Out of Eden was an American

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

group often identified with R&B and

contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, 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 s ...

. It featured sisters Lisa Kimmey, Andrea Kimmey-Baca, and Danielle Kimmey. The group was active from 1994 to 2006, producing seven albums through

Gotee Records Gotee Records is a record label founded by Christian hip hop performer Toby McKeehan (known professionally as ''TobyMac''), Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood. The label began as a production company. At the time of the label's founding, McKeehan wa ...

and receiving "Urban Album of the Year" and "Urban Song of the Year" at the Dove Awards of 2003.

Musical career

Origins

The band consisted of three sisters Lisa Kimmey, Andrea Kimmey-Baca, and Danielle Kimmey, all born in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

between 1975 and 1982 to Robert Kimmey and DeLise Perkins Kimmey Hall.Carpenter, Bil. ''Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia''. Hal Leonard Corporation, 2005. Page 319-320 When the girls were young, their parents divorced and they moved with their mother to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

, where DeLise was offered a teaching position at

Fisk University Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...

. Danielle and her sisters initially sang

back-up In information technology, a backup, or data backup is a copy of computer data taken and stored elsewhere so that it may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. The verb form, referring to the process of doing so, is "wikt:back u ...

for their mother, who was a classical

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

. After their stepfather unsuccessfully attempted to garner attention for the girls by sending a video of their singing to various record labels, Danielle and her sisters were discovered by

Toby McKeehan Toby McKeehan (born Kevin Michael McKeehan; October 22, 1964), better known by his stage name TobyMac (styled tobyMac or TOBYMAC), is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He was first known f ...

, who formed the record label

to produce their music. In 1994, they released their debut ''

Lovin' the Day ''Lovin' the Day'' is the debut album of the Dove Award-winning American urban gospel group Out of Eden, released in 1994.Akins, Debra. Hip-Pop.' February 27, 2004. CCM Magazine. Accessed on July 12, 2010. It features sisters Lisa, Andrea, and Da ...

''. The first single off the album was a remake of the

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (1972) ...

1978 single " Lovely Day" and was a

Christian Contemporary Music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, 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 s ...

hit. Their second album, in 1996, '' More Than You Know'', was even more successful and catapulted the sisters into the CCM spotlight.

Mainstream Success

Their third album, the acclaimed '' No Turning Back'', was released in 1999. Released in 2002, their fourth and best-selling

Gotee Gotee Records is a record label founded by Christian hip hop performer Toby McKeehan (known professionally as ''TobyMac''), Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood. The label began as a production company. At the time of the label's founding, McKeehan w ...

album, '' This Is Your Life'', entered the ''Billboard'' 200, peaking at No. 178. The album tied for "Urban Album of the Year" at the Dove Awards of 2003, with a song from the album, "Meditate" going on to win the

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...

"Urban Recorded Song of the Year". The album was also nominated for a

Stellar Award A Stellar Award is an award presented by SAGMA to recognize achievements in the gospel music industry.Sagma
The Stell ...

. Another two years went by before the up-tempo album ''

Love, Peace & Happiness ''Love, Peace & Happiness'' is the fifth album from Christian R&B/ Urban-Pop group Out of Eden Out of Eden was an American gospel music group often identified with R&B and contemporary Christian music. It featured sisters Lisa Kimmey, Andr ...

'' was released. This album was nominated for

Dove Awards 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. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Award ...

in the Urban Gospel Album of the Year category and Urban Gospel Song of the Year category for the song "Soldiers". In early 2005, Out of Eden presented an

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

version of an old hymn at a "Focus on the Family" chapel service, receiving a

standing ovation A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. In Ancient Rome returning military commanders (such as Marcus Licinius Crassus a ...

. Struck by the response to the hymn and the power of the lyrics, they decided to explore a new side of their musical talents and released a CD of remakes of classic hymns titled ''

Hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

''. The album was nominated for a 2006

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

award in the Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album category.Jones, Kim.
2006 Grammy Awards Nominees and Winners.
' April 26, 2010. About.com. Accessed on July 11, 2010. In June 2006, the group announced that they would disband after the release of their greatest hits album titled ''The Hits''.

Awards

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

References

External links

* Allmusic entry {{DEFAULTSORT:Out Of Eden American contemporary R&B musical groups Grammy Award winners American hip hop singers American gospel musical groups Musical groups established in 1994 Gotee Records artists African-American musical groups Musical groups from Virginia Sibling musical trios American girl groups Family musical groups All-female bands American pop music groups