Word Records is a Christian record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a division of Word Entertainment (formerly known as Word Records & Music) which itself is co-owned by Warner Music Group and Curb Records. Word Entertainment consists of Word Records, Word Music (printed music), Word Music Publishing and Word Distribution.

History[link]

Word Records was founded in Waco, Texas, in 1951 by Jarrell McCracken. The label's name is based on a 16-minute spoken word recording written and narrated by McCracken, the first recording released by the label, entitled the "The Game of Life". The 23-year old KWTX sportscaster in Waco had read an article by Jimmy Allen, a former athlete who became a Baptist preacher, and based his recording on the article which also is called "The Game of Life".^[1] The event is based on a full length match between the forces of Good and Evil with Jesus Christ and Satan coaching the two teams. McCracken was familiar with play-by-play broadcasting, having created virtual baseball games for radio broadcast based on wire reports. McCracken originally presented his "The Game of Life" presentation on Sunday nights at various churches around the central Texas area. Everywhere he presented "The Game of Life", he got requests for copies. Eventually, he had a short run of records pressed to offer at churches where he spoke. The fictional radio station in the recording has the call letters "WORD", so that was printed on the label of the custom record. After being asked by a friend when he was going to release a follow-up, McCracken then decided to pursue the label on a more serious level.^[2]

Subsequent records focused on other spoken word recordings, but Word soon branched out into southern gospel music. Early employees for the label included Kurt Kaiser and Ralph Carmichael.^[1]

The label struggled initially until Marvin Norcross became an equity partner. By 1954, Word had become a publishing house as well.^[1]

Several subsidiary labels were started over the years: Canaan Records in the sixties, Myrrh Records (1972)^[3] and DaySpring Records in 1977, and Rejoice Records in the eighties. Two of these labels no longer exist today in their original form. The Myrrh Label was resurrected in 2005 as a praise and worship record label: Myrrh Worship.^[3] Canaan Records was also re-opened in early 2007 with Dave Clark at the helm.

Larry Norman's Solid Rock Records had a distribution deal with Word from 1975 to 1980. Artists on Solid Rock included Norman, Randy Stonehill, Daniel Amos, Tom Howard and Mark Heard.

In 1983, Chris Christian signed a distribution deal to move his label Home Sweet Home Records from Benson Records to Word Records, today it is still active and remains under the independent ownership of Chris Christian.

Light Records was distributed in the 1970s by Word Records before being sold to Ralph Carmichael in the 1980s.

Reunion Records signed a distribution and promotion contract in the 80s, the agreement lasted well into the 1990s. Today, Reunion Records is distributed through Provident Music Group.

Star Song was distributed by Word Records but left their distribution deal in the late 1980s to sign with Sparrow Records which was taken over by Chordant Distribution and then by EMI.

Distribution deals with other labels in the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s allowed Word Records to rise to the top, virtually housing a who’s-who in Christian music. They distributed, promoted, and advertised the biggest names in contemporary Christian music. Artists such as Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Rich Mullins, Russ and Tori Taff, Paul Smith, The Imperials, Petra, Sandi Patti, Kenny Marks, Wayne Watson, Carman, The Archers featuring Steve Archer, White Heart, Gaither Vocal Band, Bill Gaither Trio, Point of Grace, Love Song, Sweet Comfort Band, The Nelons, Happy Goodman Family featuring Rusty Goodman, Florida Boys, Guardian and many, many more Legendary Artists.

In the 1976, McCracken sold part interest in his label to the American Broadcasting Company.^[1] Ten Years After, ABC merged with Capital Cities, Inc. and forced McCracken out of the company.^[1]

From 1984 to 1990, Word was distributed in the general market by A&M Records and then by Epic Records until 2002.

In 1992, Capital Cities ABC sold Word to Thomas Nelson, Inc. for $72 Million,^[4] and Nelson made two major changes—developing the present swirling W logo for book products which was unveiled in 1995, and also moving its headquarters from Waco, Texas, to its present headquarters in Nashville. Nelson split the record label and book publishing arms in 1996 when the labels were sold to Gaylord Entertainment.^[5][6][7] In an agreement with Gaylord, Thomas Nelson continued to use the "Word Publishing" name for its book imprint until 2002, at which time it became "W Publishing Group" and retained the swirling W logo. A highly controversial ad campaign introduced at the CBA convention in 2002 created litigation, settled later.

After Colin Reed took over Gaylord Entertainment in 2001,^{[citation needed]} the hotelier made corporate changes at the company, including the ousting of longstanding president Roland Lundy, and sold off the Word Entertainment group to then-AOL Time Warner in 2002.^[8] In 2002, former Atlantic Records Christian division manager Barry Landis briefly took the position of president of the label group division. Word went through a period of restructuring, closing their Los Angeles music publishing office, absorbing Myrrh Records, Squint Entertainment, and Everland Entertainment into the Word Label Group, and reducing in-house staff.^[9] Curb Records also gained a stake in the company during this time. In 2004, the company was sold again as part of Time Warner divestiture of its music division, selling it to a group of investors led by Edgar Bronfman to form a newly independent Warner Music Group.

