Nashville, TN - Newsboys have done it yet again. Not only has the band's No. 1 single, "Born Again," continued to stay at the top of the CHR charts for the forth week in a row, but the hit song has also made a new landmark. Since releasing to iTunes just two weeks ago the single has sold close to an astounding 12,000 units, almost 7,000 its first week out. In addition, the first day "Born Again" was  available on iTunes, "Born Again" was the No. 1 song on the Singles Chart. "Born Again" is newsboys' first single from the July 13th CD release of Born Again (inpop records).
 
A band well-known for their stellar live shows, last week newsboys kicked off its run of headlining 23 major festivals throughout the summer in the U.S. and Canada. Performing at such festivals as last month's Spirit West Coast in Del Mar, CA, this month's Atlantafest and July's Creation East, newsboys will literally be performing in front of tens of thousands of fans each night.
 
Staffed with a 13-member street team at every show, this weekend the band will also debut a never-before-seen and jaw-dropping stage set, which the band promises will capture audiences everywhere. The band couldn't be more excited to get back on the road.
 
Be sure to catch newsboys live in a city near you this summer by visiting their website. Tour dates are also listed below, but be sure to check out newsboys.com for the most updated schedule and information.

Upcoming headlining tour dates*:
May 30 - Del Mar, CA, Spirit West Coast
June 2 - Kingston, ON, Kingston Gospel Temple
June 3 - Ottawa, ON, Woodvale Church
June 4 - Toronto, ON, Queensway Cathedral
June 5 - Sudbury, ON, Glad Tidings Tabernacle
June 12 - Charlotte, NC, Sonfest - Carrowinds Theme Park
June 16 - Wilmore, KY, Ichthus Festival
June 19 - Stone Mountain, GA, Atlantafest
June 25 - Gaylord, MI, Big Ticket Festival
June 26 - Muskegon, MI, Heritage Landing-Summer Celebration
July 1 - Shirleysburg, PA, Creation 2010 East
July 3 - Salinas, CA, Spirit West Coast
July 5 - Pleasanton, CA, Alameda County Fair
July 9 - Oshkosh, WI, Lifest 2010
July 16 - Wilmar, MN, Sonshine Festival
*All dates subject to change
 

Sparrow Records’ rising female artist Britt Nicole will embark on several tours throughout the year, the first of which is The Summerfest Tour with pop-rock bands Building 429 and MIKESCHAIR. Immediately following her summer endeavors, Britt will continue on the road through the fall alongside Dove Award winners Hawk Nelson starting in September. To catch Britt on the road, visit www.brittnicole.com for a list of dates and venues on both tours.

In addition to her cross-country stops, Britt will take time out in July for a few intimate Disney Night of Joy promotional performances for radio personnel performing new renditions of her hitsfrom her debut album Say It and sophomore release The Lost Get Found. These particular arrangements can be found on Britt’s new acoustic EP, scheduled to release August 24, which features five of her most popular tracks and a new, never before released song.

Also coming this fall will be the debut Britt’s 3rd single off The Lost Get Found album, “Hanging On” scheduled to go to radio this fall. “Hanging On” is the follow-up to her current single “Walk On The Water,” which peaked at No. 1 on CHR, placed in the Top 20 at AC and most recently was heard on NBC’s The Biggest Loser.

With so much devastation in Nashville due to the recent flood disaster, many artists are joining together to help restore their community. Britt also jumped on board and recently performed at Brandon Heath’s 3rd Annual “Love Your Neighbor Benefit” held at Fellowship Bible Church in Nashville, TN, alongside fellow artists Mike Donehey frontman of Tenth Avenue North, singer/songwriter Jason Ingram, Grammy winners Amy Grant and TobyMac and Grammy nominee Brandon Heath. With over 2,000 people in attendance and close to no standing room available, more than $61,000 was raised during this event in which all of the funds went towards rebuilding El Shaddai, a church that was demolished in the floods.
For more information on Britt Nicole, please visit www.brittnicole.com.

It’s been a whirlwind of activity for singer/songwriter Jimmy Needham around the release date of his third project, Nightlights.  The project’s street date was May 18, 2010 and immediately the album sent fans into the stores and online to buy a copy. For the first time in his career, Needham debuted at #9 on the Contemporary Christian Combined Album Chart with sales that doubled his first two releases.  At the same time, Nightlights reached the #1 position on the Digital Album charts.

