Word Entertainment is a Christian faith-based entertainment company based 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 ...
. It is owned by
Curb Records
Curb Records (also known as Asylum-Curb and formerly known as MCG Curb) is an American record label started by Mike Curb, originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of ...
. Word Entertainment represents Francesca Battistelli, for King & Country, Switchfoot, Skillet, Sidewalk Prophets, Chris August, Big Daddy Weave, in addition to many others, and is home to Word Distribution, 25 Live, Word Music Publishing and Word Label Group's
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 ...
and Fervent Records.
History
Word Records was founded in
Waco
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, in 1951 by Jarrell McCracken, Baylor business major Henry SoRelle and radio and television executive Ted Snider. The label's name is based on a 16-minute
spoken word
Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
recording written and narrated by McCracken, the first recording released by the label, entitled "The Game of Life". The 23-year-old KWTX sportscaster in Waco had read an article by Jimmy Allen, a former athlete who became a
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
preacher, and based his recording on the article which also is called "The Game of Life".
The event is based on a full length match between the forces of Good and Evil with
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...
and
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as Devil in Christianity, the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an non-physical entity, entity in the Abrahamic religions ...
coaching the two teams.
Subsequent records focused on other spoken word recordings, but Word soon branched out into
southern gospel
Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as ...
music. Early employees for the label included
Tom Norfleet,
Kurt Kaiser
Kurt Frederic Kaiser (December 17, 1934November 12, 2018) was an American contemporary church music composer and arranger.
Biography
Kurt Kaiser was born on December 17, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the third child born to Elizabeth (né ...
and
Ralph Carmichael
Ralph Carmichael (May 27, 1927 – October 18, 2021) was an American composer and arranger of both secular pop music and contemporary Christian music. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music.
Early Life and Career
...
.
The label struggled initially until Marvin Norcross became an equity partner. By 1954, Word had become a publishing house as well.
Several subsidiary labels were started over the years:
Canaan Records
Canaan Records is a Christian record label and is a subsidiary of Word Entertainment.
History
The label was started in 1965, by Marvin Norcross, for the label's Southern gospel quartets. Their biggest artist to date is the Happy Goodman Fa ...
in the sixties,
Myrrh Records
__NOTOC__
Myrrh Records (also known as Myrrh Worship) was an American Christian music record label.
According to ''Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music'', the label was instrumental in developing a popular following for contemporary Christian ...
(1972)
and DaySpring Records in 1977, and
Rejoice 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 ...
in the eighties. Two of these labels no longer exist today in their original form. The Myrrh Label was resurrected in 2005 as a praise and worship record label:
Myrrh Worship.
Larry Norman
Larry David Norman (April 8, 1947 – February 24, 2008) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Christian rock music and released more than 100 album ...
's
Solid Rock Records
Solid Rock Records is a record label started by Larry Norman. It was established in 1975 to distribute his work after he had been released by Capitol Records. Solid Rock had a distribution deal with Word Records until 1980.
The label's roster ...
had a distribution deal with Word from 1975 to 1980. Artists on Solid Rock included Norman,
Randy Stonehill
Randall Evan Stonehill (born March 12, 1952) is an American singer and songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music. His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but ...
,
Daniel Amos
Daniel Amos (aka D. A., Dä) is an American Christian rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter (musician), Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. ...
,
Tom Howard and
Mark Heard
John Mark Heard III (December 16, 1951 – August 16, 1992) was an American record producer, folk rock singer and songwriter from Macon, Georgia.
Heard released sixteen albums, and produced or performed with many artists, including: Sam P ...
.
Light Records
Light Records is a gospel record label founded in 1966 by Ralph Carmichael, as a joint venture with the Waco, Texas-based Word Records. It is a subsidiary of the MNRK Music Group.
History
Light Records' first roster included Ralph Carmicha ...
was distributed in the 1970s by Word Records before being sold to Ralph Carmichael in the 1980s.
Reunion Records
Reunion Records is a contemporary Christian record label based in Brentwood, Tennessee, that operates under the Provident Label Group. The label was founded in 1982, by Dan Harrell and Mike Blanton.
History
The label was formed by Amy Grant's m ...
signed a distribution and promotion contract in the 80s, the agreement lasted well into the 1990s. Today,
Reunion Records
Reunion Records is a contemporary Christian record label based in Brentwood, Tennessee, that operates under the Provident Label Group. The label was founded in 1982, by Dan Harrell and Mike Blanton.
