Derek Webb
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Derek Walsh Webb (born May 27, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter who first entered the music industry as a member of the band Caedmon's Call, and later embarked on a successful solo career. As a member of the
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Texas-based Caedmon's Call, Webb has seen career sales approaching 1 million records, along with 10
GMA Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Awards ...
nominations and three Dove Award wins''www.doveawards.com/history/ Gospel Music Awards: Awards History''. Retrieved November 6, 2006. and six No. 1 Christian radio hits.''"Christian Music Series Features Concert by Caedmon’s Call"''
(December 24, 2003). Press Release. Retrieved November 13, 2006.
In 2003, Webb left Caedmon's Call to pursue a solo career. Since his departure, he has released seven studio albums (including one instrumental), a live album, two compilation albums, two covers projects, two DVDs, and two EPs (with his then-wife,
Sandra McCracken Sandra Marie McCracken Work ID: 886831052 ISWC: T9140398330 (born June 16, 1977) is an independent singer-songwriter. She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Drawing from folk, gospel, and hymn traditions, her music often weaves together ...
). While these have been less commercially successful than his work with Caedmon's Call, Webb has had more of a free hand to shape his work to his vision.Farias, Andree (January 16, 2006).
"An Unfiltered Webb."

Christianity Today.
Retrieved November 6, 2006.
'' I Was Wrong, I'm Sorry & I Love You'' was released on September 3, 2013. On April 17, 2014, Webb and his then-wife, singer-songwriter
Sandra McCracken Sandra Marie McCracken Work ID: 886831052 ISWC: T9140398330 (born June 16, 1977) is an independent singer-songwriter. She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Drawing from folk, gospel, and hymn traditions, her music often weaves together ...
, announced that they were divorcing after thirteen years of marriage due to Webb's extramarital affair. ''Fingers Crossed'' was released in September 2017. ''TARGETS'' was released in February 2020.


Early life

Webb's mother, a gifted classically trained pianist, encouraged his musical interests at a very young age. Music came naturally to him, and he began to play the guitar at six years old. Concerning his musical training, Webb explains that he got his ear for music from his mother, but not the ability to read music, and that he "took one uitarlesson and then just taught myself out of the book." While in high school, he became known for his skill on the guitar. He toured with a band, though it broke up in his junior year following a serious car accident returning from playing a show at Baylor University. Webb graduated from Klein High School in
Klein, Texas Klein is an unincorporated community in Harris County, Texas, United States, roughly bordering Texas State Highway 99 to the north, Texas State Highway 249 to the west, Interstate 45 to the east, and the city of Houston to the south. It includes ...
in 1992. Before joining Caedmon's Call, he went to community college in Houston for half a semester, and shared an apartment with his older brother who was attending medical school.


Caedmon's Call

Caedmon's Call was formed in 1993 with four original members (three of whom still remain), Cliff Young, Danielle Glenn, Todd Bragg, and Aaron Tate. Aaron Tate, however, never intended to tour with the band, and was included in a songwriting capacity only, sharing those duties with Derek Webb who also played lead guitar. Webb's invitation to join Caedmon's Call came from Tate, who at the time was attending
Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples ...
in Fort Worth, Texas. Shortly afterward, Webb made the trip to Fort Worth and met future bandmate Cliff Young. Webb says, "I essentially just joined that band immediately. And as soon as I joined the band, I quit college the same day." As a result, for almost a full school year he pretended to go to class, with his family unaware he was actually pursuing the band in lieu of going to school. In June 1994, the band released their first album, ''My Calm // Your Storm'', originally a cassette-only demo recording. It was re-printed twice the same year with different cover art each time. In 1996 the band signed with now-defunct Christian label Warner Alliance, producing their self-titled release. Peaking at 110 on the ''Billboard'' 200,''Artist Chart History''.Billboard.com.
Retrieved November 10, 2006.
the album went on to win the GMA 1998 Modern Rock Album of the Year. After the collapse of Warner Alliance in 1998, Caedmon's Call signed to Essential Records, where they released '' 40 Acres'' (1999), ''
Long Line of Leavers ''Long Line of Leavers'' is a studio album from Caedmon's Call. It was recorded at the following studios: *The Bennett House - Franklin, Tennessee (engineer Ben Wisch) * The Farm - Marvin, North Carolina (engineer Ed Cash) *Sound Kitchen - Frankl ...
'' (2000), '' In the Company of Angels: A Call to Worship'' (2001), '' Back Home'' (2003). All of these albums were moderately successful, peaking at 61, 58, 72, and 66 respectively on the Billboard 200. Notably, Webb did not provide any songwriting for ''In the Company of Angels'' or ''Back Home'', despite having been a primary songwriter for the band prior to their release.Breimeier, Russ (2001).
"In the Company of Angels: A Call to Worship."

