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Christopher Dwayne Tomlin (born May 4, 1972)[1] is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, and worship leader from Grand Saline, Texas.[2] He is signed to Universal's Capitol Christian Music Group. Some of his most well-known songs are "How Great Is Our God", "Our God", "Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)" and "Holy Forever".
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Chris Tomlin | |
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| Birth name | Christopher Dwayne Tomlin |
| Born | May 4, 1972 |
| Origin | Grand Saline, Texas, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | Capitol Christian Music Group |
| Website | christomlin |
TIME magazine heralded Chris Tomlin as the “most often sung artist in the world” [3] as his music has inspired and uplifted an entire generation of believers. Along the way, Chris has scored 21 number-one radio singles, 30 top-ten hits (more than any other Christian artist), and spent a total of 158+ weeks at number-one during his career. He's sold more than 12 million albums with more than 7 Billion career global streams, won a Grammy, three Billboard Music Awards, 31 GMA Dove Awards, became a two-time BMI Songwriter of the Year honoree and an ASCAP Songwriter of the Year. In 2016, he was named one of only four artists ever to receive the Sound Exchange Digital Radio Award for over 1 billion digital radio streams, alongside Justin Timberlake, Pitbull, and Garth Brooks. Chris is also the first Christian artist to reach the billion streams threshold on Pandora and was presented with their BILLIONAIRE award. As one of the most successful Christian touring artists today, Chris has sold-out venues everywhere including New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, Denver's Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and LA’s Banc of California Stadium. His “Good Friday Nashville” concerts continue to sell out year after year and the event holds the record as the longest running annual charity related concert at Bridgestone Arena.[4]
At the age of 13, he began singing at the Main Street Baptist church in Grand Saline.[5] Tomlin wrote his first worship song at age fourteen. During high school, he learned to lead worship in his youth group.[6] After graduating from Grand Saline High School in 1990, he entered Tyler Junior College (TJC) planning for a medical or physical therapy career.[7] Tomlin graduated in 1992[8] and enrolled in Texas A&M University to study medicine.[9] He grew active in a campus Christian group called Breakaway, where he became the worship leader.[9] In 1994, Tomlin graduated from Texas A&M with a bachelor's degree in psychology.[8][10] After college Tomlin participated as a worship leader at various camps in Texas, including Dawson McAllister Youth Conferences.[11] While at Breakaway, Tomlin participated in a Bible study led by Choice Ministries founder Louie Giglio.[9] In 1997, Tomlin partnered with Giglio to found Passion Conferences.[12][13]
In 1995, Tomlin released Inside Your Love, which was released independently.[14] In 1998, he released Authentic on Sparrow Records.[15]
In 2000, Tomlin signed onto newly founded sixstepsrecords, a subsidiary of Passion Conferences.[16] His first nationally released solo project, titled The Noise We Make, was released in 2001, featuring the song "Forever". He released the live EP 545 and his second studio album Not to Us in 2002.[17]
Since his signing onto sixstepsrecords, Tomlin has released nine full-length studio albums. 2004's Arriving was the first to chart on Billboard's Hot Christian Albums chart and the Billboard 200. Tomlin has topped the Hot Christian Albums chart six times, and his 2013 album Burning Lights topped the Billboard 200, making the album only the fourth contemporary Christian album to do so.
Tomlin has also released one live album, recorded in Austin Music Hall, and two Christmas albums (2009, 2015),[18] both of which topped the Holiday albums chart on Billboard.[19]
Tomlin has toured with many contemporary Christian artists, such as Delirious?, Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, and MercyMe.[20][21] Tomlin has headlined several tours, and has also joined Passion Conferences for national and global tours and events.[22] Tomlin has also participated in various other conferences festivals including Grand Saline's annual Salt Festival in Texas,[23] Hillsong's 2007 conference,[24] and the SoCal Harvest in Anaheim.[25]
On June 14, 2007, Tomlin's version of the song "Indescribable" was used as the official wake-up call for Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester on Space Shuttle mission STS-117.[26] Chris Tomlin left Sixstepsrecords in 2015 and quickly signed to Capitol Records CMG and River Music Holdings in 2016[27]
Tomlin embarked on his first major global headlining trek in over a decade when his Holy Forever World Tour launched in April 2024. The Holy Forever world tour started in April 2024 after Tomlin's Good Friday Nashville concert at Bridgestone Arena that he hosts every year. In addition to Stateside concerts in such cities as Boston, Seattle, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the Holy Forever World Tour will make stops in England, the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary and Canada.