History
The label was formed by Amy Grant's m ...
is distributed through
Provident Music Group
Provident Entertainment is a division of Sony Music headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee and focused primarily on Christian music. The group handles its own physical distribution through its Provident-Integrity service.
Provident Label Group
...
.
Star Song
Star Song Communications is a Christian record label that was started in 1976 by Wayne Donowho, who recruited his friend Darrell Harris. It gained notoriety when it issued Resurrection Band's ground-breaking debut album, Awaiting Your Reply in 197 ...
was distributed by Word Records but left their distribution deal in the late 1980s to sign with
Sparrow Records
Sparrow Records is a Christian music record label and a division of Universal Music Group.
History
Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then artists and repertoire (A&R) director at Myrrh Records. Purchased by Thorn EMI in ...
which was taken over by
Chordant Distribution and then by
EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
.
Distribution deals with other labels in the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s allowed Word Records to rise, representing
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christia ...
,
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 '' ...
,
Rich Mullins,
Russ and Tori Taff,
Paul Smith,
The Imperials
The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been active for over 55 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many ...
,
Petra
Petra ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرَاء, Al-Batrāʾ; grc, Πέτρα, "Rock", Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: ), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is an historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. It is adjacent to t ...
,
Sandi Patti
Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty (born July 12, 1956) is an American Christian music singer, known for her wide soprano vocal range and expressive flexibility.
Biography
Early life
Patty was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, into a family of musician ...
,
Kenny Marks
Kenneth Michael Marks (November 6, 1950 – October 31, 2018) was an American Christian singer.
Early life and education
Marks' father Mirko “Michael” Mrakovic and mother Ljubica “Lucy” Vukic came from Yugoslavia. His parents changed t ...
,
Wayne Watson
Wayne may refer to:
People with the given name and surname
* Wayne (given name)
* Wayne (surname)
Geographical
Places with name ''Wayne'' may take their name from a person with that surname; the most famous such person was Gen. "Mad" Antho ...
,
Carman
In Celtic mythology, Carman or Carmun was a warrior and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with her three sons, Dub ("black"), Dother ("evil") and Dian ("violence"). She used her magica ...
,
The Archers
''The Archers'' is a BBC radio drama on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now promoted as "a contemporary drama in a rural settin ...
featuring
Steve Archer
Steve Archer (born January 5, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and producer. He is a pioneer of the genre of Jesus music, later to become known as contemporary Christian music. He is the former lead singer of the Archers, a contemporary ...
,
White Heart
White Heart, also listed as Whiteheart, was an American contemporary Christian music and pop-rock band which formed in 1982. White Heart's discography includes thirteen albums, the most recent of which was released in 1997. Original members Bill ...
,
Gaither Vocal Band
The Gaither Vocal Band is an American southern gospel vocal group, named after its founder and leader Bill Gaither. On March 1, 2017, it was announced that the Gaither Vocal Band lineup consisted of Reggie Smith, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd ...
,
Bill Gaither Trio
The Bill Gaither Trio, originally simply The Gaither Trio, was an American gospel music group, last consisting of Bill, his wife Gloria Gaither, and Michael English.
History
By 1957, The Gaither Trio—consisting of siblings Bill, Danny, and Ma ...
,
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 ...
,
Love Song
A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...
,
Sweet Comfort Band
Sweet Comfort Band was an American Christian rock band that first performed in 1973 in Riverside, California, and were active until 1984. The band was initially composed of keyboardist/lead vocalist, Bryan Duncan, and brothers Kevin (bass guita ...
,
The Nelons
The Nelons are an American southern gospel group based in Atlanta, Georgia. Group members are Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, and Kelly's daughters Amber Nelon Kistler and Autumn Nelon Clark. The Nelons were inducted into the Gospel Mu ...
,
Happy Goodman Family The Happy Goodman Family is a Southern gospel group that was founded in the 1940s by Howard "Happy" Goodman and performed together for several decades. The Happy Goodmans achieved significant popularity in the 1960s. In 1968, they won the first Gra ...
featuring
Rusty Goodman
Charles F. "Rusty" Goodman (September 2, 1933 – November 11, 1990) was an American singer/songwriter in the Southern Gospel Music industry. He was a prolific composer whose many songs included "Standing in the Presence of the King", "Leavin' ...