Christianity Today.
Retrieved November 6, 2006.
Breimeier, Russ (2003).


Christianity Today.
Retrieved November 6, 2006.
During this time period, Webb also contributed to '' City on a Hill: Songs of Worship and Praise'' (2000) and '' City on a Hill: Sing Alleluia'' (2002), both as a member of Caedmon's Call and as a solo artist, which respectively garnered the GMA 2001 & 2003 Special Event Album of the Year awards. In 2001, Webb left the band to pursue his solo career, although he continued to contribute to their next album ''Back Home''. Caedmon's Call then released ''
Chronicles 1992–2004 Chronicles may refer to: * ''Books of Chronicles'', in the Bible * Chronicle, chronological histories * ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', a novel series by C. S. Lewis * ''Holinshed's Chronicles'', the collected works of Raphael Holinshed * ''The Idhu ...
'' (2004), a best-of collection of the band's work, which included work by Webb.Breimeier, Russ (2004).
"Chronicles."

Christianity Today.
Retrieved November 6, 2006.
In 2007, Caedmon's Call signed onto INO Records, and Webb was featured as singer and songwriter on the album, ''
Overdressed ''Overdressed'' is the eighth major studio release from Caedmon's Call, released in August 2007. It features collaboration with former member and successful solo artist Derek Webb. If the album is ordered through Caedmon's Call's website, you can ...
''. He continued to be involved with the band as producer on the 2011 album ''
Raising Up the Dead Raising may refer to: *Raising (linguistics), a syntactic construction *Raising (phonetics), a sound change *Raising (metalworking), a metalworking technique *Barn raising, a community event to erect the wooden framework for a building *Fundraising ...
''. Webb has considered himself a solo act since 2001, but admits his continued collaboration with the band can make it seem like he never left, saying "Caedmon's Call, as it turns out, is very much like hotel california: you can check out anytime you’d like, but you can never really leave."Webb, Derek (2010).
"the wonderful/complicated world of caedmon’s call"
' Retrieved February 19, 2013.
On May 22, 2007, it was announced that Webb had again worked with Caedmon's Call, writing and recording for their album, entitled ''Overdressed'', and would be joining the band on their subsequent tour.
"The State of Caedmon's Call, May 2007."

caedmonscall.net.
Retrieved May 22, 2007.


Solo career

His first solo album, ''
She Must and Shall Go Free ''She Must and Shall Go Free'' is the first solo studio album by the singer-songwriter Derek Webb following his 2003 departure from Caedmon's Call. Named for the last line of a 175-year-old hymn written by William Gadsby, according to Webb, the alb ...
'' (2003) caused controversy when some Christian retailers refused to stock the album for its use of "strong" language.Janke, Michael (April 20, 2003).
"A Wedding Dress Story."

