Artist Discussion Series: Amy Grant

[AwallaceUNC]

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Amy Grant

<img src="http://www.unc.edu/~ahwall/AG_UD.jpg">
Primary Genres: Pop, Contemporary Christian, Rock, Country, Dance
Seconday Genres/Styling: Singer-Songwriter, Holiday, Gospel, Jazz, Classical, Celtic, Acoustic
Record Labels: Warner Bros./Curb/Word/Myrrh (1977-2007), Universal/A&M/Interscope (1985-2004), EMI/Sparrow (2007-Present)
Born November 25, 1960
RIAA-Certified US Sales: 25,000,000
US #1 Singles (Any Chart): 20+*
US #1 Singles (Primary Chart): 3
US #1 Albums: 13
US Top 10 Singles (Primary Chart): 12
US Top 40 Singles (Pop Charts): 21
RIAA-Certified Platinum and/or Multi-Platinum Albums: 9
RIAA-Certified Certified Gold Albums: 14
Grammys: 6
Grammy Nominations: 11
Dove Awards: 25
Inducted into Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2003 (first year of eligibility)
Received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006

*The chart history of many of her earliest Inspirational hits are difficult to track. I have been able to verify 20 #1s at this time, though research suggests that there have been as many as 15 more.

Official Discography
<table width="75%" border="1"><tr><td width="32%">Amy Grant (1977)</td><td width="31%">Unguarded (1985) (#1) (Grammy)</td><td width="37%">Her Greatest Inspirational Songs (2002)</td></tr><tr><td>My Father's Eyes (1979)</td><td>The Collection (1986) (#1)</td><td>Legacy... Hymns & Faith (2002) (#1)</td></tr><tr><td>Never Alone (1980)</td><td>Lead Me On (1988) (#1) (Grammy)</td><td>Simple Things (2003) (#1)</td></tr><tr><td>In Concert Volume I (1981)</td><td>Heart In Motion (1991) (#1)</td><td>Greatest Hits 1986-2004 (2004)</td></tr><tr><td>In Concert Volume II (1981)</td><td>Home For Christmas (1992) (#1)</td><td>Rock of Ages... Hymns & Faith (2005) (#1) (Grammy)</td></tr><tr><td>Age to Age (1982) (#1) (Grammy)</td><td>House of Love (1994) (#1)</td><td>Time Again: Amy Grant Live (2006)</td></tr><tr><td>A Christmas Album (1983)</td><td>Behind the Eyes (1997)</td><td>Greatest Hits (2007)</td></tr><tr><td>Straight Ahead (1984) (#1)</td><td>A Christmas to Remember (1999) (#1)</td><td>-</td></tr></table>



Unofficial Discography
The Animals' Christmas (1987)
The Spirit of Christmas (2000)
20th Century Masters - Amy Grant: Home for Christmas (2003)
iTunes Originals (2005) (#1)
My Best Christmas (2005)
Hymns for the Journey (2006)
The Storyteller's Collection (2007) (iTunes Digital Boxset)

Select Home Video Releases
Time Again: Amy Grant Live - All Access (2006)
Amy Grant: Greatest Videos 1986-2004 (2004)
Legacy... Hymns & Faith: Electronic Press Kit (2002)
Building the House of Love (VHS only) (1994)
Amy Grant: The Heart in Motion Video Collection (1991)
Amy Grant In Concert: Age to Age Tour (VHS & Betamax only) (1989)
Amy Grant's Old Fashioned Christmas (VHS only) (1986)
Find a Way (VHS only) (1985)

Other Home Video Releases
Sound Stage Presents Peter Cetera: Live in Concert - Featuring Special Guest Amy Grant (2005)
Michael W. Smith: Live in Concert - A 20 Year Celebration - Featuring Special Guest Amy Grant (2004)
On This Christmas Night (VHS only) (1997)

Select Filmography
On the Farm: The Prodigal Pig (2005)
"Three Wishes" (2005)
The Nick at Nite Holiday Special (2003)
A Christmas to Remember (1999)
A Song From the Heart (1999)
Snowden on Ice (1997)
Walt Disney World's 20th Anniversary Special (1991)

