http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Christian-and-Gospel_Summary.html Christian and Gospel are both forms of religious music. The word gospel means good news, and gospel music appeared by 1930 in African-American churches. Gospel can refer either to the black gospel or to the music performed by Christian white artists. The latter is the white gospel which is usually named country gospel to differentiate it from black gospel. On the other hand, Christian is a more generic term that encloses the music created by the Christian church. Regarding influence, gospel has been influence by pop and has influenced rhythm and blues artists helping create soul music. Some of the artists who perform gospel and christian today are Newsboys, Mary Mary and Jars of Clay. en-us http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_10845.html Fri, 05 May 2006 11:45:56 CST
Yolanda Yvette Adams was born in Houston in 1962. She is one of the most important artists within Christian music and also one of the artists that blend Randamp;B and gospel. This awarded artist began singing after performing as teacher and model. She released her debut album in 1988. Just as I Am was a successful album targeted to gospel audiences. She won even more fame and recognition with the release of Through The Storm (1991), Save the World (1993), More Than a Melody (1995), Shakin' the House: Live in L.A. (1996), Yolanda...Live in Washington (1996), and Songs From the Heart (1998).

A year after her first release, she signed with one of the most important labels Elektra Records. For Yolanda Adams, this was just part of her growing. She knew she was not going to change her message or do anything against her convictions just to reach more people. She would never affect the followers of her music and she did not. More spiritually and vocally mature, she released her debut album with Elektra Records. Mountain High...Valley Low (1999) was the opportunity for Yolanda Adams to touch audiences in need of spiritual relief. It was also awarded Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album in 2000 by the Grammy Awards.

However, this would be just her first award. That same year, the single “Open My Heart”, included in Mountain High...Valley Low, won an award for Outstanding Song given by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 2001, she won again a Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album The Experience. Regarding Image Awards, she received awards for Outstanding Gospel Artist in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and for Female Artist in 2001. A legend, she has not given up her message and purpose to gain more audience or prizes. It has not been necessary. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_10781.html Fri, 05 May 2006 11:36:41 CST
Richard Wayne Mullins, better known as Rich Mullins, was born in Indiana in1955.  He was one of the most important Christian music songwriters and singers. His musical career began in the 70’s when he performed with a band called Zion. He was the mind behind some of the most important Christian hits:  Grant’s “Love Of Another Kind”, Debby Boone’s “O Come All Ye Faithful”. By that time, 1984, he had become one of the songwriters of the contemporary Christian music movement and industry.

Rich Mullins released his first solo effort Richard Mullins in 1986. This album as well as his next release Pictures in the Sky in 1987 was not that successful. However, things would change very soon. The next year, he wrote the song “Awesome God” which immediately became a hit. Moreover, this song is today considered a praise chorus which is still sung in many churches not only in the United States, but also in churches all around the world. “Awesome God” was encompassed in the album Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth, released in 1988.

At the beginning of the 90’s, Rich Mullins released two albums The World As Best As I Remember It, Volume I and Volume II. Both albums included the hit "Step by Step" recorded by Mullins and written by his friend Beaker. This album was more acoustic and has elements of Irish music. Mullins’ next step was to form a band of Nashville musicians called A Ragamuffin Band which released the third best Christian album ever A Liturgy, A Legacy, andamp; A Ragamuffin Band in 1993. Rich Mullins and A Ragamuffin Band also released the albums Brother's Keeper (1995) and The Jesus Record (1998).

Rich Mullins died in 1997 in a car accident. His faith and devoted way of living have been preserved by his family through The Legacy Of A Kid Brother Of St. Frank since his admiration to St Francis of Assisi lead him to adhering a vow of poverty. In addition, his music was awarded posthumously in 1988 and 1999 as GMA Artist of the year and Song of the year “My Deliverer” respectively. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7302.html Mon, 10 Apr 2006 08:27:46 CST NewSong is a contemporary Gospel Music band and was nominated for a Grammy. It started in 1980 with initial members Eddie Middleton, Bobby Apon, Billy Goodwin, and Eddie Carswell. They have had seventeen number one hits on the CCM chart, and acquired a Dove Award in 2003. The group at present is composed of Billy Goodwin, Eddie Carswell, Michael O'Brien, Scotty Wilbanks, and Matt Butler. Other members consisted of Steve Reischl, Russ Lee, Charles Billingsley, and Clay Crosse.

