Plus One
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Plus One | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Nashville, TN, USA | |
| Genre(s) | Pop Pop rock Contemporary Christian/Gospel |
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| Years active | 2000–2004 | |
| Label(s) | Atlantic Records Inpop Records |
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| Website | http://www.myspace.com/plusonedemos | |
| Members | ||
| Nate Cole Nathan Walters Gabe Combs |
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| Former members | ||
| Jeremy Mhire Jason Perry |
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Plus One was a Christian boy band formed by Atlantic Records in 2000. The band made up of vocalists Nate Cole, Gabe Combs, Jeremy Mhire, Jason Perry, and Nathan Walters remains one of the best selling artists in Christian pop. After suffering label woes and mis-management, the group disbanded in the fall of 2004.
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[edit] Formation
[edit] The Promise
In late 1999, executives at Atlantic Records began a search to form a pop act to compete against rising acts Backstreet Boys and Nsync by offering a Christian alternative. Atlantic A&R recruited five young vocalists from Southern California and formed what would become Plus One. The group's debut The Promise was released in May of 2000 and enjoyed great success in the Christian Pop scene. The album went gold with more than 500,000 album sales and peaked at #76 on the Billboard 200. They had two No. 1 Christian radio hits, "Written on My Heart", which was # 1 on the charts for 2 months and "God Is in This Place." The group went on to receive a Dove Award in 2001 as New Artist of the Year.
[edit] Obvious
Plus One's sophomore album Obvious was released on Atlantic Records in February of 2002. The album sold more than 41,000 copies in its first week and debuted at #29 on Billboard 200. The first single "Camouflage" reached the top 5 on Christian charts.
[edit] Christmas
In October 2002, Plus One released the aptly titled holiday album Christmas.
[edit] A New Direction
After completing promotional rounds and touring for Obvious and Christmas, Jeremy Mhire and Jason Perry decided to part ways with the group feeling that they were being called to other ministries and obligations, leaving the band with the remaining three members. In early 2003, the group was released from Atlantic Records. Cole, Walters, and Combs spent the next few months trying to recoup and figure out their next move.
[edit] Exodus
Seeking to revamp their image, the group signed a limited deal with Inpop Records to release their unabashedly unambiguous third album entitled Exodus. Co-produced by Newsboys frontman Peter Furler and keyboardist Jeff Frankenstein, Exodus marked a departure from the boy band image that made them famous. Featuring swirling guitars, deep bass lines, and piercing piano solos combined with honest and emotional original lyrics, the album saw the band performing their own material for the first time.
In 2004, after completing the Exodus 04 Tour, Plus One quietly parted ways with Inpop Records and Paradigm Management, citing lack of album and ticket sales and conflicts with Paradigm as the reason for the break up.
[edit] After Plus One
Following the disbandment, the members of Plus One have moved on to explore other musical opportunities. Nate Cole and Gabe Combs are currently residing in California, promoting their new band Castledoor while Nathan Walters continues pursuing a solo career in Nashville.
For more Information on Castledoor, or to purchase their latest EP visit their MySpace page at: http://www.myspace.com/castledoormusic
For more Information on Nathan Walters visit his Myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/nathanwaltersmusic
[edit] Discography
 2000 |
 2002 |
 2002 |
 2003 |
[edit] Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Album | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Promise | The Billboard 200 | 76 |
| 2002 | Obvious | The Billboard 200 | 29 |
| 2002 | Christmas | The Billboard 200 | - |
| 2003 | Exodus | The Billboard 200 | - |
[edit] Members
- Nate Cole (2000 - 2004)
- Gabe Combs (2000 - 2004)
- Jeremy Mhire (2000 - 2002)
- Jason Perry (2000 - 2002)
- Nathan Walters (2000 - 2004)
[edit] Trivia
- All original members were raised in the Assembly of God, a Pentecostal sect; two were Pastors' sons.
- The group was parodied by South Park, where Cartman, Butters, and Token formed a Christian band called "Faith Plus One."