Books
Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far (2007)
Quilt of Dreams (foreward) (2006)
Dear Baby: A Very Special Welcome to Life! (co-author) (2006)
The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat (audiobook) (2006)
Rabbit Ears' Beloved Bible Stories (audiobook) (2006)
The Joy of Intimacy with God (audiobook) (2005)
Breath of Heaven (1992)
Amy Grant's Heart to Heart Bible Stories (1990)

Podcasts
AmyGrant.com Video Blog (2007)
Amy Grant: Looking Back - The Interview (2007)

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Most Popular Songs
Baby Baby (#1)
Every Heartbeat (#1)
Takes a Little Time
El Shaddai (#1)
Good For Me
I Will Remember You (#1)
Father's Eyes (#1)
That's What Love Is For (#1)
House of Love (with Vince Gill)
Big Yellow Taxi
Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)
Grown-Up Christmas List
Lead Me On (#1)
River Lullaby
Thy Word
Find A Way (#1)
Angels (#1) (Grammy)
Tennessee Christmas
Next Time I Fall (with Peter Cetera) (#1)
Lucky One (#1)
A Christmas to Remember
Simple Things
Friends (with Michael W. Smith)
Sing Your Praise to the Lord (#1)
Nothing Is Beyond You
Like I Love You
I Will Be Your Friend
Saved by Love (#1)
Oh How the Years Go By
Believe
Carry You
Wise Up
Ask Me
I Have Decided
Hope Set High
Come Be With Me (with Keb' Mo)
Lover of My Soul (#1)
Return to Pooh Corner (with Kenny Loggins)
Children of the World (#1)
Nothing is Beyond You (#1)
If These Walls Could Speak
The Things We Do For Love
Jehovah
Helping Hand (#1)
Emmanuel
It Is Well With My Soul/The River's Gonna Keep On Rollin'
What About The Love? (#1)
Faithless Heart
In A Little While
I Need Thee Every Hour/Nothing But the Blood
All Right
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear/Oh Little Town of Bethlehem (with Sandi Patty)
Rock of Ages (with Vince Gill)
Ageless Medley (Grammy)
Stay For Awhile (#1)
Lord Have Mercy (with Michael W. Smith) (#1)




