Point of Grace

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Point of Grace (1998)

Point of Grace is a group of Christian pop music singers and authors. This all ladies quartet consisted of Shelley Breen, Heather Payne, Denise Jones, and Terry Jones, and two permanent band members, Dana Cappillino on guitar and Tommy McGee on bass. In November 2003, Terry Jones decided she needed to spend more time with her family after giving birth to her third child, and left the group, with Cappillino's wife Leigh joining in March 2004 for their 2004 release I Choose You.

The group's debut self-titled album was released in 1993; since then, they have been recognized as one of the top Contemporary Christian music bands in the United States. In 2003, they released their ninth album, 24 - a compilation of their 24 consecutive #1 radio singles. To this date, no band in any genre has matched this record.

The group has started a conference for young girls, the Girls of Grace series.

1 Tidbits
2 Biography
3 Discography
4 Books
5 External links

[edit] Tidbits

When Point of Grace added a touring band in 1998, they tapped well-known guitar player Dana Cappillino and bass player Tommy McGee to head the group. Some notable band members who have joined the six members of Point of Grace on tours have included Derek Wyatt (1998-99) and J.D. Blair, best known for his work with Shania Twain, in (2001). Michael Passons, formerly of Avalon, has added his work with the group in 2006.

Family plays a more important role than what most fans think. In addition to Dana Cappillino playing guitar for his wife, the group in recent years changed booking agents, leaving the William Morris Agency in favour of The Breen Agency, founded by Shelley's husband David.

Denise Jones is the cousin of former NBA players Mark and Brent Price. Heather Payne once was a regional (Little Rock) contestant in the Metropolitan Opera contest.

The group started in 1991 as students from Ouachita Baptist University. Heather Payne, Denise Jones, and Terry Jones were all raised in Norman, Oklahoma, but did not know each other until in college; joined by Breen, from Little Rock, Arkansas.

The group was originally called Say So, based on Psalm 107:2 ("Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy"), but had to change its name. The name Point of Grace is derived from a saying by C.S. Lewis, "We as Christians live at every day, at the point of God's grace."

[edit] Biography

The girls began singing virtually every weekend while in school, and spent most of their summer vacations driving around the country in van singing at any church who would want to listen. In the summer of 1992, they performed at the Young Artists Competition in Estes Park, CO, where they caught the ear of many Christian music labels. They eventually signed a contract with Word Records and moved to Nashville in order to record their self-titled debut album, Point of Grace which was released in October 1993. The six singles they released reached the #1 spot in Christian radio and earned them the Dove Award for New Artist of the Year in 1994. No other artist in history has had that many consecutive #1 songs from a debut album.

March 1995 saw the release of their sophomore album, The Whole Truth. They embarked on their first official tour with Phillips, Craig & Dean and Margaret Becker. Songs such as "The Great Divide" and "Dying To Reach You" became fan favorites and regulars on their concert set lists. That year they also contributed a song, "Hold On To Me", to the [[My Utmost For His Highest]] project, a rendition of "Fairest Lord Jesus" for the Hymns & Voices record, and their rendition of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" to the Christmas Carols Of The Young Messiah record, which was released during the Young Messiah Farewell Tour, where they were featured along with artists such as Sandi Patty, Steven Curtis Chapman and Larnelle Harris.

They spent the first half of 1996 recording new material and in September of that year, Life Love & Other Mysteries was released, along with a book by the same name. On the day of the record release, the girls flew to five different cities to promote the new album and lead single "Keep The Candle Burning", which has become one of the biggest hits in the group's career. Not long after the album's release, the girls embarked on an arena tour with 4Him, which extended through the summer of 1997. That same year, the girls contributed the song "Follow The Star" with Clay Crosse to the Emmanuel project. A nationwide tour happened in December 1996, but the girls weren't a part of it, and Avalon took their place on the tour instead.

In 1998, the girls released Steady On. It marked the first time they worked with Brown Bannister, who brought a whole different element to the table. It was a more agressive sound than they were used to, but their fans and critics embraced it well. They launched their first-ever headling tour that year, The Steady On Tour, with special guests Watermark. The tour had many memorable moments, particularly the Women of the Bible skit, where they covered snippets of songs by artists such as Aretha Franklin, The Bangles and Spice Girls. The album's six singles all reached the #1 spot on the charts, and the album introduced many concert favorites, including "Saving Grace" and "Who Am I?".

1999 was a big year for the girls. Heather got married, they added a spring leg on the Steady On Tour, and continued performing concerts during the summer. While not on the road, they began work on their first Christmas record. Again, they worked with Brown Bannister, who commissioned musicians such as Carl Marsh, Ronn Huff, Michael Mellett, Chris Eaton and Tim Davis to help put together the instrumental and vocal arrangements for the songs. The result was A Christmas Story, a timeless collection of seasonal favorites and new originals. They also collaborated with Michael Tait, of dcTalk on "Light Of The World" an original song by Brent Bourgeois. The label invested heavily on promotion, and they were given lots of media coverage, including shows like "Donny & Marie" and "The View". In December 1999 the girls embarked on a nationwide Christmas tour with Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. The tour hit most major markets and featured The Nashville Symphony and The Katinas as special guests. Terry Jones was not able to make it through the whole tour as she was already 8 months pregnant at the time. Heather, Shelley and Denise performed the remaining shows as a trio.

After the Christmas tour, the girls decided to take a hiatus, giving them time to focus on their families. Terry gave birth to her second child in December 1999 and Denise gave birth to hers in May 2000. Heather and Shelley focused on their husbands. The girls regrouped occasionally for Women Of Faith dates and a few concert dates throughout the year, including a homecoming concert of sorts at Ouachita Baptist University, their alma mater. In order to tide their fans over until the next album, they released Rarities & Remixes in May, a collection of remixed hits from their first two albums, some rarities from their contributions to special events albums and four songs from their Say So days.

The girls regrouped in early 2001 to record the follow-up to Steady On. This time, they worked with six different producers in order to achieve different sounds. The lead single, "Blue Skies", was an instant radio hit, and Free To Fly dropped on May 1, 2001. The girls worked all summer long promoting the record, playing in festivals and independent shows. Because of the September 11 attacks, there was talk of cancelling the Free To Fly Tour, but the girls decided to press on, saying that people needed encouragement at that time more than ever. The girls played fall and spring legs of the tour, with FFH as the special guest.

In 2002 the girls launched their Girls Of Grace conferences with an album and book in Lakeland, FL. The first four conferences were very well-received, with speakers such as Susie Shellenberger of BRIO Magazine, Nancy Alcorn of Mercy Ministries of America, as well as special musical guest Joy Williams. The conferences went on through the spring of 2003 with singing group Out Of Eden. The girls were also a featured guest on Michael W. Smith's Christmastime Tour with The Katinas.

In November 2003, Terry Jones announced she was leaving the group after 13 years of ministry. Although saddened by the departure, the girls understood and called upon Leigh Cappillino, wife of their band leader and guitar player, Dana, to take her place. Terry's last concert with the group was in Little Rock, AR on February 28, 2004, and Leigh's first show was on March 12, 2004 in Atlanta. The girls began work on a new album, and in October 2004, I Choose You was released. They promoted it by doing small concerts and in February 2005, embarked on a nationwide 30-city tour with special guests Scott Krippayne and Charity Von. After the tour ended, they began work on their second Christmas release, Winter Wonderland, again produced by Brown Bannister and headlined their first Christmas tour with special guest John David Webster.