Legendary Christian music artist Steven Curtis Chapman will release a brand new Christmas project, Joy, on Oct. 16. Joy will showcase seven new, original Christmas songs penned by Chapman and six classics. The lead single, “Christmas Time Again,” goes for radio adds on Nov. 16.
A collaborative effort with friend and producer Brent Milligan, this is Chapman’s third careerChristmas record following The Music of Christmas (1995, RIAA certified Gold), Christmas is All in the Heart (2003, a Hallmark limited, sold-out run of 400,000) and All I Really Want for Christmas (2005, RIAA certified Gold).
This Christmas CD, however, is particularly meaningful to Chapman: “Many know that the last few years have been a difficult journey for my family and me following the loss of our daughter Maria,” says Chapman. “So many have prayed for us and encouraged us, and having the opportunity to write, record and share this new music really feels like the beginning of a new season...a season of joy.”
“Even as hard as things have been, it’s like the sweet is starting to outweigh the bitter for usmore and more,” Chapman explains. “Christmas is becoming a less hard thing for us each year. It’s not that it’s easier to get through because we are forgetting. It’s like we can remember now without it just being so painful and the memories can be sweet.”
Among the album’s 13 tracks are six new songs including first single “Christmas Time Again,” “Christmas in Kentucky,” inspired by Chapman’s home state, and “Christmas Kiss,” written for his wife Mary Beth. Recording Joy also gave Chapman a chance to record some of his longtime favorites like “Joy to the World,” “We Three Kings,” “What Child Is This?” and “Christmas Time Is Here,” from the animated classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
A complete track listing is as follows:
1. Joy To The World
2. Christmas Time Again
3. Christmas In Kentucky
4. Do You Hear What I Hear?
5. Christmas Kiss
6. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
7. Christmas Time Is Here
8. What Child Is This?
9. In The Bleak Midwinter
10. Christmas Card
11. We Three Kings
12. I Am Joseph (God Is With Us)
13. Happy New Year
*sequence subject to change
In recording Joy, Chapman, Milligan and some of Nashville’s finest musicians traveled to a studio in Lexington, Ky. to allow for total focus on creating the right Christmas vibe. “We found this great studio in Lexington, Ky. (my birth state!) and gathered together some of my favorite players, slept over in the rooms there, set up a Christmas tree (I wore my favorite Charlie Brown Christmas t-shirts everyday) and went at it.”
Audiences will have the opportunity to hear Chapman perform selections from Joy live on the “12 Gifts of Christmas” tour this November and December. He joins Laura Story, and speakers including New York Times bestselling author Mary Beth Chapman (his wife), Patsy Clairmont, Luci Swindoll, Marilyn Meberg, comedienne Anita Renfroe and illusionist Harris III.
Premier Christian Cruises announces Steven Curtis Chapman is added to the lineup of entertainment for the FAMILYLIFE "Love Like You Mean It™" Marriage Cruise that sets sail February 11-15, 2013 aboard the Carnival Imagination, which departs Miami, Fla. and sails to Key West, Fla. and Cozumel, Mexico.
The FAMILYLIFE "Love Like You Mean It™" Marriage Cruise is hosted by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. During the cruise, couples will invest in their marriages with bible teaching and enjoy nightly entertainment from Christian music artists and comedians.
Along with Chapman, special guests include Priscilla Shrirer, Voddie and Bridget Baucham, Kari Jobe, Bob Lepine, Dr. Eric Mason, Anthony Evans of "The Voice: Season 2", Ron Deal, Mark Harris, Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, Sara Groves, Tim and Joy Downs, 321 Improv, Stuart and Tracy Palmer, and Acts of Renewal.
For more information on the FAMILYLIFE "Love Like You Mean It™" Marriage Cruise, please visit www.lovelikeyoumeanitcruise.com.
About Steven Curtis Chapman: Steven Curtis Chapman has sold over 10 million records, two RIAA certified platinum albums and eight RIAA certified gold albums. He has received five GRAMMY © awards and an American Music Award. Steven has recorded 45 No. 1 US radio hits and been awarded 56 Dove Awards, more than any other artist to date. Since his recording career began in 1987, Chapman has recorded 16 projects with Sparrow Records. In 2001, Chapman and his wife Mary Beth created The Shaohannah's Hope Ministry, now known as Show HOPE after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry's goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption and has provided grants to thousands of families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world.
For more information on Steven Curtis Chapman, please visit www.stevencurtischapman.com.
Steven Curtis Chapman has signed a recording agreement with Provident Music Group, which will begin with the release of a Christmas record titled JOY (Reunion Records/Provident Label Group) on October 16. The iconic artist has amassed 46 No. 1 singles, 57 GMA Dove Awards; five GRAMMY awards and more than 200 songs recorded on 17 original albums spread across an illustrious 25-year career. In 2013, Steven will follow the Christmas release with his first full studio release of all new material since 2007’s This Moment.
Terry A. Hemmings, President and CEO, Provident Music Group shares, “Steven and I have been friends for many years and I have always respected his character and integrity. He possesses the heart, passion and energy to do the work he's been called to; not only in music, but in caring for others and utilizing his gifts for so much more. We’re excited to provide him a place to tell his story, while coming alongside him with the resources and channels to allow that story to be heard and experienced by many. We believe this will be a great ‘new adventure’ for all of us.”
“Many know that the last few years have been a difficult journey for my family and me, following the loss of our daughter Maria,” shares Chapman. “So many have prayed for us and encouraged us, and having the opportunity to write, record and share this new music really feels like the beginning of a new season...a season of joy.”
He adds, “In writing and experimenting with different ideas, my management and I discussed doing something for my friends and fans this year, perhaps releasing a small side project direct through my website. But as momentum picked up on some Christmas songs, I felt it blossoming into a full release. Then unexpectedly and suddenly, when it didn’t seem it could be made available this year, the door opened for the chance to partner with Provident, and do so with a long time friend I truly respect, Terry Hemmings, so I’m excited about the chance to write anew chapter.”
“I have nothing but the deepest respect, admiration and gratitude for my friends at EMI. I am so grateful to the people there for their belief in me, and the amazing things God accomplished through us together these past 25 years. Bill, Peter and the entire team there are remarkable and remain valued friends.”
The first release through the new partnership at Provident Label Group is a 12-track Christmas title called JOY, slated for release on October 16. Chapman has three previously released Christmas projects: The Music of Christmas (1995, RIAA Certified Gold), Christmas is All in the Heart (2003, a Hallmark limited, sold out run of 400,000) and All I Really Want for Christmas (2005, RIAA Certified GOLD).
“One thing I’m particularly excited about with this new music is the fact that I got to go in the studio and capture the magic that happens when musicians are together in the same room making music and having more fun than anyone should be allowed to have doing their job,” offers Chapman.
“We found this great studio, in Lexington, Ky. (my birth state!) and gathered together some of my favorite players, slept over in the rooms there, set up a Christmas tree (I wore my favorite Charlie Brown Christmas t-shirts everyday) and went at it.”
Audiences will have the chance to hear new songs from JOY when Chapman joins the 12 Gifts of Christmas tour this November and December. He joins Laura Story, and speakers including his wife, Mary Beth Chapman, along with Patsy Clairmont, Luci Swindoll, Marilyn Meberg along with comedienne Anita Renfroe and illusionist Harris III. For full tour information, visit www.12gifts.com.
“There are still bittersweet moments of tears for us at Christmas and I’m sure will be until we see our daughter and our Savior face to face. But each year, the memories seem sweeter, the bitter gets less bitter, and the laughter gets louder...and there’s joy again...full on joy!”
Following the release of JOY and the 12 Gifts of Christmas tour, Chapman will return to the studio to begin recording his first full studio release since his 2007 This Moment.
The Christian Alliance for Orphans presented The Defender of the Fatherless Award to Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife Mary Beth, the founders of Show Hope, an orphan care and adoption non-profit ministry. The Chapmans received the award earlier this month before 2,000 advocates of orphan care and adoption at the Christian Alliance for Orphans' Summit VIII, held at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California.
Each year, the Defender of the Fatherless Award honors bold and sacrificial leadership that has inspired the church and transformed children’s lives. Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman were recognized for the immense impact they have had in
re-awakening Christians to God’s call for orphan care through Show Hope.
Founded in 2003, Show Hope helps to provide waiting orphans with forever homes through financial adoption grants, as well as give medical care for orphans with special needs. Additionally, Show Hope empowers churches, families, and communities to change the world for orphans with adoption and orphan care resources and advocacy efforts.
"Christians across America and beyond are now rising to care for orphans in ways not seen in generations, and no couple has played a more significant role in this awakening than Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman,” Jedd Medefind, President of the Christian Alliance for Orphans, expressed. “From their compelling personal example and public witness to the far-reaching impact of Show Hope, the Chapmans helped spark today's Christian orphan care movement, and they continue to champion its amazing growth."
2012 marks the inaugural presentation of the Defender of the Fatherless Award, which will be awarded annually at Summit. The verse from Hosea 14:3, which reads “In you the fatherless find compassion,” is engraved on the award to celebrate God’s great love for the fatherless and how that love becomes visible when Christians reflect God’s heart in action.
The Christian Alliance for Orphans’ annual Summit strives has become a hub for what Christianity Today recently called "the burgeoning orphan care movement," inspiring and equipping individuals for effective adoption, foster care and global orphan ministry. It has grown from 38 attendees at the first Summit in 2004 to more than 50 times that number in 2012. Summit VIII brought 2,000 pastors, organizational leaders and ministry directors together for workshops and comprehensive sessions.
http://www.showhope.org/
http://www.christianalliancefororphans.org/
Faith, Hope & Lullabies: Sing Me To Sleep, the latest offering in Sparrow Records’ popular Faith, Hope & Lullabies series, brings together some of the top names in Christian music, including Steven Curtis Chapman, Nichole Nordeman and Matthew West. The project also features contributions from Christy Nockels, Sanctus Real's Matt Hammitt, Twila Paris, Michael Card, Janna Long, Erin O’Donnell and Betsy Hernandez.
A collection of original and classic lullabies and worship songs designed to help provide memorable bedtime moments with little ones, highlights of Faith, Hope & Lullabies: Sing Me To Sleep include Steven Curtis Chapman’s “When Love Takes You In”; “Safe And Sound” by Matthew West; “How Deep The Father’s Love For Us,” performed by Nichole Nordeman; and Christy Nockels’ rendition of “Jesus Loves Me,” among other selections.