After the success of Needham’s first two projects, expectations were high for the development of this artist and Needham did not disappoint his fans, radio or media.  CCM magazine proclaims, The growth curve climbed exactly as imagined…the Houston native’s progression continues at the same impressive rate as before on Nightlights.  Radio is also responding to Needham’s first single from the album, “Yours To Take,” as it’s the highest debut this week at #23 on the Christian AC Indicator chart.

"Jimmy has truly become an artist whose staying power continues to rise with each new release,” says Andrew Patton, GM/VP of Label Operations, Inpop Records.  “The growth in sales and continued strong radio airplay shows the consumer base responding and growing with each record.  Just spend a few minutes listening to fan comments on the social sites or through digital outlets, and you'll see for yourself the impact his songs and artistry is having on people."

Nightlights was produced by Calvin Turner (Marc Broussard) and features twelve new songs written or co-written by Needham, with the thirteenth song being a remake of the pop classic, “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).”  Millions of fans were treated to a live performance of the new tunes during a worldwide broadcast of Needham’s CD release party in The Woodlands, TX.   An upcoming feature in the Houston Chronicle will feature the concert in an artist profile of Needham on May 28th. Needham was in Nashville this week to perform “Yours To Take” live on Nashville’s Fox 17 TN Mornings and then taped “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” on WSMV’s Better Nashville.  The show will air on May 28th.  The following week, Needham has several interviews on tap that includes Lifeway’s Stand Firm Magazine, The Christian Manifesto and CMAddict.com.

Nashville native and award-winning singer/songwriter Brandon Heath with songwriter and “Producer of the Year” Jason Ingram raised $61,857 for area flood victims this week, during their third annual “Love Your Neighbor” concert on Tuesday evening, May 18. The free-with-donation show attracted a standing-room only crowd at Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, Tenn., and was also streamed live online. The night featured intimate performances by Christian music’s biggest names including tobyMac, Mike Donehey of Tenth Avenue North, Britt Nicole, Heath and Ingram, plus special unannounced guest, Amy Grant.
 
Brandon Heath said, “More than a benefit, it felt like a big family piled into the living room to share songs, stories, and all that we have. I’m immensely grateful for the generosity of Nashville, and those watching online. Above all, God was glorified and our neighbors were loved.”
 
Each year, Heath and Ingram tap into their music community friends for a great night of music to raise funds and gather volunteers for a focused need in the Nashville community. This year’s “Love Your Neighbor” proceeds will go towards the rebuilding efforts of El Shaddai Christian Church, a small and growing Hispanic church in South Nashville devastated by the catastrophic flooding that overwhelmed the area earlier this month. Heath and Ingram explain the need of El Shaddai in this video interview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o61jTb4pESo&feature=player_embedded#!
 
Heath noted, “Jason and I immediately connected with El Shaddai because we are called to action by God’s Word when He says in Galations 6:10, ‘let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.’”

On Sunday, May 2, six feet of water rushed inside El Shaddai, forcing Sr. Pastor Germán Castro to be rescued from the building by boat. Castro’s amazing water rescue was captured by Nashville Fox17 cameras. Watch the story here: http://www.fox17.com/newsroom/top_stories/wztv_vid_3480.shtml

Pastor Castro stated, “After the flood, we’ve experienced an outpouring of God’s grace through the love of the body of Christ. You stopped and noticed us, you loved us, you did not look the other way, you were His hands and feet, you saw us through His eyes and cared enough to know that we could not build up again alone.” He adds, “The concert, and the encouragement through your lyrics is a seed for El Shaddai to spring up into a field of harvest, and to shine the love of Christ into our community and the nations.”
 
Strong local media support also contributed to the success of “Love Your Neighbor,” including Heath’s interviews with NewsChannel 5, WSMV Channel 4 “Better Nashville” and Fox17 “Tennessee Mornings.”
 
NewsChannel 5: http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=12504681
Fox 17 Morning show: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=719950865915
WSMV “Better Nashville”: http://www.wsmv.com/better/index.html
 
The “Love Your Neighbor” benefit is an annual concert event created by Brandon Heath and Jason Ingram, in partnership with Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, Tennessee. In 2008, the event raised $20,000 for Nashville area tornado victims. In 2009, the event slogan to “Save David’s Eyes” did just that, with donations covering the total cost of a critical eye surgery to prevent blindness of a local Centennial high school student, who had recently lost his father and health insurance coverage. Enough proceeds were collected to also create a standing fund for a future need within the student body.
 
For the latest updates on “Love Your Neighbor,” please visit http://www.facebook.com/loveyourneighbor.