,
Florida Boys
The Florida Boys were a male vocal quartet in Southern gospel music. The group was founded in 1946 by J. G. Whitfield. Originally named The Gospel Melody Quartet, the group was renamed in 1954. From the 1950s until 2007, the group was led by Les ...
,
Guardian
Guardian usually refers to:
* Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another
* ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper
(The) Guardian(s) may also refer to:
Places
* Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...
and other artists.
In the 1976, McCracken sold part interest in his label to the
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...
.
10 years later, ABC merged with
Capital Cities
A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, Department (country subdivision), department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city ...
, Inc. and forced McCracken out of the company.
In 1983,
Chris Christian
Chris Christian (born Lon Christian Smith on February 7, 1951 is an American songwriter, record producer, and a record label executive. His songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, Hall and Oates, Natalie Cole, Sheena East ...
signed a distribution deal to move his label
Home Sweet Home Records
Home Sweet Home Records (also known as CC Entertainment) is a record label, based in Dallas, Texas.
History
Home Sweet Home began in 1981, in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded by singer, songwriter and producer Chris Christian. Since its in ...
from
Benson Records
Benson Records was founded by Bob Benson and John T. Benson, who formed the John T. Benson Music Publishing Company in 1902. The record label started out as Heart Warming Records, creating house labels such as Impact Records, Greentree Records, R ...
to Word Records, today it is still active and remains under the independent ownership of
Chris Christian
Chris Christian (born Lon Christian Smith on February 7, 1951 is an American songwriter, record producer, and a record label executive. His songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, Hall and Oates, Natalie Cole, Sheena East ...
.
From 1984 to 1990, Word was distributed in the general market by
A&M Records
A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
and then by
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
until 2002.
In 1992, Capital Cities ABC sold Word to
Thomas Nelson, Inc. for $72 Million,
and Nelson made two major changes—developing the present swirling W logo for book products which was unveiled in 1995, and also moving its headquarters from Waco, Texas, to its present headquarters in Nashville. Nelson split the record label and book publishing arms in 1996 when the labels were sold to
Gaylord Entertainment
Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. () is a hotel, resort, entertainment, and Mass media, media company named after National Historic Landmark the Ryman Auditorium, built as a tabernacle by Captain Thomas G. Ryman in 1892 and later the home of the ...
.
In an agreement with Gaylord, Thomas Nelson continued to use the "Word Publishing" name for its book imprint until 2002, at which time it became "W Publishing Group" and retained the swirling W logo. A highly controversial ad campaign introduced at the CBA convention in 2002 created litigation, settled later.
After Colin Reed took over Gaylord Entertainment in 2001, the hotelier made corporate changes at the company, including the ousting of longstanding president Roland Lundy, and sold off the Word Entertainment group to then-
AOL Time Warner
Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States.
It was originally established in 1972 by ...
in 2002.
In 2002, former
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
Christian division manager Barry Landis briefly took the position of president of the label group division. Word went through a period of restructuring, closing their
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
music publishing office, absorbing
Myrrh Records
__NOTOC__
Myrrh Records (also known as Myrrh Worship) was an American Christian music record label.
According to ''Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music'', the label was instrumental in developing a popular following for contemporary Christian ...
,
Squint Entertainment
Squint Entertainment was a record label owned by Word Entertainment, started and run by musician and songwriter Steve Taylor in 1997. Squint pushed Sixpence None the Richer to mainstream success with their single "Kiss Me". The band had been in ...
, and Everland Entertainment into the Word Label Group, and reducing in-house staff.
Curb Records
Curb Records (also known as Asylum-Curb and formerly known as MCG Curb) is an American record label started by Mike Curb, originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of ...
also gained a stake in the company during this time. In 2004, the company was sold again as part of Time Warner divestiture of its music division, selling it to a group of investors led by
Edgar Bronfman to form a newly independent
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
.
Canaan Records
Canaan Records is a Christian record label and is a subsidiary of Word Entertainment.
History
The label was started in 1965, by Marvin Norcross, for the label's Southern gospel quartets. Their biggest artist to date is the Happy Goodman Fa ...
was re-opened in early 2007 with Dave Clark at the helm. Canaan Records was eventually shuttered.
In March 2016, it was announced that Mike Curb acquired 100 percent of Word Entertainment (excluding the print music division, which was eventually sold to
The Lorenz Corporation
The Lorenz Corporation, previously known as Lorenz Publishing Company, is a music publisher located in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It is best known for its publication of church music
Church music is Christian music written for performance ...
) from
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
.