Artist roster[link]

This is a list of artists, past and present, who have recorded on Word Records over the past several decades

Current[link]

• Meredith Andrews 2006-present
• Chris August
• Jason Castro 2010-present
• Point of Grace 1993 - Present
• Mark Schultz
• Chris Sligh

Former[link]

• Jaci Velasquez 1996-1998 Myrrh, 1999-2006 Word
• Anita Bryant
• Charles Billingsley
• Downhere
• George Beverly Shea
• Rich Mullins Reunion Records
• The Imperials 1977-1984 Dayspring, 1985-1988 Myrrh
• Russ Taff 1983-1991 Myrrh
• 4Him
• Paul Smith 1986-1989 Dayspring
• Gaither Vocal Band 1980-1985 Dayspring
• The Archers 1975-1980 Light Records, 1990 Reunion Records
• Steve Archer 1983-1988 Home Sweet Home Records
• Happy Goodman Family 1964-1982 Canaan, 1990 Word Records
• Howard & Vestal Goodman 1983-1984 Word
• Rusty Goodman 1977-1987 Canaan
• The Florida Boys Canaan
• The Cathedrals Canaan
• The Inspirations Quartet Canaan
• The Lefevres Canaan
• The Kingsmen Canaan
• The Hemphills Canaan
• The Nelons Canaan
• The Lewis Family Canaan
• Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters Canaan
• The Hoppers Canaan
• Amy Grant 1977-2006
• Michael W Smith Reunion Records
• Sandi Patti
• Sixpence None The Richer
• Michael Omartian
• Petra 1974-1977 Myrrh, 1983-1986 StarSong (under Word) 1989-1994 Dayspring, 1995-2000 Word Records
• Dakota Motor Co 1994-1996 Myrrh
• Guardian 1990-1994 Pakaderm, 1995-1997 Myrrh
• Rusty Goodman
• Mike Warnke - 1975-1986 Myrrh, 1987-1992 Dayspring
• Mark Lowry
• Babbie Mason
• Bryan Duncan
• Greg X Volz
• Love Song
• Wayne Watson
• Billy Ray Cyrus (Word/Warner Bros./Curb) (2003–2004)
• David Phelps
• Building 429 (Active on INO Records)
• Stellar Kart (Active on INO Records)
• Randy Travis
• Salvador
• Bruce Carroll
• Wes King
• Clay Crosse
• Carolyn Arends
• Ashley Cleveland
• Skypark
• Across the Sky
• John Gimenez
• Rachael Lampa
• Shirley Caesar (Word/Rejoice/Myrrh) (1980–1991)
• Kenny Marks
• Thurlow Spurr and the Spurrlows
• pureNRG 2006-2011 Fervent

Hit songs[link]

This is a short list of some of the songs that were made hits on Word Records over the years

• • Hit Songs
  • Amy Grant
• Old Man's Rubble
• In a Little While
• El Shaddai
• Angels
• Sing Your Praise to the Lord
• Thy Word
• Emmanuel
• Find A Way
• Stay For Awhile
• Lead Me On
• Saved By Love
• Baby, Baby (licensed to A&M)
• Every Heartbeat (licensed to A&M)
• Good For Me
• Thats What Love is For
• Breath of Heaven
• Lucky One (licensedto A&M)
• Big Yellow Taxi
• Takes a Little Time
• A Christmas to Remember
• Simple Things
• Somewhere Down the Road
  • With Vince Gill
• House of Love
  • The Imperials
• Sail On
• Bread on the Water
• Praise The Lord
• I'm Forgiven
• Eagle Song
• Trumpet of Jesus
• I'd Rather Believe In You
• Stand by the Power
• Lord of The Harvest
• You're the Only Jesus
• Here on the Rock
• They See God There
• Because He Lives
• Rise Again
• Let the Wind Blow
• Jericho
• Power of God
• Wings of Love
• Free the Fire
• The Boss
  • Russ Taff
• Just Believe
• We Will Stand
• Inside Look
• I'm Not Alone
• Not Gonna Bow
• Walk Between the Lines
• I Still Believe
• Down in the Lowlands
• Winds of Change
• I Cry
• Table in the Wilderness
• God Don't Never Change
• Ain't No Grave
  • Rich Mullins
• Sing Your Praise to the Lord (also recorded by Amy Grant)
• Awesome God
• If I Stand
• Elijah
• Hold Me Jesus
• Here In America
• Brothers Keeper
• My Deliverer
  • Petra
• I Love the Lord
• Creed
• Beyond Belief
• Love
• I'm on the Rock
• Prayer
• Who's on the Lord's Side
• Dance
• Destiny
• Sight Unseen
• In the Likeness of You
• Midnight Oil
• Good News
• Praying Man
• Just Reach Out
• Enter In
• Think Twice
• No Doubt
• Right Place
• Lord I Lift Your Name on High
• We Need Jesus
• If I Had to Die for Someone
• The Longing
  • Guardian
• Dr. Jones and The Kings of Rhythm
• Shoe shine Johhny
• I Found Love
• C'mon Everyone
• See You in Heaven
• This Old Man
• Lead the Way
• Bottle Rocket
• Coffee Can
  • Point of Grace
• I'll Be Believing
• Jesus Will Still Be There
• Dying to Reach You
• Gather at the River
• How You Live
• Great Divide
• Steady On
  • Kenny Marks
• Right Where You Are
• Friends
• The Party is Over
• Soul Reviver
• Make It Right
• White Dress
• Say a Prayer for Me Tonight
• I'll Be a Friend to You
• Next Time You See Johnny
• Running on Love
• Turn My World Around
• Like a Father Should Be
• Fire of Forgiveness
• Absolutely Positively Friends
• World Gone Mad
• Before My Last Goodbeye
  • Wayne Watson
• Long Arm of the Lord
• Walk In The Dark
• Friend of a Wounded Heart
  • Sandi Patty
• Make His Praise Glorious
• How Majestic Is Your Name
• Via Dolorosa
• The Star Spangled Banner
• We Shall Behold Him
  • with Wayne Watson
• Another Time, Another Place
  • Gsithers (various incarnations)
• He Came Down to my Level
• No Other Name But Jesus
• Living Sacrifice
  • Happy Goodman Family featuring Rusty Goodman
• What a Happy Time
• When Morning Sweeps The Eastern Sky
• The Lighthouse
• I Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey Now
• What A Beautiful Day
• John the Revelator
• I Believe He's Coming Back
• Better Hurry Up
• Oh Say, But I'm Glad
• I Bowed On My Knees and Cried Holy
• Home
• Leavin' On My Mind
• I Am
• Jesus Knows All About It
• Family Band
• The Woodsman
  • Florida Boys
• I'm Standing on the Solid Rock
• When He Was On The Cross (I Was On His Mind)
  • Other Performers
• The Champion - Carman
• Back to Who I Am - Paul Smith
• Beat of a Different Heart - Paul Smith
• O for a Thousand Tongues - The Nelons
• Mary Did You Know - Mark Lowry
• Time Out - The Clark Sisters

