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Word Records is a Christian faith-based entertainment company based in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. It is owned by
Curb Records Curb Records (also known as Asylum-Curb and formerly known as MCG Curb) is an American record label started by Mike Curb, originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of M ...
, and is a part of
Word Entertainment Word Entertainment is a Christian faith-based entertainment company based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Curb Records. Word Entertainment represents Francesca Battistelli, for King & Country, Switchfoot, Skillet, Sidewalk Prophets, Chri ...
. It is distributed by
Warner Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
(the former Warner Bros. Records).


History

In 1951, Word Records was established in
Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and Interstate 35, I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin, Texas, Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 popul ...
by Jarrell McCracken, Baylor business major Henry SoRelle and radio/television executive Ted Snider. The label's name is based on a 16-minute
spoken word Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...
recording written and narrated by McCracken, the first recording released by the label, entitled "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 Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
preacher, and based his recording on the article which is also called "The Game of Life". 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 "The Game of Life" 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", which 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.Based on an interview with Jarrell McCracken, May 1997, Waco, TX Subsequent records focused on other spoken word recordings, but Word soon branched out into southern gospel music. Early employees for the label included Tom Norfleet,
Kurt Kaiser Kurt Frederic Kaiser (December 17, 1934November 12, 2018) was an American contemporary church music composer and arranger. Biography Kurt Kaiser was born on December 17, 1934, in Chicago, Illinois. He was the third child born to Elizabeth (nĂ ...
and
Ralph Carmichael Ralph Carmichael (May 27, 1927 – October 18, 2021) was an American composer and arranger of both secular pop music and contemporary Christian music. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music. Early life and career C ...
. The label struggled initially until Marvin Norcross became an equity partner. By 1954, Word had become a publishing house as well. Several subsidiary labels were started over the years:
Canaan Records Canaan Records is a Christian record label and is a subsidiary of Word Entertainment. History The label was started in 1965, by Marvin Norcross, for the label's Southern gospel quartets. Their biggest artist to date is the Happy Goodman Fami ...
in the 1960s,
Myrrh Records __NOTOC__ Myrrh Records (also known as Myrrh Worship) was an American Christian music record label. According to ''Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music'', the label was instrumental in developing a popular following for contemporary Christian m ...
in 1972, DaySpring Records in 1977, and Rejoice Records in the 1980s. Two of these labels no longer exist in their original form. The Myrrh label was resurrected in 2005, as a praise and worship record label,
Myrrh Worship __NOTOC__ Myrrh Records (also known as Myrrh Worship) was an American Christian music record label. According to ''Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music'', the label was instrumental in developing a popular following for contemporary Christian m ...
.
Canaan Records Canaan Records is a Christian record label and is a subsidiary of Word Entertainment. History The label was started in 1965, by Marvin Norcross, for the label's Southern gospel quartets. Their biggest artist to date is the Happy Goodman Fami ...
was also re-opened in early 2007, with Dave Clark at the helm.
Larry Norman Larry David Norman (April 8, 1947 – February 24, 2008) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Christian rock music and released more than 100 album ...
's
Solid Rock Records Solid Rock Records is a record label started by Larry Norman. It was established in 1975 to distribute his work after he had been released by Capitol Records. Solid Rock had a distribution deal until 1980 with Word Records. The label's roste ...
had a distribution deal with Word, from 1975 to 1980. Artists on Solid Rock included Norman,
Randy Stonehill Randall Evan Stonehill (born March 12, 1952) is an American singer and songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the pioneers of contemporary Christian music. His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but ...
,
Daniel Amos Daniel Amos (aka D. A., Dä) is an American Christian rock band formed in 1974 by Terry Scott Taylor on guitars and vocals, Marty Dieckmeyer on bass guitar, Steve Baxter (musician), Steve Baxter on guitars and Jerry Chamberlain on lead guitars. ...
, Tom Howard and
Mark Heard John Mark Heard III (December 16, 1951 – August 16, 1992) was an American record producer, folk rock singer and songwriter from Macon, Georgia. Heard released sixteen albums, and produced or performed with many artists, including: Sam Phil ...
. In 1983,
Chris Christian Chris Christian (born Lon Christian Smith on February 7, 1951) is an American songwriter, record producer, and a record label executive. His songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, Hall and Oates, Natalie Cole, Sheena Ea ...
signed a distribution deal, to move his label
Home Sweet Home Records Home Sweet Home Records (also known as CC Entertainment) is a record label, based in Dallas, Texas. History Home Sweet Home began in 1981, in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded by singer, songwriter and producer Chris Christian. Since its in ...
from
Benson Records Benson Records was founded by Bob Benson and John T. Benson, who formed the John T. Benson Music Publishing Company in 1902. The record label started out as Heart Warming Records, creating house labels such as Impact Records, Greentree Records, ...