NewSong has been composing and playing remarkable songs about faith and life since their launch. Classics, features “The Christmas Shoes,”  “Arise, My Love,” “People Get Ready” and “Red Letter Day,” that became a hit conventional AC radio song, and became fan and radio preferred. In 1994, they distributed the example of Jam shows series multi-artist; ticket free concerts that give hundreds the chances to not only hear unbelievable music, but also to listen to the Christian message. And the people acted in response gratifying NewSong with 5 of the Top 100 Gospel radio songs of the past years, and more than 2 million records sold up to now. The band has played before more than one million people in the past 5 years and in front of more than 250,000 in the past year unaccompanied most significantly, during their first 22 appointments of 2005, more than 7,787 people made choices for Christ and more than 4,300 child supports were obtained for World Vision. However for this group of skilled artists and musicians, the songs, the success, and the longevity, have been the product of following the guide of God. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7284.html Fri, 07 Apr 2006 02:09:12 CST Matthew West grew up in a community of Chicago, Illinois, where he found his skills in music at a premature age. The son of a church, he was raised in the border pew hearing his mom singing and following her guides. By his high school years, Matthew kept in music, but was more concerned in sports, hopeful to one day participate in baseball in college. He never did get identified from the big leagues, however as a replacement, he gained a scholarship to learn music at Millikin University in Illinois. It was throughout his first year of college, that Matthew began performing guitar and composing songs. Almost immediately, his new songs were heard by people, and Matthew played in concerts all over. By Matthew's last year, he was performing at every site possible, from Fraternity sites to ministers, and adolescence groups.

While West was still in college, he had trapped the interest of Word Music Publishing. This assisted in his growth, and he worked for a select song-compositing contract only a week past graduating and moving to Nashville. He began increasing his song-compositing skill by compositing songs for other artists. His songs have been performed by a choice of artists featuring Rachel Lampa's mainly current song, "Savior Song," that was Matthew's first hit-5 song as a composer. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7282.html Fri, 07 Apr 2006 02:05:25 CST “Mary Mary” is a North America Christian music couple; consisting of sisters Tina and Erica Atkins, recognized for bringing modern-day Christian to a new rank of attractiveness in the 2000s by bringing in components of hip hop and soul music. The Atkins sisters live in Inglewood, California with a big family. Their parents were Christian singers themselves, and the sisters rapidly entered the world of Gospel choral groups, touring Church shows, and some television business. The sisters began song-composition, and earn success in the music business for their records. "Dance" came out in 1998 on the movie Dr. Dolittle and "Let Go, Let God" came out on one of the soundtracks for the movie The Prince of Egypt in that exact year. Other records of theirs were performed by 702 and Yolanda Adams.

Mary Mary was consequently working with the Columbia Records and determined to record with the title Mary Mary, Mary Magdalene and the mother of Jesus. Their first song, "Shackles of the record Praise You" became an Randamp;B, gospel, and even pop Top Song in 2000; it was after by their first record, “Thankful”, that was also a hit and will won the Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album of Grammy Award. Their second record “Incredible” was the country's number one Christian record in 2002. By 2005, in cooperation the sisters married and birthed children. Their third record “Mary Mary” came out. "Heaven", the first top song from the record, broke chart records and also made history, most remarkably an unparalleled nine week as the number one album on Billboard's Christian Radio chart.
  http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7264.html Thu, 06 Apr 2006 04:53:53 CST Newsboys are a Gospel pop and rock group established in 1985 in Mooloolaba, Australia, and they are now in Nashville, Tennessee. Its nucleus members, Peter Furler and John James, in the beginning sleeted from Australia where they perform in a group jointly named The News. They are well-known in the Gospel music business. They have had abundant Top songs on the Gospel pop charts and 2 of their records are well thought-out between CCM's most excellent: Step Up To The Microphone and Going Public. They are possibly best recognized for 2 top songs, "Shine" and "Breakfast". A twice-disk rock and worship record is programmed for distribution in June 2006.

2000 facilitated a start and yearly tour CCM Festival Con Dios the O.C. Supertones with and Audio Adrenaline. It was recognized for including well-liked, Gospel groups and its motocross aerial tricks. For the duration of the "Step Up To The Microphone" Concerts, the group includes the drums on a rotary stage that could slope descending capable of 90 degrees. In actual fact, there were 2 deposits of drums and the original drummer and Duncan Phillips would wear accommodated belts, so they would not argue, and have a revolving drum-off. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7254.html Thu, 06 Apr 2006 03:57:59 CST LaShun Pace, born in Atlanta, originally came to the interest of the Gospel business in the 70s as component of the Anointed Pace Sisters, a traveling sibling performance that gained local and then nationwide notice by winning an amount of most important Gospel contests and finished with their working for Savoy Records.  The band reached its peak with 1992's U Know, which was the TOP #1 and remains in the Gospel charts for more than a year. She started on her own singing career in 1991 with He Lives, a firm record that decorated her strong, gorgeous voice, and which became one of that year's hit Gospel records.  She continued it up over the subsequently numerous years with God is Faithful, Just Because God Said It, Wealthy Place and Shekinah Glory, and shows in the Steve Martin film Leap of Faith.  Nonetheless, during the overdue 90s and beginnings 00s Pace experienced a number of individual setbacks, as well as the death of her daughter, a separation and a series of corporal sickness that rigorously hindered her profession.