See also[link]

• List of record labels

References[link]

External links[link]

• Word Records website
• Word Distribution
• [1]
• Word Records History with artist roster, Billboard pop performance, photo gallery, more.
• Word Records role in The History of Christian Stand-up Comedy
• Chris Christian Entertainment - Home Sweet Home Records

Amy Grant
Grant performing in October 2008
Background information
Birth name	Amy Lee Grant
Born	(1960-11-25) November 25, 1960 (age 51) Augusta, Georgia, United States
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee
Genres	Contemporary Christian, pop rock, soft rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, author, actress
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano/keyboard
Years active	1976–present
Labels	Myrrh, A&M, Word, Sparrow
Associated acts	Vince Gill, Gary Chapman, Michael W. Smith
Website	amygrant.com

Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop". As of 2009, Grant remains the best-selling contemporary Christian music singer ever, having sold over 30 million units worldwide.

Grant made her debut as a teenager, and gained fame in Christian music during the 1980s with such hits as "Father's Eyes," "El Shaddai", and "Angels". In 1986, she scored her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song in a duet with Peter Cetera The Next Time I Fall. During the 1980s and 1990s, she became one of the first gospel artists to cross over into mainstream pop on the heels of her successful albums Unguarded and Heart in Motion, the latter of which included the No. 1 single "Baby Baby."

Grant has won six Grammy Awards, 25 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, and had the first Christian album ever to go Platinum.^[1] Heart in Motion is her highest-selling album, with over five million copies sold in the United States alone. She was honored with a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005 for her contributions to the entertainment industry.

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Grant (born in Augusta, Georgia) is the youngest of four sisters. She and her family settled in Nashville, Tennessee in 1967.^[2]

During 1976, Grant wrote her first song ("Mountain Man"), performed in public for the first time—at Harpeth Hall School—the all-girls school she attended, recorded a demo tape for her parents with church youth-leader Brown Bannister, then later when Bannister was dubbing a copy of the tape, Chris Christian, the owner of the recording studio, heard the demo and called Word Records. He played it over the phone, and she was offered a recording contract, five weeks before her 16th birthday. In 1977, she recorded her first album titled Amy Grant, produced by Brown Bannister (who would also produce her next 11 albums). It was released in the Spring of 1978, one month before her high school graduation. That fall she performed her first ticketed concert—in Fort Worth, Texas—after beginning her freshman year at Furman University. In May 1979, while at the album release party for her second album, My Father's Eyes, Grant met Gary Chapman, writer of the title track (and future husband). Grant & Chapman toured together the summer of 1979. In the fall of 1980, she transferred to Vanderbilt University, where she was a member of the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta.^[2] Grant then made a few more albums before dropping out of college to pursue a career in music—Never Alone, followed by a pair of live albums in 1981 (In Concert and In Concert Volume Two), both backed by an augmented edition of the DeGarmo & Key band. It was during these early shows that Grant also established one of her concert trademarks: performing barefoot. To date, Grant continues to take off her shoes midway through performances, as she has said "it is just more comfortable."^[3][4]

1982 saw the release of her breakthrough album Age to Age. The album contains the signature track, "El Shaddai" (written by Michael Card) and the Grant-Chapman penned song, "In a Little While". "El Shaddai" was later awarded one of the "Songs of the Century" by the RIAA in 2001. Grant received her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Gospel Performance, as well as two GMA Dove Awards for Gospel Artist of the Year and Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year. Age to Age became the first Christian album by a solo artist to be certified gold (1983) and the first Christian album to be certified platinum (1985).^[1]

In the mid-1980s, Grant began touring and recording with young up-and-coming songwriter Michael W. Smith. Grant and Smith continue to have a strong friendship and creative relationship, often writing songs for or contributing vocals to each other's albums. During the 1980s, Grant was also a backup singer for Bill Gaither.^[5]

Grant followed up this album with the first of her Christmas albums—albums that later would be the basis for her holiday shows. In 1984, she released another pop-oriented Christian hit, Straight Ahead, earning Grant her first appearance at the Grammy Awards show in 1985. The head of NBC took notice of Grant's performance and called her manager to book her for her own Christmas special.^[2]