Notable Facts
*She is the best-selling Christian or gospel artist of all time
*She is often credited with launching Contemporary Christian Music and was the first artist to have a religious single chart on secular mainstream radio
*In 2001, the RIAA named her song "El Shaddai" one of the "Songs of the Century", a list of the 365 most influential/significant songs of the 20th Century
*She has charted in Pop, Inspirational, Country, and Holiday charts
*The RIAA recently certified Heart in Motion as one of the 100 best-selling albums of all time
*Billboard named her "Most Successful Artist of the 1980s and '90s"
*Her holiday recordings are among the most successful in history and she is often the most-played artist on radio during Christmas
*She is the most successful foreign artist in Japan
*She is married to country music superstar Vince Gill
*Despite her success in Christian music, she has been severely criticized by many in the religious right throughout her career
*She is known for her very successful Christmas tours
*Age to Age was the first Christian album to go Platinum
*She launched the careers of Michael W. Smith and Mercy Me, among others
*The hit Mercy Me song "I Can Only Imagine" was originally written for Grant, who recorded it but later decided to allow the band to record it and release it themselves in order to promote their new record deal
*Her song "Tennessee Christmas" is one of the most-covered original Christmas songs. "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" and "Grown-Up Christmas List" are covered often as well.
*Lead Me On is the best-selling Christian album of all time (her Heart in Motion actually topped it but it generally referred to as a pop album) and is widely considered to be the genre's greatest, although it was one of her least "overtly Christian" albums at the time
*Grant famously referred to Behind the Eyes, a dark album that foreshadowed her divorce from long-time husband Gary Chapman, as her "razor blades and Prozac album"
*Her fans are known as "Grantheads," a play on the Grateful Dead's "Deadheads"
*She writes the majority of her lyrics and music and plays acoustic guitar
*She has been a spokesperson for Target, Fender Guitars, and Land-O-Lakes Butter, among others
*She was offered the lead female role in a 1990s Tom Hanks movie, but turned it down
*Vh-1 asked her to be one of the divas in their original "Divas Live" show, but she turned the offer down
*Her 1998 divorce from Gary Chapman caused quite a controversy, headlining tabloids for months and prompting numerous Christian music stations to ban her music from airplay (many of which still refuse to play her for this reason)
*"Three Wishes" won its Friday night timeslot for the majority of its episodes
*"Baby Baby" placed #3 on the total year-end chart for 1991. "Every Heartbeat" placed #10.
*She has charted in four decades: '70s, '80s, '90s, and '00s
*She was the first Christian artist to perform at the Grammys
*She was the first Christian artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
*She has appeared on numerous film soundtracks, including The Prince of Egypt, Honeymoon in Vegas, Maverick, and Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, among others
*Her iTunes Originals release was one of the service's most successful, topping the iTunes charts for weeks
*Following her performance at one of Walt Disney World's original Night of Joy events, the resort decided to make it an annual affair
*She has been recognized as one of, if not the, the most philanthropic celebrities, supporting dozens of charities and causes with millions of dollars
*Several of her original songs have been officially adopted into hymnals, including "Thy Word", "El Shaddai", "Sing Your Praise to the Lord", "Emmanuel", "Christmas Lullaby"
*She has given performances for several US Presidents
*She won $125,000 for charity on Who Wants to Be A Millionaire: Rock Star Edition
*She has performed the national anthem at the World Series and "God Bless America" at the MLB All-Stars game, among other various sporting events
*Her song "I Will Remember You" saw a resurgance in popularity following 9/11, when many radio stations mixed a special tribute version of the song
*The Young Fresh Fellows wrote a comical song about her entitled "Amy Grant", which went #1 on college radio charts and remains the most successful song in college radio history
*She recorded a duet with actor Kevin Costner for his movie, The Postman. It plays over the end credits.
*In 2007, EMI Records/Sparrow Records re-released 17 of Grant's albums in digitally remastered form, along with a complete iTunes digital catalog and online ringtone store


Mini-Biography
Conventional wisdom has it that Amy Grant put Contemporary Christian music on the map. She surely did that, achieving such breakthroughs as being the first Contemporary Christian artist to have a platinum record, the first to hit #1 pop and the first to perform at the Grammys. Yet perhaps her greatest accomplishment was to open the door for a flood of other artists in pop as well as rock to sing about faith and soul and family and still grasp stardom. With that, her legacy as one of the most influential artists of the past couple of decades is assured.

Grant released her first album in 1977, at the age of 16. She cemented her success in the early '80s with hits like "El Shaddai" and "In a Little While." For the rest of the decade, she dominated the rising and now thriving Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) industry. In 1985, she went where no other Christian artist had gone before: mainstream radio. "Find a Way" went Top 40 and soon thereafter, a duet with Chicago's Peter Cetera gave her the first #1 pop song of her career. In 1991, the hugely successful Heart in Motion rolled out one hit after another, most notably "Baby Baby" and "Every Heartbeat", solidifying her as a pop superstar. This success in both genres continued throughout the rest of the 1990s and she even saw unsought success in country music.

Her three holiday albums and numerous singles have made her a staple of the Christmas season. Her second Christmas album, 1992's Home For Christmas, is her most successful holiday recording and introduced several classics, including "Grown-Up Christmas List" and "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)."

After more than a decade of marriage counseling, Grant filed for divorce from her husband, Christian music artist Gary Chapman, in 1998. The divorce was highly publicized and marked a turning point in Grant's career. Six years passed before she released another mainstream studio album, during which many Christian stations had banned her music on grounds of moral opposition to divorce. Grant married Vince Gill in 2000.

In 2003, her comeback album, Simple Things, marked her return to the Billboard Top 40. She also released two successful albums of hymns with a contemporary spin, marking her return to the #1 spot in Christian music. In 2004, she issued the first Greatest Hits album to focus on her pop music. 2005 brought "Three Wishes," a successful NBC reality series that was cancelled by the fledgling network after its first season due to high production costs. In 2006, Grant received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and released her first live album and video in 25 years.

