NewSong is an American contemporary Christian music group that was established in 1981, at Morningside Baptist Church in Valdosta, Georgia.Jamie: NewSong, Todd Agnew, and Rachel Lampa in the Christmas Hope Tour , Retrieved on August 29, 2007 They have had twelve GMA Dove Award nominations, and one Grammy Award Nomination.
They are also the founders of the Winter Jam Tour Spectacular which started in 1995, the United States' largest annual Christian music tour. Winter Jam has artists perform including TobyMac, Hillsong UNITED, Newsboys, Lecrae, MercyMe, and Skillet.
NewSong has provided support for organizations working with abandoned and underprivileged children. For years they worked with World Vision. Then in 2006, the band became involved with Holt International.
The original four members included the current members Eddie Carswell, Billy Goodwin, and former members Eddie Middleton and Bobby Apon.
History Early history NewSong recorded three custom albums independently. In 1982, they signed on with Covenant Records, and released The Son In My Eyes that 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 No. 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.
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 No. 1 hits, and featured a re-recorded version of "Arise My Love", which was first recorded by the original group in 1987.
In 1996, Billingsley left to pursue a solo career. In 1997, NewSong released Love Revolution. It featured four No. 1 hits, including "Miracles," which stayed at No.1 on the CCM Adult Contemporary chart for four consecutive weeks.
In May 1999, Apon died. He was recognized on the album Arise, My Love, The Very Best of NewSong. This featured 12 of their previous No. 1 hits. It also included two new songs which became No. 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. They also had a third new song, "Like Minded, Like Hearted", which NewSong recorded with Out of Eden of Gotee Records.
Lee left NewSong in 2000. In November, Wilbanks left as well to join the group Third Day, and to produce bands. 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.
Leading up to 2000, NewSong caught the attention of radio personality, DC Daniel (then, of "Steve & DC") and began collaborating on production ideas for future projects. The partnership led to releasing the album Sheltering Tree, in late 2000.
Breakthrough DC, Eddie Carswell and Leonard Ahlstrom penned the bonus track "The Christmas Shoes" for Sheltering Tree, which became a No. 1 mainstream radio hit in a Billboard chart-record three weeks, topping Billboards Adult Contemporary Chart. Shortly after this, Clive Calder shut down the Benson label. NewSong stayed with Zomba Music, on the major Reunion label, and released a full studio Christmas album, The Christmas Shoes, which was nominated in 2003 for a Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. Along with the title track, the album featured a variety of original Christmas tunes and Christmas classics "O Holy Night". The song's success inspired Christian author Donna VanLiere to write a book based on the song. The book was later made into a TV movie for CBS, called The Christmas Shoes, starring Rob Lowe and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, which was released on December 1, 2002.
In 2003, Donna VanLiere released The Christmas Blessing, the second book in the series spawned by "The Christmas Shoes" song. It was later made into a TV movie by CBS. It had an appearance by NewSong, which showed them singing their holiday single "The Christmas Blessing". NewSong also received a Dove Award for Musical of the Year for The Christmas Shoes Musical.
In March 2004, NewSong announced that they were leaving Reunion Records and moving to Integrity Music. In November 2004, NewSong recorded their live worship album and DVD, Rescue: Live Worship at First Baptist Church of Woodstock with Wilbanks joining the group one more time. The album was officially released in May 2005, and the DVD of the concert came out in September. Also in 2005, NewSong was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
In March 2006, O'Brien left to restart his solo career and Drew Cline was asked to fill in. In September, Eddie Carswell, Matt Butler, Billy Goodwin, and guest artist Drew Cline released The Christmas Hope, featuring traditional Christmas carols, NewSong originals, and three songs to complement 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, was released in December 2008 by CBS.
In March 2007, Christian solo artist Nate Sallie joined NewSong as the lead vocalist. In April, The Christmas Hope album was nominated for a Dove Award, for Best Christmas Album of the Year. On December 29, 2008, in an email to subscribers of his newsletter, Russ Lee announced that he will be rejoining NewSong as lead vocalist. Consequently, Sallie left in 2009 just before the group recorded its next album Give Yourself Away.
Founding member Eddie Middleton died on August 21, 2021.The Christian Beat, 08.22.2021 - NewSong Founding Member Eddie Middleton Has Died By Herb Longs
Member Timeline
Discography Albums Year Album Chart positions Label US Christian US US Heat 1981 More Than Music Independent 1982 The Son in My Eyes Covenant 1984 The Word Canaan 1986 Trophies of Grace Word 1987 Say Yes! 1989 Light Your World 34 1990 Living Proof 19 DaySpring 1992 One Heart at a Time: The Best of NewSong 1993 All Around the World Benson 1994 People Get Ready 16 1997 Love Revolution 25 1999 Arise My Love: The Very Best of NewSong 25 2000 Live...The Hits Sheltering Tree 5 130 2 2001 The Christmas Shoes 9 113 1 Reunion 2003 More Life 10 172 9 2004 Simply NewSong Provident 2005 The Very Best of NewSongReunion Rescue: Live Worship 10 15 Integrity 2006 The Christmas Hope 25 5 2009 Give Yourself Away 10 149 5HHM 2011 One True God 1 272013Swallow the Ocean 3 652015Faithful: Live Worship 3 88Integrity2016The Best Christmas Ever — — HHM2018Greatest Hits — — 2020Just Jesus — —2025Church People
Singles Year Single Chart Positions Album US AC US US Country US Christ 2000 "The Christmas Shoes" 1 42 31 20 Sheltering Tree 2004 "When God Made You" 33 — — — More Life 2012 "The Same God" — — — 25 One True God 2017 "I Am a Christian" — — — — Just Jesus 2018 "Down" — — — — "Bright" — — — — "Glue" — — — — "Already Loved" — — — — "Shine" — — — — "Look Up" — — — —2025"Church People" — — — — Church People
References
External links