to Word Records. It is still active, and remains under the independent ownership of
Chris Christian Chris Christian (born Lon Christian Smith on February 7, 1951) is an American songwriter, record producer, and a record label executive. His songs have been recorded by Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, Hall and Oates, Natalie Cole, Sheena Ea ...
.
Light Records Light Records is a gospel record label founded in 1966 by Ralph Carmichael, as a joint venture with the Waco, Texas-based Word Records. It is a subsidiary of the MNRK Music Group. History Light Records' first roster included Ralph Carmichae ...
was distributed in the 1970s by Word Records, before being sold to Ralph Carmichael in the 1980s.
Reunion Records Reunion Records is a contemporary Christian record label based in Brentwood, Tennessee, that operates under the Provident Label Group. It was founded in 1982 by Dan Harrell and Mike Blanton. History The label was formed by Amy Grant's manager ...
signed a distribution and promotion contract in the 1980s. The agreement lasted well into the 1990s. Today, Reunion Records is distributed through
Provident Label Group Provident Entertainment is a division of Sony Music headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee and focused primarily on Christian music. The group handles its own physical distribution through its Provident-Integrity service. Provident Label Group ...
.
Star Song Communications Star Song Communications is a Christian record label that was started in 1976 in music, 1976 by Wayne Donowho, who recruited his friend Darrell Harris. It gained notoriety when it issued Resurrection Band's ground breaking debut album, Awaiting Yo ...
was distributed by Word Records, but left their distribution deal in the late 1980s to sign with
Sparrow Records Sparrow Records is a Christian music record label and a division of Universal Music Group. History Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then artists and repertoire (A&R) director at Myrrh Records. Barry McGuire was the fi ...
, which was taken over by Chordant Distribution and then by
EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
. 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 Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christianity, Chri ...
. Artists included:
Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She began her music career in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the mid-1980s. Grant has been referred to as "Honorific ...
,
Michael W. Smith Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian music, contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when "Place in This Worl ...
,
Rich Mullins Richard Wayne Mullins (October 21, 1955 – September 19, 1997) was an American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter best known for his contemporary worship music, worship songs "Awesome God" and "Sometimes by Step". Some of his ...
, Russ and Tori Taff, Benny Hester,
Paul Smith Paul Smith is the name of: Music * Paul Smith (composer) (1906–1985), American film music composer * Paul Smith (pianist) (1922–2013), Los Angeles jazz pianist * Paul Smith (English singer) (born 1979), vocalist and songwriter of British in ...
,
the Imperials The Imperials is an American contemporary Christian music group that has been active for over 60 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There ...
,
Petra Petra (; "Rock"), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu (Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: or , *''Raqēmō''), is an ancient city and archaeological site in southern Jordan. Famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit systems, P ...
,
Helen Baylor Helen LaRue Lowe (born January 8, 1954), known professionally as Helen Baylor, is an American singer–songwriter. Early life Born Helen LaRue Lowe in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Baylor is the oldest of seven, she has five brothers and one sister. Baylor ...
,
Sandi Patti Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty (born July 12, 1956) is an American Christian music singer, known for her wide soprano vocal range and expressive flexibility. Biography Early life Patty was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, into a family of musician ...
,
Kenny Marks Kenneth Michael Marks (November 6, 1950 – October 31, 2018) was an American Christian singer. Early life and education Marks' father Mirko “Michael” Mrakovic and mother Ljubica “Lucy” Vukic were from Yugoslavia. His parents changed th ...
,
Wayne Watson Wayne Watson (born October 5, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter in contemporary Christian music. Some of his songs have become CCM classics, including "Another Time, Another Place", "For Such a Time as This", "Friend of a Wounded Heart", " ...
,
Carman In Celtic mythology, Carman (Carmán) or Carmun was a warrior and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with her three sons, Dub ("darkness"), Dother ("evil") and Dian ("violence"). She use ...
,
the Archers ''The Archers'' is a British radio soap opera currently broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word Radio broadcasting, channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now pr ...
featuring
Steve Archer Steve Archer (born January 5, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and producer. He is a pioneer of the genre of Jesus music, later to become known as contemporary Christian music. He is the former lead singer of the Archers, a contemporary Ch ...
,
White Heart White Heart, also listed as Whiteheart, was an American contemporary Christian music and pop-rock band which formed in 1982. White Heart's discography includes thirteen albums, the most recent of which was released in 1997. Original members Bil ...
,
Gaither Vocal Band The Gaither Vocal Band is an American southern gospel vocal group, named after its founder and leader Bill Gaither. On March 1, 2017, it was announced that the Gaither Vocal Band lineup consisted of Reggie Smith, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd ...
