Sparrow Records
| Sparrow Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 1976 |
| Founder | Billy Ray Hearn |
| Distributor(s) | Capitol Christian Music Group |
| Genre | Contemporary Christian music, gospel |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Brentwood, Tennessee |
| Official website |
sparrowrecords |
Sparrow Records is a Christian music record label and a division of Universal Music Group.
Background
Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then A&R director at Myrrh Records.[1] Purchased by EMI in 1992, it is now part of the Capitol Christian Music Group,[2] and has been named by Billboard Magazine as "America's Best Christian Music Record Label". Sparrow Records rose to prominence with the signing of singer, songwriter, Contemporary Christian musician and minister Keith Green. Within a year of his 1976 signing by Sparrow, Keith Green was the top selling Christian artist in America.
As of 2009, Sparrow's artists include Britt Nicole, Chris Tomlin, Mandisa, Matt Redman, Matthew West, Steven Curtis Chapman, and Switchfoot. Since 1996, a popular production of Sparrow Records has been the annual WOW Hits contemporary Christian music series. The WOW franchise then added the annual WOW Gospel series of albums in 1998. The WOW Worship series was introduced in 1999, an annual compilation of the greatest hits in contemporary worship music.
Current artists
Former artists
- 2nd Chapter of Acts (Disbanded)
- Susan Ashton (Active, currently unsigned)
- Audrey Assad (Active, independent)
- Avalon (Active, with Koch Records)
- Margaret Becker (Active, with Kingsway Music)
- Steve Camp (Active, currently unsigned)
- Michael Card (Active, currently unsigned)
- Carman (Active, currently unsigned)
- Steven Curtis Chapman (Active, with Reunion Records)
- Children of the Light (Inactive)
- Daryl Coley
- David Crowder Band (Disbanded, had moved to sixstepsrecords)
- Delirious? (Disbanded)
- Bethany Dillon (Active)
- Dogs of Peace (Active)
- Earthsuit (Disbanded)
- The Elms (Disbanded)
- Kirk Franklin (Active, with GospoCentric Records)
- Peter Furler (Active, independent)
- Keith Green (Deceased)
- Steve Green (Active, currently unsigned)
- Rickey Grundy, (Active, independent)
- Charlie Hall (Active, with sixstepsrecords)
- Tim Hughes (Active, with Survivor Records)
- Jump5 (Disbanded)
- Phil Keaggy (Active)
- Donald Lawrence
- Barry McGuire (Active, currently unsigned)
- Geoff Moore and the Distance (Disbanded)
- Needtobreathe (Active, with Atlantic Records)
- Newsboys
- Christy Nockels (Active, with sixstepsrecords)
- Out of the Grey (On Hiatus)
- Twila Paris (Active, with Koch Records)
- Charlie Peacock (Active, independent)
- Marty Raybon
- Matt Redman (Active, with sixstepsrecords)
- Newsboys (Active, with Fair Trade Services)
- Resurrection Band
- Robbie Seay Band (Active, currently unsigned)
- Something Like Silas
- Aaron Spiro (Active, currently unsigned)
- Kristian Stanfill (Active, with sixstepsrecords)
- Starfield (Active, independent)
- Switchfoot (Active, with lowercase people records (Switchfoot still has a distribution agreement with Sparrow Records))
- Russ Taff (Active, with Springhouse Records)
- John Michael Talbot (Active, with Troubadour for the Lord)
- Steve Taylor
- Dave Thrush (Active, independent)
- Chris Tomlin (Active, with sixstepsrecords)
- Michelle Tumes (Active, with EMI CMG)
- James Vincent
- Sheila Walsh
- Matthew Ward (Active, independent)
- Deniece Williams(Last worked, with Shanachie Records)
- Lisa Whelchel
- ZOEgirl (Disbanded) (ZOEgirl reunited on February 27, 2011 but they don't plan to work on projects together, but it is still possible)
Compilations
- Firewind: A Contemporary Dramatic Musical (1976)
- Christmas (1988)
- Passion: Awakening (2010)
See also
References
- ↑ Mount, Daniel J. (2005). A City on a Hilltop? The History of Contemporary Christian Music. pp. 48–50, 53. Retrieved 2007-02-12.
- ↑ Hendershot, Heather (2004). "Why Should the Devil Have all the Good Music? Christian Music and the Secular Marketplace". Shaking the World for Jesus: Media and Conservative Evangelical Culture. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. p. 56. ISBN 0-226-32679-9.