Me In Motion's Seth Mosley celebrated for the second week his first #1 single as a writer for Centricity Publishing. Mosley co-wrote and co-produced newsboys two-week chart topping single, "Born Again.”  Seth co-wrote/co-produced the song with Juan Otero and  newsboys.  At the same time, Mosley also has two other songs on the charts, "The One (I'm Fighting For)" by Article One that was co-written with Nathan Piche from Article One and "The God I Know" by Me In Motion that was co-written with Juan Otero.  

“The God I Know” recently started going for adds at radio and already is garnering airplay at syndicated outlets, Air1, Whip Of Chords, Firexcape and at such radio stations as, KADI/Springfield, MO, WVOF/Bridgeport, CT and WCVK/Bowling Green, KY.

The song is the second single from Me In Motion’s self-titled debut on Centricity Music.

newsboys fans don't have to wait till July 13th, the day the CD BORN AGAIN officially releases, to get the single "Born Again" for their very own. As of today, the No. 1 single is now available for download on iTunes. Click here to download the song. Even better? The single is No. 1 on the CHR charts - for the second week in a row!  
 
And be sure to catch newsboys live in a city near you this spring and summer. Tour dates are listed below, but be sure to check out newsboys.com for the most updated schedule.

Tour dates with newsboys headlining*:
May 22 - Decatur, AL
May 30 - Del Mar, CA
June 2 - Kingston, ON
June 3 - Ottawa, ON
June 4 - Toronto, ON
June 5 - Sudbury, ON
June 12 - Charlotte, NC
June 16 - Wilmore, KY
June 19 - Stone Mountain, GA
June 25 - Gaylord, MI
July 1 - Shirleysburg, PA
July 3 - Salinas, CA
July 5 - Pleasanton, CA
July 9 - Oshkosh, WI
July 16 - Wilmar, MN
*All dates subject to change

Nashville native and award-winning singer/songwriter Brandon Heath partners again with songwriter and “Producer of the Year” Jason Ingram for their third annual “Love Your Neighbor” concert benefitting the needs of the Music City. The free-with-donation show will be held Tuesday, May 18, at 7 p.m., at Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, Tenn., featuring intimate performances by Christian music’s biggest names including tobyMac, Mike Donehey of Tenth Avenue North, Britt Nicole, Heath and Ingram.
 
Each year, Heath and Ingram tap into their music community friends for a great night of music to raise funds and gather volunteers for a focused need in the Nashville community. In the aftermath of the historic flooding that overwhelmed the area last week, this year’s “Love Your Neighbor” proceeds will go towards the rebuilding efforts of El Shaddai Christian Church, a small and growing Hispanic church in South Nashville devastated by the catastrophic flooding.
 
Brandon Heath notes, “There are so many ways that we can respond to this disaster, but my friends and I choose to react with hope. We encourage others to see this time of rebuilding as a great opportunity to care for others.” He adds, “Jason and I immediately connected with El Shaddai because we are called to action by God’s Word when He says in Galations 6:10, ‘let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.’”
 
On Sunday, May 2, six feet of water rushed inside El Shaddai, forcing Pastor German Castro to be rescued from the building by boat. Castro’s amazing water rescue was captured by WSMV Fox17. Watch the story here: http://www.fox17.com/newsroom/top_stories/wztv_vid_3480.shtml
 
The “Love Your Neighbor” benefit is an annual concert event created by Brandon Heath and Jason Ingram, in partnership with Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood, Tennessee. In 2008, the event raised $20,000 for Nashville area tornado victims. In 2009, the event slogan to “Save David’s Eyes” did just that, with donations covering the total cost of a critical eye surgery to prevent blindness of a local Centennial high school student, who had recently lost his father and health insurance coverage. Enough proceeds were collected to also create a standing fund for a future need within the student body.
 
For the latest updates on “Love Your Neighbor,” please visit:  http://www.facebook.com/loveyourneighbor
 

Nashville, TN - "Born Again," the first single to debut from newsboys' upcoming brand new CD of the same name, has reached No. 1 at CHR radio! The full CD, Born Again, hits the streets July 13th, courtesy of Inpop Records.

"What a way to start my new position at Inpop!" exclaims Andrew Patton, General Manager, Inpop Records. "I'm so excited for the band and can't wait for the rest of the world to hear the record that I'm hearing. The song 'Born Again' is a solid indication of the amazing, fresh music from newsboys."

