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Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and stylistically rooted in Christian music. Originating in the United States, it was formed by those affected by the 1960s Jesus movement revival who began to express themselves in other styles of popular music, beyond the church music of hymns, gospel and Southern gospel music that was prevalent in the church at the time. Initially referred to as Jesus music, today, the term is typically used to refer to pop, but also includes rock, alternative rock, hip hop, metal, contemporary worship, punk, hardcore punk, Latin, electronic dance music, R&B-influenced gospel, and country styles.
DC Talk is a Christian rap and rock trio. The group was formed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max Smith. They released five major studio albums together: dc Talk (1989), Nu Thang (1990), Free at Last (1992), Jesus Freak (1995), and Supernatural (1998). In 2002, the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music called dc Talk "the most popular overtly Christian act of all time."
Kevin Michael McKeehan, better known by his stage name TobyMac, is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. His road band is known as Diverse City. He was first known for being a member of the Christian rap and rock trio dc Talk, staying with them from 1987 until they went on hiatus in 2000. He has since continued a successful solo career with the release of ten studio albums: Momentum (2001), Welcome to Diverse City (2004), Portable Sounds (2007), Tonight (2010), Christmas in Diverse City (2011), Eye on It (2012), This Is Not a Test (2015), The Elements (2018), Life After Death (2022), as well as five remixed albums: Re:Mix Momentum (2003), Renovating Diverse City (2005), Dubbed and Freq'd: A Remix Project (2012), Eye'm All Mixed Up (2014) and The St. Nemele Collab Sessions (2019). He also has two full-length Christmas albums: Christmas in Diverse City (2011) and Light Of Christmas (2017). He became the third Christian artist to have a No. 1 debut on Billboard 200 chart with Eye on It.
Petra is an American music group regarded as a pioneer of the Christian rock and contemporary Christian music genres and was, for many years, regarded as the "world's most popular Christian rock band". Formed in 1972, the band took its name from the Greek word for "rock". Though it disbanded formally in 2006, incarnations have played reunion shows in the years since and released two albums in November 2010, and in November 2017. In 2013, it reformed with a new drummer, Cristian Borneo, and recorded a new song titled "Holy is Your Name", before going back on tour.
Avalon Worship, originally known as Avalon, is an American contemporary Christian vocal quartet from Nashville, Tennessee, formed in 1995. The group has earned multiple RIAA-certified gold records. The group consists of Janna Long, Greg Long, Jody McBrayer, and Dani Rocca.
The Afters is an American Christian rock band founded by Josh Havens and Matt Fuqua. Havens and Fuqua first worked together in a Starbucks coffee shop in Mesquite, Texas, where they performed songs for customers before deciding to form a band. They were initially joined by Brad Wigg from the same Starbucks and drummer Michael Burden and performed with the name Blisse. When Burden left the band, Marc Dodd, who also worked at the Mesquite Starbucks stepped in. Their song "Never Going Back to OK" was the most-played song on R&R magazine's Christian CHR chart for 2008.
MercyMe is an American contemporary Christian music band founded in Edmond, Oklahoma. The band consists of lead vocalist Bart Millard, percussionist Robby Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran and guitarists Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul.
"I Can Only Imagine" is a song by Christian rock band MercyMe. Written and composed by lead singer Bart Millard, it was originally recorded for the band's 1999 independent album The Worship Project before being included on their 2001 major-label debut album Almost There. The song was the last to be written for The Worship Project; in writing it, Millard drew upon his thoughts about his father's death. Lyrically, it imagines what it would be like to be in front of God in heaven; it opens with just a piano before building to include guitar and drums.
Phillips, Craig and Dean is a contemporary Christian music trio composed of pastors Randy Phillips, Shawn Craig, and Dan Dean. Since forming in 1991, the group has sold over two million units. They have also received ten GMA Dove Award nominations, winning four, including Praise and Worship Album of the Year in 2007 for Top of My Lungs, and Inspirational Album of the Year in 2010 for Fearless.