Faith, Hope & Lullabies: Sing Me To Sleep also features Michael Card’s “Sleep Sound In Jesus,” from his Gold-certified recording of the same name, as well as Twila Paris’ “Your Whole Life Long,” from her best-selling classic recording, Bedtime Prayers: Lullabies & Peaceful Worship.
The highly anticipated third installment in the Faith, Hope & Lullabies series and the collection’s first artist-driven compilation, Faith, Hope & Lullabies: Sing Me To Sleep offers music to sing your child to sleep or to calm your soul while spending quiet time with little ones. Serving as a perfect gift for expectant parents, grandparents or caregivers, the project also provides a soothing environment for any family seeking to make bedtime a peaceful experience. The album follows 2009’s Faith, Hope & Lullabies and Faith, Hope & Lullabies: Songs of Worship instrumental recordings.
Faith, Hope & Lullabies: Sing Me To Sleep Song Listing:
1. Safe And Sound - Matthew West
2. I Couldn't Love You More - Matt Hammitt
3. How Deep The Father's Love For Us - Nichole Nordeman
4. When Love Takes You In - Steven Curtis Chapman
5. Your Whole Life Long - Twila Paris
6. Sleep Sound In Jesus - Michael Card
7. Hold On To Jesus - Erin O'Donnell with Janna Long
8. Lord, You Have My Heart - Janna Long with Christy Nockels
9. The Lord Will Keep You - Betsy Hernandez
10. Jesus Loves Me - Christy Nockels
With 46 No. 1 singles, including "Do Everything," which topped charts last month; 56 GMA Dove Awards; five GRAMMY awards; and more than 200 songs recorded on 17 original albums spread across an illustrious 25-year career, Steven Curtis Chapman has already amassed a collection of songs worth celebrating.
Since his first national recording, First Hand, Chapman has become one of the most beloved artists in all of popular music. This year on his website, StevenCurtisChapman.com, he revisits some of his favorite tracks with a video series called Twenty Five, featuring acoustic performances of some of Chapman’s most popular songs and the stories behind them.
Every other Thursday in 2012, a new acoustic, one-take, raw performance of one of Chapman’s songs will be debuted, each one only available to view for only 25 days. To check out Twenty Five, visit stevencurtischapman.com/scc25.
In addition, Sparrow Records is releasing a new Chapman greatest-hits package, #1’s Vol. 1. Available on April 3, the album features 13 of his biggest songs, each of which charted at No. 1, and features the career-defining songs “Dive,” “The Great Adventure,” “I Will Be Here” and more. Would you believe more than 15 years have gone by since his previous greatest-hits album released? Many of Chapman’s biggest songs and albums have never been represented on a greatest-hits collection.
In November, Chapman wrapped his first "Songs & Stories" tour with friends Andrew Peterson and Josh Wilson. After performing in front of sold-out crowds across the country, the Show HOPE-sponsored tour continued to be in high demand and, as a result, Chapman announced a spring leg of the intimate tour.
The spring leg of the “Songs & Stories” tour launches on Feb. 2 in Broken Arrow, Okla., with Peterson and Wilson supporting. After visiting markets including Cleveland, Nashville and Tampa, among others, the tour will wrap on Mar. 11 in Ocala, Fla. During this uniquely formatted writer’s night, 47 instruments are integrated into the show, and true collaboration dominates the night with Peterson, Wilson and Chapman all playing and singing on each other's songs. Chapman performs songs from his latest album re:creation and more, including his most recent No. 1, “Do Everything,” for which he collected his 16th career GRAMMY nomination. Chapman also opens up about the stories that inspired him to write the songs that have impacted lives around the world.
For more date and ticket information about Steven Curtis Chapman and the upcoming “Songs & Stories” tour, please visit http://stevencurtischapman.com/tour.
Highly acclaimed singer/songwriter, Andrew Peterson, will be entering the recording studio this week working on his third studio project for Centricity Music, which will release early fall 2012. Peterson, who has been called “one of the greatest Christian lyricists of all time,” has written all new songs for the album. The CD will be produced by long-time collaborator, Ben Shive (Sara Groves/Matt Werz/Eric Peters) and Cason Cooley (Matthew Perryman Jones/Katie Herzig/Mat Kearney/Sixpence None The Richer), with Andy Gullahorn co-producing.
"I'm as scared and as excited as ever about going into the studio,” says Peterson. “The whole process of writing the songs, then choosing them, then trying to find the best way to record them, feels like fumbling around in the dark looking for a light switch. That's why it's so nice to have guys like Ben Shive, Andy Gullahorn, and Cason Cooley to help me find my way. They're amazing at what they do, and I totally trust them. If I were to stick with the light switch analogy, it's like they have night vision goggles or something."
Peterson’s new project is the follow-up to his best-selling album, Counting Stars, which debuted at #1 on iTunes and #6 on the Billboard chart. Besides receiving stellar reviews for the project, the single Dancing In The Minefields reached Top 20 on the AC charts and the accompanying video garnered over 750,000 views online. Counting Stars led to a broadening of Peterson’s audience in the mainstream genre with appearances on Nashville’s local TV affiliates, WKRN/ABC & WZTV/FOX, a headlining slot on the Americana program, Music City Roots, and reviews from Blogcritics.org and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The Christian media outlets continue to embrace Peterson’s projects with strong support from ChristianMusicToday.com (CTI), Charisma magazine, Stand Firm magazine, ParentLife magazine, Youthwalk magazine, JesusFreakHideout.com, NewReleaseTuesday.com, among many others.
Following the recording of his new album, Peterson will once again join the spring leg of Steven Curtis Chapman’s Songs & Stories Tour, which also features Josh Wilson. The fall leg of the tour was such a success with sold-out dates and enthusiastic audiences that Chapman booked the spring 2012 dates that launch February 2nd in Tulsa (Broken Arrow), OK and conclude March 11th in Ocala, FL.
"Being on the road with SCC last fall was an amazing experience,” adds Peterson, “not just because of the music or the audiences; I made some great new friends in the process and got to be part of Show Hope's ministry. I can't believe we get to do it again in 2012."
Also upcoming for Peterson this year will be his 3rd annual
RabbitRoom.com event, Hutchmoot 2012. The event will be held in Nashville this fall, and dates will be announced soon. Last year’s conference, featuring best-selling author Sally Lloyd-Jones, sold out in six hours! Peterson will begin writing the fourth and final installment of his Wingfeather Saga series in early 2013, following his highly successful Behold The Lamb Of God Christmas tour in December. This year the tour will include two shows at Nashville’s historic Ryman auditorium.
For more information on Peterson please visit online at
www.andrew-peterson.com.
Wednesday night, the already five-time GRAMMY ® award-winning multi-platinum selling artist Steven Curtis Chapman garnered the 16th GRAMMY ® nomination of his prolific 20+ year career. His 46th No. 1 hit “Do Everything” is being recognized in the category for "Best Gospel/Christian Performance." Fans can watch the 54th Annual GRAMMY ® Awards LIVE February 12 on CBS at 8pm/7pm CST.
The chart-topping single is featured on Chapman’s latest Sparrow Records release re:creation. Chapman performed the GRAMMY ® nominated song in front of sold out crowds on his popular “Songs & Stories” tour this fall with critically acclaimed artists Andrew Peterson and Josh Wilson, and will continue to entertain audiences on the spring leg in 2012. Ticket buyers can grab these great Christmas gifts before December 25 and pay no ticketing fees. For a full list of tour dates, see below.
Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman also had much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. They are proud new grandparents! Join us in congratulating their daughter Emily and her husband Tanner on the arrival of the beautiful Eiley Eliza Richards.
"We're so thankful and thrilled to welcome Eiley!" exclaims Chapman. He jokes, "We are pretty sure we are the world's youngest grandparents."
Chapman is currently on "The Story Tour," which began last night with friends Max Lucado, Randy Frazee, Newsboys, Francesca Battistelli, Natalie Grant, Selah and Anthem Lights. This Christmas extravaganza is supporting The Story album project.
For more information on Chapman and to see a list of current tour dates, please visit www.stevencurtischapman.com.
###
“Songs & Stories” Tour Dates-more dates to be announced shortly
(*Dates subject to change)
Feb. 2 Tulsa, OK
Feb. 3 Little Rock, AR
Feb. 4 Tupelo, MS
Feb. 7 Lexington, KY
Feb. 16 Nashville, TN
Feb. 17 Columbus, OH
Feb. 19 Cleveland, OH
Feb. 22 Paducah, KY
Feb. 23 Jackson, MS
Feb. 24 Huntsville, AL
March 1 Baton Rouge, LA
March 2 Dallas, TX
March 3 Jonesboro, AR
March 8 Aiken, SC
March 9 Clearwater, FL
March 10 Lakeland, FL
March 11 Ocala, FL
Tonight wraps up the multi-platinum selling and GRAMMY ® award winning artist Steven Curtis Chapman's first "Songs & Stories" tour with friends Andrew Peterson and Josh Wilson. After performing in front of sold out crowds across the country, the Show HOPE sponsored tour continues to be in high demand and as a result Chapman will launch a spring leg of the intimate tour.
During this unique writer’s night, Chapman performs songs from his latest album re:creation and more, including his most recent No. 1 hit “Do Everything.” Chapman also opens up about the stories that inspired him to write the songs that have impacted lives around the world.
“What a night! Having been in the business for 18 years, I’ve come to appreciate a well-crafted evening of music,” exclaims CAA Agent Bryan Myers. “Hit songs, superb musicianship, tasteful instrumentation (not to mention instruments you’ve never seen before), and artist collaboration from beginning to end. This is what music, community, and storytelling is all about. Would see it again in a heartbeat!”
“Steven’s show was one of the most creative and fun evenings of worship I have experienced in a long time,” says Lowell MacGregor from the Lowell MacGregor Group. “This show combined an amazing musical history of one of the most prolific musicians in CCM with a healthy helping of his new material interspersed with fun forays into up and coming musical talents and fresh musical perspectives.”
Dan Fife with Awakening Events agrees, “Watching these world class musicians collaborate from the first note to the last has been an incredible treat. Steven, Andrew and Josh come at you right away to let you know it's going to be a special and unique evening. With the guys playing for each other all night long and the ‘music store’ of instruments up on stage, the band trades off on ukuleles, banjos, guitars, pump organ, hammer dulcimer, upright bass and others constantly. It's such a fun night and really captures the audience.”