Official Website: www.amygrant.com

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Past Artist Discussions:
1. Aerosmith
2. Elvis Presley
3. Michael Jackson
4. The Beatles
5. Mariah Carey
6. Pink Floyd
7. Madonna
8. Frank Sinatra
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-Aaron

[TheSequelOfDisney]

Amy Grant sings very well. A few years back I was hooked on "Breath of Heaven" That song is fantastic! I wondered when you were going to do Amy Grant for a discussion, Aaron.

[HalRoachFan]

I bet you were just dying to make this one.





lol

[my chicken is infected]

Ah, now we know the REAL reason you started these discussions. j/k

Sadly, I only know her song Baby Baby. I've heard some covers of El Shaddai, but I don't remember who they were.

[MickeyMousePal]

Aaron had a blast making this thread. LOL

These are my favorite Amy Grant songs:

Baby Baby (#1)
Takes a Little Time
I Will Remember You (#1)

I do have most of her CD's...and one thing I have to say NBC sucks for canceling her show...

[Lucylover1986]

I've only heard Takes a Little Time so interesting to find out some more info about her.

[AwallaceUNC]

Oh come on, you all knew it was coming.

It was actually going to be a while down the road still, but the excitement of tomorrow's new releases overtook me. Don't worry - the Artist Discussion Series doesn't stop here.

For those of you who haven't heard a lot of her songs, I have put together a brief little sampler of some of her biggest pop hits. I suspect you may hear a few things you actually know and just didn't realize it was Amy:

Click Here to Listen

Of course that's just one kind of her music and not representative of her entire repertoire. I'll post one from another genre later.

And yes, I did have a blast making this thread.

-Aaron

[Escapay]

Okay, I'm feeling really stupid now. Thanks to the filename for the mp3, I just realized now that I share the same initials as Amy Grant. And, eerily...this is the second Artist Discussion in a row that has something in common with my name.

Anyway, I've heard little of her music, though probably because I only know her best for Baby Baby and As The Years Go By.

So, Aaron, I can't remember if you ever told us, but have you ever met or contacted the lovely Ms. Grant?

Escapay

[Lazario]

*Her 1998 divorce from Gary Chapman caused quite a controversy, headlining tabloids for months and prompting numerous Christian music stations to ban her music from airplay (many of which still refuse to play her for this reason)

Does anyone know the reason for her divorce? Not that anyone should know, but she doesn't seem like the type to keep it a deep, dark secret.

[kbehm29]

Wow! Thanks for that song clip - some of those songs take me back. I remember a lot of them being on the radio years ago.

This was interesting to read. I'm not really a fan of Amy Grant - but I do remember the songs being extremely popular.

[Lars Vermundsberget]

Except for Aarons's signatures I've never really heard of Amy Grant before, as far as I can tell.

[MichaeLeah]

*Her 1998 divorce from Gary Chapman caused quite a controversy, headlining tabloids for months and prompting numerous Christian music stations to ban her music from airplay (many of which still refuse to play her for this reason)

Does anyone know the reason for her divorce? Not that anyone should know, but she doesn't seem like the type to keep it a deep, dark secret.

Lazario, I can't remember too many details about this, but I remember reading an interview concerning her divorce back when it occurred. There was essentially a lot of conflict between her and Gary. Gary was also a musician and he had a successful recording career in the Christian music industry. I personally think that it is difficult for a marriage to work when both parties have a career in music. It makes it hard to spend time with each other because of tour dates, etc.


Aaron...I don't know about giving Amy Grant credit for starting CCM. Usually Larry Norman is considered the godfather of Christian music. I believe his first album was released in 1969. It was also produced by George Martin (the Beatles' producer). There are many other bands and singers who predate Grant, so I have trouble with your statement.

[Luke]

I've only heard a small amount of Ms. Grant's music, but from that, I'd say it's pretty good. I enjoy her Christmas songs the best, but then I'm a sucker for holiday tunes.

[Lazario]

I think the roomies have 1 of her CDs, but the only song I've heard of hers (which I tried to track down for awhile because I sincerely liked it) is "Takes a Little Time." Very Lillith Fair - esque, and I was a big fan of that scene in the late '90s.

