In 1993, a little song about heaven made Audio Adrenaline a household name in Christian music. “Come and go with me to my Father’s house” Yet at a peak in their career, Audio Adrenaline, known to their fans as Audio A, decided it was time to say goodbye. The decision came when lead singer and founding member Mark Stuart developed vocal cord problems that made singing nearly impossible at times.  Without Mark, it just wouldn’t be Audio A.  […read more]

Joining the company of artists such as James Blunt, Keith Urban and Kelly Clarkson last year at mainstream Adult Contemporary radio with his first Top 10 single (“When Did You Fall In Love With Me”), Chris Rice continues to head in a fresh direction with his upcoming studio release, What A Heart Is Beating For, hitting stores July 17th on INO/eb+flo Records. After more than a decade in the music business that brought Dove Awards, sales success and a loyal fan base, the singer/songwriter took a chance with his last album, Amusing, left the security of his longtime label home, partnered with friend/producer Monroe Jones to become co-owner in the innovative imprint eb+flo and joined forces with INO Records. […read more]

Some worship music is just a joyful noise, and then, some worship is a vehicle to drive deep into the heart of God. If there is one artist who truly takes that wheel, it’s Jason Upton. From humble gatherings at his house to his own Key of David Ministries, Upton has made Christian music that steps out of the bounds of radio and into the heavenlies. He is wildly passionate about the Gospel and lets every unpolished note reflect that. […read more]

In 1991 Kim Hill’s first album, Braveheart, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Christian Rock record. Early in her career, this Memphis hopeful was on the fast track, climbing Christian music charts and opening tours for artists like Amy Grant. Her Cinderella story did not end there. Kim departed the Christian music scene to get married and have two boys. Having grown up with loving parents and actively involved at church and Christian school, Kim says she mastered the art of the Christian storybook life. […read more]

Even if you’ve never heard of Moya Brennan or her band, Clannad, you have heard her influence in all kinds of music. In February, Moya, along with her brothers and uncles who make up the Irish band, were recognized for their work in the industry with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Meteor Ireland Music Awards. “[People] are amazed when I tell them [Celtic music] is only 30 years old,” Moya says. “It didn’t exist over 30 years ago. And it’s nice to think we became part of something historic in the music world in Ireland.”  […read more]

When MercyMe’s Bart Millard comes (literally) knocking on your door, you don’t slam the door in his face — especially when he offers you the chance to sign with his record label. For Phil Wickham, it was the chance of a lifetime – but not one that he had always seriously considered. “I’ve always seen myself as a performer. It’s been a dream to inspire people to worship God through music, but I never promoted myself in that way. The Lord totally blessed my work and kept opening doors for me, and it just seemed right for me to move in this direction,” Wickham says. “When I was 18, I cut my first independent record. I was hoping people would think I sounded a little above mediocre. I guess it came out a lot better than that, though.” […read more]

Nate Sallie is a changed man… but you can tell that from his album cover. He sits on top of a rusted piano in the middle of a forest. His head is shaved; his clothes sport a hip vintage look. He’s a far cry from the gel-haired, one-man-boy-band that he portrayed just a few years ago for his debut album Inside Out. We last saw Nate Sallie on The 700 Club, chatting with Lisa Ryan about his fatherhood, his new single, “All About You”, and his Dove award nomination. It seemed like all was right was Sallie’s world. Then, he disappeared. […read more]

If there’s a single word that aptly captures what Tim Hughes has been about—where his heart’s been over the last three years leading up to his latest album, Holding Nothing Back—there’s no better touchstone than passion.  The emotion runs deep through the 11 new worship songs Hughes has composed this time out; it infiltrates the instruments, washes over his voice, fills the very room. And on the surface of things, those are more than enough reasons why Holding Nothing Back is a singular, standout release of 2007. […read more]

In the early 1990’s, Michael English was on top of the gospel music world. A charismatic stage performer, his strong, resonant voice warmed the hearts of so many who listened to his music. But something wasn’t right. The singer who got his start in a family gospel quartet and parlayed his immense talent into a spot in the legendary Gaither Vocal Band, was having an affair. With his popularity soaring due to the release of “In Christ Alone”, Michael knew something had to change. So, within hours of winning four Dove Awards, the pinnacle of the gospel music industry, Michael English announced to the world that he was having an affair. […read more]