,
Bill Gaither Trio The Bill Gaither Trio, originally simply The Gaither Trio, was an American gospel music group, last consisting of Bill, his wife Gloria Gaither, and Michael English. History In 1955, The Gaither Trio—consisting of siblings Bill, Danny, and ...
,
Point of Grace Point of Grace is an all-female contemporary Christian music vocal group. The current trio consists of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino. The group started out as a quartet in 1991, with original members Breen and Jones, as wel ...
,
Love Song A love song is a song about love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sad and emotion ...
,
Sweet Comfort Band Sweet Comfort Band was an American Christian rock band that first performed in 1973 in Riverside, California, and were active until 1984. The band was initially composed of keyboardist/lead vocalist, Bryan Duncan, and brothers Kevin (bass guitar ...
,
the Nelons The Nelons, formerly the Rex Nelon Singers, were an American southern gospel group based in Atlanta, Georgia. Group members included Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, and Kelly's daughters Amber Nelon Kistler and Autumn Nelon Streetman. ...
,
Happy Goodman Family The Happy Goodman Family is a Southern gospel group that was founded in the 1940s by Howard "Happy" Goodman and performed together for several decades. The Happy Goodmans achieved significant popularity in the 1960s. In 1968, they won the firs ...
featuring
Rusty Goodman Charles F. "Rusty" Goodman (September 2, 1933 – November 11, 1990) was an American singer/songwriter in the Southern Gospel Music industry. He was a prolific composer whose many songs included "Standing in the Presence of the King", "Leavin' ...
,
Florida Boys The Florida Boys were a male vocal quartet in Southern gospel music. The group was founded in 1947 by J. G. Whitfield. Originally named The Gospel Melody Quartet, the group was renamed in 1954. From the 1950s until 2007, the group was led by ...
,
Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...
, Phil and Brenda Nicholas and other artists. In the 1976, McCracken sold part interest in his label to the
American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American Commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast Television broadcaster, television and radio Radio network, network that serves as the flagship property of the Disney Entertainment division ...
. 10 years later, ABC merged with
Capital Cities/ABC Capital Cities/ABC Inc. was an American media company. It was founded in 1985 when Capital Cities Communications purchased the much larger American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. It was eventually acquired by The Walt Disney Company and re-branded i ...
, Inc. and forced McCracken out of the company. From 1984 to 1990, Word was distributed in the general market by
A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
, and then by
Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...
until 2002. In 1992, Capital Cities/ABC sold Word to Thomas Nelson, Inc. for $72 million, and Nelson made two major changes—developing the present swirling "W" logo for book products which was unveiled in 1995. Headquarters moved from Waco, Texas, to its present headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. Nelson split the record label and book publishing arms in 1996, when the labels were sold to Gaylord Entertainment. 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 and settled later. After Colin Reed took over Gaylord Entertainment in 2001, the hotelier made corporate changes at the company, including the ousting of longstanding president Roland Lundy. The Word Entertainment group was sold to then-
AOL Time Warner Warner Media, LLC (doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warner i ...
in 2002. That same year, former
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
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 Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
music publishing office, absorbing
Myrrh Records __NOTOC__ Myrrh Records (also known as Myrrh Worship) was an American Christian music record label. According to ''Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music'', the label was instrumental in developing a popular following for contemporary Christian m ...
,
Squint Entertainment Squint Entertainment was a record label owned by Word Entertainment, started and run by musician and songwriter Steve Taylor in 1997. Squint pushed Sixpence None the Richer to mainstream success with their single "Kiss Me". The band had been in ...
, and Everland Entertainment into the Word Label Group, and reducing in-house staff.
Curb Records Curb Records (also known as Asylum-Curb and formerly known as MCG Curb) is an American record label started by Mike Curb, originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of M ...
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 Jr. Edgar Miles Bronfman Jr. (born May 16, 1955) is an American businessman, filmmaker, theater producer, and media executive who is a managing partner at Accretive LLC. He previously was CEO of Warner Music Group from 2004 to 2011, and was its chair ...
to form a newly independent
Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment and record label Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the "Record label#M ...
. In March 2016, it was announced that Mike Curb acquired 100% of Word Entertainment (excluding the print music division) from Warner Music Group. However, WMG has continued to distribute Word's output for the general market. The print music division (Word Music and Church Resources), excluding Word Publishing, was subsequently acquired by
The Lorenz Corporation The Lorenz Corporation, previously known as Lorenz Publishing Company, is a music publisher located in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It is best known for its publication of church music Church music is a genre of Christian music written for ...
in February 2017.


