Steven Curtis Chapman
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| Steven Curtis Chapman | |
|---|---|
| Image:Steven Curtis Chapman.jpg Chapman in a concert
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Steven Curtis Chapman |
| Born | November 21 1962 |
| Origin | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Paducah, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | CCM Christian rock Pop |
| Occupation(s) | singer, songwriter, Record Producer, |
| Instrument(s) | vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1987 - present |
| Label(s) | EMI/Sparrow |
| Website | www.stevencurtischapman.com |
Steven Curtis Chapman (born November 21, 1962 in Paducah, Kentucky, U.S.) is a Contemporary Christian musician.
After starting his career in the late 80s as a songwriter, Chapman has turned into one of the most prolific singers in the genre, releasing more than 20 albums to this date. As of 2007, he has sold more than 10 million albums and has 9 gold and platinum albums. Chapman has also won five Grammy awards and 51 Gospel Music Association Awards, more than any other artist in history.[1]
Chapman is also a vocal advocate for adoption, along with his wife Mary Beth. Together, they have adopted three children from China and have started a charity organization called Shaohannah's Hope, which offers grants to qualifying families to help defray the cost of adopting, at home and abroad.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Childhood and youth
Steven Curtis Chapman was born in Paducah, Kentucky on November 21, 1962. Since he was a child, he showed interest in music while spending time at his father's music store. He learned to play several instruments, excelling at guitar and piano.[2]
Upon finishing high school, Chapman enrolled as a pre-med student at Anderson College in Indiana. However, he soon dropped out and went to Nashville to pursue a career in music. He began working a music show at Opryland USA while dedicating time to songwriting.[3]
In the 1980s, Chapman wrote a song called "Built to Last", which was recorded by prominent gospel group, The Imperials. The strength of the song prompted him to be signed to a songwriting deal with Sparrow Records where he rose to prominence. As of 2007, artists like Sandi Patti, Billy Dean, Glen Campbell, and Roger Whittaker, have recorded Chapman's songs.[4]
[edit] First albums
In 1987, Chapman released his first album, First Hand. The album included the song "Weak Days", which peaked at #2 on the Contemporary Christian Music chart. In 1988, he followed with his second album, Real Life Conversations, which earned him four more hits, including the #1 song "His Eyes." The song, which was co-written by James Isaac Elliott, earned the Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year award from the Gospel Music Association in 1989. That year, he also won a GMA Award for Best Songwriter of the Year.[5]
After that, Chapman followed with more albums like More to This Life and For the Sake of the Call. All of these albums featured several #1 singles, and were awarded several GMA Awards. The latter also gave Chapman his first Grammy in the Best Pop Gospel Album category. This achievements strengthened his position in the Christian music scene.[6]
[edit] Going mainstream
In 1992, Chapman made a successful shift into a more mainstream audience with his album The Great Adventure. The album garnered Chapman with two more Grammys for the album, and the title track video. After Sparrow Records was purchased by EMI/Liberty, they began to market the album to a broader audience, pushing it to gold status in 1993. The success of the album prompted Chapman to record one of his concerts and release it as The Live Adventure both as a video and a CD. This continuation won Chapman more GMA Awards and also a new award from American Songwriter magazine for Songwriter and Artist of the Year.[7]
Chapman followed to enjoy success with albums like Heaven in the Real World, Signs of Life and Speechless. In 2001, with the release of Declaration, Chapman began to get more attention on the Top 200. That album, along with 2002's All About Love, peaked in the Top 15. The follow-up, All Things New, made it to #22.[8]
Chapman has also released three Christmas albums beginning with 1995's The Music of Christmas. In 2005, he released All I Really Want for Christmas and followed it with Musical Blessing in 2006.
In the Christian video game Dance Praise, 4 songs from Steven Curtis Chapman are included: "All About Love", "Dive", "Live Out Loud", and "Only Getting Started". The Dance Praise expansion pack, Dance Praise Expansion Pack Volume 1: Modern Worship, adds the following songs to the game: "Children of the Burning Heart", "Let us Pray", "See the Glory", "Fingerprints of God", and "I Do Believe".
Chapman also hosts the Gospel Music Channel show, "The Best of the Dove Awards".
[edit] Recent years
In 2006, Chapman went on tour to several Asian countries. His web site claims his concert for U.S. troops serving in South Korea was the first Christian concert ever performed for the troops in that country, and a concert in Shanghai, China was "the first public performance by a Gospel recording artist event in the city open to China passport holders" and the third-largest concert in Shanghai that spring.[9] The tour also took the artist to Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Singapore. During the same period, his song "The Blessing" reached number one on Thailand radio charts. His number one hit was Dive.
In 2007, Chapman co-headlined Newsong's annual Winter Jam tour with Jeremy Camp. For the tour, he brought his sons' band - The Following - out on tour to play as his backing band along with longtime keyboardist Scott Sheriff. Also, Chapman released his most recent album, This Moment, in October 2007. He continues to tour with his sons, Caleb and Will Franklin for the Live In This Moment Tour. At each stop during the tour, spare change and monetary donations are collected to help grant a local family a financial gift needed to complete an adoption.