[AwallaceUNC]

So, Aaron, I can't remember if you ever told us, but have you ever met or contacted the lovely Ms. Grant?

Yep. I've met her in person once and have chatted with her online once as well.

Does anyone know the reason for her divorce? Not that anyone should know, but she doesn't seem like the type to keep it a deep, dark secret.

We don't know a lot, and I agree with you that it's not really our place too. Part of their divorce agreement was to not discuss the details publicly for the sake of their kids. Here's what we do know: they were in marriage counseling for well over a decade, Gary had a serious drug addiction for much of their marriage, Amy wanted the divorce but Gary did not, Amy has said that she believes God had released her from the marriage but she also has said that she feels selfish in retrospect, and all involved parties say they are happier now. MichaeLeah is alsoo right that their careers were problematic. Both Amy and Gary were Christian music artists. Gary saw some success but was never able to come anywhere near Amy's level of success. They have both said that there was a lot of tension in their marriage over this.

Aaron...I don't know about giving Amy Grant credit for starting CCM. Usually Larry Norman is considered the godfather of Christian music. I believe his first album was released in 1969. It was also produced by George Martin (the Beatles' producer). There are many other bands and singers who predate Grant, so I have trouble with your statement.

It's actually not my statement, but I do agree with it. People often debate whether it is fair to say that she "started it" but pretty much everyone seems to agree that she "put it on the map." Certainly, Keith Green, Larry Norman, the Gaithers, and others were around first. However, I don't think their music can be called "Contemporary Christian" music. It was edgy for gospel, having more a country edge to it, but Amy was the first to come along and release Christian pop music. I don't think one person can ever be said to be solely responsible for something as large as an entire genre/industry. I'm not saying that's the case for Amy. Obviously, there were predecessors (and producers and record labels) and she was part of the broader Jesus Movement (socially) and singer-songwriter movement (musically). She was, however, the first successful CCM artist and the industry was able to come about quickly largely thanks to her initial success. I think this explains why Amy was confronted with so much opposition from the gospel community in a way that the predecessors had not been. I think it's safe to say that Amy's debut album is the first that can be pointed to and safely labeled as "Contemporary Christian Music" as it came to be.

Wow! Thanks for that song clip - some of those songs take me back. I remember a lot of them being on the radio years ago.

You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I think the roomies have 1 of her CDs, but the only song I've heard of hers (which I tried to track down for awhile because I sincerely liked it) is "Takes a Little Time." Very Lillith Fair - esque, and I was a big fan of that scene in the late '90s.

As was Amy... in the late '90s, she began to take a more acoustic rock direction with her music. She wasn't part of Lillith Fair but she was part of Girls With Guitars and Women Who Rock, which were based on similar musical styles. If that's the kind of music you like, then you may enjoy 1997's Behind the Eyes. That's the album that "Takes A Little Time" is off of. It's also her darkest, most acoustic, and incidentally least religious (the only album of her's not to reference Jesus or God at all) album. It dealt with a lot of the pain Amy felt in her personal life at the time and was released shortly before the announcement of her divorce.

You can also find "Takes A Little Time" on her Greatest Hits 1986-2004 album (as well as a purely acoustic cut on Target's edition of Rock of Ages and her iTunes Originals).

-Aaron

[dvdjunkie]

I only hope that this doesn't end what his been a very good discussion thread. Aaron, you have earned your right to this discussion, I think we can all honestly say that you are her biggest fan.

Like you I have met Amy at Central Christian Church here in Wichita when she came through with her Christmas show a couple of years ago. She is such a genuine person, and very humble and not at all in awe of what she has accomplished. We were lucky here in Wicihta because Vince Gill was along for the ride and she managed to coax him out of the audience to sing a duet of "White Christmas" with her.

Keep up the good work, Aaron, and let's continue you threads. They are very informative and offer a lot of different forms of music to discuss.

[AwallaceUNC]

Thank you very much dvdjunkie. I really enjoy these threads so they will definitely continue!

Like you I have met Amy at Central Christian Church here in Wichita when she came through with her Christmas show a couple of years ago. She is such a genuine person, and very humble and not at all in awe of what she has accomplished. We were lucky here in Wicihta because Vince Gill was along for the ride and she managed to coax him out of the audience to sing a duet of "White Christmas" with her.