WMG has continued to distribute Word's output for the general market. Also in 2016, it was announced that Joseph Prielozny, the former
Reach Records
Reach Records is an American independent record label specializing in Christian hip hop. The label was founded in 2004 by Ben Washer and the hip-hop artist Lecrae. In addition to Lecrae, the Reach Records roster contains artists like Tedashii, ...
producer, would be in charge of the hip-hop imprint which is to be called 4 Against 5. They announced the name of the imprint when they signed Steven Malcolm to their roster.
Roster
Current
*
About a Mile
About a Mile are an American Christian music band with three members, all brothers, from Butler, Pennsylvania. The band started making music in 2009. Word Records signed the band in 2016 and released their first album: '' About a Mile''.
Backg ...
*
Meredith Andrews
Meredith Frances Sooter (born January 19, 1983), known professionally as Meredith Andrews, is a contemporary Christian music artist, songwriter, and worship leader. She has won two Dove Awards.
Biography
Andrews grew up in Wilson, North Ca ...
*
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 ...
*
Big Daddy Weave
Big Daddy Weave is an American contemporary Christian band from Mobile, Alabama composed of Mike Weaver, Joe Shirk, Jeremy Redmon, and Brian Beihl. They are signed to Fervent Records.
History
The band members met in college while attending t ...
*
Jason Castro
*
Dara Maclean
Dara Joy Maclean (born May 20, 1986) is an American contemporary Christian singer and songwriter born in Miami, Florida, but raised in Fort Worth, Texas, ever since she was eight years old. On July 12, 2011 Maclean released the album entitled ' ...
*
For King & Country
*
Love & the Outcome
* Steven Malcolm
* Ty Brasel
*
Needtobreathe
Needtobreathe (stylized as NEEDTOBREATHE) is an American rock band from Seneca, South Carolina. The band is composed of Bear Rinehart (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Seth Bolt (backing vocals, bass), Josh Lovelace (backing vocals, keys), Randall H ...
*
Sidewalk Prophets
Sidewalk Prophets is an American contemporary Christian music band from Nashville. 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''. The group wo ...
*
Skillet
A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab ha ...
*
Switchfoot
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keyboards, back ...
Former
*
4Him
4Him was a contemporary Christian group founded in 1990 in Mobile, Alabama, US. The group has ten Dove awards, a Grammy nomination and three certified gold albums to their credit. The group was inducted into Alabama's Music Hall of Fame, follo ...
*
Across the Sky
Across the Sky was a Dove Award-nominated Christian band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, during 2001 by singer-songwriters Ben Kolarcik and Justin Unger, with a music style combining light rock, pop, and folk. Their self-titled debut was rel ...
*
Steve Archer
Steve Archer (born January 5, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and producer. He is a pioneer of the genre of Jesus music, later to become known as contemporary Christian music. He is the former lead singer of the Archers, a contemporary ...
*
Carolyn Arends
Carolyn Arends is a Canadian contemporary Christian musician, songwriter, and author. She is based in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
Musical career
Arends began her career as a songwriter at Benson Music Publishing. In 1995, Carolyn began tou ...
*
Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters
Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters was a Southern gospel music and comedy trio that was inducted into the Gospel Music Association's Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
Personnel
The group originally consisted of Wendy Bagwell, Geraldine Terry (later ...
*
Charles Billingsley
*
Anita Bryant
Anita Jane Bryant (born March 25, 1940) is an American singer known for anti-gay activism. She scored four "Top 40" hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses" which reached No. 5 on the charts. She was th ...
*
Shirley Caesar
Shirley Ann Caesar-Williams (born October 13, 1938), known professionally as Shirley Caesar, is an American gospel singer whose career has spanned seven decades. She has won 11 Grammys in addition to Dove Awards and Stellar Awards; Caesar is kno ...
*
Bruce Carroll
*
Ashley Cleveland
Ashley Cleveland (born February 2, 1957) is an American singer/songwriter best known as a background vocalist and gospel singer. Ashley Cleveland was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. She has been married to Kenny Greenberg since April 27, 1991, a ...
*
Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...
*
Building 429
Building 429 is an American Christian rock band from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Their name is derived from a Biblical passage known as Ephesians 4:29, which, in the New International Version of the Bible, reads as follows: "Do not let any u ...
*
Cynthia Clawson
Cynthia Clawson (born October 11, 1948 in Houston, Texas) is a Grammy Award-winning American gospel singer. She has been called "The most awesome voice in gospel music" by Billboard Magazine, and has received five Dove Awards, 15 Dove Award nom ...