Artist roster

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


Current

*
Meredith Andrews Meredith Frances Sooter (born January 19, 1983), known professionally as Meredith Andrews, is a contemporary Christian music artist, songwriter and worship leader. She has won two Dove Awards. Biography Andrews grew up in Wilson, North Caroli ...
* About a Mile *
Chris August Christopher August Megert (born March 20, 1982), known professionally as Chris August, is an American Contemporary Christian musician. August began recording as a secular musician before switching to Christian music. His song " Starry Night" rea ...
* For King & Country *
Francesca Battistelli Francesca Battistelli (born May 18, 1985) is an American Christian singer and songwriter. She was originally an independent artist and had released an independent album, ''Just a Breath'', in 2004. Her first studio album on Fervent Records, '' M ...
*
Big Daddy Weave Big Daddy Weave is an American contemporary Christian band from Mobile, Alabama. Formed in 1998, the band is composed of Mike Weaver, Joe Shirk, Jeremy Redmon, Brian Beihl, and Raul Alfonso. Since 2021, they have been signed to Curb Records. ...
* Blanca * Jason Castro * Everfound *
Family Force 5 FF5 (formerly known as Family Force 5, The Phamily, Ground Noise and The Brothers) is an American Christian rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. The band was formed in 2004 by brothers Solomon "Soul Glow Activatur" Olds, Joshua "Fatty" Olds, and Jac ...
(changed name to FF5) *
Group 1 Crew Group 1 Crew was an American Christian hip hop and R&B band signed to Fervent Records and Warner Bros. Records. They made their debut with the hit song A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song ...
* Dara Maclean *
Needtobreathe Needtobreathe (stylized as NEEDTOBREATHE) is an American rock band from Seneca, South Carolina. The group first gained fame for their Christian themes, eventually reaching crossover success. The band is composed of Bear Rinehart (lead vocals, ...
*
Point of Grace Point of Grace is an all-female contemporary Christian music vocal group. The current trio consists of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino. The group started out as a quartet in 1991, with original members Breen and Jones, as wel ...
*
Sidewalk Prophets Sidewalk Prophets is an American contemporary Christian music band from Nashville. Their album '' These Simple Truths'' contained the single "The Words I Would Say" which is also featured on '' WOW Hits 2010'' and '' WOW Hits 2011''. The group ...
*
Stars Go Dim Stars Go Dim (SGD) is a moniker for Christian singer Chris Cleveland. It was formerly an American pop rock group from Tulsa, Oklahoma, that formed in late 2007. Originally formed as a side project of the Christian rock band Pillar, it consisted ...
* We Are Messengers *
Zealand Worship Zealand Worship is an American worship band, founded by Phil Joel (formerly of Newsboys), hailing from Franklin, Tennessee. The band started making music in 2015. They released, ''Zealand Worship - The EP'', an extended play, with both Word Reco ...