Widening audience[link]

Hardly had Grant established herself as the "Queen of Christian Pop" when she changed directions to widen her fan base (and hence her musical message). Her goal was to become the first Christian singer-songwriter who was also successful as a contemporary pop singer.^[6] Unguarded (1985) surprised some fans for its very mainstream sound (and Grant's leopard-print jacket, in four poses for four different covers). "Find a Way", from Unguarded, became the first Christian song to hit Billboard's Top 40 list, also reaching No. 7 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Amy Grant scored her first Billboard No. 1 song in 1986 with "The Next Time I Fall", a duet with former Chicago singer/bassist Peter Cetera. That year, she also recorded a duet with singer Randy Stonehill for his Love Beyond Reason album, entitled "I Could Never Say Goodbye", and recorded The Animals' Christmas with Art Garfunkel.

Lead Me On (1988) contained many songs that were about Christianity and love relationships, but some interpreted it as not being an obviously "Christian" record. Years later, Lead Me On would be chosen as the greatest Contemporary Christian album of all time by CCM Magazine. The mainstream song "Saved by Love" was a minor hit, receiving airplay on radio stations featuring the newly emerging Adult Contemporary format. The album's title song received some pop radio airplay and crossed over to No. 96 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "1974 (We Were Young)" and "Saved By Love" also charted as Adult Contemporary songs. In 1989 she appeared in a Target ad campaign, performing songs off the album.^[7]

In the mainstream[link]

Grant during her Behind the Eyes tour in 1998.

When Heart in Motion was released in 1991, many fans were surprised that the album was so clearly one of contemporary pop music. Grant's desire to widen her audience was frowned upon by the confines of the popular definitions of ministry at the time.^[8] The track "Baby Baby" (written for Grant's newborn daughter, Millie, whose "six-week-old face was my inspiration,") became a pop hit (hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100), and Grant was established as a name in the mainstream music world. "Baby Baby" received Grammy nominations for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Record and Song of the Year (although it failed to win in any of those categories). Four other hits from the album made the Pop top 20: "Every Heartbeat" (No. 2), "That's What Love Is For" (No. 7), "Good For Me" (No. 8), and "I Will Remember You" (No. 20). On the Adult Contemporary chart, all five songs were top 10 hits, with two of the five ("Baby Baby" and "That's What Love Is For") reaching No. 1. Many Christian fans remained loyal, putting the album atop Billboard's Contemporary Christian Chart for 32 weeks. Heart in Motion is Grant's best-selling album, having sold over 5 million copies according to the RIAA.^[9] Grant followed the album with her second Christmas album, Home For Christmas in 1992, which included the song "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)", written by Chris Eaton and Grant, and would later be covered by many artists, including Donna Summer, Jessica Simpson (who acknowledged Grant as one of her favorite artists), Vince Gill, Sara Groves, Point of Grace, and Broadway star Barbara Cook.

House of Love in 1994 continued in the same vein, boasting catchy pop songs mingled with spiritual lyrics. The album was a multi-platinum success and produced the pop hit "Lucky One" (No. 18 pop and No. 2 AC; No. 1 on Radio & Records) as well as the title track (a duet with country music star and future husband Vince Gill) (No. 37 pop) and a cover of Joni Mitchell's frequently covered "Big Yellow Taxi" (No. 67 pop) (in which she changed the line "And they charged the people a dollar and a half just to see em" to "And then they charged the people 25 bucks just to see em").

Grant participated in Lifetime's 1st Annual "Girls & Guitars" benefit, singing numerous songs, including a duet with Melissa Etheridge on "You Can Sleep While I Drive".

After she covered the 10cc song "The Things We Do For Love" for the Mr. Wrong soundtrack, Behind the Eyes was released in September 1997. The album struck a much darker note, leaning more towards downtempo, acoustic soft-rock songs, with more mature (yet still optimistic) lyrics. She called it her "razor blades and Prozac" album.^[10] Although "Takes A Little Time" was a moderate hit single, the album failed to sell like the previous two albums, which had both gone multi-platinum. Behind The Eyes was eventually certified Gold by the RIAA. The video for "Takes A Little Time" was a new direction for Grant; with a blue light filter, acoustic guitar, the streets and characters of New York City, and a plot, Grant was re-cast as an adult light rocker. She followed up "Behind The Eyes" with A Christmas To Remember, her third Christmas album, in 1999. The album was certified Gold in 2000.

In 2001, Grant sang God Bless America in front of a sellout crowd at the Owen County Fair Grounds in Spencer, Indiana. She dedicated her performance to the victims of 9/11, and officially started the Demolition Derby. Following the 9/11 attacks, Grant's "I Will Remember You" saw a resurgence in popularity as many radio DJs mixed a special tribute version of the song. That same year, Grant won $125,000 for charity on the "Rock Star Edition" of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".^[11]

Return to gospel[link]

Grant returned to her gospel music roots with the 2002 release of Legacy... Hymns and Faith. The album featured a Vince Gill-influenced mix of bluegrass and gospel and marked Grant's 25th anniversary in the music industry. Grant followed this up with the pop release Simple Things in 2003. The album did not have the success of her previous pop or gospel efforts. However, soon after Simple Things, Grant and Interscope/A&M parted ways. The same year, Grant was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame by the Gospel Music Association, an industry trade organization of which she is a longstanding member, in her first year of eligibility. Grant released a sequel to her hymns collection in 2005 titled Rock of Ages... Hymns & Faith.