CMCentral.com.
Retrieved November 6, 2006.
One of the songs that was the basis for controversy was "Wedding Dress" where Webb compares Christians who seek fulfillment in things outside of Christ to a person committing adultery. An introspective tune, Webb writes that "I am a whore I do confess / I put you on just like a wedding dress". Another song that generated controversy was "Saint and Sinner" where Webb wrote "I used to be a damned mess but now I look just fine, 'Cause you dressed me up and we drank the finest wine". The word 'damned' was removed from the final version of the album, at the request of two major Christian retailers. Following the release of ''She Must and Shall Go Free'', Webb embarked on a national tour in which he played living room concerts. This provided the opportunity to have greater interaction with his listeners. He went on to release a live album in 2004 from tour: ''
The House Show ''The House Show'' (2004) is a live album from singer-songwriter Derek Webb from his House Show tour, following the release of his first solo album, '' She Must and Shall Go Free''. Background To provide further interaction with listeners, Webb ...
''.Heikoop, Jessica (2003).
"Derek Webb (2003) Interview."
'
Renown Magazine.
Retrieved November 6, 2006.
His second solo studio record, ''
I See Things Upside Down ''I See Things Upside Down'' (2004) is the second solo studio album from singer-songwriter Derek Webb. It was recorded at The Smoakstack recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee and engineered by Justin Loucks. This album branches out musically fr ...
'' (2004), generated mixed reviews. All marketing to the typical Christian music stations used by his first solo album and his albums with Caedmon's Call was stopped, though the album still has explicitly Christian lyrics. In comparison to Webb's previous work, this album has what's been referred to as an "experimental" style to it, and has been compared to the music of Wilco in that respect. Webb has stated that the album "was doing away with people's expectations to free me up to do what I wanted." Following the release of ''I See Things Upside Down'', Webb released a live concert DVD, ''
How to Kill and Be Killed ''How to Kill and Be Killed'' (2005) is a live concert DVD from singer-songwriter Derek Webb. The full-band show was recorded at the Nashville performance space Rocketown, at the release party for his second solo studio album, '' I See Things Up ...
'' (2005). His third studio album, '' Mockingbird'', was released on December 26, 2005. The album touches on subjects such as politics, social justice, and war. Webb has stated that he tackled these subjects to stimulate discussion and engage people to bring about changes in what he sees as some of the greatest problems the world is facing today.
"Derek Webb: Mockingbird"
'' (
PDF Portable Document Format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems. ...
). Press Release. 2005–10
The Media Collective.
Retrieved November 6, 2006.
To broaden this discussion to people less inclined to purchase his album, beginning September 1, 2006, Webb offered ''Mockingbird'' for free on the website Free Derek Webb (no longer exists), where it was available for download until December 8, 2006.Underwood, Ryan (September 14, 2006). ''www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006609140378 "Can You Make Money Giving Away CDs?"'
Tennessean.com.
Retrieved November 6, 2006.
Over 80,000 free copies of the album were downloaded during this time.
"‘FREE DEREK WEBB’ CAMPAIGN CLOSES WITH OVER 80,000 DOWNLOADS OF MOCKINGBIRD CD."
' Press Release. Retrieved December 31, 2006.
On January 30, 2007, Webb released two EPs, each containing the same ten songs from earlier in his solo career, including pieces from each of his three solo studio albums. '' One Zero (Acoustic)'', contains acoustic reinterpretations of the songs, and is available in stores only. '' One Zero (Remix)'' makes use of the original recording sessions for each of the songs, but has been remixed by engineer Will Hunt. This more experimental record is available only online.
TWO New Derek Webb Projects Coming January 30
'' Press Release. Retrieved December 31, 2006.
Webb's next project, ''
The Ringing Bell ''The Ringing Bell'' (2007) is the fourth solo album release from singer-songwriter Derek Webb.'Derek Webb Speaks Out And Is Heard'' (June 29, 2007). Press Release. Retrieved January 15, 2008. Background Webb has described the record as a rock r ...
'' was released on May 1, 2007. Before the release date, it was available for pre-order at TheRingingBell.com in a deluxe edition which included a 96-page graphic novel inspired by the album. Those who pre-ordered the deluxe edition of the album were also able to immediately download it in its entirety.
The Ringing Bell Available for Pre-Order
'' Press Release. Retrieved April 3, 2007
On May 12, 2009, Webb sent a message to his email mailing list stating that his next album ''
Stockholm Syndrome Stockholm syndrome is a condition in which hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors. It is supposed to result from a rather specific set of circumstances, namely the power imbalances contained in hostage-taking, kidnapping, an ...
'' was deemed too controversial for his record label to release. "It seems I've finally found the line beyond which my label can support me, and apparently I've crossed it," Webb writes. " this point we're not sure when the record will come out and in what form. The majority of the controversy is surrounding one song, which I consider to be among the most important songs on the record …. cause of various legal/publishing issues we're having to be rather careful with how we do what we're going to do next.".Webb, Derek. "new album update from derek webb" E-mail to Website Mailing List via Emma (E2MA). May 12, 2009 Webb's solo release ''Stockholm Syndrome'' was released on his website, derekwebb.com, on July 7, 2009, as a digital release. He has also made physical copies of both the edited and unedited versions of the CD available by September 1, 2009. In late 2011 Derek Webb collaborated on the soundtrack for the film, ''Nexus''. On September 3, 2013, Webb released ''I Was Wrong, I'm Sorry & I Love You''. On September 29, 2017, Webb released ''Fingers Crossed'' which was promoted as "a deeply personal tale of two divorces," touching on themes of his marriage ending and his loss of faith. On February 21, 2020, Webb released ''Targets'' with the tagline, "the time for grief is over". Webb is currently married to Abbie Parker of
I Am They I Am They is an American Christian music band from Carson City, Nevada, formed in 2011. The band consists of five members and was first signed to Essential Records (Christian), Essential Records. Their I Am They (album), self-titled debut album w ...
.


Business ventures

While on tour, Webb noticed that attendance at his shows had increased dramatically after he had made ''Mockingbird'' available for free online. Inspired by that realization, Webb helped form NoiseTrade, a website that allows users to download music for free from independent musicians.