Former

*
4Him 4Him was an American contemporary Christian music group founded in 1990 in Mobile, Alabama. The group has ten GMA Dove Awards, Dove awards, a Grammy Award, Grammy nomination and three certified gold albums to their credit. The group was inducte ...
* Across the Sky * The Alwyn Wall Band *
Dick Anthony Dick Anthony (September 24, 1939 – July 24, 2022) was a forensic psychologist noted for his writings on the validity of brainwashing as a determiner of behavior, a prolific researcher of the social and psychological aspects of involvement in ...
*
The Archers ''The Archers'' is a British radio soap opera currently broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word Radio broadcasting, channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now pr ...
*
Bob Ayala Bob Ayala was an American Contemporary Christian musician from Los Angeles, California. Robert Steven "Bob" Ayala (born March 9, 1951, died November 22, 2020) was born and raised in Whittier, California. As a teenager, Bob played in two differe ...
* Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters * Bash-n-the-Code *
Helen Baylor Helen LaRue Lowe (born January 8, 1954), known professionally as Helen Baylor, is an American singer–songwriter. Early life Born Helen LaRue Lowe in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Baylor is the oldest of seven, she has five brothers and one sister. Baylor ...
* Charles Billingsley * Caroline Bonnett * Dave Boyer *
Calvin Bridges Calvin Blackman Bridges (January 11, 1889 – December 27, 1938) was an American scientist known for his contributions to the field of genetics. Along with Alfred Sturtevant and H.J. Muller, Bridges was part of Thomas Hunt Morgan's famous "Fly R ...
*
Scott Wesley Brown Scott Wesley Brown (born June 4, 1952) is an American CCM singer and songwriter. He has recorded 25 albums and toured in over 50 countries. Biography Brown was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He recorded for Sparrow Records for much of h ...
*
Anita Bryant Anita Jane Bryant (March 25, 1940 – December 16, 2024) was an American singer and anti-gay rights activist. She had three top 20 hits in the United States in the early 1960s. She was the 1958 Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and a brand ...
*
Building 429 Building 429 is an American Christian rock band from Fayetteville, North Carolina. The band's name refers to Ephesians 4:29, a Biblical passage that (in the New International Version of the Bible) reads: "Do not let any unwholesome talk come ou ...
*
Shirley Caesar Shirley Ann Caesar-Williams (Birth name, née Caesar; born October 13, 1938), known professionally as Shirley Caesar, is an American Gospel music, gospel singer. Her career began in 1951, when she signed to Federal Records at the age of 12. Thro ...
*
Steve Camp Steven J. Camp (born April 13, 1955) is an American contemporary Christian music artist and pastor. In the tradition of Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses, Camp sent out his own 107 theses on Reformation Day (October 31), 1998, calling for a r ...
*
Carman In Celtic mythology, Carman (Carmán) or Carmun was a warrior and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with her three sons, Dub ("darkness"), Dother ("evil") and Dian ("violence"). She use ...
*
Bruce Carroll Bruce Carroll (born December 5, 1953), is an American CCM singer and multi Grammy and Dove Award winning recording artist. Biography Carroll first began performing in a trio with his siblings at age 12; he played folk music in various venues in ...
*
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
*
The Cathedrals The Cathedral Quartet, also known as the Cathedrals, was an American southern gospel quartet who performed from 1964 to December 1999. The group's final lineup consisted of Glen Payne (lead), George Younce (bass), Ernie Haase (tenor), Scott ...
* Patrick Ryan Clark *
Ashley Cleveland Ashley Cleveland (born February 2, 1957) is an American singer-songwriter best known as a background vocalist and Gospel music, gospel singer. Ashley Cleveland was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. Career She sang "We're Gonna Win This One" in 1 ...
* Denny Correll *
Clay Crosse Clay Crosse (born Walter Clayton Crossnoe, February 11, 1967) is a contemporary Christian music artist. He has won four GMA Dove Awards, and is probably best known for the single "I Surrender All". Music career Clay Crosse grew up in Memphis, Te ...
*
Billy Ray Cyrus William Ray Cyrus ( ; born August 25, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Having released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, he is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs cha ...
* Dakota Motor Co * Dana *
Dion Dimucci Dion Francis DiMucci (born July 18, 1939), better known Mononym, mononymously as Dion, is an American singer and songwriter. His music incorporates elements of doo-wop, Pop music, pop, Rock music, rock, Rhythm and blues, R&B, folk music, folk an ...
*
Dove Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with small heads, relatively short necks and slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. ...
*
Downhere Downhere (stylized as downhere) was a Christian rock band from Canada. They have released six studio albums to date: ''Downhere (2001 album), Downhere'' (2001), ''So Much for Substitutes'' (2003), ''Wide-Eyed and Mystified'' (2006), ''Ending I ...
*
Bryan Duncan Bryan Edward Duncan (born March 16, 1953) is an American contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect ...
* O'landa Draper and the Associates *
John Elefante John Elefante (born March 18, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. From 1981-1984, he was lead vocalist of the rock group Kansas and is currently touring with several groups that have featured members from clas ...