Additionally, Chapman, Peterson and Wilson showcase their diverse musical talents by playing an extensive variety of instruments (over 47 on stage) making it a night of nonstop musicianship and entertainment.
Fans are also invited to a special pre-show event, “Soundcheck and Stories.” Two hours prior to each show, Chapman connects with his fans in a personal Q&A, performs an exclusive acoustic song or two and gives each fan a collector's edition autographed poster.
For more date and ticket information about Steven Curtis Chapman and the upcoming “Songs & Stories” tour, please visit
http://stevencurtischapman.com/.
Last week music industry icon Steven Curtis Chapman celebrated the release of his 17th album re:creation and in less than 24 hours of its debut, re:creation became the top selling Christian album on iTunes ® Christian chart while also landing at No. 3 on Christian/Gospel overall soundscan chart and was the 43rd top selling album in America according to Billboard's Top 200. The Sparrow Records' project also continues to not only attract the attention from fans but from critics as well:
"Steven Curtis Chapman has presented us with an album that is compelling, personal, and touching. Both the old songs and the new ones inspire and encourage…The man makes incredible music and his 17th release is right on track with the first 16. This is an album that is destined to be ministering to generations long after ours is gone."- About.com
"There’s no better soundtrack for this brightening season than re:creation, the Dove and Grammy Award-winning artist’s latest release where he recasts eight of his classic hits and offers six more all-new tracks as well…If you’ve ever liked Steven Curtis Chapman, re:creation—nostalgic yet forward thinking—will make you like him even more."-Crosswalk.com
"You can tell that Steven Curtis Chapman took his time with this album. It’s evident in every new note and old lyric. It beautifully captures his heart… and is a must-hear."-Hollywoodjesus.com
Critics and fans are not the only ones who are showing their admiration for Chapman’s new album. Chapman also has fans in outer space. On August 9, Chapman visited the men and women at NASA's Johnson's Space Center in Houston, TX. He was also privileged to be able to share a few words with American astronauts Ronnie Garan and Mike Fossum while they are aboard the International Space Station as they spent the morning in space working and listening to re:creation. (Watch the conversation
here.)
Chapman also recently sat down with the ever-popular beliefnet.com for an in-depth two-part interview about his journey over the past few years and the new season of healing he and his family are in. Join the millions of readers to be touched by the captivating interview
here.
re:creation features six brand new songs including his current single "Do Everything," which is currently No. 2 at AC Indicator, No. 4 at National Christian Audience and No. 6 at AC Monitored. Chapman also premiered the music video for his chart-topping single at Gospel Music Channel and Klove.com last week. Fans can check it out at www.stevencurtischapman.com.
Chapman will be performing "Do Everything" and more songs from re:creation this fall on his "Songs & Stories Tour" with Andrew Peterson and Josh Wilson. The uniquely formatted songwriters night tour starts Sept. 29. For more information on Steven Curtis Chapman, re:creation and the tour please visit www.stevencurtischapman.com.
Yesterday morning, multi-platinum selling artist and five-time GRAMMY award winner Steven Curtis Chapman celebrated the launch of his latest release re:creation with his friends at NASA. As a special treat, Chapman was able to speak directly with the two American astronauts currently stationed on the space station about the album. With a solid track record of consistently delivering remarkably transparent and musically engaging albums throughout his prolific 20+ year career, Chapman's 17th album, available nationwide, is no different as it receives praise from critics across the board including New Release Tuesday, USA Today, Beliefnet and more:
"Overall re:creation is at its most powerful in its most personal new material. Those are the most poignant and inspirational, and he blends them well with an organic version of his signature upbeat style. It's also encouraging to hear Chapman having fun again while welcoming listeners into renewed hope. re:creation recognizes there are more tears to come, but also shows that Chapman is able to laugh again." -ChristianityToday.com
"Far from a remix, re:creation offers us Steven Curtis Chapman's timeless songs for a generation that needs to hear them. New, stripped-down instrumentations, new instruments and new voicing not only breathe new life into classic songs like 'Dive' and 'Speechless,' but they are clear evidence that this songwriter has rediscovered new themes in his own life. This is like picking up a conversation with an old friend, right where you left it." --NewReleaseTuesday.com
" re:creation is Steven Curtis Chapman at his best: creative, uplifting, and deeply emotional. The re-invented songs showcase his continuing growth as an artist, and are only upstaged by the spiritual depth of the new material."-Beliefnet.com
"Chapman, who has written thoughtfully about his faith since the late 80's, revisits early hits such as 'The Great Adventure' and 'For the Sake of the Call.' The older material deserves a listen."- USA Today
"Whether newcomers to the SCC canon or longtime followers, there is something for everyone on Steven Curtis Chapman's latest, re:creation. Whether old or new, however, the common thread among the tracks is Chapman's ability to change the heart's perspective time and time again."- CCM Magazine
"Nearly 25 years into his career, SCC is finding that the ups and downs of life have given new meaning to old lyrics. The songs (and the singer) seem more fragile but the message is just as sure. " -Rhapsody.com
In addition to the critics' rave reviews, the world premiere of Chapman's current single from the new album, "Do Everything," can be seen this week on the Gospel Music Channel's Uplifting Pop starting at 9am/8c all week long. The video also premiered on KLOVE.com and fans can watch it here . "Do Everything" is continuing to climb the charts as well as it is currently No. 2 at AC Indicator, No. 5 at National Christian Audience and No. 6 at AC Monitored. Yesterday, Chapman stopped by the morning show at KSBJ in Houston, where he shared the story behind the song and album.
It has been over three years since the Chapmans lost their daughter Maria, but the family finally feels the sun is starting to rise as they are continuing their journey of healing and restoration. Chapman opens up about this new season with Billboard Magazine, on stands next week, AOL's The Boot and on the cover of the latest issue of CCM Magazine .
Chapman's support of the album continues with the launch of a 23-city "Songs & Stories Tour" this fall starting Sept. 29. For more information on Steven Curtis Chapman, re:creation and the tour please visit www.stevencurtischapman.com.
Centricity Music artist Andrew Peterson will bring his thought provoking lyrics and storytelling when he joins Steve Curtis Chapman’s upcoming fall tour, Song & Stories, presented by Show HOPE. The 24-city tour will run September 29-November 3, 2011 and will also feature Chapman’s labelmate Josh Wilson. The concept of the tour is a comfortable one for Peterson, as it will feature individual artist segments with a collaboration finale of all three artists “in the round,” which is sure to be a once-in-a-lifetime treat for audiences.
“I can’t think of a tour I’d rather be a part of,” says Peterson. “I’ve long admired Steven (can I call him Steven? Really?), and it’s a huge honor to share the stage with him.”
Peterson is a tour favorite and his performances are a hit whether in a theater, church or arena. His songs and stories evoke the wonder and beauty of everyday life and resonate with fans in multiple genres of music. His current CD, Counting Stars, is the highest selling album of his career and debuted at #1 on iTunes and #6 on Billboard magazine. The Top Ten single from the project, “Dancing In The Minefields,” remains a popular song and video with over 500,000 views online.
Peterson is also a master storyteller with the written word, as he has published three books in the Wingfeather Saga series. The second book, North! Or Be Eaten won the 2010 Christy Award for Young Adult Fiction and the third installment, The Monster In The Hollows is already being hailed a classic after releasing in May. According to Examiner.com, “The storyline grabs you from the opening line and doesn’t let go until the ‘I didn’t see that coming!’ twist of an ending. Be forewarned; don’t start this book if you don’t have a full weekend set aside.” The fourth and final book of the series will release in 2012.
As if all of this creativity activity doesn’t keep Peterson busy enough, he will host the second annual Hutchmoot conference in Nashville September 22-25, 2011, which sold out in six hours! This year’s event will once again spotlight live music, great food and a series of discussions centered on art, faith, and the telling of great stories across a range of mediums. The special guest will be the New York Times best-selling author, Sally Lloyd-Jones, who wrote The Jesus Storybook Bible.
For more information on Peterson please visit www.andrew-peterson.com and for more information on the Songs & Stories Tour, www.http://stevencurtischapman.com.
This fall, Show HOPE will present iconic music veteran Steven Curtis Chapman’s “Songs & Stories” tour. In a unique songwriter’s night experience rarely seen outside Nashville, TN., Chapman will be sharing the stage with acclaimed and emerging artists, Andrew Peterson and Sparrow Records’ Josh Wilson. The tour will run from September to November of this year in conjunction with the release of Chapman’s newest album, re:creation, coming to stores August 9. To see Chapman explain more about re:creation, visit http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=FJ219MNU.
Each night, “Songs & Stories” tour concert goers will hear the brand new songs featured on re:creation, including Chapman’s new single, “Do Everything,” which has already hit top 10 on both the AC-Monitor and AC-Indicator charts. The newest single is also No. 14 on the National Christian Audience Chart, and has over 77 stations supporting it. The GRAMMY® award winner will perform re-imagined versions of some of his biggest hits while taking advantage of the unique format to share the stories that inspired him to write both his current hits, and songs that have entertained for decades.
Additionally, audiences will also be treated to Chapman, Wilson and Peterson collaborating together on stage with a vast assortment of instruments from the ukulele to the cajon for a rare and memorable event.
The 24-city tour kicks off Sept. 29 and will hit major cities such as Atlanta, St. Louis, Denver and Portland before wrapping up on Nov. 3.
Chapman is also offering a unique pre-show experience for fans called “Soundcheck and Stories” which will include a Q&A with Chapman, an acoustic performance and an exclusive signed poster. For more date and ticket information about Steven Curtis Chapman and the upcoming “Songs & Stories” tour please visit http://stevencurtischapman.com/.
An exclusive iTunes (R) pre-order was unveiled today, giving fans a chance to pre-order re:creation with an extra, exclusive track as well as receive an immediate download of the single "Do Everything." To download the pre-order, visit http://itunes.apple.com/us/preorder/re-creation/id446843757.
On August 9, multi-platinum selling artist Steven Curtis Chapman will unveil re:creation, his 17th album release over his iconic 20 + year career.
The new album features five new songs from the five-time GRAMMY ® Award winner and all new re-imagined recordings of his eight biggest hits. (See full track listing below)The entire record has a progressive and fresh acoustic sound, which reflects the energy and life found in the songs. The title speaks to the actual recreation of these songs, which are entirely new re-recordings in a new musical space. More and most importantly though, the word recreation speaks to the new life God is now recreating for Chapman and his family as they walk forward in their lives.