Discography


Studio albums

Caedmon's Call *1994: ''My Calm // Your Storm'' *1995: ''Just Don't Want Coffee'' *1997: '' Caedmon's Call'' *1999: '' 40 Acres'' *2000: ''
Long Line of Leavers ''Long Line of Leavers'' is a studio album from Caedmon's Call. It was recorded at the following studios: *The Bennett House - Franklin, Tennessee (engineer Ben Wisch) * The Farm - Marvin, North Carolina (engineer Ed Cash) *Sound Kitchen - Frankl ...
'' *2001: '' In the Company of Angels: A Call to Worship'' *2003: '' Back Home'' *2007: ''
Overdressed ''Overdressed'' is the eighth major studio release from Caedmon's Call, released in August 2007. It features collaboration with former member and successful solo artist Derek Webb. If the album is ordered through Caedmon's Call's website, you can ...
'' *2010: ''Raising Up the Dead'' Solo *2003: ''
She Must and Shall Go Free ''She Must and Shall Go Free'' is the first solo studio album by the singer-songwriter Derek Webb following his 2003 departure from Caedmon's Call. Named for the last line of a 175-year-old hymn written by William Gadsby, according to Webb, the alb ...
'' *2004: ''
I See Things Upside Down ''I See Things Upside Down'' (2004) is the second solo studio album from singer-songwriter Derek Webb. It was recorded at The Smoakstack recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee and engineered by Justin Loucks. This album branches out musically fr ...
'' *2005: '' Mockingbird'' *2007: ''
The Ringing Bell ''The Ringing Bell'' (2007) is the fourth solo album release from singer-songwriter Derek Webb.'Derek Webb Speaks Out And Is Heard'' (June 29, 2007). Press Release. Retrieved January 15, 2008. Background Webb has described the record as a rock r ...
'' *2009: ''
Stockholm Syndrome Stockholm syndrome is a condition in which hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors. It is supposed to result from a rather specific set of circumstances, namely the power imbalances contained in hostage-taking, kidnapping, an ...
'' *2010: ''
Feedback Feedback occurs when outputs of a system are routed back as inputs as part of a chain of cause-and-effect that forms a circuit or loop. The system can then be said to ''feed back'' into itself. The notion of cause-and-effect has to be handled ...
'' *2012: ''
Ctrl In computing, a Control key is a modifier key which, when pressed in conjunction with another key, performs a special operation (for example, ); similar to the Shift key, the Control key rarely performs any function when pressed by itself. ...
'' *2013: '' I Was Wrong, I'm Sorry & I Love You'' *2017: ''Fingers Crossed'' *2020: ''TARGETS''


Other albums

Caedmon's Call *1997: ''Limited Edition Tour EP'' *1997: ''The Guild Collection Vol. 1'' *1997: ''Intimate Portrait'' *1998: ''The Guild Collection Vol. 2'' *2000: ''Songs from the Guild'' *2001: ''The Guild Collection Vol. 3'' *2004: ''Chronicles 1992-2004'' Solo *2004: ''
The House Show ''The House Show'' (2004) is a live album from singer-songwriter Derek Webb from his House Show tour, following the release of his first solo album, '' She Must and Shall Go Free''. Background To provide further interaction with listeners, Webb ...
'' *2005: ''
How to Kill and Be Killed ''How to Kill and Be Killed'' (2005) is a live concert DVD from singer-songwriter Derek Webb. The full-band show was recorded at the Nashville performance space Rocketown, at the release party for his second solo studio album, '' I See Things Up ...
'' (DVD) *2007: '' One Zero (Acoustic)'' *2007: '' One Zero (Remix)'' *2008: ''Ampersand EP'' (with
Sandra McCracken Sandra Marie McCracken Work ID: 886831052 ISWC: T9140398330 (born June 16, 1977) is an independent singer-songwriter. She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Drawing from folk, gospel, and hymn traditions, her music often weaves together ...
) *2009: ''Paradise Is a Parking Lot'' (DVD) *2010: ''Democracy Vol. 1'' *2011: ''Democracy Vol. 2'' *2011: ''TN EP'' (with
Sandra McCracken Sandra Marie McCracken Work ID: 886831052 ISWC: T9140398330 (born June 16, 1977) is an independent singer-songwriter. She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Drawing from folk, gospel, and hymn traditions, her music often weaves together ...
) *2012: ''NEXUS'' (with SOLA-MI)


Notes and references


External links

*
2007 Audio Interview.

Interview with Patrol Magazine, Part I
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Derek 1974 births Living people American folk singers American male singer-songwriters American performers of Christian music Performers of contemporary Christian music Fair Trade Services artists Calvinist and Reformed writers Singer-songwriters from Texas Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Guitarists from Texas Guitarists from Tennessee American male guitarists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American male singers