Watermark was a

Contemporary Christian Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

singing duo composed of husband and wife

Nathan Nathan or Natan may refer to: People *Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name *Nathan (surname) *Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible * Nathan (son of David), biblical figure, son of King David an ...

and

Christy Nockels Christy Lynette Nockels (née Hill, born November 17, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter of contemporary Christian music. She was also one of the lead members of the band Watermark, along with her husband, Nathan Nockels. Biography and caree ...

. They were under

Michael W. Smith Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) 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 '' ...

's record label,

Rocketown Records Rocketown Records was an independent record label which was started in 1996 by Michael W. Smith. In the fall of 1995, met with Don Donahue, A&R director at Reunion Records, to discuss creation of the label. In 1996, Word Records bought a minority ...

History

Watermark got their start recording under the name Sons and Daughters, with longtime friends Charlie and Kimber Hall ( Charlie Hall is a known worship leader with the

Passion Conferences Passion Conferences (also referred to as Passion and the 268 Generation, originally named Choice Ministries) is a Christian organization founded by Louie Giglio in 1997. The organization is known for its annual gatherings of young adults betwee ...

). They released their first record, ''Holy Roar'', with this lineup in 1995. In 1997, they released ''Open Me Up'' under the same name. That same year, Nathan and Christy began leading worship at Metro Bible Study at

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

's First Baptist Church. This is where Watermark began. Rocketown heard about Watermark around 1998, and soon signed them to the label. That same year, they released their first project as a part of Rocketown, an album called ''Watermark''. This disc is almost a complete re-record of the Sons and Daughters disc ''Open Me Up'', with only a few song changes. Their second album, ''All Things New'', which is probably their best-known project, released in 2000. ''Constant'', their 3rd studio project with Rocketown, was released in 2002. Their final all-studio album, ''The Purest Place'', was released in August 2004. This project yielded the couple a

GMA Music 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 ...

nomination for Inspirational Album of the Year, and also helped to earn Christy a nod for Female Vocalist, though neither award was won. On March 14, 2006, Watermark released their final album as a part of Rocketown. ''A Grateful People'' was recorded live at the couple's church in Brentwood,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

in August 2005. It includes 12 tracks from the 3-hour-long concert and 2 brand new studio tracks. Friends of the couple who have played roles in their ministry that are special guests on the album include

Point of Grace Point of Grace is an all-female contemporary Christian music vocal group. The current trio consists of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino. The group started out as a quartet in 1991, with original members Breen and Jones, as wel ...

Chris Tomlin Christopher Dwayne Tomlin (born May 4, 1972) 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 ...

Ed Cash Edmond Martin Cash (born August 6, 1971) is a producer, songwriter, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist. AllMusic/ref> He was named the "Producer of the Year" at the Gospel Music Awards for four consecutive years (2004–2007) and gains recogn ...

, and

Shane and Shane Shane & Shane is a Texas-based contemporary worship music band known for acoustic praise and worship music. The band consists of Shane Barnard (vocals, acoustic guitar) and Shane Everett (vocals). They are often joined by their drummer and mana ...

. Throughout the years, Nathan and Christy have played a part in the

, which were started by

Louie Giglio Louie Giglio (pronounced GIG-leo; born June 30, 1958) is an American Christian pastor. He is the leader of Passion City Church, located in Atlanta, Georgia. The founder of the Passion Movement, he is an author and public speaker. Biography Gigl ...

. Most recently, Nathan has produced live recordings of the 2005 and 2006 conferences in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. Nathan is an avid producer, having produced not only the Passion CDs, but also Watermark's ''The Purest Place'', and Rita Springer's ''I Have To Believe'', among others. Watermark has toured extensively during their career, doing both solo shows and also with such notable groups as

and

. Michael W. Smith has said of Watermark, "Christy Nockels creates space for worship like few artists I've been around. When she sings, it's disarming--you must pay attention. Whether it's 10,000 people at a Passion Conference or an intimate gathering, Christy is a worshiper who leads us all. Nathan and Christy Nockels are a huge part of the Rocketown Records story, and my life has been enriched by their love for worship music." Lead singer

released her first solo album, ''Life Light Up'', on June 2, 2009, under

sixstepsrecords Passion Conferences (also referred to as Passion and the 268 Generation, originally named Choice Ministries) is a Christian organization founded by Louie Giglio in 1997. The organization is known for its annual gatherings of young adults betwee ...

. Christy and Nathan are an active part of

, and in 2008 they moved to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

to be a founding family of Passion City Church.

Discography

; Studio albums *''Watermark'' (1998) *''All Things New'' (2000) *''Constant'' (2002) *''The Purest Place'' (2004) ; Live albums *'' A Grateful People'' (2006) Watermark have released many songs available on various compilations. These songs include: "O Come Emmanuel", "In the Garden/There Is None Like You", "Breathe", "Grace Flows Down", and "Breath of God."

External links

ThoughtQuotient.com Interview with WatermarkChristy Nockels' official website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watermark American Christian musical groups Musical groups established in 1995 Musical groups disestablished in 2006 American musical duos