| Sparrow Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Billy Ray Hearn |
| Distributor(s) | Capitol CMG |
| Genre | CCM, gospel |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Brentwood, TN, U.S. |
| Official website | sparrowrecords |
Sparrow Records is a Christian music record label and a division of Universal Music Group.
Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then artists and repertoire (A&R) director at Myrrh Records. [1] Barry McGuire was the first artist signed to the record, followed quickly by John Michael Talbot and his brother Terry, Janny Grein, and Annie Herring of 2nd Chapter of Acts; all of whom released albums with Sparrow in May of that year. [2] Sparrow Records rose to prominence with the signing of singer, songwriter, Contemporary Christian musician, and minister Keith Green. Within a year of his 1976 signing by Sparrow, Green was the top selling Christian artist in America.[ citation needed ]
Purchased by Thorn EMI in 1992, Sparrow's parent underwent a demerger four years later to become the EMI Group, [3] [4] and the label is now part of the Capitol Christian Music Group. [5]
As of 2009, Sparrow's artists include Britt Nicole, Chris Tomlin, Mandisa, Matt Redman, Matthew West, Steven Curtis Chapman and Switchfoot. Since 1996, a popular production of Sparrow Records has been the annual WOW Hits contemporary Christian music series. In 1998, the WOW franchise then added the annual WOW Gospel series of albums. The WOW Worship series was introduced in 1999, an annual compilation of the greatest hits in contemporary worship music.[ citation needed ]
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Capitol Christian Music Group (Capitol CMG) (formerly known as EMI Christian Music Group) is an American music group that, since 2013, is under the ownership of Universal Music Group. It is based in Brentwood, Tennessee. Capitol CMG is in the Christian Gospel music industry.
"WOW" is a series of annual compilation albums featuring contemporary Christian music dating from 1995. Comprising songs submitted by each partner label, the annual WOW Hits releases are usually double CD sets. The series was officially cancelled in 2019. Throughout its run, the WOW franchise evolved into one of the most successful collections of Christian music.
Christopher Dwayne Tomlin is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, and worship leader from Grand Saline, Texas, United States, who has sold over 7 million records. He is a member of Passion Conferences and is signed to EMI's sixstepsrecords. Some of his most well-known songs are "How Great Is Our God", "Our God", "Whom Shall I Fear " and "Holy Forever".
The Noise We Make is the first commercial solo release by American contemporary Christian music singer Chris Tomlin through sixstepsrecords in 2001.
The 37th Annual GMA Dove Awards, also called the 37th Annual GMA Music Awards, were held on April 5, 2006 recognizing accomplishments of Christian musicians for the year 2005. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Rebecca St. James and Kirk Franklin. This was the last year in which the awards were called the "GMA Music Awards", since they will change their names to "GMA Dove Awards".
Passion Conferences is a Christian organization founded by Louie Giglio in 1997. The organization is known for its annual gatherings of young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, more specifically college students. The organization is also responsible for sixstepsrecords, the worship band Passion, and the megachurch Passion City Church, which serves as the organization's headquarters. Until 2009, the headquarters were in Roswell, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. The first conference was Passion '97, held in Austin, Texas. According to the organization, its purpose is to unite college students for a "spiritual awakening in this generation." The foundation of the organization's purpose can be found in Isaiah 26:8.
The 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation was held on April 23, 2008, recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2007. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee.
And If Our God Is For Us... is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Chris Tomlin, released on November 16, 2010, through Sixstepsrecords It is also available as a CD/DVD Limited Edition featuring four acoustic tracks and a Behind the Scenes video. The album won the Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at 54th Grammy Awards, and the Worship Album of the Year at the 43rd Dove Awards.
The 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation was held on April 20, 2011, at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The show was broadcast on GMC on April 24, 2011, hosted by Sherri Shepherd from The Newlywed Game.
The 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation was held on April 21, 2010 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2009. The show was held at The Opry Entertainment Complex in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Bart Millard.
Kristian Paul Stanfill is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter and worship leader from Atlanta, Georgia. His 2011 album Mountains Move reached No. 64 on the Billboard 200. He is currently the worship pastor at Passion City Church and a worship leader at Passion Conferences.
Passion: White Flag is a collection of songs featuring sixstepsrecords artists Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, and Kristian Stanfill. It was recorded live at Passion Conferences 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia, with more than 42,000 university-aged students in attendance. The album and its new song offerings reflect the desire of a generation to lay down their lives to live for the renown of Christ. The lead single, "White Flag", was released to radio airplay on February 24, 2012.
The 43rd Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation ceremony was held on Thursday, April 19, 2012, at 7:30 P.M. EST at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The ceremony recognized the accomplishments of musicians and other figures within the Christian music industry for the year 2011. The ceremony was produced by the Gospel Music Association and was hosted by actor David Mann and comedian Chonda Pierce. The awards show was broadcast on the Gospel Music Channel on April 24, 2012.
Life Light Up is the first studio album from contemporary Christian music artist Christy Nockels, released on June 2, 2009, by Sparrow Records and sixstepsrecords.
Passion: Let the Future Begin is a live album recorded at the 2013 Passion Conference with more than 60,000 university-aged students in Atlanta, Georgia. This collection of new songs features sixstepsrecords artists Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, Christy Nockels, and Kristian Stanfill, and other special guests. The album was released by Passion on March 12, 2013. On March 30, 2013, the album charted on the Billboard 200 and the Christian Albums charts, which it was charted at Nos. 4 and 1 respectively.
The 44th Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation ceremony was held on Tuesday, October 15, 2013 at the Allen Arena. It returned to Nashville, Tennessee after being away for two years. The ceremony recognized the accomplishments of musicians and other figures within the Christian music industry since the previous ceremony in April 2012. The ceremony was produced by the Gospel Music Association and was hosted by singers Kirk Franklin and Amy Grant. The awards show was broadcast on the UP television network on October 21, 2013.
American contemporary Christian music (CCM) artist Chris Tomlin has released eight studio albums, two independent albums, two live albums, one compilation album, and twenty-one singles.
The 46th Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation ceremony was held on Tuesday, October 13, 2015, at the Allen Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The ceremony recognized the accomplishments of musicians and other figures within the Christian music industry for the year 2014. The ceremony was produced by the Trinity Broadcasting Network and was hosted by musician Erica Campbell and television star Sadie Robertson. The awards show was broadcast on the Trinity Broadcasting Network on October 18, 2015.
The 48th Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation ceremony was held on Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at the Allen Arena located in Nashville, Tennessee. The ceremony recognized the accomplishments of musicians and other figures within the Christian music industry for the year 2017. The ceremony was produced by the Trinity Broadcasting Network and was hosted by female singers Kari Jobe and Tasha Cobbs Leonard. The awards show was broadcast on the Trinity Broadcasting Network on October 22, 2017.
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.