Donald Andrew McClurkin Jr. is an American gospel singer and minister. He has won three Grammy Awards, ten Stellar Awards, two BET Awards, two Soul Train Awards, one Dove Award and one NAACP Image Awards. He is one of the top selling gospel artists, selling over 13 million albums. Variety dubbed McClurkin as a "Reigning King of Urban Gospel".
Big Daddy Weave is an American contemporary Christian band from Mobile, Alabama. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of Mike Weaver, Joe Shirk, Jeremy Redmon, Brian Beihl, and Raul Alfonso. Since 2021, they have been signed to Curb Records.
Almost There is the first studio album by the American Christian rock band MercyMe. Produced by Pete Kipley, it was released on August 14, 2001, by INO Records. After releasing six albums as an unsigned band, they decided to pursue a record contract because it became too difficult to sell albums, book shows, and manage themselves. The band was assigned to work with Kipley, who had not produced a major project before. Four songs on the album had previously appeared on their self-released albums; the rest were newly recorded songs. Critics have characterized the music on the album as contemporary worship and pop rock, with a more radio-friendly sound than the band's self-released albums.
Charles Christopher Sligh is an American singer, songwriter, producer and pastor who was a finalist on the sixth season of American Idol, finishing in tenth place. He has released 14 albums since 2001 as a solo artist, with his band Half Past Forever or with his former church's musical entity, Shoreline Music. He also starred in October Baby.
Needtobreathe is an American rock band from Seneca, South Carolina. The group first gained fame for their Christian themes, eventually reaching crossover success. The band is composed of Bear Rinehart, Seth Bolt, Josh Lovelace, Randall Harris and Tyler Burkum (guitar). To date, the band has released ten studio albums: The Feature (2001), Daylight (2006), The Heat (2007), The Outsiders (2009), The Reckoning (2011), Rivers in the Wasteland (2014), HARD LOVE (2016), Out of Body (2020), Into the Mystery (2021), and Caves (2023); six of those albums have reached No. 1 on the Christian Albums chart. The band has also charted with a number of singles, including "Washed by the Water" (2007), which reached No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart; the Grammy-nominated "Multiplied" (2014); "Brother" (2015), which charted on the Top 100 and reached No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart; and "Who Am I" (2020), which reached No. 14 on the Hot Alternative Songs chart.
"Who Am I" is a song recorded by Christian rock band Casting Crowns. Written by Mark Hall and produced by Mark A. Miller and Steven Curtis Chapman, it was released on February 22, 2004, as the second single from the band's 2003 self-titled debut album. A pop rock and adult contemporary ballad, the song is based around the piano and utilizes orchestral sounds. Lyrically, the song is centered on worshiping God. The song received positive reviews from music critics upon its release, with several regarding it as one of the best songs on their debut album.
Jimmy Fortune is an American country music singer from Nelson County, Virginia. Fortune sang tenor for The Statler Brothers for 21 years, and wrote the song "Elizabeth" for the group. Shortly after the Statler Brothers disbanded, he began to perform as a solo artist.
Manic Drive is a Canadian Christian rock band, formed in 2004 by the brothers Michael and Shawn Cavallo. After receiving interest from a record label, they released Reason for Motion in May 2005. The band has released albums including Reset and Rewind (2007), Blue (2009), Epic (2011), VIP (2014), Into the Wild (2017) and Vol. 1 (2020).
Elevation Worship is a contemporary worship music collective from Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. The collective leads worship in weekend church services at Elevation Church, as well as performing concerts and tours around the United States. The collective has sold over 2.5 million albums in the United States.
David Wallace Crowder, known professionally by his mononymous stage name Crowder since 2012, is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and author. 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.
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.
References
- 1 2 Argyrakis, Andy. "Catching Up With ...Paul Alan". www.crosswalk.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 Brokaw, Joanne (July 3, 2008). "Check out Paul Alan's "Drive It Home"". Gospel Soundcheck. BeliefNet.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- ↑ "Nouveaux: And This is How I Fell". Reviews & Previews. Billboard . Vol. 108, no. 32. Nielsen Business Media. August 10, 1996. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- ↑ "CHR Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records : 88. September 21, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
- ↑ "Paul Alan Album Discography". AllMusic . Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
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