*
Clay Crosse
*
Dakota Motor Co
*
Downhere
Downhere (stylized as downhere) is a Christian rock band from Canada. They have released six studio albums to date: ''downhere'' (2001), ''So Much for Substitutes'' (2003), ''Wide-Eyed and Mystified'' (2006), ''Ending Is Beginning'' (2008), ...
*
O'landa Draper
*
Bryan Duncan
Bryan Edward Duncan (born March 16, 1953) is an American contemporary Christian music artist. He is known for being lead singer of the group Sweet Comfort Band, solo career, and involvement with the Nehosoul Band. He is currently involved with ...
*
Evie Evie may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Evie (given name)
* Evie (singer), American contemporary Christian music singer Evelyn Tornquist (born 1957)
* Evie (wrestler), ring name of New Zealand female professional wrestler Cheree Crowl ...
*
Gaither Vocal Band
The Gaither Vocal Band is an American southern gospel vocal group, named after its founder and leader Bill Gaither. On March 1, 2017, it was announced that the Gaither Vocal Band lineup consisted of Reggie Smith, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd ...
*
John Gimenez John Gimenez was an American Pentecostal evangelist. He was a pastor, international overseer and bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christian ...
*
Happy Goodman Family The Happy Goodman Family is a Southern gospel group that was founded in the 1940s by Howard "Happy" Goodman and performed together for several decades. The Happy Goodmans achieved significant popularity in the 1960s. In 1968, they won the first Gra ...
*
Howard & Vestal Goodman
*
Rusty Goodman
Charles F. "Rusty" Goodman (September 2, 1933 – November 11, 1990) was an American singer/songwriter in the Southern Gospel Music industry. He was a prolific composer whose many songs included "Standing in the Presence of the King", "Leavin' ...
*
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christia ...
*
Bruce Greer
Bruce Greer (born October 2, 1961 in Longview, Texas) is an American pianist, singer and composer.
Biographical information
Greer recalls arranging hymns for choir and piano by age twelve. By the time he was in high school, his compositions were ...
*
Guardian
Guardian usually refers to:
* Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another
* ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper
(The) Guardian(s) may also refer to:
Places
* Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...
*
Wes King
Wes King (born January 20, 1966) is an American contemporary Christian singer, songwriter, photographer, and musician. He is perhaps best known for his 1993 album ''The Robe.'' His demo material, a cassette tape named "Lonely Poet", is sung by ot ...
*
Rachael Lampa
Rachael Maureen Lampa (born January 8, 1985) is an American contemporary Christian singer, songwriter and record producer. At age 15, she rose to fame and critical acclaim in 2000 with the release of her debut album, '' Live for You''.
Early ...
*
Love Song
A love song is a song about romantic love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. A comprehensive list of even the best known performers and composers of love songs would be a large order. ...
*
Mark Lowry
Mark Alan Lowry (born June 24, 1958) is an American singer, comedian, minister and songwriter. He is best known for co-writing the song "Mary, Did You Know?" and being a member of the Gaither Vocal Band from 1988 to 2001, and 2009 to 2013, alo ...
*
Kenny Marks
Kenneth Michael Marks (November 6, 1950 – October 31, 2018) was an American Christian singer.
Early life and education
Marks' father Mirko “Michael” Mrakovic and mother Ljubica “Lucy” Vukic came from Yugoslavia. His parents changed t ...
*
Babbie Mason
Babbie Yvett Robie Wade Mason (born February 1, 1955) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, writer, and adjunct professor of songwriting at Point University and Lee University, and also a television talk-show host. Born to Georgie and Geor ...
*
Rich Mullins
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Michael Omartian
Michael Omartian (born November 26, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and music producer. He produced number-one records in three consecutive decades. He has earned 11 Grammy Awards nominations and won three. He sp ...
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Sandi Patti
Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty (born July 12, 1956) is an American Christian music singer, known for her wide soprano vocal range and expressive flexibility.
Biography
Early life
Patty was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, into a family of musician ...
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Petra
Petra ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرَاء, Al-Batrāʾ; grc, Πέτρα, "Rock", Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: ), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is an historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. It is adjacent to t ...
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David Phelps
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pureNRG
PureNRG (stylized as pureNRG and pronounced "Pure Energy") was a Christian pop group from Nashville, Tennessee. They were signed to Fervent Records in late 2006. They released six albums: their self-titled debut ''pureNRG'' (released May 2007 ...