Tomlin married Lauren Bricken[28] on November 9, 2010.[29][30][31] Together they have three daughters, Ashlyn, Madison and Elle.[32]
Independent releases
- Inside Your Love (1995)
- Authentic (1998)
- Too Much Free Time (1998) [with Ross King]
Commercial releases
- The Noise We Make (2001)
- Not to Us (2002)
- Arriving (2004)
- See the Morning (2006)
- Hello Love (2008)
- And If Our God Is for Us... (2010)
- Burning Lights (2013)
- Love Ran Red (2014)
- Never Lose Sight (2016)[33]
- Holy Roar (2018)
- Chris Tomlin & Friends (2020)
- Always (2022)
It is the name of his brand-new album, and the title track is one he considers the eternal, everlasting song. “Hebrews 13:8 says, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever,’ and that's really the heart of this song. I love how it speaks to the miracles that we’ve read of Jesus when he walked this earth,” Tomlin says. “Our faith is not a faith that’s just 30 minutes old, or the faith of just our parents, but it’s generations before us and generations after us. It’s a long line of those who’ve run the race.”
The album's “Holy Forever” is the one that Tomlin considers the anchor of this anthology. “It’s a song that sounds like Heaven to me. It has this transcendence about it.” For him, worship music usually has two distinct lanes—song of transcendence, and songs of deliverance and rescue. “This one takes you into the spiritual realm. It takes you into a place of worship where your spirit’s connecting to something eternal.”
This time around, his featured guests on Always include Elevation Worship, Brandon Lake, and Steffany Gretzinger. And because many hands make light work, Tomlin brought in a team of producers for Always, including Ben Glover, Bryan Fowler, Ed Cash, Jeff Sojka, Jonathan Smith and Lady A’s Dave Haywood.[34]
| Song Title | Writers |
|---|---|
| “Yahweh” (No One) feat. Elevation Worship | Chris Tomlin, Steven Furtick, Jason Ingram, Chris Brown (of Elevation Worship) |
| “Always” | Chris Tomlin, Jess Cates, Daniel Carson, Jeff Sojka, Ben Glover |
| “Strongholds” | Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash, Louie Giglio |
| “Holy Forever” | Chris Tomlin, Brian Johnson, Jenn Johnson, Phil Wickham, Jason Ingram |
| “O Lord You’re Beautiful” feat. Steffany Gretzinger | Keith Green |
| “The Answer” | Chris Tomlin, Charles Kelley, Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Benjamin West |
| “Great Forgiver” | Chris Tomlin, Bear Rinehart, Jeff Sojka, Ben Glover |
| “I Believe In Jesus” | Chris Tomlin, Mitch Wong, Ben Fielding |
| “I See You” feat. Brandon Lake | Chris Tomlin, Bryan Fowler, Jonas Myrin |
| “Father Of Lights” | Chris Tomlin, Steven Furtick, Jason Ingram, Jeff Sojka, Ben Glover |
| “History” | Chris Tomlin, Jess Cates, Cody Carnes |
| “All In All” | Chris Tomlin, Corey Crowder, Tyler Hubbard, Jason Ingram |
| “Precious Love” | Chris Tomlin, Sam McCabe, Ben Cantelon |
According to Christian Copyright Licensing International's list of the top 25 worship songs in the US in August 2007, Tomlin held five spots with songs he has either written, co-written or performed: "How Great Is Our God" (No. 1), "Forever" (No. 5), "Holy Is the Lord" (No. 7), "We Fall Down" (No. 12), and "Indescribable" (No. 22) (written by Laura Story[35]). In 2008, Tomlin held 6 spots on 20 The Countdown Magazine's top 20 praise and worship songs: "We Fall Down" (No. 14), "Forever" (No. 10), "Holy is the Lord" (No. 8), "Indescribable" (No. 6),[35] "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)" (No. 3), and "How Great is our God" (No. 1).[36] In 2012, CCLI reported that his songs were performed more than 3 million times in churches around the world.[37] Time magazine has called him "most often sung artist anywhere" in 2006,[38] and in 2013, he was also pronounced the most sung songwriter in the world.[39] In 2017, he became only the fourth artist to receive the Sound Exchange Digital Radio Award for surpassing a billion digital radio streams,[40] and in 2018, he became the first Christian artist to receive the Billionaire award from Pandora for reaching a billion Pandora streams.[41]
Grammy Awards
| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album (See the Morning) | Nominated |
| 2009 | Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album (Hello Love) | Nominated |
| 2011 | Best Gospel Song ("Our God") | Nominated |
| 2012 | Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance ("I Lift My Hands") | Nominated |
| Best Contemporary Christian Music Song ("I Lift My Hands") | Nominated | |
| Best Contemporary Christian Music Album (And If Our God Is For Us...) | Won[42] | |
| 2014 | Best Contemporary Christian Music Song (Whom Shall I Fear)[43] | Nominated |
| Best Contemporary Christian Music Album (Burning Lights)[43] | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Best Contemporary Christian Music Album (Love Ran Red) | Nominated[44] |
| 2023 | Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song ("Holy Forever") | Nominated |
| Best Contemporary Christian Music Album (Always) | Nominated |
GMA Dove Awards
Throughout his career, Chris Tomlin has been nominated for 32 Dove Awards (6 of them collaborative efforts) and won 19 of them.
| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Praise & Worship Album of the Year (Arriving) | Won[45] |
| 2006 | Artist of the Year | Won[46] |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Won[46] | |
| Song of the Year ("Holy Is the Lord") | Nominated[46] | |
| Song of the Year ("How Great Is Our God") | Won[46] | |
| Worship Song of the Year ("Holy Is the Lord") | Nominated[46] | |
| Worship Song of the Year ("How Great Is Our God") | Won[46] | |
| Worship Song of the Year ("Indescribable")1 | Nominated[46] | |
| Special Event Album of the Year (Music Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia)* | Won[46] | |
| Special Event Album of the Year (Passion: How Great Is Our God)* | Nominated[46] | |
| Special Event Album of the Year (WOW Christmas: Green)* | Nominated[46] | |
| 2007 | Artist of the Year | Won[47] |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Won[47] | |
| Song of the Year ("Made to Worship") | Nominated[47] | |
| Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year ("Made to Worship") | Nominated[47] | |
| Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year (See The Morning) | Won[47] | |
| Worship Song of the Year ("Holy Is the Lord") | Won[47] | |
| Worship Song of the Year ("Made to Worship") | Nominated[47] | |
| Praise & Worship Album of the Year (See The Morning) | Won[47] | |
| Special Event Album of the Year (Passion: Everything Glorious)* | Won[47] | |
| 2008 | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Won | |
| Song of the Year ("Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)") | Nominated | |
| Worship Song of the Year ("Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)") | Nominated | |
| Worship Song of the Year ("How Great Is Our God") | Won | |
| Special Event Album of the Year (Music Inspired By the Motion Picture Amazing Grace)* | Nominated | |
| 2009 | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year ("Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)") | Nominated | |
| Worship Song of the Year ("Jesus Messiah") | Nominated | |
| Praise & Worship Album of the Year (Hello Love) | Nominated | |
| Special Event Album of the Year (Passion: God of This City)* | Won | |
| Contemporary Gospel Recorded Song of the Year ("How Great Is Our God")2 | Won | |
| 2010 | Song of the Year ("I Will Rise") | Nominated |
| Worship Song of the Year ("I Will Rise") | Nominated | |
| Praise & Worship Album of the Year (Hello Love) | Nominated | |
| Christmas Album of the Year (Glory in the Highest: Christmas Songs of Worship) | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year ("Our God") | Nominated | |
| Worship Song of the Year ("Our God") | Won | |
| Special Event Album of the Year (Passion: Awakening)* | Won | |
| 2012 | Praise & Worship Album of the Year (And If Our God Is For Us...) | Won[48] |
| 2013 | Song of the Year ("Whom Shall I Fear [God of Angel Armies]") | Nominated[49] |
| Praise & Worship Album of the Year ("Burning Lights") | Won[49] | |
| Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year ("Burning Lights") | Nominated[49] | |
| Artist of the Year | Nominated[49] | |
| Special Event Album of the Year (Passion: White Flag)* | Nominated[49] | |
| Special Event Album of the Year (Passion: Let The Future Begin)* | Won[49] | |
| Praise & Worship Album of the Year (Passion: White Flag)* | Nominated[49] | |
| Praise & Worship Album of the Year (Passion: Let The Future Begin)* | Nominated[49] | |
| 2014 | Songwriter of the Year | Won[50] |
| 2015 | Praise & Worship Album of the Year (Love Ran Red) | Nominated |
| 2016 | Songwriter of the Year | Nominated[51] |
| 2017 | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| Songwriter of the Year | Nominated | |
| Worship Album of the Year ("Never Lose Sight") | Won | |
| Short Form Video of the Year ("Jesus") | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Worship Recorded Song of the Year ("Resurrection Power") | Nominated |
| 2019 | Worship Album of the Year (Holy Roar) | Nominated |
| Long Form Video of the Year (Holy Roar: Live from Church) | Nominated |
- *Denotes a collaborative effort or a song contribution to a "Various artists" album.
- 1 The song was performed by Tomlin, but written and produced by Laura Story.
- 2 The song was performed by LaRue Howard, but written by Tomlin.
Billboard Music Awards
| Year | Award | Result[52] |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Top Christian Artist | Won |
| Top Christian Album (And If Our God Is for Us...) | Nominated | |
| Top Christian Song ("Our God") | Won |
Others
Tomlin was nominated for two 2009 Visionary Award: Male Entertainer of the Year and Song of the Year for "Jesus Messiah".[53]
- Chris Tomlin, The Way I Was Made: Words and Music for an Unusual Life, Multnomah, 2004. ISBN 978-1-59052-327-8
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Grace Unplugged | Himself |
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