This No. 1 hit song, which is also climbing up the AC charts, is popular with not only the fans but is a huge hit with radio stations as well. Here are just a few comments that have come in from promoters:

“The new newsboys song 'Born Again' with new lead singer Michael Tait has completely been embraced by our listeners here in eastern Iowa. After so many years of breaking new musical ground, it was hard to imagine that they could do it again; but with this song, newsboys have proven that anyone can truly be 'Born Again.'"   
- Gator J. Gaynor, MD, KXGM/Cedar Rapids

“The BIG band is back! BIG message. BIG vocals. BIG production. BIG decision. 'Born Again' claims the top spot! Way to go guys!"  
- Noonie Fugler, PD, KLFF/San Luis Obispo

"'Born Again' takes newsboys to the next level and our listeners are loving it!"
- Johnathan Michaels, MD, WJLZ/Va. Beach-Norfolk, VA

Completing production of Born Again between their jam-packed travel schedule in the U.S., Canada and Australia, the foursome - Michael Tait, Jeff Frankenstein, Duncan Phillips and Jody Davis - is embarking on a sure-to-be momentous 2010 and beyond with Born Again. The CD is produced by The Write Brothers and includes songs penned by newsboys, The Write Brothers, and Steve Taylor.

"Born Again is more than just another title of a newsboys record -it is every believers' profession of their faith in God our Maker," proclaims Michael Tait. "Not very often do artists get to connect with their listeners on such a wide-scaled demographic as this song has thus far. The newsboys are incredibly passionate about creating music for the masses, it's a brand new day for us and we are armed and ready. 'Born Again' says it all; it's round 2 for the Boys; all aboard!"

Tour dates with newsboys headlining*:
May 22 - Decatur, AL
May 30 - Del Mar, CA
June 2 - Kingston, ON
June 3 - Ottawa, ON
June 4 - Toronto, ON
June 5 - Sudbury, ON
June 12 - Charlotte, NC
June 16 - Wilmore, KY
June 19 - Stone Mountain, GA
June 25 - Gaylord, MI
July 1 - Shirleysburg, PA
July 3 - Salinas, CA
July 5 - Pleasanton, CA
July 9 - Oshkosh, WI
July 16 - Wilmar, MN
*All dates subject to change

After a recent eco-friendly benefit fashion show in Downtown Nashville, multi-platinum selling, GRAMMY winning artist, Michael W. Smith greeted director James Cameron (Avatar, Titanic) and his wife Suzy along with Prophetik clothing designer, Jeff Garner. Proceeds from the show went to MUSE Elementary, a non-profit school founded by Suzy Amis Cameron, in Topanga, Calif. that teaches children how to live an environmentally conscious lifestyle.
 
Michael W. Smith is currently performing in cities across the globe on his "A New Hallelujah World Tour" and working on his 22nd album set to release later this year.

Artist: Jimmy Needham
Album: Nightlights
Rating: 4.5 of 5
Reviewer: Alex Judge

Jimmy Needham is one of those artists that you listen to and know that he is one hundred percent genuine in his conviction and completely confident in the truth of the lyrics he sings. Coming from his previous record, “Not Without Love,” listeners can expect not only truthful and transparent lyrics, but also exceptional songwriting and a great deal of encouragement in their Christian walks.

Set to hit the streets on May 18, 2010, “Nightlights” is an amazing collection of music. With the signature Jimmy bluesy, funky vocals and a vast array of beautiful accompaniment music, “Nightlights” is a very appropriate sequel to the great “Not Without Love” album. Never disappointing when it comes to style, musical quality, and lyrical connection to the audience, this new release is one you need to get.

Some of the highlights of the album are “The Reason I Sing,” which is a declaration of purpose for our actions, and “Grace Amazing,” which is a song featuring Trip Lee and proclaiming God’s amazing grace over his creation. Finally to close out the album is the title track. Keeping in the typical Jimmy fashion, this closing thought is in the form of poetry and presents the concept of making God great and not ourselves.

Overall, this album is a call to recognize God’s greatness over our insufficiency and his ability to work through us if we will only acknowledge his power instead of our own work. Jimmy offers a great reminder to keep Christ first in all that we do in an artistic way that will keep the truth stuck in your head with catchy songs. The bluesy, acoustic style of his music is not only fun to listen to, but also has great depth in the instrumentation and melody. Great album!