Her soulful sound and winning smile not only captured the hearts of America but the judges on American Idol too. But it wasn’t just Mandisa’s singing that made a statement when she appeared on the fifth season of the hit show. American Idol host Simon Cowell commented on the singer’s size saying, “Do we have a bigger stage this year?” […read more]

On a peaceful Arizona afternoon, Brian Welch and his daughter Jeanea share a mutual love for music. But just a couple of years ago, Brian would have given anything for just a few minutes of peace. “I want to be here for Jeanea,” Brian says. “She lost her mom to drugs. I need your help. ‘Help me, help me God.’ I said it from my heart.” Brian, known around the world to his friends and fans as “Head,” made it big – multi–platinum big – as co-founder and lead guitarist of the band Korn. […read more]

“My mom pulled it out of her purse, this Bible. It was in the original box it came in. [She] just kind of set it on the table, and my parents just started talking about life and my birth mother. They said, ‘Your mother was a Christian and she truly, deeply loved you, and this was the last thing she gave us before we adopted you.’ Inside is just a little note that she wrote that she loves me and that God will protect me and be with me throughout life.” Although Nate Huss’ birth mother put him up for adoption when he was only 3 weeks old, God placed him in a very unique home. […read more]

When the members of Superchick walked the lobby of the Renaissance Nashville Hotel during Gospel Music Association’s GMA Music Week, they were a changed band. In 2005, the Brock sisters and their bandmates were promoting a newly released album that was receiving love mostly from already devoted fans and a few Christian radio stations. However, by 2006, everything changed. […read more]

Shane Everett is part of the award-winning praise and worship duo, Shane and Shane. Along with his singing partner, Shane Bernard, he plays at churches, youth camps, and spiritual retreats all over the world. But Shane will be the first to tell you that he found God in a bar. […read more]

It was a big night for worship leaders. The Gospel Music Association gave its top honors to singer/songwriters and those who make praise a way of life. […read more]

Don’t be surprised when you turn on your favorite country radio station and you hear the DJ say: “…and that was Jamie Slocum.” Known as a successful Christian music artist with a couple albums under his belt, even Slocum was surprised when his new single “Say Hello to Heaven” created such a stir.

“I was visiting some country music radio stations, and they started playing my song.  People were calling the station, saying: ‘That was so powerful!’”, he says. And that’s all it took to create frenzy. […read more]

A Christmas Day baby, Barbara learned to read music before she could read words.  She made her stage debut in church at age five playing “Gospel Boogie” on the accordion. She learned to play the steel guitar and saxophone within two weeks of each other and over the years added bass, banjo, mandolin and Dobro. When she was just 11, legendary country guitarist Joe Maphis booked “The Princess of Steel” on one of his Las Vegas shows.   Within a few weeks she began to appear with other country music stars.  When Barbara was 12, she was invited to go on tour with Johnny Cash, where she performed with other big names in country music like Patsy Cline, June Carter, and George Jones. […read more]

I grew up in a non-Christian home – a broken home, just me and my brother and my mom. I was always into music. I wasn’t a bad child, but I had my own troubles to face. My dad was a drug addict and into gangs. My main years growing up, I never had a father figure in my life. I didn’t hear from my father or anything, so that was a big issue with me. My mom got a boyfriend, so that was another issue  — not a good relationship between him and me.

It wasn’t until I was 17 years old that I was invited to a play at the local church by our house. My father had come back at this point. He was the first saved in our family. That was a big change from seeing how he was before. [It had been] 10 years since he was ever really part of the family. […read more]

Heidi Krumenauer: Let’s talk about your new CD. Is this new sound something that you carved out intentionally or did it just happen? Bebo Norman: That’s a good question. It’s probably a little bit of both. I’d say it’s more of something that just happened than something I carved out. I was in a place in my life where I wanted something that was interesting to me again musically. I got to a point where I was struggling to be inspired by the music around me, and that’s kind of a sad place to be because I love music so much. Krumenauer: So what’d you do? […read more]

Since parting ways with NewSong, Michael O’Brien is a man on a mission. He knows the divorce rate is skyrocketing in the world and in the church as well. In fact, O’Brien and his wife Heidi nearly became a statistic. “We almost divorced six years ago,” he confesses to CBN.com. “We went to counseling. She went by herself, I went, and we went together.” The O’Briens worked through their problems and stuck it out. The life lessons God taught Michael through the experience birthed Something About Us – a 14-track album all about the love between a man and a woman. For O’Brien, it is his utmost goal to help Christian couples stay together. […read more]