Phillips, Craig and Dean
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Phillips, Craig and Dean is a Contemporary Christian Music trio comprised by Randy Phillips, Shawn Craig, and Dan Dean. They've been together since 1991 and they have had 18 #1 songs, several Dove nominations and one Dove award for participating in a special event album "My Utmost For His Highest". They have also sold over 2 million units.
Some of their most popular songs include "Favorite Song of All", "My Praise", "I Want to be Just Like You", "Friend of God", and "You Are God Alone".
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[edit] History
Phillips, Craig & Dean was formed in 1991 by the desire of its three members to work through a musical ministry. Steadily they started gaining popularity in the Contemporary Christian Music environment.
In 1992 they released their eponymously-titled debut album, and followed it with Lifeline in 1994 and Trust in 1995. In 1996 they released a Christmas album titled Repeat the Sounding Joy featuring the Christ Church Choir and the Nashville String Machine.
In 1997 they released Where Strength Begins. The following year, they released a compilation titled Favorite Songs of All. In 1999 they returned with Restoration, and followed it with Let My Words Be Few in 2001 and Let Your Glory Fall in 2003.
In recent years, they've shed their mainstream pop roots and focused on more worship oriented music. On that line, they've released their latest albums. It was through Phillips' weekly TV program that Phillips, Craig & Dean discovered what would be the title track for their 2004 CD Let The Worshipers Arise. The praise & worship-themed show sought to discover the best song from an unknown songwriter with Michael Ferrin of Texarkana, Texas taking home the top prize. Once the judging was over, the top five winners came to Austin and the winning song debuted on an Awakening broadcast.
"When I heard him sing it live it was one of those moments," Phillips recalls. "I think when people hear it, it’s going to cause them to reach out to Christ with a renewed passion like they’ve never had before."
They've also contributed to several Contemporary Christian music compilations, most notably My Utmost For His Highest in 1995, and their second greatest hits album, the 2CD set The Ultimate Collection, was released by Sparrow Records in 2006.
[edit] Members
[edit] Dan Dean
- Dan Dean pastors The Heartland Church in Irving, Texas.
- Dean's wife, Becky, was in a near-fatal car accident on New Year’s Eve 2002. Dan was with her through every step of her recovery.
[edit] Randy Phillips
- Randy Phillips is the pastor at Austin, Texas-based Promiseland West Church.
- Phillips hosts a weekly local TV show titled Awakening which airs on five stations in the Austin, Texas area, as well as nationwide.
[edit] Shawn Craig
- Shawn Craig is the senior pastor at South County Christian Center in St. Louis, Missouri; he's been with this church for over 25 years.
- Craig completed his Masters of Divinity Degree at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- Craig has won three GMA Music Awards for the song In Christ Alone; in 1993, it was the Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year, when Michael English recorded it; in 1994, it won Song of the Year, and in 2006, it won Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year again, with Brian Littrell recording it. All three times he shared the award with co-writer Don Koch; Craig has performed the song himself in concert also.
[edit] Trivia
- All three singers are full-time pastors. For that reason, they make it a priority to be at their respective churches in Sunday services so they have declared a virtual moratorium on Saturday night concerts.
[edit] Discography
- Phillips, Craig & Dean (1992)
- Lifeline (1994)
- Trust (1995)
- Repeat The Sounding Joy (1996)
- Where Strength Begins (1997)
- Favorite Songs of All (1998)
- Restoration (1999)
- Let My Words Be Few (2001)
- Let Your Glory Fall (2003)
- Let The Worshipers Arise (2004)
- The Ultimate Collection (2CD) (2006)
- Top of My Lungs (2006)