BEC Recordings’ artist Jeremy Camp was awarded his fourth RIAA Gold Certified album for Beyond Measure last week in Nashville, TN.  The celebration was held at his booking agency, Paradigm, and he was awarded his Gold album by Tooth & Nail Records/BEC Recordings’ President Brandon Ebel.  This certification follows his first GRAMMY nomination, his second American Music Award nomination and his 19th No. 1 Radio single. In addition to his Gold Record, BEC Recordings’ General Manager Tyson Paoletti presented Jeremy Camp with a commemorative plaque honoring over three million albums sold in his career.

"It is an overwhelming joy to see how the Lord has been faithful even though I am undeserving of it,” shared Camp on this career milestone. “I just want to continue to seek Him in all that I do, and want to always remember that it’s the Lord doing the work...not me! I'm so thankful for those who have stood by my side with much prayer and encouragement."

Celebrating with Camp was his wife Adrienne, manager Matt Balm, Bill Hearn CEO of EMI Christian Music Group and team members, Mike Snider and his team from Paradigm booking agency and Jeremy’s band.

This achievement precedes Camp’s upcoming studio release that is set for August 24, 2010, a worship-themed album titled We Cry Out - The Worship Project.  Produced again with award-winning producer Brown Bannister, Camp co-wrote with notable worship artists such as Matt Maher, Reuben Morgan (Hillsong) and Brenton Brown. More information will be coming soon on this anticipated release.

Integrity Music artists Kari Jobe and Israel Houghton took home two Dove Awards and Jennie Lee Riddle, writer of “Revelation Song,” was named the Dove Award Songwriter of the Year last night in Nashville.
 
The 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards, Christian/Gospel music’s biggest night of the year, was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville and will be seen on television nationwide on gmc (http://www.gmclife.com), Sunday, April 25, 2010 from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. EST.  gmc can be seen on various cable systems around the country, on DIRECTV on channel 338 and on Verizon FiOS on channel 224.
 
 

Jobe, whose debut self-title project was the year’s biggest-selling CD by a new artist, received two Dove trophies for Spanish Language Album of the Year for the Spanish version of her debut record and Special Event Album of the Year for her participation on the Glory Revealed II: The Word of God In Worship.
 
The awards were just part of Jobe’s exciting first experience at the Dove Awards as she revealed her gifts as a worshipper and vocalist tonight joining Phillips, Craig & Dean onstage for a powerful collaboration of "Revelation Song," and judging from the audience’s thunderous reaction it was one of the most powerful performances of the night.
 
 
Jennie Lee Riddle and Kari Jobe celebrate their Dove Awards with their Integrity Music and Gateway Church families.
“Revelation Song” won the Dove Award for Worship Song of the Year for its writer Jennie Lee Riddle, a Gateway Create/Integrity Praise Music songwriter.  “Revelation Song” is featured Jobe's debut album and was also a radio hit for Phillips, Craig & Dean.  That song and its impact in churches and on the radio was one of the key reasons Riddle was given her additional Dove Award as Songwriter of the Year, a tremendous honor in a music genre that is defined by its lyrics.
 
Israel Houghton, after winning his third GRAMMY Award earlier this year, was honored with two Dove Awards last night.  The title track “The Power of One” from his latest CD was named the Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year and “Just Wanna Say” from The Power of One won Urban Recorded Song of the Year (in a tie with BeBe and CeCe Winan’s “Close To You.”).
 
Earlier in the week, leading U.S. music rights organization Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) saluted the past year’s most-performed songs on Christian radio and television during its annual Christian Music Awards. Integrity Music Publishing and songwriter received two awards -- My Name is Victory” by BMI songwriter, Jonathan Nelson; and “Today is the Day” by BMI songwriter, Lincoln Brewster (co-written with ASCAP writer Paul Baloche).
 

Awards were given out last night at the Grand Ole Opry House for the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards with celebrated Nashville-based singer/songwriter Brandon Heath scoring two wins, including the prestigious Male Vocalist of the Year honor for the second year in a row. The televised show will air nationwide on gmc Sunday, April 25, from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. EST.
 
Heath notes, “I think this year I’m most thankful to the GMA for their commitment to stand with us and for us as artists whose voices are being heard. I happily accept this award and am truly proud to be a member of such a musically diverse family.”
 
One of the highlights of the evening’s performances came when Brandon Heath collaborated with Jars of Clay on “Two Hands,” the band’s Song of the Year nominated tune. These two acts will be touring together this fall and sharing their passion for people in need.
 