Looking ahead[link]

Although neither of her latest hymn releases have captured the popularity of her previous gospel career, Grant still remains a popular concert draw and enjoys popularity amongst both fan bases. For years in the 1990s and early 2000s, she toured in November and December for her Christmas and holiday tours. Often her husband and many special guests performed along with her on stage.

Grant joined the reality television phenomenon by hosting Three Wishes, a show in which she and a team of helpers make wishes come true for small-town residents.^[12] The show debuted on NBC in the fall of 2005 and was canceled at the end of its first season because of high production costs. After Three Wishes was canceled, Grant won her 6th Grammy Award for Rock of Ages... Hymns & Faith. In a February 2006 webchat, Amy stated she believes her "best music is still ahead".

In April 2006, a live CD/DVD entitled Time Again...Amy Grant Live was recorded in Fort Worth, Texas, at Bass Performance Hall. (Grant's first paid public performance was at the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth, TX.) The concert was released on September 26, 2006. In addition to receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, media appearances included write-ups in CCM Magazine, and a performance on The View.

In a February 2007 web chat on her web site, Amy discussed a book she was working on entitled Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far: "It's not an autobiography, but more a collection of memories, song lyrics, poetry and a few pictures." The book was released on October 16, 2007. In November, it debuted at No. 35 on the New York Times Best Seller list.^[13] In the same web chat, Amy noted that she is "anxious to get back in the studio after the book is finished, and reinvent myself as an almost-50 performing woman."

2007 was Grant's 30th year in music. She left Word/Warner, and contracted with EMI CMG who re-released her regular studio albums as remastered versions on August 14, 2007. Marking the start of Grant's new contract is a career-spanning greatest hits album, with all the songs digitally remastered. The album was released as both a single-disc CD edition, and a 2-Disc CD/DVD Special Edition, the DVD featuring music videos and interviews.^[14]

Grant appeared with Gill on The Oprah Winfrey Show for a holiday special in December 2007.^[15] Grant has plans to appear on CMT, a Food Network special, the Gospel Music Channel, and The Hour of Power.^[16]

In February 2008, Grant joined the writing team from Compassionart as a guest vocalist at the Abbey Road studios, London, to record a song called "Highly Favoured", which was included on the album CompassionArt.

On June 24, 2008, Grant re-released her 1988 album, Lead Me On, in honor of its 20th anniversary. The two-disc release includes the original album and a second disc with new acoustic recordings, live performances from 1989, and interviews with Amy. Grant recreated the Lead Me On tour in the fall of 2008.

On June 27, 2008, Grant surprised everyone at the Creation Northeast Festival by being the special guest. She performed "Lead Me On" and a few other songs backed with the Hawk Nelson band. At the end of the concert, Grant returned to the stage and sang "Thy Word". She appeared on the 2008 album Anne Murray Duets: Friends & Legends singing "Could I Have This Dance".

In May 2009 for Mother's Day, Amy released an EP on iTunes containing two new songs, "She Colors My Day," and "Unafraid," as well as the older songs "Baby Baby" and "Oh How The Years Go By."

During Disney's D23 Expo in September 2009, Imagineer Steven Davison announced Amy Grant as the "signature voice" for the World of Color hydrotechnic show at Disney's California Adventure theme park.

In 2010, Grant released Somewhere Down the Road, featuring the hit single "Better Than a Hallelujah", which peaked at No. 8 on Billboard's Top Christian Songs chart. When asked about the new album during an interview with CBN.com, Grant says, "...my hope is just for those songs to provide companionship, remind myself and whoever else is listening what’s important. I feel like songs have the ability to connect us to ourselves and to each other, and to our faith, to the love of Jesus, in a way that conversation doesn’t do. Songs kind of slip in and move you before you realize it."^[17]

Personal life[link]

Grant married fellow Christian musician Gary Chapman on June 19, 1982. Their marriage produced three children: Matthew Garrison Chapman (born 1987), Gloria Mills Chapman (called "Millie", born 1989), and Sarah Cannon Chapman (born 1992), who was named after country legend Minnie Pearl, a family friend. (Pearl's real name was Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon.)^[18] Citing "irreconcilable differences", Grant filed for divorce from Chapman in March 1999, and the divorce was final in June 1999.^[18]

On March 10, 2000, Grant married Vince Gill, who had been previously married to country singer Janis Oliver of Sweethearts of the Rodeo.^[19] Grant and Gill have a daughter together, Corinna Grant Gill, born March 12, 2001.^[20]

In the December 1999 Baptist Standard, Grant explained why she left Chapman and married Gill:

"I didn't get a divorce because I had a great marriage and then along came Vince Gill. Gary and I had a rocky road from day one. I think what was so hard—and this is (what) one of our counselors said—sometimes an innocent party can come into a situation, and they're like a big spotlight. What they do is reveal, by comparison, the painful dynamics that are already in existence."^[21]

Public views and perception[link]

Among praise for her contributions to the Contemporary Christian genre, Amy Grant has also generated controversy within the Christian community, from "complaints that she was too worldly and too sexy" to a "barrage of condemnation" following her divorce and remarriage.^[22]