In examining how to best recreate some of the songs that made him the most awarded artist in Christian music history, Chapman once again tapped Brent Milligan, whom he worked with on Beauty Will Rise, to co-produce the new project.
“Musically I felt Beauty Will Rise went to a new place for me,” Chapman explains. “It was a more acoustic, more organic recording, and that was something that I felt was really appropriate for this album as well. I write almost all of my songs with just an acoustic guitar. They begin in that organic and stripped down space, but then you get into the studio and the sounds of the day and the technology of that era influence how the songs get recorded. I thought, ‘Wow, I’d love to redo ‘For The Sake Of The Call’ because that song means something different now. It means continuing to live out the call to share our faith in light of all we’ve been through. When I did it originally, it was a big production. The sounds of the drums were real big and there was a lot of reverb and I was thinking, ‘I would love to do that song more the way that I perform it live now.’ I found that since Maria went to heaven, many of the songs that I have written over the years continue to grow in meaning. The heart behind doing this was asking, how can I take some of those songs that have a new depth to me and reinterpret those, recreate those? Thus the title re:creation.”
The first single from the album “Do Everything,” recently made its debut at radio and in one week over 28 stations added it to their playlist, making it the most added song at Christian radio last week. Chapman opens up about the upbeat anthem in a personal video shown here.
Chapman cherishes his connection with his fans and supporters as they have walked with him throughout his career. “I feel like they’ve been on the journey with me from the very beginning and I feel like this album is another step in that and a chance for me to say, ‘Friends, you’ve prayed for us and loved us so much. I want you to know it’s okay to laugh with us. We’re still going to cry, but know that we feel like we’re coming into a new season and the sun is coming up.’
For more information on Steven Curtis Chapman and re:creation, please visit www.stevencurtischapman.com.
Music icon Steven Curtis Chapman finished his highly successful Canadian tour last week after performing in front of sold out crowds across the country. This was Chapman’s first time touring in Canada in nearly 15 years where they welcomed his intimate production of An Evening with Steven Curtis Chapman with open arms.
Audiences were entertained as Chapman performed some of the new arrangements of some of his biggest hits re-imagined and re-recorded as part of his upcoming fall album release. Chapman has just unveiled one of the brand new songs penned for the album to radio, the debut single from the project, “Do Everything” goes for adds May 6th. Watch Chapman share his heart behind the song here.
Attendees also heard the sounds of Caleb, the emerging band featuring Chapman’s two sons Caleb and Will, in addition to the vocal talents of award-winning artist Geoff Moore.
After wrapping up his spring tour, Chapman heads back to Nashville to put the finishing touches on his new album and also prepare for his fall tour presented by Show Hope. Sharing the stage with Chapman will be singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson and Sparrow Records’ Josh Wilson.
Further details on the highly anticipated new album will be released in the near future. For more information on Chapman and to check for upcoming tour dates, please visit www.stevencurtischapman.com.
The 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards announces a special event performance by industry leaders, Third Day, Steven Curtis Chapman and Casting Crowns’ front man, Mark Hall. Highly regarded Denver Bronco quarterback, Tim Tebow also joins the evening’s impressive presenter lineup. The 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards, hosted by Sherri Shepherd, will take place at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Ga. on Wednesday, April 20th at 8 p.m. ET. The awards show will be televised on gmc, America’s favorite network for uplifting entertainment, on Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 7 p.m. ET.
Third Day’s latest single, “Children of God,” artfully relays the concept that each person on Earth is adopted into the family of God. Using adoption as a metaphor for God’s love, the Atlanta-based, award winning rock band – celebrated with GRAMMY, AMA and GMA Dove Awards — will bring the song to life at with special guests Steven Curtis Chapman and Mark Hall. All three artists in this heartwarming segment have adopted children of their own.
Steven Curtis Chapman has been awarded 56 GMA Dove Awards, more than any other artist to date, five GRAMMY awards and an American Music Award. Chapman has sold more than ten million records including two RIAA certified platinum albums and eight RIAA certified gold albums.
Casting Crowns, Christian music’s GRAMMY, AMA and Dove Award-winning Artist of the Year, is headed by frontman/principal songwriter Mark Hall. The platinum-selling band’s recent fourth album, Until The Whole World Hears, sold 167,000 copies first-week setting a sales record as the highest debuting Christian Music artist in SoundScan history (week ending 11/22/09). The album certified RIAA Gold in four weeks, with more than 600,000 sold to date. All of Casting Crowns' projects are RIAA certified, with a monster tally of two RIAA Platinum Albums, two RIAA Platinum DVDs, three RIAA Gold Albums and a Gold DVD, holding position as Billboard’s top-selling act in Christian music since 2007.
This year’s list of presenters includes Super Bowl and Green Bay Packer standout Greg Jennings, actresses Kim Fields and Yvette Nicole Brown, comedienne Chonda Pierce, actor Kevin Sorbo, singers Mandisa and Ruben Studdard, Leigh Anne Tuohy and Collins Tuohy. The pre-show event will be hosted by artist Jason Crabb, who is a multi-Dove Award nominee. Brian Courtney Wilson and Guy Penrod will perform at the pre-show.
Previously announced performers and appearances during the televised show include Audrey Assad, Francesca Battistelli, Natalie Grant, Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, Deitrick Haddon, Kirk Franklin, LeCrae, Mary Mary, MIKESCHAIR, Britt Nicole, Chonda Pierce, Point of Grace, Kerrie Roberts, Kenny Rogers, Smokie Norful, Marvin Sapp, Chris Tomlin, Laura Story, Tenth Avenue North.
The 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards are produced by gmc, in association with Encore Entertainment. Michael Johnson is director. Tommy Sims is musical director. Rex Humbard is executive producer for gmc. Ed Leonard and Mitchell Solarek are executive producers for GMA.
Many events will be taking place throughout the week in Atlanta surrounding the awards. The nominee luncheon will be held on Tuesday, April 19. Various record labels will host special events and the annual Holy Hip-Hop Awards will be given out.
For more information on the awards, please visit www.wortmanworks.com/clients/doveawards for more detailed information on the show and all the participants or visit www.doveawards.com.
Tickets to the 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards are now on sale at the Fox Theatre box office in Atlanta or at www.ticketmaster.com.
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This spring, five-time GRAMMY Award® winner, Steven Curtis Chapman will head north to Canada for An Evening with Steven Curtis Chapman. This will be his first extended run in Canada in nearly 15 years, since appearances in the fall of 1996. Also joining Chapman will be his dear friend, the prolific and award winning singer/songwriter, Geoff Moore. In addition, the opener for the evening will be the emerging band, Caleb, a four-piece that includes Chapman's sons Caleb and Will.
Presented by Unite Producations and Focus on the Family Canada, the multi-platinum selling artist will visit 13 cities starting March 22 in Nova Scotia and will conclude April 8 in Vancouver. Tickets are available and already selling well at iTickets.com. See below for a full list of tour dates.
Canadian fans will be the first to hear Chapman perform several new songs just recorded for his upcoming 2011 release. They will also have opportunity to influence the set list each night by requesting their favorite Chapman song at StevenCurtisChapman.com.
This tour follows last fall’s A Night with the Chapmans tour starring Chapman and the entire Chapman family. The tour saw sold out crowds throughout the country, garnering an overwhelming response in their invitation to join the movement to care for orphans through the ministry they founded, Show HOPE.Canadian tour sponsor Focus on the Family Canada hopes the Chapman's adoption journey will inspire families to welcome home a child through adoption. Chapman and Moore will also make appearances at Focus on the Family Canada's End the Wait seminars, being held in five cities on the tour. End the Wait seeks to find families for Canada's waiting children and build strong communities of support for foster and adoptive families.
For more information on Chapman and the tour, please visit www.stevencurtischapman.com.
Earlier this week, GRAMMY ® Award-winning artist Steven Curtis Chapman unveiled a new project titled Safe In The Arms, which has already garnered the No. 2 spot on the iTunes ® Christian & Gospel Albums Chart.
Available only in digital formats, Safe In The Arms features a never before released song, "Close To Your Heart" featuring worship artist Matt Redman and a special new acoustic recording of "Beauty Will Rise," the title track off his last studio album that released last year. In addition, Chapman opens up in a in-depth interview about Beauty Will Rise, his most personal album to date.
Fans can also hear from Chapman’s wife, New York Times Best-Selling Author Mary Beth as she talks about her journey over the last few years as she discusses in her latest book Choosing to See, which is currently No. 13 on the New York Times Best-Sellers List.
Additionally, the family-themed release includes a new song from the emerging four-piece rock band Caleb, which highlights the talents of Chapman’s sons Will and Caleb.
The Chapman family brings Safe In The Arms to life on their current tour “A Night with the Chapmans," presented by Show Hope, where they are continuing to draw audiences of all ages. Performing in front of full houses for the past two weeks, the family continues to share their journey and music to fans across the states until their closing show on November 21 in Baltimore, MD. CNN.com gives an inside look at the intimate tour seen at http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/19/chapmans-family-tour-will-share-pain-and-joy/?iref=allsearch.
For more information on Chapman, the tour and a full list of dates, please visit StevenCurtisChapman.com, twitter.com/StevenCurtis, or http://www.facebook.com/#!/stevencurtischapman?ref=ts.
Show Hope presents Steven Curtis Chapman and his family embarking on a new journey together this fall as they venture out on a “A Night with the Chapmans.” The special family affair kicks off September 10 in Lancaster, PA and will hit 34 cities before ending on November 21 in Baltimore, MD.
The night of music and hope with the multi-platinum selling and award-winning artist will feature some of his most memorable hits from his two decades plus career. Songs to expect include “Live Out Loud,” “Cinderella” and many more of his extensive catalog loved by all. Chapman will also bring back by popular demand his request time where attendees can ask that their song be added to the set via www.StevenCurtisChapman.com.
"We've prayed for months that each evening of this tour be an opportunity to ponder important things, and to celebrate the hope we have in Jesus, the great hope I'm so thankful continues to carry us all," comments Chapman.
As a part of this very special season, Mary Beth Chapman will join her husband for the first time ever on the tour. “There are three things I told God I would never ever do: homeschool, adopt, and speak in public,” she says. “Well, we've already homeschooled, you know we've adopted, and now this fall I'll be on stage speaking at Steven's concerts." With a smile Mary Beth adds, "now I'm telling God I will not go to Hawaii for three months."
