Gary Chapman (musician)

Last updated

Gary Chapman
Birth nameGary Winther Chapman
Born (1957-08-19) August 19, 1957 (age 66)
Waurika, Oklahoma, U.S.
Origin Nashville, Tennessee
Genres Contemporary Christian
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Voice, guitar
Years active1979–present
Spouse(s)
(m. 1982;div. 1999)
Jennifer Pittman
(m. 2000;div. 2007)
Cassie Piersol
(m. 2008)

Gary Winther Chapman (born August 19, 1957) is an American contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter and former television talk show host.

Contents

Early life and music career

Born in Waurika, Oklahoma, [1] Chapman grew up in De Leon, Texas, [2] the son of an Assemblies of God pastor, the Rev. Terry W. Chapman, who ministered for 56 years before his death in 2009. [3] [4]

Chapman performed in bands throughout high school and college.[ citation needed ] After going to Bible college at what is now Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and was hired as guitar player for The Rambos.[ citation needed ] In 1979, his song "Father's Eyes" was recorded as the title track to Amy Grant's Grammy-nominated second album My Father's Eyes . [5] In 1982, his song "Finally", recorded by T. G. Sheppard, reached No. 1 on the country music charts. [6] He also received a Dove Award as Songwriter of the Year from the Gospel Music Association in 1981. [7]

During the rest of the 1980s and the early 1990s, Chapman continued to write, record, and produce music, while touring as an opening act for various artists. He sang "Brave Hearts" in 1987 for the Touchstone Pictures film Ernest Goes to Camp . [8] He also collaborated with numerous artists in the singing of "Amazing Grace" in the 1994 film Maverick. [9]

He was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 1994 [10] for The Light Inside. The album also resulted in a Dove Award nomination for Male Vocalist of the Year, and yielded a contemporary Christian music chart No. 1 song, "Sweet Glow of Mercy." He won a second Dove Award in 1994 for co-producing the album Songs from the Loft, featuring various artists. [7]

In April 1996, Chapman won Male Vocalist of the Year at the GMA Dove Awards. [7] His 1996 album, Shelter, delivered another No. 1, "One of Two",[ citation needed ] with "Man After Your Own Heart" resulting in a Dove Award for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year and featuring on the Dove Award-winning Special Event Album of the Year, My Utmost for His Highest . Shelter also received a 1997 Grammy nomination for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. [11] At the 1998 Dove Awards, his album Hymns From The Ryman, featuring him and other artists, won Country Album of the Year. [12]

Television career

In the middle of 1996, The Nashville Network announced that Chapman would replace Tom Wopat as host of their evening talk show, Prime Time Country.[ citation needed ] The show ended after 1999. Chapman went on to produce Muzik Mafia on CMT [13] as well as appearing numerous times on the network's Gone Country as a songwriting mentor. [14] Chapman, along with John Rich and Big Kenny (the country duo Big and Rich) traveled to Vietnam to document the story of Niles Harris, a Vietnam veteran, in the production of The 8th of November: A True Story of Pain and Honor. Chapman produced, wrote, directed, and scored the documentary. [15]

Radio show host

Gary Chapman hosted the weekly syndicated program CCM Countdown.Billboard

Personal life

Chapman married Amy Grant on June 19, 1982. Grant filed for divorce from Chapman in March 1999, citing "irreconcilable differences", and the divorce was finalized in June 1999. [16]

Chapman married Jennifer Pittman in July 2000. Chapman and Pittman divorced in 2007. [1]

On December 22, 2008, Chapman married Cassie Piersol. [1] [17] The couple began a project called A Hymn a Week in 2010 to honor the musical heritage left to Chapman by his parents. [3] Chapman has stated that both his parents, who were small-town pastors for their entire lives, had a strong influence in his life and they "implanted the hymns into [his] heart".[ citation needed ] Chapman's mother Mary died on December 26, 2002. [3] His father Terry died on April 12, 2009, [4] after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease and multiple myeloma. During his last years, he lived with Chapman and Cassie, and Chapman played and sang old hymns at his father's bedside. Being asked to perform a hymn at a friend's funeral inspired him to begin compiling a brief history and personal connection to a different hymn each week, on a webpage that he titled A Hymn a Week. [3]

Chapman has three children with Grant. [1] He and his third wife, Cassie Piersol Chapman, adopted an infant girl, Eva, in March 2014. [18]

He is a licensed helicopter pilot, and once surprised his friend and fellow Christian singer/songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman (no relation) by landing in his yard. [1]

Chapman and his wife are involved in many charities and organizations, including the Nashville Rescue Mission, Agape Animal Rescue, the T.J. Martell Foundation, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. [19] [20] [21] [22]

