Marcos Witt

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Marcos Witt
Marcos Witt 2019.jpg
Background information
Born (1962-05-19) May 19, 1962 (age 63)
San Antonio, Texas, United States
Occupation(s)Singer, pastor
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano, percussion
Years active1984present
Labels CanZion Group LP
Website marcoswitt.net

Jonathan Mark Witt Holder (born May 19, 1962), better known as simply Marcos Witt, is an American Christian singer and pastor. Witt is considered one of the most influential and famous Spanish speaking figures of Christian music. [1]

Contents

Biography

Witt was the second of three children born to Jerry and Nola Witt, a young American missionary couple. The Witt family moved to Durango, Mexico, in 1960 and started a missionary outreach. Jerry was killed when his small aircraft was shot down in 1964 while he was dropping gospels of St. John over small villages in Mexico. [2] Nola Witt continued the mission work after his death. Some years later, she married Frank Warren. Together, they began to build new churches in Durango, Mexico. The couple had two children.

Witt's education began with basic studies at the American School of Durango. He then studied classical music at the University of Juarez (Durango, Mexico) and eventually started his theological studies at the International Bible College in San Antonio, Texas, where he earned a degree. Witt also received an M.A. from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. [3]

Career

In 1986, Witt founded CanZion Producciones when he recorded his first album, Canción a Dios. He has recorded 30 albums that are available on cassette, CD, and DVD. Witt has sold over 27,000,000 copies of his records in Mexico, the United States and Latin America. [4]

In 1994, Witt founded CanZion Institute, a school dedicated to the preparation of worship leaders and music ministers. Twenty years later there are over 3,000 students attending the 28 campuses of the Institute in 10 different countries throughout the United States, Latin America, and Europe. [5]

Witt has written ten books, including Adoremos, which has been translated to English, Portuguese, and French, and Qué hacemos con estos músicos, which has been translated into Portuguese. Between 2009 and 2012, more than 3,000,000 people attended Witt's concerts in some of the main venues of Latin America. [6] Concerts have been held in such places as José Amalfitani Stadium in Argentina, Figali Convention Center in Panama, Estadio Cuscatlán in El Salvador, Estadio Monumental in Ecuador, Estadio El Campín in Colombia, Palacio de los Deportes and Estadio Azteca in México City. [7]

In 2001, Witt received the Ritmo Latino Award by the People for his "outstanding musical career". [8]

Starting in 2002, for ten years he served as pastor of the Spanish Christian congregation at the megachurch Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. [9] Witt has visited the White House for events as a representative of the evangelical Hispanic Community. [5] As of 2023, Witt's music and outreach efforts have been credited as a factor behind the surging growth of Latino evangelicalism across the United States and Latin America. [10]

Witt works with William Vanderbloemen as a strategic partner to his firm. [11]

Latin Grammys

In total, Witt has received 6 Latin Grammy awards. [12]

In September 2003, Witt received a Latin Grammy Award for Best Christian Album, for Sana Nuestra Tierra (Heal Our Land). In November of that same year, he recorded Recordando Otra Vez (Remembering Once Again) at the LA Sports Arena. This recording brought CanZion into the secular market because of its distribution agreement with Sony.In 2004, Marcos received his second Latin Grammy for Best Christian Album for Recordando Otra Vez. On November 2, 2006, Witt received his third Latin Grammy for Best Christian Album for his album Dios es Bueno (God is Good). On October 31, 2006, he released the album Alegría (Joy), which was recorded live in Chile. On April 26, 2007, Alegría won a Latin Billboard Award for Best Christian/Gospel Album of the Year. Witt's daughter, Elena Witt, sang "Cristo, Amante de mi Alma" on the album Alegria. On November 8, 2007, Witt received his fourth Latin Grammy for Best Christian Album for Alegría.On October 2, 2007, Witt released Sinfonía del Alma (Symphony from the Soul), which he recorded and dedicated to his stepfather who had died a year earlier. On November 15, 2012, Witt received his fifth Latin Grammy for Best Christian Album for his album 25 Concierto Conmemorativo (25 Memorial Concert). On 2021 Witt released Viviré for which he was awarded his sixth Latin Grammy for Best Christian Album.

Personal life

In 1986, Marcos married Miriam Lee; they have four children. The couple's oldest child, Elena, is married to singer Harold Guerra, who is signed to CanZion Records, the recording company founded by Witt. [13]

