NEWSONG

'NewSong' is a Contemporary Christian Music group that was founded in 1981, at Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia.^[1] They have had 17 #1 singles and six GMA Dove Award nominations. They are the founders of Winter Jam, the United States' largest annual Christian music tour.^[2] It began in 1995, and is still hosted by NewSong. It has had guests such as Clay Aiken, Tony Nolan, Steven Curtis Chapman, Jeremy Camp, and John Morgan.^[3]
The original four included the current members Eddie Carswell, Billy Goodwin, and former members Eddie Middleton and Bobby Apon.

Contents
1981-1993
1994-1999
2000-2002
2003-2007
Discography
References
External links

1981-1993

In 1981, NewSong released three albums independently. In 1982, they signed on with Covenant Records, and released ''The Son In My Eyes'' the next year. In 1984, they signed a contract with Canaan Records, a branch of CCM label giant Word Records and released ''The Word''. NewSong continued to stay with Word Records until 1991 when they signed on with DaySpring Records. The next year they released ''One Heart At A Time, The Best of NewSong'', which featured 12 hits from their previous albums. In 1993, they joined up with the Benson Music Group and released ''All Around The World'', which brought four #1 hits. In 1993, lead vocalist Eddie Middleton left to pursue a solo career, and Bobby Apon left to spend more time with his family.

1994-1999

In 1994, songwriter Leonard Ahlstrom, soloist Charles Billingsley, musician Scotty Wilbanks, and the lead vocalist from the contemporary Christian band Truth, Russ Lee, joined NewSong. That year NewSong released ''People Get Ready'' which brought four #1 hits, and featured a re-recorded version of "Arise My Love", which was first recorded by the original group in 1987.
In 1995, Charles Billingsley left to pursue a solo career. In 1997, NewSong released ''Love Revolution''. It featured four #1 hits, including "Miracles," which stayed at #1 on the CCM Adult Contemporary chart for four consecutive weeks, tying the record set a few years earlier by Bob Carlisle's "Butterfly Kisses".
In May 1999, Bobby Apon died. He was recognized on the album ''Arise, My Love, The Very Best of NewSong''. This featured twelve of their previous #1 hits. It also included two new songs which became #1 hits, "Can’t Keep A Good Man Down", and "Jesus To The World (Roaring Lambs)", which was inspired by Christian speaker and author Bob Briner, who died later that year from cancer. They also had a third new song, "Like Minded, Like Hearted", which NewSong recorded with Out of Eden of Gotee Records.

2000-2002

Russ Lee and Scotty Wilbanks left Newsong in 2000. Lee pursued a solo career, while Wilbanks played keyboard, saxophone, and organ for Lee. They were replaced by soloist Michael O’Brien, Steve Reischl, and former Truth member, Matt Butler. Songwriter and electric guitarist Leonard Ahlstrom also left later to help a friend manage a recording label in Florida.
In 2000, NewSong released the album ''Sheltering Tree'', and Carswell, along with author Donna VanLiere, released a book entitled ''Sheltering Trees: The Power, Promise, and Refuge Of Friendship.'' The book, which contained accounts of friendship from artists, singers, and speakers, won a Silver Angel Award.^[4]
"The Christmas Shoes", a Christmas bonus track from ''Sheltering Tree'', became a #1 mainstream radio hit. It made it to the top of the Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart, and inspired Donna VanLiere to write a book based on the song.^[5] The book was on the New York Times Bestseller List in 2002,^[6] and was later made into a TV movie by CBS called ''The Christmas Shoes'', which was released on December 1, 2002. The movie had nearly 17 million viewers and was the second highest-rated TV movie of the 2002–2003 seasons.^[7] In 2001, after leaving Benson Records and signing on with Reunion Records, NewSong released an album entitled ''The Christmas Shoes'', which was nominated in 2003 for a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. It featured Christian music, as well as secular music, such as "Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree" and "You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch".