[edit] Critical reception
As of 2007, Chapman has sold more than 10 million albums and has 9 gold and platinum albums.[10][11]
[edit] Personal life
As of 2007, Chapman has been married to Mary Beth Chapman (they shared the same last name prior to their marriage) for 23 years. The couple met in the early 80s at Anderson College in Anderson, Indiana and married in the fall of 1984.[12] They currently live in Franklin, Tennessee, and have three biological children (Emily Elizabeth, Caleb Stevenson, Will Franklin) and three adopted daughters from China (Shaohannah Hope Yan, Stevey Joy Ru, Maria Sue Chapman). Chapman and his sons recorded under the name of "Stevenson" for the 2003 Veggie Rocks CD. (Song: "I Love My Lips", VeggieTales). Chapman also starred in the 2003 film Christmas Child.
Together, Chapman and his wife have written three children's books with adoption themes, Shaoey And Dot (2004), Shaoey and Dot: The Christmas Miracle (2005), and Shaoey and Dot: A Thunder and Lightning Bug Story (2006). Together with minister Scotty Smith, Chapman authored two books for the adult inspirational market, Speechless (1999) and Restoring Broken Things (2005). Chapman's song "All About Love" has been featured in commercials for the Fox television show, Celebrity Duets.
[edit] Advocacy and social causes
Chapman and his wife are recognized advocates for adoption. Together, they founded Shaohannah's Hope, a charity organization which offers grants to qualifying families to help defray the cost of adopting, at home and abroad. Both were awarded the Angels of Adoption award by a Congressional Committee for adoption in Washington, D.C. in September of 2001. Chapman also has promoted the international charity World Vision for at least a decade, currently serving as spokesperson for Project Restore, its program serving the U.S. Gulf Coast region in recovery from Hurricane Katrina, in cooperation with the Gospel Music Association.
In the late 1990s, Chapman became involved in youth violence prevention efforts following the 1997 Heath High School shooting at his alma mater in West Paducah, Kentucky.[13] Chapman even dedicated a song, "With Hope", from his 1999 album, Speechless, to the families that lost someone in the shooting.[14] In addition he was asked to sing at the funeral of one of the victims. Chapman later gave a memorial concert and joined Charles Colson and others in creating a video designed to sensitize teenagers to signs of serious violence planning among peers and to encourage them to report plans that are told to them.[15]
[edit] Discography
Chapman has released 16 studio albums, more than 20 albums total in his career, including three Christmas albums, several collections of greatest hits, and a live album. He has sold more than nine million total albums (including two certified Platinum albums, seven certified Gold albums) and had 45 #1 Christian radio hits.[16]
[edit] Awards
Chapman's musical proficiency has earned him 51 music awards.
During the Song of the Year presentation at the 1999 GMA Dove Awards, during the Song of the Year presentation, triple NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Darrell Waltrip asked three-time Dove winner Kathy Troccoli if she could relate to the experience of a driver who has tuned his car to perfection, driving well, only to be blown away by another driver who leaves everyone in the dust to steal the win. The songstress responded, "We know the feeling, Darrell. It happens to us every time Steven Curtis Chapman releases a new record!"
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Another Time... Another Place | Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album 1992 - 1994 For The Sake of the Call The Great Adventure The Live Adventure | Succeeded by Mercy |
| Preceded by This Is My Song | Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album 2000 Speechless | Succeeded by If I Left the Zoo |
| Preceded by Worship Again | Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album 2000 All Things New | Succeeded by Lifesong |
| Preceded by Avalon | American Music Award for Favorite Inspirational Contemporary Artist 2003 | Succeeded by MercyMe |
| Preceded by "Place in This World" Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Wayne Kirkpatrick | GMA's Song of the Year
"The Great Adventure"' | Succeeded by "In Christ Alone" Shawn Craig, Don Koch |
| Preceded by Larnelle Harris | GMA's Songwriter of the Year 1989 - 1995 | Succeeded by Michael W. Smith |
| Preceded by Michael W. Smith | GMA's Songwriter of the Year 1997 - 1998 | Succeeded by Rich Mullins |
| Preceded by Wayne Watson | GMA's Male Vocalist of the Year 1990 - 1991 | Succeeded by Michael English |
| Preceded by Michael English | GMA's Male Vocalist of the Year 1995 | Succeeded by Gary Chapman |
| Preceded by Gary Chapman | GMA's Male Vocalist of the Year 1997 - 1998 | Succeeded by Chris Rice |
| Preceded by Chris Rice | GMA's Male Vocalist of the Year 2000 - 2001 | Succeeded by Mac Powell |
| Preceded by Amy Grant | GMA's Artist of the Year 1990 - 1991 | Succeeded by Amy Grant |
| Preceded by Amy Grant | GMA's Artist of the Year 1993 | Succeeded by Michael English |
| Preceded by Michael English | GMA's Artist of the Year 1995 | Succeeded by DC Talk |
| Preceded by DC Talk | GMA's Artist of the Year 1997 | Succeeded by Rich Mullins |
| Preceded by Michael W. Smith | GMA's Artist of the Year 2000 | Succeeded by Third Day |