That was my impression as well. Everyone who meets Amy always talk about her genuine candor. She's very down to Earth in person. I've met a lot of celebrities (though not nearly as many as you!) and she has by far been the kindest. I also met Vince Gill and he was very nice too, but I was so focused on Amy that I kind of forgot he was there, which he made a joke about, and I later felt bad.

-----

Anyways, I guess I should talk about why I like Amy Grant. I've been listening to her literally my whole life and have grown up with her music. I can remember being as young as 7 and rushing out to get her new CD. She was hitting the pop scene right around the time that I was born, but it was her Christian music that I was always most attached to.

I actually don't like most Christian music. It has a tendency to be either corny or preachy, not to mention slow. Amy's music, on the other hand, has always struck me as simply honest. Doubt, temptation, and failure are common themes of her music. She even questions God's existence in some of her music, not always drawing conclusions. That's something that most Christian music won't approach. I find that really relatable. It's not that I doubt God's existence, but Amy approaches the issue of faith in her music in the real-life way that I think most people do, rather than saying "Here are the answers, in song." She also communicates her messages subtly and deeply rather than Bible beating. Musically, she's not so drawn out and sappy either. Her music actually rocks (literally). Of course she has some beautiful ballads, but a lot of her music has a kick to it. Whether it leans pop, country, and rock, it has an edge. Her songs spread out all along the emotional and musical spectrum.

Of course I have a lot of respect for her as an artist as well. It hasn't always mattered to me, but I now really appreciate an artist who writes their own music. I also really enjoy it when artists are willing to experiment, and she's done a lot of that.

I also like that she's broken so many barriers in her career. I love her pop music too and think she has a lot to say and a beautiful voice to do it with... so why should she be confined to singing only about God? Christians don't think about God and God only 24-7 so why should we expect that from musicians of the faith? I never understood that about Christian music. I've always had a problem with "religion" and all the legalism and meaningless regulations it entails. Throughout her career and in all her music, Amy has resisted that and I really admire her for it.

Anyways, my long spiel can now come to an end. As promised, I have also put together a little sampler of some of Amy's most popular Inspirational songs:

Click Here to Listen

-Aaron

[crunkcourt]

With songs such as Baby Baby and Takes A Little Time, Amy Grant has made a major impact in both pop music and Christian music. She is one of the few artists that is able to span across several decades, and across many different genres. Whether you enjoy her music or not, this accomplishment deserves much respect. I actually just bought my first Amy Grant CD last night. I purchased one of her greatest hits albums, Greatest Hits 1986-2004. I haven't had a chance to listen to the album in its entierity, but so far it has been fantastic. There were several songs on there that I had forgotten that she sang; such as The Next Time I Fall. My favorite Amy Grant songs are probably Takes A Little time, Carry You and If These Walls Could Speak. I will actually be seeing her in concert for the first time this October. If you aren't familiar with her music, I'd definately suggest giving it a shot.

[MadonnasManOne]

I came to Amy Grant's music through the song, "Baby, Baby". As I don't listen to Christian music (although I am Christian), I had only heard of her name, until that time. "Baby, Baby" was a song that I truly fell in love with, and when the album, Heart In Motion was released, I had to buy it. I still have the CD, and listen to it, from time to time. There is not one bad song on that album. My favorites from Heart In Motion are: "Baby, Baby", "Every Heartbeat", "Good For Me", "That's What Love Is For", and, my most favorite song from Amy Grant, the very emotional "I Will Remember You".

I also enjoyed her duet with Peter Cetera, "Next Time I Fall", which is absolutely beautiful. As far as her Christmas songs are concerned, I enjoy them, but, my favorite is "Grown-Up Christmas List".

I respect Amy Grant. She is a talented artist, with a beautiful voice, and she has certainly earned her success.

Keep up the great work on the Artist Discussion Series, Aaron!

[my chicken is infected]

I keep meaning to download those samplers. Maybe I'll do it later today.

Aaron, I would like to make another suggestion for future discussions. If not already planned, how would you feel about doing one for Patsy Cline?