In an interview early in her career, Grant stated, "I have a healthy sense of right and wrong, but sometimes, for example, using foul, exclamation-point words among friends can be good for a laugh." Within the same article, Grant expressed an opinion that those most opposed to premarital sex and rock music often base their views in part on having experienced emotional distress. "'It seems to me,' she says as an after-thought, 'that people who are most adamantly against premarital sex have experienced some kind of pain in their own lives. Like the people who say absolutely no to rock 'n' roll. Chances are it has something to do with a past sadness."^[23]

Discography[link]

Studio Albums[link]

• 1977: Amy Grant
• 1979: My Father's Eyes
• 1980: Never Alone
• 1982: Age to Age
• 1984: Straight Ahead
• 1985: Unguarded
• 1988: Lead Me On
• 1991: Heart in Motion
• 1994: House of Love
• 1997: Behind the Eyes
• 2002: Legacy...Hymns and Faith
• 2003: Simple Things
• 2005: Rock of Ages...Hymns and Faith
• 2010: Somewhere Down The Road

Holiday Albums[link]

• 1983: A Christmas Album
• 1992: Home for Christmas
• 1999: A Christmas to Remember
• 2008: The Christmas Collection

Bibliography[link]

Grant is the author of several books, including a memoir, Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far, and a book based on the popular Christmas song Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song).

Awards and achievements[link]

Grammy Awards[link]

Wins[link]

• 1982: Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational – Age to Age^[24]
• 1983: Best Gospel Performance, Female – "Ageless Medley"
• 1984: Best Gospel Performance, Female – "Angels"
• 1985: Best Gospel Performance, Female – Unguarded
• 1988: Best Gospel Performance, Female – Lead Me On
• 2006: Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album – Rock of Ages…Hymns & Faith

Nominations[link]

• 1979: Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational – My Father's Eyes
• 1980: Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational – Never Alone
• 1981: Best Gospel Performance, Contemporary or Inspirational – Amy Grant In Concert
• 1990: Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Female – "'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus"
• 1992: Album of the Year – Heart in Motion^[25] (lost to Unforgettable... with Love by Natalie Cole)
• 1992: Song of the Year – "Baby Baby"^[25]
• 1992: Record of the Year – "Baby Baby"^[25] (both lost to "Unforgettable" by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole)
• 1992: Pop Performance Female – "Baby Baby"^[25] (lost to "Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Raitt)
• 1994: Children Spoken Word – Lion & the Lamb^[25]
• 2011: Best Gospel Song – "Better Than a Hallelujah"^[26]
• 2012: Best Country Song – "Threaten Me with Heaven"^[27]

GMA Dove Awards[link]

*Inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2003

• 1983: Artist of the Year
• 1983: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – Age to Age
• 1983: Recorded Music Packaging – Age to Age
• 1984: Recorded Music Packaging – A Christmas Album
• 1985: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – Straight Ahead
• 1986: Artist of the Year
• 1986: Recorded Music Packaging – Unguarded
• 1988: Short Form Music Video of the Year – "Stay For a While"
• 1989: Artist of the Year
• 1989: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – Lead Me On
• 1989: Short Form Music Video of the Year – "Lead Me On"
• 1990: Country Song of the Year – "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus"
• 1992: Song of the Year – "Place in This World"
• 1992: Artist of the Year
• 1994: Praise and Worship Album of the Year – Songs from the Loft
• 1996: Special Event Album of the Year – My Utmost for His Highest
• 1998: Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year – Behind the Eyes
• 2000: Special Event Album of the Year – Streams
• 2003: Inspirational Album of the Year – Legacy...Hymns & Faith
• 2003: Song of the Year – "The River's Gonna Keep On Rolling"
• 2006: Inspirational Album of the Year – Rock of Ages...Hymns & Faith
• 2007: Long Form Music Video of the Year – Time Again...Amy Grant Live

Special awards and recognitions[link]

• 1992: Junior Chamber of Commerce Young Tennessean of the Year
• 1994: St. John University Pax Christi Award
• 1994: Nashville Symphony Harmony Award
• 1996: Sarah Cannon Humanitarian Award – TNN Awards
• 1996: Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award – Columbia Hospital
• 1996: Voice of America Award – ASCAP
• 1996: Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award
• 1999: “An Evening with the Arts” Honor – The Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Symphony and Tennessee Performing Arts Center
• 1999: The Amy Grant Room for Music and Entertainment – The Target House at St. Jude's Children's Hospital
• 2001: Easter Seals Nashvillian of the Year Award
• 2003: Summit Award – Seminar in the Rockies
• 2005: Hollywood walk of fame induction
• 2006: Amy Grant Performance Platform – Nashville Schermerhorn Symphony Center
• 2007: Charter member of Tiffany Circle – Red Cross
• 2007: Inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame^[28]
• 2012: Honorary Doctorate Degree of Music and Performance – Grand Canyon University

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amy Grant

• Official Amy Grant website
• Amy Grant at the Internet Movie Database
• Amy Grant at Allmusic
• Amy Grant Media Gallery
• Amy Grant Partners with Compassion International
• Amy Grant, "Somewhere Down the Road" by Billboard

Tarrus Riley
Performing at Negril Escape, 2009
Background information
Birth name	Omar Riley
Born	1979 The Bronx, New York City, United States
Genres	Reggae
Instruments	Vocalist, Guitar
Years active	Mid-1990s–present
Labels	VP, Cannon Productions
Website	tarrusriley.com

Tarrus Riley (born Omar Riley, 1979, The Bronx, New York City, United States) is a Jamaican-American reggae singer, member of the Rastafari movement and the son of Jamaican reggae singer Jimmy Riley.^[1]

Biography[link]

His father is veteran reggae singer Jimmy Riley. He made his recording debut as a teenager. In 2004, Tarrus released his debut album, Challenges. Riley has consistently racked up awards for his work. Among his accolades are Best Singer, Male Vocalist, Cultural Artiste, Song of the Year, and Best Song. Some of the awards institutions which have rewarded Riley include the Youth View Awards, The Star People’s Choice Awards, EME Awards, and the Reggae Academy awards. Tarrus is the holder of Jamaica's CVM TV's 15th Anniversary Award, held in February 2009, for the ‘Most Admired Song in the Past 15 Years’ for the hit, "She’s Royal".

