Jesusfreakhideout.com Music News, January 2008: CHRIS TOMLIN’S SEE THE MORNING CERTIFIED GOLD BY RIAA

CHRIS TOMLIN’S SEE THE MORNING CERTIFIED GOLD BY RIAA
Second Consecutive Album Goes Gold For Artist of the Year
“Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)” Becomes Album’s Third No. 1

NEWS SOURCE: Savvy Media
January 22, 2008

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) Jan. 22, 2008 –ASCAP Songwriter of the Year and the Gospel Music Association’s reigning Artist of the Year, sixstepsrecords worship leader Chris Tomlin begins 2008 on top with his current project, See The Morning, certified Gold this month by the Recording Industry Association of America. His second consecutive Gold record, See The Morning’s third radio single “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone),” also became the album’s third consecutive No. 1 hit.

With career sales exceeding more than two million units, six No. 1 radio singles, 4 Top 25 CCLI songs, two GRAMMY nominations, 12 Dove Awards, and now two Gold albums to his credit, Chris Tomlin is among the most well-known artist/worship leaders in the world. This month he celebrates the success of his fastest-selling album to date, See The Morning, released Sept. 26, 2006. The record ended 2007 at No. 3 on SoundScan®’s Top Selling Christian/Gospel Albums at Christian Retail year-end chart and was the No. 8 Top Selling Christian/Gospel Album overall. Only weeks later, the CD was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.

“It’s no small thing to see this kind of success in a shrinking market, further evidence of God’s favor on Chris’ life and the songs He is birthing through him,” says Louie Giglio, sixstepsrecords founder and director. “The strength of See The Morning, especially on the heels of what we continue to see with Arriving, is incredibly humbling and gratifying to everyone who has worked so hard to help connect Chris’ music with worshipers around the globe.”

“The sales success we have witnessed for See The Morning is something to be grateful for and celebrated,” says President of EMI CMG Label Group, Peter York. “This is yet another milestone in Chris’s ministry that proves his songs continue to impact the global Church. We are truly thankful for our continued role in supporting his music and ministry.”

The project has been widely praised by such noteworthy publications as Time, Billboard, CCM, All Music Guide, Worship Leader and more. The album garnered Tomlin his first and second GRAMMY nominations for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance for “Made to Worship.” The record also debuted at No. 1 on the SoundScan® compiled Christian retail charts, landed Tomlin his highest Billboard Top 200 position ever at No. 15 with 47,420 units sold in its first week, and was named iTunes’ 2006 “Best Christian Album” of the year. See The Morning additionally boasts accolades including a 2007 Dove Award for Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year, Praise and Worship Album of the Year and Tomlin’s first two GRAMMY nominations for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance. The record has also yielded the No. 1 Radio & Records Christian Adult Contemporary and Inspirational single “Made To Worship” as well as “How Can I Keep From Singing,” No. 1 on Radio & Records Adult Contemporary Indicator chart.

But the highest-selling single off See The Morning is its latest No. 1 radio song on both the Radio & Records Christian AC Monitored chart and the Mediabase Christian AC chart, “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone).” Tomlin’s version of the traditional hymn includes a new refrain that he wrote with Louie Giglio to be highlighted in last year’s movie Amazing Grace.

Tomlin explains, “When I started doing some research on the most famous hymn, ‘Amazing Grace,” I was surprised that the last verse, ‘When we’ve been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun,’ was written about 100 years after the original poem. The original last verse by John Newton, ‘The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,’ was this incredible verse that I’d never seen in a hymn book. It made me start thinking about the author, John Newton and where he’d come from. He went from being the former Captain of slave ships to the author of a poem about the grace and salvation of God in his own life. What a great reminder, we’re all made slaves to sin in our life, but God has set us free and His grace is enough for all of us. He has ransomed us from our slavery.”

For more info, visit www.christomlin.com.

About sixstepsrecords:
Founded in 2000 by Louie Giglio, sixstepsrecords (www.sixstepsrecords.com) is a worship label and a division of Passion Conferences. sixstepsrecords’ artists include Chris Tomlin (See The Morning), David Crowder Band (Remedy), Charlie Hall (Flying Into Daybreak), Matt Redman (Beautiful News), and Passion (The Best of Passion, Passion: God of This City). The label partners with Sparrow Records/EMI CMG Label Group for A&R, marketing, sales and distribution operations.

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