Discography

Year of ReleaseTitleLabel
1986Canción a Dios CanZion
1987Instrumentals I and II
1988Adoremos!CanZion
Sony Music
1990Proyecto alabanza y adoraciónCanZion
Word
1991Tú y yo (En vivo)CanZion
Word
1991Marco Barrientos: En Tí (En vivo)CanZion
Word
1991A una voz (Con Torre Fuerte)Vida
1992Te AnheloCanZion
Word
1992Te Exaltamos (En vivo) Hosanna! Music
1993Poderoso (En vivo) CanZion
1993Alcanzando a las naciones
1993Grandes son tus maravillas (En vivo desde Miami con Jaime Murrell)Vida Music
1994Celebracion de alabanza (En vivo)CanZion
1994Lo Mejor de Marcos
1994¡Alabadle! (En vivo)
1995Recordando... Una misma senda
1995Vicente Montaño: Tiempo de Cambiar
1995Rudy Rodríguez "Aliento de adoración"
1996Venció (En vivo)
1996Es Navidad
1997Israel
1997Canticos de alabanza y adoración para cumplidores de promesasMatanatha Music
1998Preparad el camino (En vivo desde Jerusalén)CanZion
1998Lo Mejor de Instrumentales
1998Lo Mejor de Marcos II
1999Colección En Vivo
1999Enciende una luz (En vivo)
2000Homenaje a Jesús (En vivo con Marco Barrientos, Danilo Montero y Jorge Lozano)
2000Todos deben de saber (En vivo)
2000Venceu (En vivo) (En portugués)
2000El volverá (En vivo desde Jerusalén con Danilo Montero y Luis Enrique Espinosa)CanZion
2001Clamemos a Jesús (En vivo desde Zócalo de la Ciudad de México)Aliento Producciones
2001VivenciasCanZion
2001 Sana Nuestra Tierra (En vivo)
2001Dios al mundo amó
2001A viva voz
2001Juan Romero: Vol.1
2002Ahora es el tiempo
2002El encuentro (En vivo)
2003Lo mejor de Marcos Witt III
2003Vicente Montaño: Abrázame
2003 Dios de Pactos (En vivo desde Miami)CanZion
Sony Discos
2003Música para una vida con propositoVida Music
2003Songs 4 Worship en EspañolIntegrity Music
2003 Amazing God (En vivo) (En inglés)CanZion
2004 Recordando Otra Vez (En vivo desde Los Ángeles, California)
2004Tiempo de Navidad
2004AntologíaCanZion
Sony Discos
2005 Dios es Bueno (En vivo desde Puerto Rico)CanZion
2005 Alex Campos: Como un niño
2005Solo adoración
2005Solo adoración 2
2005Christmas Time (En inglés)
2006Alegría (En vivo desde Santiago de Chile)
2006Unción Tropical: Seguimos unidos
2006Alex Campos: Acústico: El sonido del silencio (En vivo)CanZion
2006Hay una respuestaCanZion
2007Sinfonía del almaCanZion
Vene Music
2008Sobrenatural (En vivo desde Bogotá, Colombia)CanZion
Vene Music
2008Songs 4 Worship en español: El poder de Tu Amor Integrity Music
2008Mario Rodríguez: Derrama de Tu GloriaCanZion
2009 [14] En adoraciónCanZion
Vene Music
2010Sólo para bebésCanZion
Kids
201125 Concierto Conmemorativo (En vivo)CanZion
2012 Global Project Español CanZion
Hillsong Music
2013Josué del Cid: Mis mejores díasCanZion
2014Sigues Siendo Dios
2015Sigues siendo Dios (En vivo desde Argentina)CanZion
2016Montreal: Más colorCanZion
2016Canción a Dios (Versión remasterizada)CanZion
2016Tú y yo (En vivo) (Versión remasterizada)CanZion
2017Jesús salva (En vivo desde Congreso Adoradores)CanZion
2021ViviréCanZion
2023Tu IglesiaCanZion
2025LegadoCanZion

Bibliography

Awards

Latin Grammy Awards

GMA Dove Awards

YearAwardResult
2005 Spanish Album of the Year ( Recordando Otra Vez )Nominated
Spanish Album of the Year (Tiempo de Navidad)Nominated
2006 Spanish Album of the Year ( Dios es Bueno )Nominated
2007 Spanish Album of the Year ( Alegría )Nominated
2009 Spanish Album of the Year ( Sobrenatural )Nominated
2022 Spanish Album of the Year (Viviré)Won

AMCL Awards

References

  1. "Marcos with the most representative and important figure of Christian music".
  2. Weeks, Lee (December 1, 2021). "Latin Grammy Winner Gifted for God's Glory". Decision Magazine.
  3. Kanellos, Nicolás (September 20, 2022). Latino Almanac: From Early Explorers to Corporate Leaders. Visible Ink Press. p. 997. ISBN   978-1-57859-753-6.
  4. "Marcos Witt on the change in music and lyrics of worship among Hispanics". calvin.edu.
  5. 1 2 Joy to the World, Inspirational Christmas Messages from America's Preachers, 2006, Olivia Cloud (ed), ISBN   9781416540007
  6. Nathan, Giese (June 11, 2021). "Marcos Witt to perform at South Plains Church in Levelland". www.myplainview.com. Plainview Herald.
  7. Palacios, Felipe Vázquez (2007). La fe y la ciudadanía en la práctica evangélica veracruzana (in Spanish). CIESAS. p. 50. ISBN   978-968-496-632-1.
  8. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (November 9, 2002). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 34.{{cite book}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  9. Marcos Witt web site, press release, Sep 2012
  10. Valdes, Marcela (June 28, 2023). "The Christian Pop Star Bringing Latino Evangelicals to the Pews". The New York Times.
  11. Vanderbloemen, William. "Marcos Witt".
  12. Ingalls, Monique M.; Yong, Amos (June 18, 2015). The Spirit of Praise: Music and Worship in Global Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity. Penn State Press. p. 204. ISBN   978-0-271-07068-1.
  13. Aliaga, Esly Felipe (August 2009). "Conexion Musical". Fuerza Latina (in Spanish).
  14. "Marcos Witt en Adoracion". AllMusic. Retrieved February 22, 2013.