Mary Beth will share her journey as reflected in her inaugural book, Choosing To See, available this September and co-written with Ellen Vaughn. Discussing her courtship and marriage to Chapman, struggles for emotional balance, and living with grief, she will open up about how she has wrestled with God even as she has allowed him to write her story--both during times of happiness and those of tragedy. Mary Beth's transparent style will surprise audiences with the depth of her faith struggle and her hilarious sense of humor. Mary Beth and Steven will also proudly introduce audiences to the band Caleb, a new band featuring their sons Caleb and Will Franklin.
Show Hope, the title sponsor of the tour, is a ministry founded by the Chapmans that enables individuals and communities to change the world for orphans by not only addressing a child’s need for food, shelter, care, and spiritual nourishment, but by also addressing the root issue for an orphan: the lack of a family.
In other Chapman news, the title track from his current album Beauty Will Rise is now impacting radio. Beauty Will Rise, released last winter, is a collection of 12 compelling and profound songs created during the walk through the darkness of the loss of Chapman’s daughter Maria and while God continued to meet him there on the journey. Part lament, part praise, part grief, part hope, part wrestling, part pondering; these tracks resonate as Chapman’s personal Psalms. It is a desperately hopeful, raw, personal, and honest recording that is likely the most important of his already incredible 20 plus year ministry.
For more information on Chapman, the tour and a full list of dates, please visit www.StevenCurtisChapman.com, twitter.com/StevenCurtis, or http://www.facebook.com/#!/stevencurtischapman?ref=ts.
Nashville TN…Five-time Grammy Award winner, Steven Curtis Chapman recently sat down with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts for a follow-up conversation from the family’s in-depth interview last year, in addition to an impromptu acoustic performance of his current hit single “Heaven Is The Face,” from his latest album Beauty Will Rise. The interview is scheduled to air December 14 on ABC in the 8am (EST) hour.
Also, on stands now, PEOPLE Magazine catches up with Chapman about walking through grief, his family now and Maria’s legacy.
Across the board people agree Beauty Will Rise is unlike any other Chapman release. Calling it his most candid work yet, the project is filled with “raw lyrics and honest emotion” that while bringing “many to tears,” also “gives tremendous hope” to all who listen.
“…the aching candor that suffuses the album, paired with Mr. Chapman’s unmistakable gift for melodic uplift, exerts a deep emotional pull. The production, leaner than usual, backs up the raw feeling behind the songs.”- New York Times
“He quietly, thoughtfully works through his grief but never surrenders to despair. If you can’t imagine how to find hope out of such devastation, Chapman can show you.”- USA Today
“Both intensely personal, yet universal as well, this is a brilliant, deeply moving album sure to resonate with listeners on many levels.”-Billboard Magazine
“After his daughter's death, the veteran artist battles despair but finds hope in his most candid record to date.”-ChristianityToday.com
“What might seem as a depressing premise for a recording has turned into an extremely hopeful, intensely raw and gut-wrenchingly honest recording that brings the listener through the wrestling and into the hope that awaits.”- Advance Magazine
“Beauty Will Rise is a CD that is sure to move you emotionally. Every song on the album will make you feel as if Chapman is singing to your own pain, and offering hope for your own situation. And in a very real way, he is.”-Gospelmusicupdate.com
“The bare-bones structure incorporates musical gestures of hope, using a colorful glockenspiel, bellowing chimes and triumphal timpanis to convince listeners Chapman's spiritual testing is not countering his steadfast faith. Even dissonant strings haunt the famous father's melancholic intimations, but without deterring the album's blunt beauty.”-CCM Magazine
The radio single “Heaven Is The Face,” is already at No. 22 on the AC monitored chart, and continues to climb with 10 new adds in the last two weeks, including The Fish Atlanta and K-Love.
Chapman is extremely thankful for all the support and encouragement that he and his family have received through blogs, letters and emails. Although this was a recording that Chapman wishes he never had to make, he says he has gleaned a measure of peace knowing that these songs may help heal others.
Chapman states, “If there is comfort to be given to others then that is going to make some sense out of this; that is important and vital to us. Part of what makes this survivable is that we can see God using it for good in the lives of other people.”
Nashville, TN - (October 7th, 2009) - In celebration of November as National Adoption Awareness Month, Show Hope and Steven Curtis Chapman, along with Focus on the Family and FamilyLife, are helping to lead the charge on Sunday, November 8th -"Orphan Sunday" - for a live event in Nashville with one goal: raising awareness of the more than 140 million orphans worldwide. The free event, beginning at 4pm CST, will be simulcast through satellite, Moody Radio Network and Gospel Music Channel, and will also be available through a webcast at www.OrphanSunday.org. The event will feature a special acoustic performance from Chapman, with other musical guests Geoff Moore and the Children of the World Choir. Guest speakers include Focus on the Family President Jim Daly, a former orphan himself, Dr. Sharen Ford, Manager for Permanency Services for the Colorado Department of Human Services in the Division of Child Welfare Services, Jedd Medefind of the Christian Alliance for Orphans, and adoptive father Dennis Rainey, president of FamilyLife.
"Our experience with the miracle of adoption and the chance to touch the lives of orphans has been infinitely rich and full," said Chapman, who adopted three daughters from China. "It's a privilege that God invites us to, and there are so many other children around the world who need homes and help. We're doing this event on November 8th to compel people to take action right now to be involved in caring for the world's orphans. We can each do something, whether it is donating, adopting, fostering, mentoring, visiting orphans or supporting families who have taken in orphans."
UPDATE:
Click here to visit the auction!
Porter’s Call, the Franklin, TN organization that offers free counsel, support and encouragement to recording artists and their families, has partnered with the premier celebrity auction website, www.clothesoffourback.org, to host an online celebrity auction September 14th – 30th. The auction’s direct link is www.clothesoffourback.org/porterscall.
The auction is an effort to sustain the organization’s long-term financial health and to continue to offer free services to the community of recording artists. More than 30 music and sports stars, television personalities and best-selling authors have donated several one-of-a-kind, autographed items for this auction. Some highlights include:
- Autographed Guitars from Tim McGraw, Brooks & Dunn, Gene Simmons, Steven Curtis Chapman, Mercy Me, and Paramore
- Autographed wardrobe items from Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Keith Urban, Big Kenny, Michael W. Smith and tobyMac
- Concert and meet & greet packages from Casting Crowns, Diamond Rio and Mandisa
- Titans and Predators tickets with special passes
- Framed autographed handwritten lyrics from Vince Gill and Amy Grant
- Autographed books from Mike Huckabee, Steve Harvey and Rick & Bubba
- Other autographed items from Jonas Brothers, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Billy Bob Thornton, Alison Krauss, Gretchen Wilson, Sara Evans and Josh Turner
“We are so grateful for the overwhelming show of support we’ve received from the participating artists-many of whom we’ve never met,” said Porter’s Call founder Al Andrews. “This auction collection holds a diverse and unique array of items that is sure to excite and delight their fans. While we know these items will raise significant funds to further the work of Porter’s Call, we hope that awareness for the service we provide is already rising significantly within the music community and that we will be able to serve more artists in the months to come.”
Started 9 years ago with an initial grant, Porter’s Call was created to meet a need to come alongside artists in their pilgrimage of life and music and faith. Because of this, many artists are able to avoid the pitfalls so common in the industry. Since its doors opened, Porter’s Call has offered its service at no charge to artists. This has been made possible through the generous support of record labels, artists and those working throughout various facets of the music industry.
Located in an historic home in Franklin, TN, it’s a safe and confidential place for artists where questions can be asked and explored; where broken lives can be restored and healed; where God can be encountered and discovered; where creative gifts can be deepened and enhanced.
Counselors Al and Nita Andrews have welcomed almost 500 artists through their doors since its inception.
The Clothes Off Our Back Foundation is a 501c3 organization that hosts charity auctions showcasing today's hottest celebrity attire. Items are put up for bid to the public with proceeds going to benefit children's charities. Clothes Off Our Back was founded by actors and philanthropists Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm In The Middle," "Raising the Bar") and Bradley Whitford ("The West Wing," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip") whose efforts, along with their celebrity and designer friends have helped improve the lives of children across the globe. For more information and to bid, log onto www.clothesoffourback.org.
September 10, 2009…Nashville, TN…The debut single from multi-platinum selling artist Steven Curtis Chapman’s upcoming project Beauty Will Rise, “Heaven Is The Face,” has been welcomed with open arms. Available digitally on September 8, the single released to radio August 21 and has already pulled at the hearts of many. Thirty-one stations have added the single already, quickly finding that it is resonating with all who hear it, offering light in a dark place:
"Heaven Is The Face” is a song that takes you a little deeper each time you hear it,” says Tulsa, OK, KXOJ Program Director, Bob Thorton. “The first time all I thought about was Steven and Maria. The second time all I thought about was the door of Heaven and the mystery of not being able to see the other side. The third time and each spin since, it's become a more personal song that takes me into simultaneous thanks for the present and worship for what is to come. This is raw, honest depth from our greatest writer."
“The lyrics are specific to the Chapman story, but the Hope shared is something we can all cling to,” says Sandi Brown, General Manager of JoyFM in St. Louis.
Outside of radio circles, the media are also vocalizing their support for the song and Chapman family:
"Heartbreak and hope are powerfully intertwined in the lyric of this incredible song. Chapman has always had a gift for sharing how real and vibrant his faith is through his music, and even after the loss of his precious daughter, that faith remains and continues to inform his artistry. I can think of no more powerful testimony."- Billboard
“’Heaven Is The Face’ marks the return of Steven Curtis Chapman to music for the first time since the tragic loss of his adopted daughter last year, and the new single is a deeply emotional journey that addresses Chapman’s personal hopes and struggles throughout the painful season. It’s a beautiful song and a gift to anyone who knows what it’s like to experience loss.”-Jesusfreakhideout.com
“ ‘Heaven Is The Face’ portrays what Chapman <http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-2770-Christian-Entertainment-Examiner~y2009m4d29-Michael-W-Smith-and-Steven-Curtis-Chapman-together-for-the-first-time-on-The-United-Tour> , his wife Mary Beth, and their family describe as ‘grieving with hope.’ This song resonates with a psalmist’s dichotomy of loss and sorrow, hope and longing. It digs deep within the pain to find something to offer others; a promised eternal life where pain and tears do not exist and where love and joy abound.”-Examiner.com
"Heaven Is the Face is a testament to Steven Curtis Chapman's perseverance in the face of tragedy. He continues to excel as a songwriter, but most importantly, is a living testimony to the power of hope and healing."- Freelancer and Gospelmusicchannel.com contributor.
