50 Fun Facts About Christian Music

Who wrote the words to 'Amazing Grace', published in 1779?

He was a former slave-ship sailor turned clergyman at Olney; Cowper co-wrote the Olney Hymns collection with him.

'How Great Thou Art' began as a poem in which language?

Carl Boberg wrote 'O Store Gud' in 1885; George Beverly Shea made it famous at Billy Graham crusades.

Which instrument accompanied the first performance of 'Silent Night' on Christmas Eve 1818?

Franz Xaver Gruber set Joseph Mohr's words in Oberndorf, possibly because flooding had damaged the church organ.

In which city was Handel's Messiah first performed in 1742?

Charles Jennens compiled the text from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter.

Which gospel singer's 1947 recording 'Move On Up a Little Higher' sold two million copies?

She later sang at the 1963 March on Washington and holds a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Which Larry Norman album of 1969 is often called the first full-blown Christian LP of its kind?

Capitol released it; Norman is regarded as the father of Christian rock.

What was early contemporary Christian pop of the 1960s and 70s initially called?

It grew out of the 1960s Jesus movement revival.

The band Petra, formed in 1972, took its name from the Greek word for what?

For years it was regarded as the world's most popular Christian rock band.

Why is Stryper spelled with a 'y'?

The name came from rehearsing in a garage with striped walls; the yellow-and-black band went platinum with To Hell with the Devil.

Which Christian singer, who died in a 1982 plane crash, gave his records away for voluntary donations?

He and his wife Melody founded Last Days Ministries.

Which singer is known as 'The Queen of Christian Pop'?

She had the first Christian album to go platinum and later married Vince Gill.

Which Amy Grant album topped the Christian chart for 32 weeks and produced the No. 1 pop hit 'Baby Baby'?

It sold five million US copies and spun off three more Hot 100 top-tens.

Which Michael W. Smith single reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991?

He got his start as a keyboardist for the CCM group Higher Ground and has won 45 Dove Awards.

Whose national-anthem performance at the 1986 Statue of Liberty rededication brought her national fame?

She had already been singing backup for the Bill Gaither Trio.

Which artist holds the record for the most Dove Awards, with 59?

His seven Artist of the Year Doves are also a record; he grew up in Paducah, Kentucky.

Where did DC Talk form in 1987?

Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait and Kevin Max met there in Lynchburg, Virginia.

What was DC Talk's 1995 album, whose title track became a Christian rock anthem?

The album's title track was its lead radio single, released August 1, 1995.

What is the name of TobyMac's road band?

He was the third Christian artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with Eye on It.

How many Grammy Awards has gospel star Kirk Franklin won?

Variety calls the Fort Worth native the 'Reigning King of Urban Gospel'.

What was the name of Kirk Franklin's first choir, which debuted on record in 1993?

It featured 15 to 17 neighbourhood friends and associates.

What is the best-selling Christian song of all time and the most-played in Christian radio history?

Bart Millard wrote it about his father's death; a 2018 film told the story.

In which Texas town did MercyMe settle and serve at a Baptist church before their breakthrough?

Their debut Almost There went triple platinum on the strength of one crossover single.

Which Christian rock band was founded in Marietta, Georgia, in 1991 by Mac Powell and Mark Lee?

They were inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2009.

Casting Crowns' frontman Mark Hall formed the band in 1999 while working as what?

Several members still minister at Eagle's Landing First Baptist Church in McDonough, Georgia.

Where does the band name Switchfoot come from?

The San Diego band broke through with 'Meant to Live' and 'Dare You to Move' from The Beautiful Letdown.

In which city was Skillet formed in 1996?

Husband and wife John and Korey Cooper lead the band; 'Monster' is certified 6x Platinum.

In which Australian town were the Newsboys formed in 1985?

Peter Furler founded them; they later starred in the God's Not Dead films.

Which Hillsong Worship song became their biggest US success, reaching platinum?

Fifteen of the Sydney collective's songs have made the Billboard charts.

In which Australian city was Hillsong Church founded in 1983?

Brian and Bobbie Houston started services in a school hall in Baulkham Hills.

Which worship leader from Grand Saline, Texas, wrote 'How Great Is Our God'?

He studied psychology at Texas A&M before music took over.

Elevation Worship comes from a church in which city?

It began at Elevation Church in 2007.

How many weeks did Lauren Daigle's 'You Say' spend at No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart?

It also reached No. 29 on the Hot 100 and won two Grammys.

Where did Lauren Daigle's album Look Up Child debut on the Billboard 200?

That made it the highest-charting Christian album by a woman in over 20 years.

In which year were the GMA Dove Awards established?

Bill Gaither proposed them; the first ceremony was at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis.

Which gospel songwriter first proposed the Dove Awards at a 1968 GMA board meeting?

Sandi Patty later sang backup for the Bill Gaither Trio.

Which non-profit owns the K-LOVE radio network?

By 2019 it aired on more than 520 FM stations and translators in 48 states.

How many Grammy Awards had Amy Grant won as of 2009?

Plus 22 Dove Awards and more than 30 million albums sold.

Which Skillet albums are certified Platinum and Double Platinum respectively?

Collide and Comatose both earned Grammy nominations.

Which Switchfoot album won a Grammy for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album?

Nothing Is Sound had reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

Which two men popularised 'How Great Thou Art' at Billy Graham crusades?

Elvis later won a Grammy for his own recording.

In which year did UNESCO declare 'Silent Night' an intangible cultural heritage?

The carol was written in Oberndorf near Salzburg in 1818.

Which label released Larry Norman's first solo album in 1969?

He was promised complete creative control after writing a rock opera called Lion's Breath.

Which pioneer is credited as the artist 'who first combined rock 'n' roll with Christian lyrics'?

Often called the father of Christian rock, he provoked the faithful with songs like 'Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?'

Which record label did Calvary Chapel launch in 1971 amid the Jesus movement?

Sparrow followed in 1976 under Baylor graduate Billy Ray Hearn, and Gotee Records became the first specialised Christian hip-hop label in 1994.

Which rapper co-founded Reach Records in 2004 with Ben Washer?

The label had a major impact on the growth of Christian hip-hop, a decade after TobyMac helped start Gotee Records.

The members of Jars of Clay met at Greenville College in which state?

The band later based itself in Nashville with Dan Haseltine on vocals and no permanent drummer.

Which singer-songwriter behind 'Awesome God' died in a car crash in September 1997?

He was planning to convert to Catholicism, and Amy Grant later called him 'the uneasy conscience of Christian music'.

NEEDTOBREATHE's frontman was nicknamed after which college football coach?

He was a wide receiver for the Furman Paladins, and the band grew up in Seneca, South Carolina, where their pastor father ran a church camp.

Brandon Lake rose to prominence as a worship leader at Seacoast Church in which city?

He is a former member of both Bethel Music and Maverick City Music and launched his career with a crowdfunded debut, Closer, in 2016.

Which Phil Wickham single went Platinum and topped the 2014 year-end Christian Airplay chart?

The San Diego native has released fourteen worship albums and has led worship at Soul Survivor.