Sidewalk Prophets is an American

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 ...

band from

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 ...

. Their album '' These Simple Truths'' contained the single "The Words I Would Say" which is also featured on '' WOW Hits 2010'' and ''

WOW Hits 2011 ''WOW Hits 2011'' is a two-disc compilation album composed of some of the biggest hits on Christian radio in 2010. Disc one features more AC radio hits, while disc two features the CHR/Rock radio hits. The album was also issued in a deluxe vers ...

''. The group won the 2010

GMA Dove Award 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 Awards ...

for New Artist of the Year.

Background

The band was formed by lead singer Dave Frey and rhythm guitarist Ben McDonald when the two were attending Anderson University in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. A demo they recorded was taken without their knowledge to a campus recording contest, which earned them a performance slot. That in turn, led to radio program directors and record labels, and a chance encounter with

Audio Adrenaline Audio Adrenaline was an American Christian rock band that formed in 1986 at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson, Kentucky. The band gained recognition during the 1990s and received two Grammy Awards and multiple Dove Awards. Audio Adr ...

's Will McGinnis gave Dave the chance to sing in front of 20,000. The group landed a deal with

Word Records Word Records is a Christian faith-based entertainment company based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Curb Records, and is a part of Word Entertainment. It is distributed by Warner Records (the former Warner Bros. Records). History In 1 ...

after meeting with a record label executive and a showcasing themselves at Lancaster Christian Academy in

Smyrna, Tennessee Smyrna is a town in Rutherford County, Tennessee. Smyrna's population was 53,070 at the 2020 census. In 2007, '' U.S. News & World Report'' listed Smyrna as one of the best places in the United States to retire. Smyrna is part of the Nashville ...

. It also features lead guitarist Shaun Tomczak, bassist Cal Joslin, and drummer Justin Nace. Tomczak left the band in January 2014 to spend time with his family, and Daniel Macal joined the band to take his place. Other past members of the group are guitarist Chris Jordan and bassist Chris Koboldt. They have toured with Jeremy Camp and Audio Adrenaline on the strength of independent albums, then rode the popularity of their first Word Records release, '' These Simple Truths'', to a Dove Award for New Artist of the Year and a nomination for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year. "The Words I Would Say" reached No. 3, "You Can Have Me" entered the Top 20, a Christmas single, "Hope Was Born This Night", reached the Top 10, and "You Love Me Anyway" reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Christian Singles chart. The band has also toured in the Rock and Worship Roadshow with

MercyMe 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. The b ...

and

Francesca Battistelli Francesca Battistelli (born May 18, 1985) is an American Christian singer and songwriter. She was originally an independent artist and had released an independent album, ''Just a Breath'', in 2004. Her first studio album on Fervent Records, '' M ...

among others, and received another Dove nomination for Group of the Year in 2011. Their next album, ''

Live Like That ''Live Like That'' is the second studio album by Sidewalk Prophets. It was released on March 27, 2012 and features the Christian radio single "Live Like That". Critical reception Allmusic's Jon O'Brien said the album "will please those Sidewalk ...

'' was produced by

Ian Eskelin Ian Eskelin (born October 17, 1969), is a record producer, songwriter, solo artist, and founding member and lead singer of the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band All Star United, and president of recording and publishing company Radiate Music ...

who also produced " The Words I Would Say". The record is a tribute to the band's fans, some of whom were selected through a contest to sing background vocals. The band also solicited photos of people their fans admire and want to be like for use on the cover. In December 2017, they announced a 40-city tour the Something Different Tour (in 3D) for early 2018 with special guests Bonray.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Promotional singles

Other charted songs

Awards and nominations

;

GMA 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 Awards ...

Tours

The Sidewalk Prophets have toured the United States and other countries with many famous acts including

Jeremy Camp Jeremy Thomas Camp (born January 12, 1978) is an American contemporary Christian music 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 musi ...

Stellar Kart Stellar Kart was an American pop punk band from Phoenix, Arizona, signed to Inpop Records and Capitol Records. The band released their first album, '' All Gas. No Brake'', in February 2005. Most of their singles have been accepted exclusively o ...

, and

before being signed to

and appeared on the 2010 and 2011

Winter Jam Tour Spectacular Winter Jam Tour Spectacular, also referred to as simply Winter Jam (and formerly known as January Jam from 1995–2000), is an annual American music tour featuring contemporary Christian music artists of all genres, stunt and/or comedy performanc ...

sharing the stage alongside

Tenth Avenue North Tenth Avenue North was an American contemporary Christian music (CCM) band from West Palm Beach, Florida that was active from 2000 to 2021. The group was formed while its founding members attended Palm Beach Atlantic University took its name f ...

Newsboys Newsboys (sometimes stylised as newsboys) are a Christian rock band founded in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia, by Peter Furler and George Perdikis. Now based in Nashville, Tennessee, the band has released 17 studio albums, 6 of which ...

, and

Third Day Third Day was a Christian rock band formed in Marietta, Georgia during the 1990s. The band was founded by lead singer Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee (both of whom were the only constant members) and Billy Wilkins. Drummer David Carr was the ...

. They also toured on the Rock and Worship Roadshow 2010 with

David Crowder Band David Crowder Band (stylized as David Crowder*Band and The David Crowder*Band) was a six-piece Christian rock and modern worship band from Waco, Texas. Their final album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Christian and No. 2 on the B ...

Remedy Drive Remedy Drive is an American alternative rock band founded in 1998 in Lincoln, Nebraska. They are now based in Nashville. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist David Zach, bassist Corey Horn, and drummer Timmy Jones (with an extended ap ...

Fee A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in contra ...

, and

Family Force 5 FF5 (formerly known as Family Force 5, The Phamily, Ground Noise and The Brothers) is an American Christian rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. The band formed in 2005 by brothers Solomon "Soul Glow Activatur" Olds, Joshua "Fatty" Olds, and Jacob " ...

. In 2013, they toured along with

TobyMac 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 ...

and

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

in the

. The 2013 tour included many dates with

Matthew West Matthew Joseph West (born April 25, 1977) is an American contemporary Christian musician, singer-songwriter, and actor. He has released five studio albums and is known for his songs "More", "You Are Everything", and " The Motions". He was nomin ...

. The tour concluded on November 18, 2013. Also, on the tour was

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

alum Jason Castro.

References

External links

* {{Authority control American Christian rock groups Fervent Records artists Musical groups from Indiana Musical groups established in 2003 Performers of contemporary Christian music Word Records artists