Heath’s back-to-back Male Vocalist titles follow his 2008 breakthrough New Artist of the Year win. Last night he also secured a Dove for his participation on Glory Revealed II: The Word of God In Worship, winner in the Special Event Album of the Year category. Heath was also nominated for Short Form Video of the Year for “Wait And See,” the second chart-topping single from his sophomore album, What If We.
 
2009 was a huge year for Brandon, nominated for two GRAMMY awards, and his first American Music Award, in addition to walking away with three awards at last year’s Dove Award ceremony, including Song of the Year for his hit song “Give Me Your Eyes” the blockbuster lead single from What If We.
 
Having captured 14 weeks at No.1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian AC radio chart, plus 27 weeks at No. 1 on iTunes Christian Song Chart, with 450,000 total digital downloads, “Give Me Your Eyes” was also recently used by NASA as the wake-up call for the Endeavour shuttle crew on their first day in orbit.
 

Just weeks after releasing the critically acclaimed Somewhere Down the Road, Amy Grant will be seen on ABC’s Nightline tonight, April 23.

The celebrated singer will be featured in the show’s playlist segment which has also covered Jennifer Hudson, Keith Urban and more. Nightline airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m., ET on ABC. For more information on the show, visit http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/.

Somewhere Down the Road is a potent collection that takes the listener on a musical journey that reverberates with messages of resiliency, promise and hope.  The 12-track set includes six new songs, two previously unreleased tracks from her musical vault, a newly recorded version of “Arms of Love,” and three songs from her catalog.

Amy Grant’s career spans over 25 years and stretches from her roots in gospel into an iconic pop star, songwriter, television personality, and philanthropist. Grant has sold more than 30 million albums and won six GRAMMY® Awards in multiple categories, beginning with the platinum selling Age to Age in 1982. She also has six #1 hits, including “Baby, Baby,” and “Every Heartbeat” and is one of only two Christian artists to be awarded a star on the legendary Walk of Fame in Hollywood. Grant released her first live recording in 25 years with Time Again...Amy Grant Live in September 2006, and then announced her first ever label shift to EMI Music Group where her entire music catalog was re-mastered and released via a GREATEST HITS CD and made available for the first time digitally.   Last fall she released her first new Christmas music in 9 years, THE CHRISTMAS COLLECTION, which in addition to four new songs, features tracks that were hand-picked by Grant to include the best songs from her previous albums that result in a classic Christmas album reminiscent of the Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, etc. albums of old.

With winners announced last night for the 41st Annual GMA Dove Awards, Casting Crowns nabbed the evening’s highest honor, Artist of the Year. After scoring five consecutive Group of the Year titles from the Gospel Music Association, this top-selling act in Christian music since 2007 receives top recognition for the first time in this fan-voted category.
 
“To me, it’s extra special because the fans were voting,” Casting Crowns lead singer and songwriter Mark Hall reported the Associated Press. “It really wasn’t anywhere on our radar.”
 
Performing its ninth smash No. 1 radio hit, and title track from the band’s latest project, “Until the Whole World Hears,” on the award show, Casting Crowns was joined on stage and in the aisles of the Grand Ole Opry House by a 200-voice children’s choir from New Hope Academy in Franklin, Tenn. By the end of the song, the packed audience was singing the song’s powerful gospel message in unison. The televised show will air nationwide on gmc Sunday, April 25, from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. EST.
 
Casting Crowns’ fourth album, Until the Whole World Hears, certified RIAA Gold in four weeks, spanning another chart-topping hit for the platinum-selling supergroup. The project’s title track was also nominated for Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year. Selling 167,000 first-week copies, the historical debut of Until The Whole World Hears set a sales record for the group as the highest debuting Christian Music artist in SoundScan history (week ending 11/22/09).
 
Additionally, Hall received a Dove for his participation on Glory Revealed II: The Word of God In Worship, winner in the Special Event Album of the Year category.
 
The RIAA Gold certification of Until The Whole World Hears adds a third Gold album to the band’s collection. To date, all of the Atlanta-based band’s projects are RIAA certified, with a monster tally of two RIAA Platinum Albums, two RIAA Platinum DVDs, now three RIAA Gold Albums and a Gold DVD, further establishing its unprecedented six-year career.
 
The band is currently headlining its highly-successful “Until The Whole World Hears” Tour with Tenth Avenue North, who won Song of the Year last night for “By Your Side.” The powerhouse tour rounds out the final segment of shows in April and May. The spring leg of the “Until The Whole World Hears” Tour follows a well-received, 41-city run of fall dates on which Casting Crowns played multiple sell-out performances.