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Ray Boltz | |
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| Born | June 14, 1953 Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Genres | Contemporary Christian |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano, guitar |
| Years active | 1986–2004, 2008–2023 |
| Website | RayBoltz.com |
Raymond Howard Boltz (born June 14, 1953) is an American retired [1] singer and songwriter who first came to notice in contemporary Christian music. Many of his songs tell stories of faith and inspiration.
Raised by his parents William and Ruth Boltz in Muncie, Indiana, Ray Boltz is the middle of three children. [2] Boltz was married to Carol (nee Brammer) [2] Boltz [3] for 33 years (1975-2008), and they have four children. [2] Boltz graduated from Ball State University with a degree in business and marketing. [2]
Boltz was unknown when he wrote "Thank You", which won the Song of the Year prize at the 1990 GMA Dove Awards. [4] His song "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb" also won a Dove Award for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year, at the 25th GMA Dove Awards in 1994. After the release of Songs from the Potter's Field in 2002, and his last tour in 2004, Boltz retired from the music industry. He separated from his wife in 2005 before moving to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with their divorce being finalized in early 2008. [2]
On September 12, 2008, during an interview with the Washington Blade , Boltz came out as gay. [5] Since then, Boltz has performed at several churches of the Metropolitan Community Church, a gay-affirming Christian denomination. [6]
In 2010, Boltz released the album True, which won Album of the Year at the OUTMusic Awards. [3] Boltz lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his husband Franco Sperduti, [2] who is also his talent agent.
| Year | Album | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | The Concert of a Lifetime | Billboard 200 | 194 |
| 1996 | No Greater Sacrifice | Billboard 200 | 173 |
| 1997 | A Christmas Album: Bethlehem Star | Billboard 200 | 169 |
A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee every year except 2011 and 2012 when they were held in Atlanta, Georgia. The ceremonies feature live musical performances and are broadcast on TBN.
Jeremy Thomas Camp is an American contemporary Christian singer and songwriter from Lafayette, Indiana. He has released eleven albums, four of them RIAA-certified as Gold, and two live albums. Camp's original music is a mixture of ballads and up-tempo songs with rock influence. He has won five GMA Dove Awards, has been nominated for three American Music Awards, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 2010 for his album, Speaking Louder Than Before. I Still Believe, a film based on Camp's first marriage, was released in 2020, with Camp being played by New Zealand actor KJ Apa.
Planetshakers is a contemporary worship music band, a central part of Planetshakers Church in Melbourne, Australia.
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.
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.
Gloria Gaither is a Christian singer-songwriter, author, speaker, editor, and academic. She is married to Bill Gaither and together they have written more than 700 songs. In 2000, ASCAP named them Christian Songwriters of the Century. She performed, traveled and recorded with the Bill Gaither Trio from 1965 through 1991. Since 1991, she has served as a performer, recording artist, songwriter, scriptwriter and narrator for the Gaither Homecoming series of television broadcasts, video and DVD releases, and audio recordings.
Red is an American Christian rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, formed in 2002 by brothers guitarist Anthony Armstrong and bassist Randy Armstrong, with lead vocalist Michael Barnes. The band's first lineup also consisted of drummer Andrew Hendrix and guitarist Jasen Rauch. Currently, the lineup has consisted of the core trio of the Armstrong brothers and Barnes, along with drummer Brian Medeiros.
Paul Joseph Baloche is an American Christian music artist, worship leader, and singer-songwriter. A native of Maple Shade Township, New Jersey, Baloche was the worship pastor at Community Christian Fellowship in Lindale, Texas, for 26 years. He and his wife, Rita left Texas in January 2015, moving to New York City to be nearer to family. Baloche composes on piano and acoustic guitar, favoring guitar when leading worship. His wife, Rita Baloche, is also a Christian songwriter. Baloche is one of the writers for Compassionart, a charity founded by Martin Smith from Delirious?.
Philip David Wickham is an American contemporary Christian singer, musician and songwriter from San Diego, California. He has released ten worship albums: Give You My World in 2003, a self-titled album in 2006, Cannons in 2007, Singalong in 2008, Heaven & Earth in 2009, Response in 2011, Singalong 2 in 2012, The Ascension in 2013, Singalong 3 in 2015, Children of God in 2016, Living Hope in 2018, Hymn of Heaven in 2021, and I Believe in 2023. He has also led worship at Soul Survivor. His single "This is Amazing Grace" has been certified Platinum by the RIAA and it topped the 2014 year-end Christian Airplay chart.
Matthew Joseph West is an American contemporary Christian musician and singer-songwriter. He has released five studio albums and is known for his songs "More", "You Are Everything", and "The Motions". He was nominated for five Dove Awards in 2005, two of which were for his major-label debut album, Happy. West won the 2013 American Music Award for Best Contemporary Inspirational Artist.
Matthew Guion Maher is a Canadian Roman Catholic, contemporary Christian music (CCM) artist, songwriter, and worship leader from Newfoundland, Canada, who lives in the United States. Three of his nine albums have reached the Top 25 Christian Albums Billboard chart and four of his singles have reached the Top 25 Christian Songs chart. His notable writing credits include "Your Grace Is Enough", "I Will Rise", "Because He Lives (Amen)", "Christ Is Risen", and "Lord I Need You". Maher has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards in his career and was awarded the Songwriter of the Year at the 2015 GMA Dove Awards.
"Voice of Truth" is a song recorded by Casting Crowns and written by Mark Hall and Steven Curtis Chapman. It was the third song released from Casting Crowns' 2003 debut album, Casting Crowns. "Voice of Truth" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart in 2003 and remained in the top spot for 14 weeks. It has been certified platinum by the RIAA. Casting Crowns received a Dove Award for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year in 2005 for "Voice of Truth".
End of Silence is the debut studio album by American Christian rock band Red. It was released on June 6, 2006, through Essential Records and Sony BMG. It was produced by Rob Graves. According to Billboard, the album made it up to position 194 on its top 200 album chart. This is the only Red album to feature drummer Hayden Lamb.
Clay Crosse is a contemporary Christian music artist. He has won four GMA Dove Awards, and is probably best known for the single "I Surrender All".
Jim Witter is a Canadian award-winning country music and Christian music singer/songwriter. Ten of Witter's songs reached the top 10 on Canadian country radio.
"East to West" is a song recorded by contemporary Christian band Casting Crowns. Written by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms and produced by Mark A Miller, it was released as the lead single from the band's 2007 album The Altar and the Door. Lyrically, the song deals with the concept of forgiveness. The song met with a positive to mixed reception from music critics and won two awards at the 39th GMA Dove Awards: Song of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year. It was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance at the 51st Grammy Awards.
Live Wire is a 2004 live CD/DVD released by Christian rock band Third Day. All of the tracks, except for "Sing a Song" and "Blackbird", are from their album Wire, released earlier that year. "Thank You All" was recorded especially for Live Wire. Some of the songs were cut off the CD but can be found on the DVD. The concert was shot and recorded in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Palace Theater. It has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
The 26th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 27, 1995, to recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 1994. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Gary Chapman, Steven Curtis Chapman, Twila Paris and CeCe Winans.
The 21st Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 5, 1990, recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 1989. The show was held at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Clifton Davis and Sandi Patty.
"Cinderella" is a song by contemporary Christian singer Steven Curtis Chapman from his album This Moment. In 2009, a special edition of the album titled This Moment: Cinderella Edition was released, featuring two versions of the song.
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