Gordon James Mote (born October 25, 1970) is an American Christian country/ southern gospel singer, piano virtuoso, and

worship leader Contemporary worship is a form of Christian worship that emerged within Western evangelical Protestantism in the 20th century. It was originally confined to the charismatic movement, but is now found in a wide range of churches, including many ...

. He was born blind. He has released eight studio albums. His album ''Don't Let Me Miss the Glory'' (2007) was his breakthrough on the '' Billboard'' charts.

Early life

Mote was born, on October 25, 1970, in Gadsden, Alabama, as a blind person, where he grew up in nearby Attalla. He attended both

Jacksonville State University Jacksonville State University (JSU) is a public university in Jacksonville, Alabama. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in six academic schools leading to bachelor's, master's, education specialist, and doctorate degr ...

, where he spent the first three years of his music education, while he transferred to

Belmont University Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, where he graduated with honors in music.

Music career

Just after graduating,

Lee Greenwood Melvin Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He also plays the saxophone. Active since 1962, he has released more than 20 major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the ''Billboa ...

asked Mote to join his band. Since then, he has toured with artists such as

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American singer, actress, author and television personality. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single " She's in Love with the Boy," which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard'' c ...

Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature int ...

Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...

, the Gaither Vocal Band, and the

Gaither Homecoming ''Gaither Homecoming'' is the name applied to a series of videos, music recordings and concerts, which are organized, promoted and usually presented by Christian music songwriter and impresario Bill Gaither. To date, the ''Gaither Homecoming'' t ...

Tour. In 2001, when a pianist was needed for

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many ...

's "

Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning) "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Alan Jackson. It was the lead single from his tenth studio album, '' Drive'' (2002), released on Arista Nashville. The song's lyrics ...

" recording, Mote was recommended. After that, he became a very sought-after studio musician, playing on numerous country and gospel artist's albums. His studio album, ''Don't Let Me Miss the Glory'', was his debut as a vocalist. It was released on October 23, 2007, with Spring Hill Records. This album was his breakthrough, appearing on the ''Billboard'' magazine charts, peaking at No. 170 on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...

and No. 10 on the

Christian Albums Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...

chart.

Discography

Albums

Gaither Homecoming Video featured performances

*2007: ''How Great Thou Art''; "Shall We Gather at the River" *2008: ''Homecoming Picnic''; "Sweet Forgiveness" *2008: ''Country Bluegrass Homecoming, Volume 1''; "I Know Somebody Who Does" *2008: ''Country Bluegrass Homecoming, Volume 2''; "Ain't Gonna Give Up on God" *2010: ''Giving Thanks''; "

Everything Is Beautiful "Everything Is Beautiful" is a song written, composed, and performed by Ray Stevens. It has appeared on many of Stevens's albums, including one named after the song, and has become a pop standard and common in religious performances. The childre ...

" *2011: ''Alaskan Homecoming''; "I'm Working on a Road" *2011: ''Majesty''; "When I Lift Up My Head", "Heaven's Jubilee" *2012: ''Mercy Walked In''

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Cross Rhythms profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mote, Gordon 1970 births American performers of Christian music Blind musicians Christian country singers Gospel music pianists Living people Singers from Alabama Songwriters from Alabama Musicians from Gadsden, Alabama Southern gospel performers 21st-century American singers 21st-century pianists