As Chapman explains it, “Heaven Is The Face” is a song that he never wished to write:
“Obviously heaven has become a much more real place and something I long for more now than ever before. I can’t wait to see the face of my little girl that I long to see again. I’m saying to God, ‘You know my heart, and I know that heaven is so much more than that, but right now Lord, this where my heart is.’ So I’m just crying out to God with this song, and it’s as honest and personal as I’ve ever been; I just poured out my heart.”
Beauty Will Rise is a collection of 12 new and profound songs created over the past 15 months during the walk through the darkness of the loss of his daughter Maria and while God continued to meet him there on the journey. Part lament, part praise, part grief, part hope, part wrestling, part pondering; these tracks resonate as Chapman’s personal psalms. It is a desperately hopeful, raw, personal, and honest recording that is likely the most important of his already incredible 20 plus year ministry.
“I began this process a couple of months after May 21st, not really knowing if I would ever feel like I could sing, stand on stage again, or express the emotions, the grief and the loss in music. But, in the days that followed, I felt that God was allowing me to write my own psalms, and that’s really what these are to me; a collection of my own psalms, laments, ponderings, and God meeting me and my family in the grief and in the midst of our journey of the last year. It’s been an amazing, wild process; very raw, real, honest.”
GRAMMY® Award winning and multi-platinum selling artist Steven Curtis Chapman has announced plans to release Beauty Will Rise on November 3rd on Sparrow Records.
Beauty Will Rise is a collection of 12 new and profound songs created over the past 15 months during the walk through the darkness of the loss of his daughter Maria and while God continued to meet him there on the journey. Part lament, part praise, part grief, part hope, part wrestling, part pondering; these tracks resonate as Chapman’s personal Psalms. It is a desperately hopeful, raw, personal, and honest recording that is likely the most important of his already incredible 20 plus year ministry.
Chapman announced the news on his video blog (http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/scc/2009/08/steven-announces-new-album-beauty-will-rise.html) from Maria’s Big House of Hope, the special needs healing home that Show HOPE, (the adoption and orphan care ministry founded by Chapman and his wife Mary Beth) recently opened. The facility is named in loving memory of their five-year old daughter and is located in Luoyang, China. Maria’s Big House of Hope will care for orphans with medical impairments, such as cleft palate, clubbed feet, urological disorders, blindness, and neurological disorders.
For the first time in his career, due to the intensely personal nature of this project, Chapman made the album in a total vacuum while traveling all over the country on tour last fall and spring. From the rooftop of Maria’s Big House of Hope, Steven shared details on his blog entry about how the songs for this project came about:
“I am standing on top of the building that because of it’s name, represents something that we never would have scripted, asked for, or imagined. But, we are right in the middle of part of the beauty that God is bringing from the pain and ashes of our last year. I began this process a couple of months after May 21st, not really knowing if I would ever feel like I could sing, stand on stage again, or express the emotions, the grief and the loss in music. But, in the days that followed, I felt that God was allowing me to write my own songs, and that’s really what these are to me; a collection of my own songs, laments, ponderings, and God meeting me and my family in the grief and in the midst of our journey of the last year. It’s been an amazing, wild process; very raw, real, honest.”
The album’s first single, “Heaven is the Face,” will be released to radio on August 21st with the digital single available on September 8th. Album pre-sales of Beauty Will Rise begin September 25. Chapman spoke about this song via video blog as well (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnHM_2x-pBI) commenting that “obviously heaven has become a much more real place and something I long for more now than ever before. I can’t wait to see the face of my little girl that I long to see again. I’m saying to God, ‘you know my heart, and I know that heaven is so much more than that, but right now Lord, this where my heart is.’ So I’m just crying out to God with this song, and it’s as honest and personal as I’ve ever been, I just poured out my heart.”
**Steven Curtis Chapman fans displayed “a father’s love” for their children in a special Father’s Day video tribute that features Chapman’s hit single “Cinderella.” Fans were encouraged to submit family photos and as a result, over 150 photos were chosen to create two heart-warming videos on animoto.com. To view these unique Father’s Day tributes visit: http://www.tangle.com/stevencurtischapman. In addition, everyone is invited to create his or her own Father’s Day video to “Cinderella” by visiting:
http://animoto.com/create?partner=emi&song_key=mN1w5dpWuGSq5ksSEBY0aw
**“Cinderella,” inspired by Chapman’s youngest daughters Stevie Joy and Maria Sue, is a song that reflects how we must cherish every moment we are given with those that we love, especially with our children. Chapman reminds us that life is too short and too fast; to take hold of the small and large moments that occur throughout life because “all too soon the clock will strike midnight, and she’ll be gone.” (lyrics from Cinderella).
Nashville, TN - May 11, 2009 - At the Nashville stop of the United Tour, the nationwide concert co-headlined by Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith, in front of a sell-out crowd, family and friends, Chapman was awarded by Smith with the Lifetime Volunteer Service Award from The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. This service honor recognizes Chapman's tireless passion of caring for the millions of orphans around the world through Show HopeTM, the orphan care ministry started by he and his wife, Mary Beth. This lifetime achievement service award, the highest level possible from The President's Council, comes on the heels of the recent recognition of the Chapman's and their orphan care advocacy from the Children's Hunger Fund's Children's Champion Award.
ABOUT THE PRESIDENTIAL VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD
The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation was established in 2003 to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our communities and encourage more people to serve. The Council created the President's Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service. Recognizing and honoring volunteers sets a standard for service, encourages a sustained commitment to civic participation, and inspires others to make service a central part of their lives. The Council was established to recognize the important contributions Americans of all ages are making within their communities through service and civic engagement. Administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, it brings together leaders from the worlds of business, entertainment, sports, education, government, nonprofits, and the media. Michael W. Smith is the Vice-Chair of The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, co-chairing with Jean Case, founder of The Case Foundation. Some of the other serving Council members are Tony Dungy (former head coach, Indianapolis Colts), Cokie Roberts (ABC News political news correspondent) Roxanne Spillett (President of the Boys & Girls Club of America), among others.
In a country that has a long and proud tradition of volunteer service, volunteers are committed more than ever to to help others in this country and around the world to bring us together as families, as neighbors, as communities, and as a nation.
For more information about Show Hope and the President's Volunteer Service Award, please visit www.ShowHope.org and www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/tg/pvsainfo/dspAboutAwards.cfm.
GRAMMY® award-winning and multi-platinum selling artists Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith wrapped up their highly successful United Tour last week, finishing a string of 44 shows with sell-out performances at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and in Chapman’s hometown of Paducah, Kentucky. That capped off multiple sell-outs on a historic tour that began last fall and continued into the spring, pairing the two iconic artists for the first time in their lengthy careers in front of a cumulative audience of more than 100,000 people.
Both artists performed music from their current albums – Chapman’s This Moment and Smith’s award winning A New Hallelujah, and A New Hallelujah – The Live Worship DVD – while also collaborating together on songs from each of their expansive catalogs. Those collaborative moments on stage became crowd-pleasers each night, giving fans an opportunity to catch shared glimpses of humor and inspiration between the two long-time friends. Concert reviewers caught on quickly to the special moments:
“From the honesty and transparency of discussing his daughter's death to the energy and passion of their greatest songs to the warmth and joy in a loyal audience, Steven Curtis Chapman's pairing with Michael W. Smith on their current tour is a night of inspiration, unity and family…. If your Christian faith is important to you, this is a night that's as worshipful as it is wonderful and it's certainly for you.” (Belief.net)
“Hopefully this won't be the last time Smith and Chapman share the stage on tour together... and hopefully more artists will take cues from these guys on how to make a tour of talent a special night for fans to remember and cherish.” (JesusFreakHideout.com)
“When you get a ticket to a concert featuring Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman, there are moments you hope for… These were moments that remind you iconic artists are fully capable of appreciating other iconic artists’ work.” (Rich Copley, Lexington Herald-Leader)
Creative Artist Agency’s John Huie notes, “The United Tour exceeded all our expectations. The way these two iconic statesmen of Christian music intertwined their sets and enjoyed singing each other’s songs is part of the creative process that is missing from a lot of live shows! Three cheers for Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith for their history of great work and their humble ability to share it together! For those who were able to see it, this show was truly a night no one will forget!”
“Sharing the stage with Steven, both in the fall and again in the spring, was a privilege for me,” Smith says. “His consistency over the years as a great artist and a great man of faith was evident every single night of the tour. I feel like the timing of this tour, the timing for Steven and I to share the stage together, was God’s timing – and it was worth the wait. I’m so grateful to everyone who came out for the experience. Steven and I will never forget it.”
“The United Tour has been an incredible experience, and how amazing to get to tour with Michael,” Chapman adds. “He was an incredible friend and brother in walking through this time with our family. It’s been a profound opportunity to see friends around the country who have ached and prayed for us and thank them in person. And it’s been important and meaningful for me to declare these truths in my songs again. I think all of us that were part of ‘United’ have learned again at a deeper level the truth of what we’ve been writing and singing all these years... that God is faithful, even when life is hard, and that the Gospel is true and God is worthy of our praise. My sincere thanks to all who worked on stage and off stage, and to all who came to join us on The United Tour.”
Two of Christian Music’s most recognized and beloved artists, Chapman and Smith ended The United Tour on the heels of major Dove Award wins for both of them. Chapman took home the honors for the Gospel Music Association’s Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year, while Smith’s A New Hallelujah was named Praise & Worship Album of the Year as well as Inspirational Song of the Year. Together, the two artists have garnered a staggering eight GRAMMY ® awards, 100 Dove Awards, 78 No. 1 singles and more than 30 gold and platinum albums.
Show Hope™, the orphan care ministry originally founded by Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman, was the sponsor for the United Tour's 2009 spring leg. The tour’s response was overwhelming as over 2,400 individuals and families made monthly commitments to sponsor orphan care and adoption. With a mission to share the message of caring for the world’s orphans, Show Hope sponsors will be able to help more orphans than ever before find their forever families. Since its inception, Show Hope has financially helped provide forever homes for over 2,000 orphans from 40 countries, including the U.S. The ministry receives over 150 new adoption assistance requests each month. In addition to those needs, financial support to Show Hope also provides medical care, love and hope to orphans, and specifically special needs orphans at Maria’s Big House of Hope in Luoyang, China, which will house over 100 orphans at full capacity. For more information on how you can support the needs of Show Hope, please visit www.ShowHope.org.