In 2009 Riley released his third opus Contagious on Cannon Production. The album was distributed by VP Records. It contained the hits Start Anew, Contagious, Good Girl Gone Bad featuring Konshens and Superman, a cover of a Robin Thicke original.2010 saw the release of the chart topper Protect the People, which scaled several charts in Jamaica and across the Caribbean. Early 2011 saw the release of the Black History themed Shaka Zulu Pickney which was featured on the Nyabingi rhythm from Bombrush Music. The video for the song which was directed by Storm Saulter was well received upon its release. His interest in educating the youth about Black History resulted in the Tarrus Riley Freedom Writers Competition, which ran on Jamaica’s Irie FM radio station.

2011 also saw the release of videos for hit singles including Come Ova and Never leave I. Both songs have become anthems on Jamaican radio as well as in several Caribbean territories. Riley has performed on several stages around the world. His performances have drawn credible reviews from the media in the Caribbean, North America, the United States and Europe.

Riley tours Europe once each year, performing on the major reggae festivals in several European countries. Riley's most recent high profile performances include the 2011 Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, Reggae Sumfest 2010, Betty Wright and Friends in concert in Jamaica, and the Palmyra Foundation's Fundraising event. He also headlined the Hennessey Artistry show in Barbados in December 2011.

Among his accolades in 2011 were the EME Awards (Excellence in Music and Entertainment) for Vocalist of the Year Male and Cultural Artiste of the Year. Riley also copped the 2011 Youth View Award for Cultural Artiste of the Year.

Riley released the acoustic album Mecoustic in 2012 and toured Europe in support of it with his Blak Soil band.^[2]

Awards & nominations[link]

• 2007 - Jamaica Observer Artiste of the Year^[3]
• 2008 - Excellence in Music & Entertainment (EME) Awards - Cultural Artiste of the Year (nominated), Male Vocalist of Year Award, Song of The Year ("She's Royal")^[4]
• 2008 - Reggae Academy Awards - Best Reggae Song, Most Popular Song (both for "She's Royal"), Best Solo Male Vocal Performance, Breakthrough Reggae Artiste^[5]
• 2009 - Caribbean-American Heritage Awards - Reggae Runnins Caribbean Heritage Award
• 2009 - MOBO Awards - Best Reggae (nominated)
• 2009 - Soul Train Music Awards - Best Reggae Artist (nominated)
• 2011 - (EME- Excellence in Music and Entertainment (Jamaica)- Cultural Artiste of the Year and Vocalist of the Year (Male)
• 2011 - Youth View Awards (YVA's) - Cultural Artiste of the Year
• 2011 - UNIA Marcus Garvey Award - For Contribution of Music

Discography[link]

• Challenges (2004), VP
• Parables (2006), VP
• Contagious (2009), VP
• Mecoustic (2012), VP

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Tarrus Riley at Allmusic

Kendrick Lamar Duckworth^[1] (born June 17, 1987), simply known as Kendrick Lamar, is an American rapper and songwriter from Compton, California currently signed to Top Dawg, Aftermath and Interscope. He first gained major attention after the release of his 2010 mixtape Overly Dedicated. In 2011, his album Section.80, released exclusively through iTunes, instantly ranked as one of the top digital hip hop releases of the year.^[2] Lamar has amassed a large internet following, is a member of hip hop collective Black Hippy, along with Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul, and has worked with Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Wiz Khalifa, Game, Drake, Busta Rhymes and Tech N9ne among other popular artists.^[3]

Biography[link]

1987-2009: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Kendrick Lamar was born in Compton, California, a community southeast of Los Angeles city limits, to parents from Chicago, Illinois.^[4] At the age of eight, in 1995, Lamar witnessed his idols, Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre film the music video for their hit single "California Love," a very significant moment in Lamar's life.^[5] In 2003 at the young age of sixteen, Lamar released his first mixtape, Youngest Head Nigga In Charge under the name K. Dot.^[6] The mixtape was able to garner enough attention for Lamar to get a record deal with Top Dawg Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based independent record label.^[6] He then released a twenty-six track mixtape two years later titled Training Day.^[7] More recognition came Lamar's way after a video of a Charles Hamilton show surfaced, where Hamilton goes in the crowd and battles rappers at attendance. Lamar didn't hesitate and began rapping a verse over Milkbone's "Keep It Real", that would later appear on a track titled "West Coast Wu-Tang".^[5] In 2008 Lamar made a cameo appearance on Jay Rock's "All My Life (In the Ghetto)" music video. After receiving a co-sign from Lil Wayne, he released his third mixtape in 2009 titled C4, heavily themed around Tha Carter III LP.^[8] Soon after, he decided to drop his stage name K. Dot and go by his real name. This resulted in him releasing a self-titled EP; the Kendrick Lamar EP in late 2009.^[9]