After a semi decade nonexistence consequential from sick health and personal misfortune, LaShun Pace has gladly distributed It's My Time, her first record on EMI Gospel Records and a pleasant re-beginning of this always preferred of Gospel audiences.  Pace uses the chance to form a record that obviously reflects her defies ended the last few years, fundamentally producing a thematic record around topics of triumph, faith, strength, ultimately and patience. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7246.html Thu, 06 Apr 2006 11:37:46 CST Kirk Franklin was born in 1970 in Fort Worth, Texas. He is a worship leader African-American singer who combines Randamp;B, hip hop, and gospel in the 1990s. He distributed his first gospel record, Kirk Franklin andamp; Family, in 1993, and is recognized as the guide of modern gospel choirs for example God's Property, Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation, and Kirk Franklin andamp; the Family. A resident of Fort Worth, Texas, he grows up with his aunt, Gertrude Franklin. He raises an aptitude for music premature, in performance the piano at age 4 and began as music leader of his church at age 11. After getting thrown out of school in his adolescent years and a girlfriend became with child, he come back to the church after a friend was killed. After guiding the DFW Mass Choir at the 1990 Gospel Music Workshop of America Convention, he prearranged "The Family", a 17-voice choir, in 1992 and started his singer career. He has incorporated hip hop manners with gospel subjects in records for example God's Property and The Nu Nation Project that accomplished hit on the Billboard Pop Album, Gospel and Randamp;B charts.

Kirk has worked in partnership with the principal names in Christian music, as well as Willie Neal Johnson, Donnie McClurkin, Jaci Velázquez, Crystal Lewis, Tonex, Richard Smallwood, and Pastor Shirley Caesar. He also shows an enthusiasm to team up with artists in the secular area, including Crystal Lewis, R Kelly in the hit single, "Lean on Me", Bono, and Mary J. Blige. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7236.html Thu, 06 Apr 2006 08:36:21 CST Joel Engle is a on a national scale renowned worship minister. God has provided Joel a wide variety of skills to distribute worship as a speaker, author, song-compositor, and musician and worship minister. As a song-compositor and musician, Engle has composed over forty new songs, created SPIN360, which is a minister resource that is delivered to over four hundred churches every month, and has had his songs recorded by Point of Grace, Charles Billingsley and Sonic Flood. As a writer, he has written stuff for the co-authored Glorify a Surrender Conference, a minister throughout the Gospel of John. Joel is a lively singer and that gives him the ability to speak efficiently from God's Word in relation to worship. Churches get in Joel each year to distribute his testimony, educate workshops on adoration, and communicate to the body. Joel is both a teacher and a student of God's Word to hundreds of people every year. In conclusion, as a worship guide, Joel has reached thousands of hundreds of people. He has guide worship with Youth Evangelism Conferences, Dawson McAllister Conferences, Student Life Camps, and many more.

For Joel Engle, worship is not just a thing he does; to a certain ministers worship is how he intends to live. And with one paying attention to the songs of Made For Worship, there is no disagreeing with the tribute of God’s power and grace to prevail over at all adversity life carries. http://www.vagmusic.com/articles/Genres_7217.html Wed, 05 Apr 2006 04:48:41 CST Joe Pace is a multifaceted and skilled man, with an extensive variety of skills and approaching in the territory of gospel music organization.  His smooth method, creation, religious insight, and song composition abilities have recognized him as one of the gospel music businesses’s most self-motivated and convincing skills. A designed priest, Joe also has many others abilities. As well as the Director and CEO of the prices-winning Colorado Mass Choir, he is in addition the owner and president of Pace Productions, Inc., a gospel music creation, organization and publishing corporation.  Minister Pace’s ability has prepared room for him to guide a massive amount of diverse audiences all the way through the United States and out of the nation.  Nevertheless, his first contemplation is to organization at the regional level. He has worked in the faculty of Minister of Music and Music Pastor for both large and small ministries similar all the way through the United States.  Joe is also a common columnist for several excellent Christian music magazines.

A productive song-compositor, Joseph W. Pace has write many hit ten songs featuring the well-liked worship song of praise “We Worship You", “Watch God Move,” including Fred Hammond, "Let There Be Praise ", and the radio hit, "Glad about It", including LaShun Pace. He is at this time working as a song-compositor, creator, and artist for Integrity Gospel, with whom he has produced a line of worship and praise music resources for the minister.