Smith’s long-time ministry partner Compassion International (www.compassion.com) was able to benefit during the fall leg of The United Tour. More than 2,000 orphaned children in Compassion’s program around the world were sponsored as a result of the tour’s first 20 dates. “The fact that literally thousands of orphaned children’s lives were impacted through Compassion International in the fall and Show Hope in the spring is just an added blessing that came about through this tour,” Smith says.
The United Tour also formed a unique partnership with HearItFirst.com. With nearly 200,000 members, HIF proved itself the premiere online destination for behind-the-scenes videos and artist interviews with exclusive United Tour content featuring video of Steven and Michael interviewing each other. HearItFirst.com also partnered with the tour via a home page takeover, information to its members through its weekly newsletter, and a contest that won HIF fans free seats and backstage meet & greet passes in each city.
April 24, 2009…Nashville, TN… Gospel Music Association’s most honored artist, Steven Curtis Chapman accepted two awards, for artist of the year and songwriter of the year, on an emotional and moving night at the 40th Annual Dove Awards. Chapman was honored less than a year after the tragic loss of his daughter Maria. The ceremony was broadcast LIVE on Gospel Music Channel at 7pm (CST) from the famous Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN.
Sparrow Records’ 10-million selling, award winning artist received multiple nominations with wins in the coveted Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year categories. For the first time in the history of the Dove Awards, Artist of the Year nominees were voted on by Gospel music fans in the days leading up to the ceremony and throughout the telecast. Chapman was also nominated in three other categories, including two for “Song of the Year” with both “Cinderella” and “You Reign,” a song he co-wrote with MercyMe. Chapman’s total Dove wins now total 56 over the course of his music career--more than any other artist in the history of Gospel Music. Last night's honors now make seven "Artist of the Year" awards and ten "Songwriter of the Year" awards for Chapman's Dove legacy.
Chapman and his band, which includes sons Caleb and Will Franklin, gave a powerful performance this evening of the Dove nominated song “Cinderella.” Chapman wrote the song about his daughters Stevey Joy and Maria Sue. Since the death of his youngest daughter Maria Sue Chapman who passed away in an accident on May 21, 2008, the moving ballad that compels us to treasure each moment, has an even deeper urgency. Following their loss of Maria, Steven changed this song’s poignant last line in live performance to “’Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight/But the truth is... The dance goes on.”
Chapman is currently wrapping up the incredibly successful United Tour alongside close friend Michael W. Smith, concluding on April 30 in Paducah, KY. The tour highlights the chance for concert goers to become involved with Show Hope, a foundation caring for orphans around the world, and will finish just in time to celebrate Chapman’s eldest son, Caleb’s marriage.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – April 24, 2009 -- Dove Awards were handed out last night in Nashville for the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards with singer/songwriter Brandon Heath and worship band Casting Crowns earning the most awards. Steven Curtis Chapman was honored as Artist of the Year and Tenth Avenue North received the Dove Award for New Artist which for the first time were voted on by both the gospel/Christian music industry and its fans.
Televised live on the Gospel Music Channel and held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, this year’s Dove Awards spread the love around like never before, with more than 75 artists, songwriters and producers receiving Dove trophies, including 38 out of the 43 award categories featuring different recipients. A complete list of all winners is avaiable at http://www.gospelmusic.org/newsmedia/pressRoom_detail.aspx?iid=40927&tid=33.
“Many different artists have obviously connected with people in powerful ways this year as evidenced by last night’s impressive number of singular honorees. The list of Dove Award recipients is very culturally and musically diverse, yet together they reveal the unique ability for gospel and Christian music to reach across cultural, religious and generational divides to encourage and inspire with the good news of the Gospel,” said John W. Styll, president of the Gospel Music Association (GMA) and executive producer of the Dove Awards.
This year’s Dove Awards show offered a powerful picture of Christian/gospel music’s appreciation for the past and embrace of the future. While the voting process welcomed new technologies that allowed fans to vote for the first time, southern gospel music icon Bill Gaither earned a Dove Award in 2009, 40 years after he received his first at the inaugural Dove Awards ceremony in 1969. The show’s musical performances continued the theme with moving tributes to legendary artists and performances from several New Artist of the Year nominees.
The Dove Award recipients in the overall categories were:
Artist of the Year – Steven Curtis Chapman
New Artist of the Year – Tenth Avenue North
Song of the Year -- “Give Me Your Eyes”; songwriters Brandon Heath and Jason Ingram
Songwriter of the Year -- Steven Curtis Chapman
Male Vocalist of the Year -- Brandon Heath
Female Vocalist of the Year -- Natalie Grant
Group of the Year -- Casting Crowns
For the first time, fans became stakeholders in the Dove Awards with an opportunity to vote for the winner of Artist of the Year and New Artist of the Year, in a campaign coordinated by the Gospel Music Channel. In an unprecedented engagement of fans, 250,000 votes were cast on gospelmusicchannel.com and via text messaging, including through the first part of the live broadcast.
Steven Curtis Chapman, who is used to making Dove Awards history, having already received more Dove Awards than any other artist in the awards show’s 40 years, was named Artist of the Year for the seventh time and Songwriter of the Year for the 10th time. His 2008-09 worldwide hit “Cinderella” not only brought Chapman praise for his always consummate songwriting skills, it became a worldwide hit and sentimental favorite because of the tragic loss he and his family experienced nearly a year ago, when five-year-old Maria, one of three Chinese-adopted daughters who inspired “Cinderella,” died in an accident. Introduced by current tour mate Michael W. Smith and joined on stage in his band by sons Will Franklin and Caleb, Chapman’s performance of “Cinderella” brought the audience to tears and to their feet.
Tenth Avenue North became the first New Artist of the Year to be voted on by fans. The melodic pop-rock group, currently on tour with MercyMe, became the best selling new Christian artist of 2008 with its debut CD Over and Underneath.
Heath, who was 2008’s New Artist of the Year, proved he was no rookie by following that up with three Dove Awards this year, including Male Vocalist of the Year. Heath also received the prestigious Song of the Year Dove Award for co-writing with Jason Ingram “Give Me Your Eyes,” from Heath’s sophomore CD What If We. “Give Me Your Eyes,” which spent 14 weeks at No.1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian AC radio chart, and 27 weeks at No. 1 on iTunes Christian Song Chart also earned a trophy for Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year. Heath offered a compelling performance of “Give Me Your Eyes” during the live awards broadcast, that included a step/stomp dance routine that mirrored Heath’s music video of the song.
Casting Crowns also earned three Dove Awards, including the band’s fifth consecutive Group of the Year trophy, winning this award every year it has been nominated. The band also took home honors for Christmas Album of the Year for its 2008 chart-topping, first Christmas project Peace On Earth and a Dove Award for Short Form Music Video for the powerful music video “Slow Fade,” which appears on the band’s recent RIAA Gold-certified The Altar and The Door Live DVD/CD.
Grant extends her reign as Female Vocalist of the Year with her fourth consecutive trophy in that category. Only Sandi Patty has been honored as Female vocalist more times. Notably, Grant was not the only one in her family to be honored last night. Husband and songwriter/producer Bernie Herms was named Producer of the Year (He produced Grant’s Relentless with Shaun Shankel). Grant shared the stage with hip/hop artist Group 1 Crew for an electric R&B-flavored performance of “Make it Matter.”
Among the Dove Awards other multiple artist winners were Smith (for Inspirational Recorded Song and Praise & Worship Album), Blind Boys of Alabama (Traditional Gospel Recorded Song and Album), Chris Tomlin (for his contributions to Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song and Special Event Album), Jeff & Sherri Easter and Lewis Family (Bluegrass Recorded Song and Bluegrass Album).
Last night’s broadcast of the Dove Awards featured nothing but unforgettable performances, starting with urban gospel duo Mary Mary’s high energy rendition of their Dove Award-winning Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song “Get Up.” and culminating with GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame members and double Dove Award winners the Blind Boys of Alabama bringing a New Orleans jazz sound to “Free At Last,” with special guest Mac Powell (of Third Day) who then introduced a final celebration of the 40th anniversary of “Oh Happy Day,” the 18th century hymn which became gospel music’s first mainstream crossover hit when it was arranged and recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers. Hawkins himself was joined onstage by a group of artists including Donnie McClurkin and American Idol finalists Mandisa and Phil Stacey and Gospel Dream Winner Melinda Watts.
Several other performances paid tribute to the past including an emotional multi-artist segment honoring Southern Gospel legend and GMA Gospel Music Hall of Famer Dottie Rambo who died in a tragic bus accident last year. Kim Hopper, Brian Free & Assurance, Ronnie Milsap, Jason Crabb and Rambo’s daughter and family members Reba Rambo McGuire, Dony McGuire and Destiny McGuire and a reunion appearance of Larnelle Harris and Sandi Patty performed some of Rambo’s biggest hits. MercyMe, reflecting on a decade in Christian music, performed a stirring arrangement of their huge mainstream hit single from 2001 “I Can Only Imagine.” The band was introduced by Miss California U.S.A. Carrie Prejean.
Also appearing in performances or presenting on the Dove Awards were Kierra Sheard, Third Day, Chris Tomlin, Francesca Battistelli, Jonathan Nelson, Remedy Drive, Chris Sligh, Tenth Avenue North, Billy Baldwin, Chynna Vaughan, Sinbad, A.J. Styles, Fireflight, Kirk Franklin, Richie McDonald, Ronnie Milsap, Tye Tribbett, Jeremy Camp, Martha Munizzi, Mary Alessi, DecembeRadio, GRITS, Jason Crabb, Kim Hopper, The Afters, Canton Jones, Isaiah D. Thomas, Marty Magehee, Mark Harris, Wayne Watson, Rebecca St. James and Lisa Kimmey.
The Dove Awards pre-telecast featured the presentation of the majority of the evening’s 43 Dove Awards as well as performances by Meredith Andrews, Downhere and J.R.
Also this evening, Jars of Clay was also recognized with Gospel Music Channel’s annual Gospel Angels Award, which recognizes recording artists who activate and inspire others to positively change the lives of people. Jars of Clay was honored for its Blood:Water Mission project, a non-profit organization that empowers communities to work together against the HIV/AIDS and water crisis founded by the members of the multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning band. To find out more about the Blood:Water Mission, please visit http://www.bloodwatermission.com/.
Steve Gilreath, producer of the GMA Dove Awards for the 8th consecutive year, was joined by producer Rob Cowlyn to put on the live stage show and broadcast.