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Salvador
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Mark Schultz
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George Beverly Shea
George Beverly Shea (February 1, 1909 – April 16, 2013) was a Canadian-born American gospel singer and hymn composer. Shea was often described as "America's beloved gospel singer"Michael Ireland, "America's 'Beloved Gospel Singer,' George Bever ...
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Sixpence None the Richer
Sixpence None the Richer (also known as Sixpence) is an American Christian alternative rock band that formed in New Braunfels, Texas, and eventually settled in Nashville, Tennessee. They are best known for their songs " Kiss Me" and " Breathe Yo ...
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Chris Sligh
Charles Christopher Sligh (born April 13, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and pastor who was a finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol'', finishing in tenth place. He has released 14 albums since 2001 as a solo artist, wi ...
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Skypark
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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 '' ...
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Paul Smith
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Thurlow Spurr and the Spurrlows
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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 ...
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Russ Taff
Russell Taff (born November 11, 1953) is an American gospel singer and songwriter who grew up in Farmersville, California. He has sung a variety of musical styles throughout his career including: pop rock, traditional Southern gospel, contempora ...
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The Archers
''The Archers'' is a BBC radio drama on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now promoted as "a contemporary drama in a rural settin ...
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The Cathedrals
The Cathedral Quartet, also known as the Cathedrals, was an American southern gospel quartet who performed from 1964 to December 1999. The group's final lineup consisted of Glen Payne (lead), George Younce (bass), Ernie Haase (tenor), Scott ...
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The Florida Boys
The Florida Boys were a male vocal quartet in Southern gospel music. The group was founded in 1946 by J. G. Whitfield. Originally named The Gospel Melody Quartet, the group was renamed in 1954. From the 1950s until 2007, the group was led by L ...
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The Hemphills
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The Hoppers
The Hoppers (until 1981: Hopper Brothers and Connie) are a multi award-winning Southern Gospel group from North Carolina. They have performed together for several decades and have achieved significant popularity due to widening the playing field ...
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The Imperials
The Imperials are an American Christian music group that has been active for over 55 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There have been many ...
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The Inspirations Quartet
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The Kingsmen
The Kingsmen are a 1960s rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States. They are best known for their 1963 recording of R&B singer Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the No. 2 spot on the ''Billboard'' charts for six weeks and ha ...
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The Lefevres
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The Lewis Family
The Lewis Family is a family of gospel and bluegrass musicians from Lincolnton, Georgia. They are known as the "First Family of Bluegrass Gospel".
Background
The family was founded by Pop and Mom Lewis (Roy Lewis Sr. and Pauline Lewis, née H ...
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The Nelons
The Nelons are an American southern gospel group based in Atlanta, Georgia. Group members are Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, and Kelly's daughters Amber Nelon Kistler and Autumn Nelon Clark. The Nelons were inducted into the Gospel Mu ...
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Jaci Velasquez
Jacquelyn "Jaci" Davette Velasquez (Spanish ''Jaci Velásquez'', born October 15, 1979) is an American actress and contemporary Christian and Latin pop singer and songwriter, performing in both English and Spanish.
Velasquez has sold almost ...
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Greg X Volz
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Mike Warnke
Michael Alfred Warnke (born November 19, 1946) is an American Christian evangelist and comedian who was exposed in 1992 for inventing stories of his past as a Satanist. Before being debunked by the Christian magazine ''Cornerstone'', he was ...
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Wayne Watson
Wayne may refer to:
People with the given name and surname
* Wayne (given name)
* Wayne (surname)
Geographical
Places with name ''Wayne'' may take their name from a person with that surname; the most famous such person was Gen. "Mad" Antho ...
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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 ...
See also
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List of Christian record labels
This is a list of notable Christian music record labels. Also see :Christian record labels
List
0-9
* 5 Minute Walk
* 7Spin Music
A
* Ardent Records
B
* BEC Recordings
* Bethel Music
* Broken Records
* Beach Street Records
* Blood an ...
References
External links
Word Entertainment websitewith artist roster, Billboard pop performance, photo gallery, more.
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ttp://www.homesweethomerecords.com/ Chris Christian Entertainment - Home Sweet Home Records
{{Authority control
American independent record labels
Record labels established in 1951
Gospel music record labels
Companies based in Nashville, Tennessee
1951 establishments in Texas