*
Joe English (musician) Joe English (born July 2, 1949) is an American musician, vocalist and songwriter who, during the 1970s, played drums in Paul McCartney's band Wings and in the rock band Sea Level, among others. Biography Born on July 2, 1949, in Rochester, N ...
* Evie *
Fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
* John Fischer * The Florida Boys *
Richie Furay Paul Richard Furay (born May 9, 1944) is an American musician and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member (with Buffalo Springfield). He is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey ...
*
Gaither Vocal Band The Gaither Vocal Band is an American southern gospel vocal group, named after its founder and leader Bill Gaither. On March 1, 2017, it was announced that the Gaither Vocal Band lineup consisted of Reggie Smith, Wes Hampton, Adam Crabb, Todd ...
*
John Gimenez John Gimenez was an American Pentecostal evangelist. He was a pastor, international overseer and bishop of Rock Ministerial Family and Rock Church International, which he co-founded with his wife Anne in 1968. He founded the Washington for Jesus ...
*
Terri Gibbs Teresa Fay Gibbs (born June 15, 1954) is an American country music artist. Between 1980 and 2017, she recorded eleven studio albums, including four for MCA Records and one for Warner Bros. Records. She also charted 13 singles on the ''Billboard' ...
*
Happy Goodman Family The Happy Goodman Family is a Southern gospel group that was founded in the 1940s by Howard "Happy" Goodman and performed together for several decades. The Happy Goodmans achieved significant popularity in the 1960s. In 1968, they won the firs ...
*
Amy Grant Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She began her music career in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the mid-1980s. Grant has been referred to as "Honorific ...
* Lilly Green *
Bruce Greer Bruce Greer (born October 2, 1961 in Longview, Texas) is an American pianist, singer and composer. Biographical information Greer recalls arranging hymns for choir and piano by age twelve. By the time he was in high school, his compositions were ...
*
Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...
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The Hawaiians Hawaiians are the indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiians or The Hawaiians may also refer to: * The Hawaiians (WFL), a football team in the World Football League from 1974 to 1975 * ''The Hawaiians'' (film), a 1970 American hi ...
* Benny Hester * Bruce Hibbard *
Dallas Holm Dallas Holm (born November 5, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter of Christian music, whose musical ministry has spanned almost four decades. His 1977 live album, with the group Praise, featured his best known song, "Rise Again". The group ...
* Holm, Sheppard, & Johnson *
Holy Soldier Holy Soldier was a Christian metal, Christian hard rock/glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. They released three studio albums. History The band was originally formed in early 1985 by bassist Andy Robbins and guitarist Jamie Cra ...
* Honeytree *
The Hoppers The Hoppers are an American Southern gospel singing group from North Carolina. Their music combines Southern gospel with Pop, country, and rock music. History The Hoppers are a family ensemble which first began performing together in 1957. They ...
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The Imperials The Imperials is an American contemporary Christian music group that has been active for over 60 years. Originating as a southern gospel quartet, the innovative group would become pioneers of contemporary Christian music in the 1960s. There ...
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Wanda Jackson Wanda LaVonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American retired singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of Rock music, rock, Country music, country and Gospel music, gospel. She was among th ...
* JC & the Boyz * J.C. Crew * Troy Johnson *
Anita Kerr Anita Jean Kerr (''née'' Grilli; October 13, 1927 – October 10, 2022) was an American singer, arranger, composer, conductor, pianist, and music producer. She recorded and performed with her vocal harmony groups in Nashville, Los Angeles, and ...
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Wes King Wes King (born January 20, 1966) is an American contemporary Christian singer, songwriter, photographer, and musician. He is perhaps best known for his 1993 album ''The Robe.'' His demo material, a cassette tape named "Lonely Poet", is sung by o ...
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The Kingsmen The Kingsmen are a 1960s American rock band from Portland, Oregon. They are best known for their 1963 recording of R&B singer Richard Berry's "Louie Louie", which held the No. 2 spot on the ''Billboard'' charts for six weeks and has bec ...
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Rachael Lampa Rachael Maureen Lampa (born January 8, 1985) is an American contemporary Christian singer, songwriter and record producer. At age 15, she found critical acclaim and success in 2000 with the release of her debut album, '' Live for You''. Early ...
* The Lefevres *
Mylon LeFevre Mylon Rae LeFevre (October 6, 1944 – September 8, 2023) was an American Christian rock singer known for his work with his band Mylon and Broken Heart. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and traveled around the United States, mi ...
& Broken Heart * Solveig Leithaug *
The Lewis Family The Lewis Family is a family of gospel and bluegrass musicians from Lincolnton, Georgia. They are known as the "First Family of Bluegrass Gospel". Background The family was founded by Pop and Mom Lewis (Roy Lewis Sr. and Pauline Lewis, née H ...