[edit] 2010–2011: Overly Dedicated and Section.80

Kendrick performing at a concert in Toronto, Canada

In 2010 he toured with Tech N9ne and Jay Rock on The Independent Grind tour.^[6] On September 23, 2010 he released O(verly) D(edicated) a highly acclaimed mixtape that included a song titled "Ignorance is Bliss" in which he glorifies gangsta rap and street crime but ends each verse with "ignorance is bliss" giving the message "we know not what we do".^[10][11] It was that song specifically that made hip hop producer Dr. Dre want to work with Lamar.^[12] This led to him working with Dre and Snoop Dogg on Dre's Detox album and him considering signing to Aftermath Entertainment.^[6][13] In January 2011 Lamar said his debut album was 90% finished.^[6]

In early 2011 Lamar was featured on XXL Magazine's 2011 Freshman cover along with CyHi the Prynce, Meek Mill, Mac Miller, Yelawolf, Lil B, Big K.R.I.T. and Diggy Simmons among others.^[14] On July 2, 2011, Lamar released his third solo project Section.80 to critical acclaim. It features guest appearances from GLC, Colin Munroe, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and includes production from longtime collaborator Sounwave, Wyldfyer, Terrace Martin, J. Cole and more. On the topic of whether Section.80 would be an album or a mixtape Lamar said "I treat every project like it’s an album anyway. It’s not gonna be nothing leftover. I never do nothing like that. These are my leftover songs y’all can have ‘em, nah. I’m gonna put my best out. My best effort. I’m tryna look for an album in 2012". The first single for Section.80 was the J. Cole produced track "HiiiPower", of which the concept was to further explain the HiiiPower movement. Section.80 went on to sell over 10,000 copies in its first week^[15] without any television or radio coverage and received many very positive reviews. In the second half of 2011, Lamar appeared on Game's The R.E.D. Album, Tech N9ne's All 6's and 7's, 9th Wonder's The Wonder Years and Drake's Take Care.

In August 2011, while onstage with Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Game, at the West Los Angeles concert, the three of them crowned him the "New King of the West Coast"^[16]

[edit] 2012–present: Good Kid in a Mad City

On February 15, 2012, a song titled "Cartoons & Cereal" featuring Gunplay of Triple C's was leaked.^[17] Lamar revealed later that the track was for his upcoming album and he was planning to shoot a video for it.^[18]

In March 2012, MTV announced that Top Dawg Entertainment, the independent record label Lamar is signed to, have closed a joint venture deal with Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment, marking the end of his career as an independent artist. Under the new deal, Kendrick Lamar’s projects, including his upcoming debut studio album Good Kid in a Mad City will be jointly released via Top Dawg, Aftermath and Interscope, while releases from the rest of Black Hippy will be distributed via Top Dawg and Interscope.^[19]

Lamar premiered "The Recipe", his debut single and the lead single from Good Kid in a Mad City, at Power 106 on April 2, 2012. The track was released for digital download the following day. The song was produced by Scoop DeVille and features Dr. Dre.^{[citation needed]}

It was announced on May 14, 2012, that Lamar is working on a collaborative album with J. Cole. In an interview with Bootleg Kev, Cole stated that "I just started working with Kendrick the other day. We got it in, finally, again. We got maybe four or five [songs] together."

Personal life[link]

In high school, Centennial in Compton, Lamar was a good student.^[4] Lamar said that he has seen relatives who have died in his dreams for years. Tupac Shakur is also his favorite rapper, and influences not only his music, but his day-to-day lifestyle as well. In terms of subject matter, Kendrick Lamar has often been compared to Tupac Shakur. ^[6][20][21] He revealed that his favorite and most influential rappers are Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Jay-Z and his label-mate Eminem.

Discography[link]

• Section.80 (2011)
• Good Kid in a Mad City (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Kendrick Lamar on Twitter
• kedricklamar.com Official Site

Anthony David is Professor of Cognitive neuropsychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, part of King's College London.

Professor David studied medicine at the University of Glasgow, subsequently training in neurology, then psychiatry. He has been an honorary consultant at the Maudsley Hospital, London, since 1990, and was awarded a personal chair from the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, in 1996.

He has a wide range of professional and research interests and has published on schizophrenia, neuropsychiatry, medically unexplained syndromes and neuroimaging – both structural and functional – and specialises in research into insight (awareness of illness) in schizophrenia and other disorders.

Professor David is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Academy of Medical Sciences. He is a member of the Experimental Psychology Society and a founder member of both the British Neuropsychological Society and British Neuropsychiatry Association; he is currently Chairman of the latter.

He is co-editor of the journal Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, and has published four books.

Bibliography[link]

• David, A. S., Cutting, J. (eds) (1997). The Neuropsychology of Schizophrenia. Hove: Psychology Press. ISBN 0-86377-337-0
• Ron, M.S., David. A.S. (1999) Disorders of Brain and Mind: Volume 1. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-77851-4
• Kircher, T., David, A.S. (2003) The Self in Neuroscience and Psychiatry. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-53350-3
• Amador, X.F., David, A.S. (2004) Insight and Psychosis: Awareness of Illness in Schizophrenia and Related Disorders (2nd ed). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-852568-0

External links[link]

• Anthony David's homepage