Discography

Albums

YearTitlePeak chart positionsLabel
US CCM US US Heat
1981Sincerely YoursLamb & Lion
1983Happenin'... Live
1987Everyday Man26Reunion
1994The Light Inside10
1996The Early YearsLamb & Lion
Shelter719212Reunion
1997This Gift1616
1998Hymns from the RymanWord
1999OutsideReunion
2002The Best of Gary Chapman: After God's Own Heart
Circles and SeasonsWord
2013The Truth Elevate Entertainment

Singles

YearSingle US Country Album
1988"When We're Together (Love's So Strong)"60Everyday Man
"Everyday Man"76

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Grant</span> American singer-songwriter, musician (born 1960)

Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She began her music career in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the mid-1980s. Grant has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Madeira</span> American singer-songwriter

Philip Kamm Madeira is an American songwriter, producer, musician and singer. He was raised in Barrington, Rhode Island, and attended Taylor University, graduating in 1975. His songs have been recorded by The Civil Wars, Buddy Miller, Alison Krauss, Toby Keith, Ricky Skaggs, Bruce Hornsby, Keb' Mo', Garth Brooks, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Cindy Morgan, Shawn Mullins, The North Mississippi Allstars. His co-writing partners include Will Kimbrough, Matraca Berg, Chuck Cannon, Cindy Morgan, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Gordon Kennedy, Keb' Mo', and Emmylou Harris. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael W. Smith</span> American musician (born 1957)

Michael Whitaker Smith is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when "Place in This World" hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Over the course of his career, he has sold more than 18 million albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Curtis Chapman</span> American contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter

Steven Curtis Chapman is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Brickman</span> American composer, recording artist (born 1961)

James Merrill Brickman is an American pop songwriter, pianist and radio host. Brickman has earned two Grammy nominations for his albums Peace (2003) for Best Instrumental, and Faith (2009) for Best New Age Album. He won a Canadian Country Music Award, a Dove Award presented by the Gospel Music Association, and was twice named Songwriter of the Year by SESAC. Billboard lists 22 of his albums reaching No. 1 on the New Age chart, and 16 of his songs reaching Top 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Four of his albums were certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Paul Lester Overstreet is an American country music singer and songwriter. He began his singing career in 1982 with a self-titled album on RCA Records Nashville. From 1986 to 1987, he was a vocalist in the trio S-K-O, in which he had a number-one single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts with "Baby's Got a New Baby". After leaving S-K-O he resumed a solo career, charting a second number-one single alongside Paul Davis and Tanya Tucker on "I Won't Take Less Than Your Love". Between 1989 and 1992, he released the albums Sowin' Love, Heroes, and Love Is Strong. These albums include the number-one single "Daddy's Come Around" and nine other top-40 entries on the country music charts. Subsequent albums have been released independently on the Scarlet Moon label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Church</span> American country singer-songwriter

Kenneth Eric Church is an American country music singer-songwriter. He has released nine studio albums through Capitol Nashville since 2005. His debut album, 2006's Sinners Like Me, produced three singles on the Billboard country charts including the top 20 hits "How 'Bout You", "Two Pink Lines", and "Guys Like Me".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Ducas (singer)</span> American musician

George Ducas is an American country music singer and songwriter, and musician, known for his pioneering neo-traditional blend of modern-day and roots country music. He has released four studio albums: 1994's George Ducas, 1997's Where I Stand, 2013's 4340 and 2019's Yellow Rose Motel. His first two albums charted six consecutive singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, the highest being his signature hit "Lipstick Promises" which reached No. 9 and was also a No. 1 CMT video. Ducas returned to the No. 1 spot on CMT with his 2019 single "Eastwood."

Elliott Brown Bannister III is a contemporary Christian music (CCM) producer and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie O'Hara (singer)</span> American musician (1950–2021)

James Paul O'Hara was an American country music artist. Between 1986 and 1990, he and Kieran Kane comprised The O'Kanes, a duo that charted seven singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts, including the No. 1 single "Can't Stop My Heart from Loving You". After the O'Kanes disbanded in 1990, both O'Hara and Kane recorded solo albums of their own. In addition, O'Hara continued writing songs for other country music artists, including The Judds' 1986 hit "Grandpa " which earned him a Grammy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The SteelDrivers</span> American bluegrass band

The SteelDrivers are a bluegrass band from Nashville, Tennessee. Members include fiddler Tammy Rogers, bassist Mike Fleming, guitarist/vocalist Matt Dame, mandolinist Brent Truitt, and banjoist Richard Bailey. Past members include Kelvin Damrell, Chris Stapleton, Gary Nichols, and Mike Henderson. The band has recorded four albums on the Rounder Records label and one independent live album recorded at The Station Inn. The band has received several Grammy nominations and won a Grammy for the album The Muscle Shoals Recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Jarosz</span> American musician