| Preceded by Go West Young Man Michael W. Smith | GMA's Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year 1992 - 1993 For the Sake of the Call The Great Adventure | Succeeded by Hope Michael English |
| Preceded by Hope Michael English | GMA's Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year 1995 Heaven in the Real World | Succeeded by The Whole Truth |
| Preceded by The Whole Truth Point of Grace | GMA's Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year 1997 Signs of Life | Succeeded by Behind the Eyes Amy Grant |
| Preceded by Live the Life Michael W. Smith | GMA's Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year 2000 Speechless | Succeeded by This is Your Time Michael W. Smith |
| Preceded by This is Your Time Michael W. Smith | GMA's Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year 2002 Declaration | Succeeded by Woven & Spun |
| Preceded by ' | GMA's Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year 1989 "His Eyes" | Succeeded by "Heaven" |
| Preceded by "Home Free" Wayne Watson | GMA's Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year 1993 - 1995 "The Great Adventure" (with Geoff Moore) "Go There With You" "Heaven in the Real World" | Succeeded by "The Great Divide" Point of Grace |
| Preceded by "Between You and Me" DC Talk | GMA's Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year 1998 "Let Us Pray" | Succeeded by "Testify To Love" Avalon |
| Preceded by "Testify To Love" Avalon | GMA's Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year 2000 "Dive" | Succeeded by "Redeemer" |
| Preceded by ' | GMA's Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year 1990 "I Can See the Hand" (with Jim Chapman III) (recorded by The Cathedrals) | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | GMA's Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year 1990 "His Strength is Perfect" (with Jerry Salley) | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | GMA's Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year 2005 "Voice of Truth" (with Mark Hall) (recorded by Casting Crowns) | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | GMA's Instrumental Album of the Year 2007 'End Of The Spear Soundtrack (with Ronald Owen, Howell Gibbens, Matt Cody, David Mullen, Jamie Moore, Brown Bannister, Otto Price) | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | GMA's Praise and Worship Album of the Year 1995 Corem Deo II (with Out of the Grey, Steve Green, Margaret Becker, Charlie Peacock, CeCe Winans, Bob Carlisle) | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | GMA's Special Event Album of the Year 1996 My Utmost for His Highest (with Amy Grant, Gary Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Point Of Grace, 4HIM, Cindy Morgan, Sandi Patty, Bryan Duncan, Twila Paris, Phillips, Craig & Dean) | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | GMA's Special Event Album of the Year 1998 God with Us - A Celebration of Christmas Carols & Classics (with Anointed, Michael W. Smith, Twila Paris, Sandi Patty, Chris Willis, Steve Green, Cheri Keaggy, Avalon, Out of the Grey, Ray Boltz, Clay Crosse, CeCe Winans, Larnelle Harris) | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | GMA's Special Event Album of the Year 2005 - 2006 The Passion of the Christ: Songs Music Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | Short Form Music Video of the Year 1993 "The Great Adventure" | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | GMA's Long Form Music Video of the Year 1994 The Live Adventure | Succeeded by ' |
| Preceded by ' | GMA's Long Form Music Video of the Year 1999 My Utmost for His Highest - The Concert | Succeeded by ' |
[edit] References
- ^ Sparrow Records. Sparrow Records Artist: Steven Curtis Chapman.
- ^ Brennan, Sandra (All Music Guide). Steven Curtis Chapman Bio.
- ^ Brennan, Sandra (All Music Guide). Steven Curtis Chapman Bio.
- ^ Brennan, Sandra (All Music Guide). Steven Curtis Chapman Bio.
- ^ Brennan, Sandra (All Music Guide). Steven Curtis Chapman Bio.
- ^ Brennan, Sandra (All Music Guide). Steven Curtis Chapman Bio.
- ^ Brennan, Sandra (All Music Guide). Steven Curtis Chapman Bio.
- ^ Brennan, Sandra (All Music Guide). Steven Curtis Chapman Bio.
- ^ http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/news/default.aspx?id=332499 News Brief, July 26, 2006 (accessed August 19, 2006)
- ^ Sparrow Records. Sparrow Records Artist: Steven Curtis Chapman.
- ^ http://christianmusic.about.com/od/musicnews/a/aasccgrammy05.htm Steven Curtis Chapman Wins 5th Grammy at 47th Annual Awards, about.com
- ^ Brasher, Joan (Spring 1997). Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman.
- ^ http://www.house.gov/ed_workforce/hearings/106th/ecyf/schviolence51899/chapman.pdf Testimony of Steven Curtis Chapman to the Early Childhood, Youth and Families Subcommittee Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives, on May 18, 1999
- ^ Connection Magazine. Curtis Chapman.
- ^ http://members.shaohannahshope.org/site/PageServer
- ^ http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/artists/stevencurtischapman.html
[edit] External links
- Steven Curtis Chapman
- Songtailor: SCC Fansite
- Live performance of the song Speechless
- Live performance of unreleased song
- Sparrow Records
- Shaohannah's Hope Adoption Foundationde:Steven Curtis Chapman
fr:Steven Curtis Chapman