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Liberation Suite Liberation Suite (sometimes LibSuite) was a Jesus Music era Christian rock band. They originated in San Marcos, Texas but soon moved to Great Britain, where they found their greatest success. ''Cross Rhythms'' characterizes the band as having a "s ...
* Love & the Outcome * LoveWar *
Mark Lowry Mark Alan Lowry (born June 24, 1958) is an American singer, comedian, minister and songwriter. He is best known for co-writing the song " Mary, Did You Know?" and being a member of the Gaither Vocal Band from 1988 to 2001, and 2009 to 2013, alo ...
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Kenny Marks Kenneth Michael Marks (November 6, 1950 – October 31, 2018) was an American Christian singer. Early life and education Marks' father Mirko “Michael” Mrakovic and mother Ljubica “Lucy” Vukic were from Yugoslavia. His parents changed th ...
* Sarah Masen *
Babbie Mason Babbie Yvett Robie Wade Mason (born February 1, 1955) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, writer, and adjunct professor of songwriting at Point University and Lee University, and also a television talk-show host. Born to Georgie and Geo ...
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Ken Medema Kenneth Peter Medema (born December 7, 1943) is an American musician and singer-songwriter who has been performing in the United States, Canada, and Europe for more than forty years. Some of his best known songs began as live improvisations. M ...
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David Meece David Meece (born May 26, 1952) is an American contemporary Christian musician who enjoyed success in the mid-1980s and into the early 2010s, with more than thirty Top 10 hits, including several No. 1 songs. Education Meece grew up in Humble ...
* Bobby Michaels *
Mighty Clouds of Joy The Mighty Clouds of Joy were an American traditional gospel music quartet. Career The Mighty Clouds of Joy was formed in 1959 in Los Angeles as a tradition-based style group. It wasn't until 1961 as the group became famous, they added bass, ...
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Julie Miller Julie Anne Miller (born Julie Griffin, July 12, 1956) is an American songwriter, singer, and recording artist living in Nashville, Tennessee. She married Buddy Miller in 1981. They sing and play on each other's solo projects and have recorded ...
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Cindy Morgan (singer) Cindy Lavonne Morgan (born June 4, 1968) is an American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter. Morgan's 1992 debut album, ''Real Life'', earned her six Dove Award nominations. Her follow-up, ''A Reason to Live (album), A Reason ...
* The Mercy River Boys * Morning Chapel Hour Choir *
David Mullen (singer) David Mullen (born 1964) is a former Blues Pop / CCM singer, songwriter and musician. Later he became well known as a songwriter, music producer, and film score composer. He released his first album in 1989, and won the GMA Dove Award for New Ar ...
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Rich Mullins Richard Wayne Mullins (October 21, 1955 – September 19, 1997) was an American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter best known for his contemporary worship music, worship songs "Awesome God" and "Sometimes by Step". Some of his ...
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The Nelons The Nelons, formerly the Rex Nelon Singers, were an American southern gospel group based in Atlanta, Georgia. Group members included Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, and Kelly's daughters Amber Nelon Kistler and Autumn Nelon Streetman. ...
* Tom Netherton *
Newsong NewSong is an American contemporary Christian music group that was established in 1981, at Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia. They have had twelve GMA Dove Award nominations, and one 45th Annual Grammy Awards, Grammy Award Nomin ...
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Michael Omartian Michael S. Omartian (born November 26, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and music producer. He produced number-one records in three consecutive decades. He has earned 11 Grammy Awards nominations and won three. H ...
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The Pat Terry Group ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...
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Sandi Patti Sandra Faye "Sandi" Patty (born July 12, 1956) is an American Christian music singer, known for her wide soprano vocal range and expressive flexibility. Biography Early life Patty was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, into a family of musician ...
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Leon Patillo Leon Norman Patillo (born January 1, 1947) is an American contemporary Christian singer, keyboardist, and evangelist. Career Patillo's first musical endeavor was with the group Creation, later called Leon's Creation. Formed in the late 1960s, C ...
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Petra Petra (; "Rock"), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu (Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: or , *''Raqēmō''), is an ancient city and archaeological site in southern Jordan. Famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit systems, P ...
* David Phelps *
Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. He appeared in the '' Carry On'' ...