This is the second straight year that Gospel Music Channel has televised the Dove Awards live. In addition to the exclusive live broadcast, Gospel Music Channel will present back-to-back encore broadcasts that night and additional re-airings following. Gospel Music Channel’s rapid growth has made it the fastest growing network in television for the past two years and GMC is now available in more than 45 million homes in all major markets on the major cable systems as well as on DIRECTV on Channel 338.
The American Bible Society (http://www.americanbible.org/) is the official charity for the 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards.
Following a successful run of 2008 fall dates which included multiple sold-out performances, GRAMMY® award-winning and multi-Platinum selling artists Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman will once again hit the road together for the spring leg of “The United Tour.” Kicking off March 28, in Chattanooga, the tour will hit 24 cities across the country including Cleveland, Baltimore, Visalia, Colorado Springs, Little Rock, Indianapolis, Lexington, Nashville and more.
This unique tour showcases two of Christian Music’s most recognized and beloved artists. Together, Chapman and Smith have garnered a staggering eight GRAMMY ® awards, 96 Dove Awards, 78 No. 1 singles and more than 30 gold and platinum albums. The idea for the tour came together shortly after Chapman and Smith spent time together in the UK working on the CompassionArt project that brought more than 10 of Christian Music’s most revered singers, songwriters and worship leaders together to write and record a collection of songs for charity.
The United Tour marks the first time Smith and Chapman have ever toured together, with both artists performing music from their current albums: Chapman’s This Moment and Smith’s A New Hallelujah. The tour took them into 20 major markets last fall, with a cumulative audience of more than 50,000.
In addition to uniting on stage, the two artists are also bringing their ministry passions together. Through a groundbreaking partnership, Chapman’s ministry dedicated to orphan care, Shaohannah’s Hope (www.showhope.org), and Smith’s long-time ministry partner Compassion International (www.compassion.com) will benefit from the tour. More than 2,000 orphaned children in Compassion’s program around the world were sponsored as a result of the tour’s first 20 dates. This spring, Shaohannah’s Hope and their efforts to assisting families who desire to adopt will receive the tour’s charity focus.
About Michael W. Smith:
Throughout his 25-year career as a recording artist, Michael W. Smith has amassed an impressive catalog of achievements. His 20 albums have garnered multiple honors including an American Music Award, three GRAMMY ® Awards (from 13 nominations), 42 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards and 33 No. 1 radio hits. In addition, he holds 16 Gold and five platinum albums for career sales approaching 15 million.
Smith, who was recently inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, has scored several film projects, written 11 books and has been featured by media outlets including, NBC’s Today Show, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, Larry King Live, FOX and Friends, Hannity and Colmes, USA Today, NY Times, The Washington Post, LA Times, Newsweek, has been named one of People Magazine’s Most Beautiful People and has presented multiple times on the GRAMMY Awards show. His tours consistently rank among the best attended in the country and he has performed to capacity crowds throughout the world. Constantly giving back to the community, one of his current projects is Rocketown--a nightclub for teens in his hometown of Nashville, Tenn.--which serves as safe place for young people to enjoy music and for artists to be discovered. He and wife Debbie Smith are the proud parents of five children.
Michael W. Smith’s 21st album (and third worship project), A New Hallelujah, was recorded live before more than 12,000 in attendance with a choir of 250 and a few very special guests including The African Children’s Choir and worship leader Israel Houghton. Smith will release A New Hallelujah – The Live Worship DVD on March 17. Smith’s first worship album, simply titled Worship, released in 2001 and has sold more than a million-and-a half copies. Its 2002 follow up, Worship Again, is nearing the 800,000 mark. For up-to-date information on Michael W. Smith, please visit www.michaelwsmith.com.
About Steven Curtis Chapman:
Steven Curtis Chapman has sold over 10 million records including two RIAA-certified platinum albums and seven RIAA-certified gold albums. Along with his Dove and GRAMMY ® awards, Chapman has won an American Music Award, recorded 45 No. 1 US radio hits and been awarded 54 Dove Awards, more than any other artist to date. Since his recording career began in 1987, he has recorded 16 projects with Sparrow Records.
Chapman has performed at the White House and has appeared on multiple national programs via CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, CMT, FOX News, the Hallmark Channel and E!, including Good Morning America, Larry King Live, CBS Sunday Morning, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and more. More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife Mary Beth created Shaohannah’s Hope after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1800 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. For further information on Shaohannah’s Hope the adoption ministry of Steven Curtis Chapman, please visit: www.stevencurtischapman.com.
Chapman recently achieved his 45th No. 1 single with “Yours,” which topped R&R’s soft AC chart. The third single from This Moment, “Yours (new verse)” is available digitally with an additional verse written and recorded after the loss of his daughter. “Yours” follows the hit Christian and mainstream single “Cinderella” a song written by Chapman compelling us to cherish every moment to the fullest with those that we love, especially our children.
“THE UNITED TOUR” Spring 2009
*Dates, markets and venues subject to change without notice.
MARCH
3/28 Chattanooga, TN Abba's House
3/29 West Lafayette, IN Elliott Hall of Music
3/30 Springfield, MO Hammons Student Center
APRIL
4/1 Cleveland, OH Allen Theatre
4/2 Baltimore, MD The Hippodrome
4/3 Utica, NY Stanley Theater at Utica College
4/4 Wilkes Barre, PA FM Kirby Center
4/5 Norfolk, VA Chrysler Hall Theatre
4/9 Santa Rosa, CA Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
4/10 Visalia, CA Visalia Conv. & Concert Center
4/11 Long Beach, CA Terrace Theater
4/12 Palm Desert, CA McCallum Theater of PA
4/14 Colorado Springs, CO Pikes Peak Center
4/16 Bismarck, ND Bismark Civic Center
4/17 Sioux City, IA Orpheum Theatre
4/18 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center
4/19 Little Rock, AR Robinson Center Music Hall
4/21 Holland, MI Central Wesleyan Church
4/22 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre
4/25 St. Peters, MO Church on the Rock
4/26 Lexington, KY Theatre at Rupp Arena
4/28 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
4/29 Charleston, WV Charleston Municipal Aud.
4/30 Paducah, KY Carson Four Rivers Center
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) November 11, 2008 – Two GRAMMY® award-winning and multi-Platinum selling artists, Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith joined forces for the “The United Tour” which concluded in St. Augustine, Fl. on November 8.
Smith and Chapman performed together in 20 major markets with 14 completely sold out shows and a cumulative audience of more than 50,000. In addition to uniting on stage, the two also brought their ministry passions together. Through a ground breaking partnership between Chapman’s ministry dedicated to orphan care, Shaohannah’s Hope (www.ShowHope.org) and Smith’s long-time ministry partner, Compassion International (www.compassion.com) more than 2,000 orphaned children in Compassion’s program around the world were sponsored as a result of the tour.
Andrew Kaplan, with Chicago-based JAM concerts, shared, “Each of these beautiful evening
concerts offered terrific variety. Fans were very moved and there was such a feeling of community in the room.”
“This has truly been one of the greatest tours we’ve had the privilege to participate in,” said Chaz Corzine, Michael W. Smith’s manager. “Michael and Steven have been friends for years and really connected on a creative level while overseas together working on the Compassionart project. I think they have such great respect for each other and each other’s music; it was inevitable they’d eventually work together.”
“We’re grateful to have been a part of this memorable and historic event,” commented Chapman’s manager Jim Houser. “The collaboration and partnership on tour of these two incredible men was a long time coming, but well worth the wait.”
Chapman commented, “This time on the road with my great friend and touring partner Michael was truly a gift. In this difficult season, I wasn’t sure how I would be able to do it. I’m grateful to all involved and look forward to the chance to join together again soon.”
Smith, shared, “This was one of the most special tours I’ve been on. While this was a big tour, Steven and I, along with our families, got to connect with so many people on a personal level. It’s a tour I’d love to do again very soon.”
The upcoming “It’s A Wonderful Christmas” Tour, featuring Melinda Doolittle, will launch on November 29 in Youngstown, OH and will play 16 shows in 13 markets before wrapping up in Phoenix, Ariz. on December 19th. Tickets for this tour are already on sale. Further information can be found on www.michaelwsmith.com
This past week, the third single off Chapman’s most recent release This Moment, ”Yours” topped R&R’s soft AC chart. It is Steven Curtis Chapman’s 45th No. 1 single. “Yours” also climbed further into the top 10 at R&R’s AC chart. “Yours (new verse)” is available digitally with an additional verse written and recorded after the loss of his daughter that allowed Chapman to acknowledge his experience. “Yours” follows the hit Christian and mainstream single “Cinderella” a song written by Chapman compelling us to cherish every moment to the fullest with those that we love, especially our children.
You’ve heard Steven Curtis Chapman’s “Cinderella”, the stirring song about family and growing up. Now send the story along to the people you love with the “Cinderella” ecard. Write a personal message, attach a photo and email this to a parent, child, bride, graduate or anyone else you’d like.
Click here to see the e-card!Steven Curtis Chapman will be a guest on CMT's "The Top 20 Countdown" this week. This episode of the network's top-rated show, will premiere today and repeat several times throughout the weekend (see air times below). Chapman's video for the title song of his new Christmas project, All I Really Want For Christmas (Sparrow Records) has been added to the rotations of both CMT and GAC (Great American Country). This week's episode of "Top 20 Countdown" features an interview with Chapman and show host Lance Smith along with the debut of the video. Directed by Brandon Dickerson, the video features orphans from the U.S., China and Africa.
Air Times
Thursday Dec. 15 3:30 pm CST
Thursday Dec. 15 7:00 pm CST
Friday Dec. 16 3:30 pm CST
Saturday Dec. 17 10:00 am CST
Sunday Dec. 18 10:30 am CST
The countdown is on. The Christmas Tour with Steven Curtis Chapman and Mercy Me kicks off the day after Thanksgiving. Steven’s new Christmas album release ALL I REALLY WANT FOR CHRISTMAS is in stores now. And now also available, the general public can secure tickets to SCC's first ever Christmas concerts, The Christmas Tour with Steven and Mercy Me. Don't miss this very special evening of Christmas classics and new holiday memories. Check the tour page at StevenCurtisChapman.com site for all the latest tour information.
Spreading the word about the tour. Click here to enjoy an e-card on the tour, and send it on to friends to invite them to join you. It’s the first Christmas show for each of these incredible artists... and this may be your only chance to see Steven Curtis Chapman and Mercy Me together.