Sarah Ellen Jarosz is an American singer-songwriter from Wimberley, Texas. Her debut studio album, Song Up in Her Head, was released in 2009 and the song "Mansinneedof" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Country Instrumental Performance. Her second studio album, Follow Me Down, released in 2011, received a Song of the Year nomination from the Americana Music Association's 2012 Honors and Awards. Her third studio album, Build Me Up from Bones, was released on September 24, 2013 through Sugar Hill Records. Build Me Up from Bones was nominated for Best Folk Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, and its title track was nominated for Best American Roots Song. In 2016, Jarosz released her fourth studio album, Undercurrent. The album won two Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Band Perry</span> American country music group

The Band Perry were an American band composed of siblings Kimberly Perry, Reid Perry, and Neil Perry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Stapleton</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1978)

Christopher Alvin Stapleton is an American country singer-songwriter, guitarist, and the husband of Morgane Stapleton. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and grew up in Staffordsville, Kentucky. In 1996, Stapleton moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to get an engineering degree from Vanderbilt University, but dropped out to pursue his career in music. Subsequently, he signed a contract with Sea Gayle Music to write and publish his music.

Nathan Paul Chapman is an American record producer who works in the field of country music. He is best known for his work with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift during the earlier courses of her career. His first production credit was on her debut album Taylor Swift (2006); he served similar roles for her following releases Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010), Red (2012) and 1989 (2014).

Cathy Lee "Catt" Gravitt is an American songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee. In the music business for over 20 years, she signed on as a writer with her current publishing company, Razor and Tie, in 2008. Gravitt has songwriting credits in multiple genres and has written songs with or for several artists including Kid Rock, Kelly Clarkson, Kelsea Ballerini, Jake Owen, Vince Gill and Natalie Grant, among others. In 2012, she won the SESAC Songwriter of the Year award. Gravitt most recently won the Canadian Country Music Association's 2018 Songwriter(s) of the Year award, along with co-writers Skip Black and Aaron Goodvin, for the song "Lonely Drum", performed by Aaron Goodvin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse Frasure</span> Record producer

Jesse Vernon Frasure, also known as DJ Telemitry, is an American music publisher, record producer, songwriter, and DJ. He has written 22 number one songs and has cuts with various artists including Chris Stapleton, Marshmello, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Thomas Rhett, Leon Bridges, Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Blake Shelton, Cole Swindell, Meghan Trainor, Florida Georgia Line and more.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Combs</span> American country music singer and songwriter (born 1990)

Luke Albert Combs is an American country music singer and songwriter. Born and raised in North Carolina, he began performing as a child. After dropping out of college to pursue a career in music, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he released his debut EP, The Way She Rides, in 2014.

Kenneth S. Greenberg is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer, and session musician. He is known for bringing a rock-and-roll sensibility to Nashville recording sessions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "IMDB". IMDB – Gary Chapman. IMDb. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  2. "Gary Chapman: The US CCM songwriter returns after a long absence" . Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "A Hymn a Week website" . Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Obituary-Terry W. Chapman". Hendersonville Memory Gardens and Funeral Home. Family Legacy. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  5. "Grammy Award Nominees 1980 – Grammy Award Winners 1980" . Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944–2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 313.
  7. 1 2 3 "Dove Award Past Winners". Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  8. "IMDB Earnest Goes to Camp". IMDB Earnest Goes to Camp. IMDb. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  9. "IMDB Maverick". IMDB Maverick. IMDb. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  10. "The 37th Grammy Nominations". Los Angeles Times. January 6, 1995. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
  11. "The 39th Annual Grammy Nominations". Los Angeles Times. January 8, 1997. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
  12. "Dove Awards". Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  13. "CMT.com : MuzikMafia TV : Shows Main". CMT: Country Music Television. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  14. "CMT : Photos : Gone Country 3 : Micky Dolenz (6 of 12)" . Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  15. "Big & Rich – The 8th of November: A True American Story Of Honor". discogs. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  16. Jay Orr (October 9, 1999). "Amy starts over: Grant picks up pieces after divorce". John Lam. Archived from the original on June 29, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2008.
  17. "Gary Chapman". Facebook. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  18. Hollie McKay (March 10, 2014). "'Private Lives of Nashville Wives' star Cassie Chapman pro open adoption". Fox News Channel. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  19. "Agape Animal Rescue". Agaperescue.org. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  20. "T.J. Martell Foundation | Home". Tjmartell.org. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  21. "Make-A-Wish® America". Wish.org. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  22. "Nashville Rescue Mission". Nashville Rescue Mission. Retrieved September 27, 2013.