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Don Potter Donald Steele Potter (21 April 1902 – 7 June 2004) was an English sculptor, wood carver, potter and teacher. Early life Don Potter was born in Newington, near Sittingbourne, Kent, the son of a school teacher, and attended a private school ...
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pureNRG PureNRG (stylized as pureNRG and pronounced "Pure Energy") was a Christian pop group from Nashville, Tennessee. They were signed to Fervent Records in late 2006. They released six albums: their self-titled debut ''pureNRG'' (released May 2007 ...
* Rachel Rachel * Kelli Reisen *
Remedy Drive Remedy Drive is an American alternative rock band founded in 1998 in Lincoln, Nebraska. They are now based in Nashville. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist David Zach, alternating bassists Philip Zach and Dave Mohr, and alternatin ...
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Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...
* Mark Schultz *
Servant (band) Servant was a Christian rock group that grew out of the counter-culture Jesus Movement of the sixties and seventies. While living in Tucson Arizona they asked a friend there to pray with him about direction. He saw in division a bright gold lea ...
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George Beverly Shea George Beverly Shea (February 1, 1909 – April 16, 2013) was a Canadian-born American gospel singer and hymn composer. Shea was often described as "America's beloved gospel singer"Michael Ireland, "America's 'Beloved Gospel Singer,' George Beve ...
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Sixpence None the Richer Sixpence None the Richer is an American Christian alternative rock band that formed in New Braunfels, Texas, and eventually settled in Nashville, Tennessee. They are best known for their songs " Kiss Me" and " Breathe Your Name" and their cover ...
* Janet Lynn Skinner *
Chris Sligh Charles Christopher Sligh (; born April 13, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and pastor who was a finalist on the sixth season of '' American Idol'', finishing in tenth place. He has released 14 albums since 2001 as a solo artist, ...
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Paul Smith Paul Smith is the name of: Music * Paul Smith (composer) (1906–1985), American film music composer * Paul Smith (pianist) (1922–2013), Los Angeles jazz pianist * Paul Smith (English singer) (born 1979), vocalist and songwriter of British in ...
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Michael W. Smith Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian music, contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when "Place in This Worl ...
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Stellar Kart Stellar Kart was an American Christian pop punk band from Phoenix, Arizona, signed to Inpop Records and Capitol Records. The band released their first album, '' All Gas. No Brake'', in February 2005. Most of their singles have been accepted exc ...
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Joni Eareckson Tada Joni Eareckson Tada (born October 15, 1949) is an American evangelical Christian author, radio host, artist, and founder of Joni and Friends, an organization "accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community". Early life Joni Eareck ...
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Russ Taff Russell Taff (born November 11, 1953) is an American gospel singer and songwriter who grew up in Farmersville, California. He has sung a variety of musical styles throughout his career including: pop rock, traditional Southern gospel, contempo ...
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Randy Travis Randy Bruce Traywick (born May 4, 1959), known professionally as Randy Travis, is an American country and gospel music singer and songwriter, as well as a film and television actor. Active since 1979, he has recorded over 20 studio albums and ...
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Jaci Velasquez Jacquelyn Davette "Jaci" Velasquez (; born October 15, 1979) is an American actress and contemporary Christian and Latin pop singer and songwriter, performing in both English and Spanish. Velasquez has sold almost three million albums in the U ...
* Veridia * Greg X. Volz * Sheila Walsh * Mike Warnke *
Wayne Watson Wayne Watson (born October 5, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter in contemporary Christian music. Some of his songs have become CCM classics, including "Another Time, Another Place", "For Such a Time as This", "Friend of a Wounded Heart", " ...
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Scott Wenzel Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Sas ...
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Kelli Williams Kelli Renee Williams (born June 8, 1970) is an American actress and director. She is known for her roles as lawyer Lindsay Dole on the ABC legal drama ''The Practice'', psychologist and deception expert Dr. Gillian Foster on the Fox series ''Li ...
* Daniel Winans (Rejoice Records/Word)


See also

*
List of Christian record labels This is a list of notable Christian music record labels. Also see :Christian record labels List 0-9 * 5 Minute Walk * 7Spin Music A * Alarma Records * Alternative Records * Angelophone Records * Ardent Records B * BEC Recordings * Benson ...


References


External links


Word Entertainment website

Word Distribution


with artist roster, Billboard pop performance, photo gallery, more.

* ttp://www.homesweethomerecords.com/ Chris Christian Entertainment - Home Sweet Home Records {{Authority control Record labels based in Nashville, Tennessee Companies based in Waco, Texas History of Waco, Texas American independent record labels Record labels established in 1951 Gospel music record labels 1951 establishments in Texas