the song in its hymnal. The dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University in Homewood, Alabama, Timothy George, published an article criticizing the committee's attempt to remove the controversial doctrine of the wrath of God from the song.[52] The topic of George’s article became popular and was eventually adapted by reporters from USA Today, The Washington Post, and other major publications.[53][54]
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