2003-2007

After the release of the movie, vocalist and musician Matt Butler left to join Kirk Franklin. He was replaced by former member Scotty Wilbanks. Steve Reischl also left to pursue a solo career. In 2003, new member Michael Land, who had been with NewSong for just a few months, left because of the birth of a baby in his family. He was replaced by former member Matt Butler.
In March 2004, NewSong announced that they were leaving Reunion Records and forming their own record label. In November 2004, NewSong recorded their next album, ''Rescue: Live Worship'', with the help of Integrity Records. This album was recorded live at First Baptist Church of Woodstock
, under Senior Pastor Dr. Johnny Hunt, which was the home church for several members in the band.^[8] The album was released in May 2005, and the DVD of the concert came out in September. In November, Scotty Wilbanks left to join the group Third Day, and to produce bands.
In 2003, Donna VanLiere released ''The Christmas Blessing'', the second book in the series spawned by "The Christmas Shoes" song. It was a New York Times best-selling book, and was later made into a TV movie by CBS.^[9] It was the most watched TV movie in 2005, and had an appearance by NewSong, which showed them singing their holiday single "The Christmas Blessing".⁷ In 2005, VanLiere finished the trilogy with ''The Christmas Hope''.
In March 2006, Michael O’Brien left to restart his solo career. He was replaced in April by soloist Andrew Carlton with lead vocals and acoustic guitar, who left later that summer. Scotty Wilbanks also left in March 2006, and was replaced by Drew Cline. In September, Eddie Carswell, Matt Butler, Billy Goodwin, and Drew Cline released ''The Christmas Hope'', featuring traditional Christmas carols, NewSong originals, and three songs to compliment the book trilogy by Donna VanLiere. In November, ''The Christmas Shoes'' movie was released on DVD. ''The Christmas Hope'', the third TV movie installment of the trilogy, is planned to be released in December 2007 by CBS.^[10]
In March 2007, former Christian solo artist Nate Sallie joined NewSong.

Discography

★ ''More Than Music'' (1981, Independent)

★ ''NewSong Alive'' (1981, Independent)

★ ''All The Best'' (1981, Independent)

★ ''The Son In My Eyes'' (1982, Covenant)

★ ''The Word'' (1984, Canaan)

★ ''Trophies of Grace'' (1986, Word)

★ ''Say Yes!'' (1987, Word)

★ ''Light Your World'' (1989, Word)

★ ''Living Proof'' (1990, DaySpring)

★ ''One Heart At A Time: The Best of NewSong'' (1992, DaySpring)

★ ''All Around The World'' (1993, Benson)

★ ''People Get Ready'' (1994, Benson)

★ ''Love Revolution'' (1997, Benson)

★ ''Joy To The Rhythm of the World'' (1997, Benson)

★ ''Arise My Love: The Very Best of NewSong'' (1999, Benson)

★ ''Live.. The Hits'' (2000, Benson)

★ ''Sheltering Tree'' (2000, Benson)

★ ''The Christmas Shoes'' (2001, Reunion)

★ ''More Life'' (2003, Reunion)

★ ''Simply NewSong'' (2004, Provident)

★ ''The Very Best of NewSong'' (2005, Provident)

★ ''Rescue: Live Worship'' (2005, Integrity)

★ ''The Christmas Hope'' (2006, Integrity)

References

1. Jamie: NewSong, Todd Agnew, and Rachel Lampa in the Christmas Hope Tour, Retrieved on August 29, 2007
2. Celerity Entertainment History
3. NEWSONG’S WINTER JAM TOUR SPECTACULAR ROARS INTO MARCH PASSING 225,000 IN PAID CONCERT-GOERS
4. biography
5. NEWSONG
6. New York Times Bestseller List 2002
7. LISTINGS
8. NewSong
9. NewSong to Debut The Christmas Blessing in CBS Movie
10. Company Profile

External links

★ NewSong Official Website