Selah (band)
| Selah | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Genres | Contemporary Christian, gospel |
| Years active | 1997–present[1] |
| Labels | Curb |
| Website |
selahonline |
| Members |
Amy Perry Allan Hall Todd Smith |
| Past members |
Nicol Sponberg Melodie Crittenden |
Selah is a contemporary Christian vocal trio consisting of Todd Smith, Allan Hall, and Amy Perry. They have won seven Gospel Music Association Dove Awards and sold more than 4 million album and single units combined. The group has been featured on The 700 Club, The Hour of Power, and TBN.
History
Original lineup (1997–2004)
Selah was originally formed by brother and sister, Todd and Nicol Smith (now Nicol Sponberg), along with friend Allan Hall.[2] The group quickly gained success with the release of their first album, Be Still My Soul, in 1999. They quickly earned a reputation for being able to reveal the heart of any song they recorded,[3] transforming old Christian hymns into a more modern style and with their powerful voices and beautiful harmonies.[4] Todd and Nicol, who spent their childhood in Subsaharan Africa, brought many African elements to their songs as well. They are as comfortable singing in Kituba, as they are in English.[2] Todd gives credit for his music career to his missionary upbringing. "I've been singing in front of people since I was three," he said. "My parents are missionaries. When we came back to the United States, we had to visit each church that sponsored us. That was a good training ground."[5] They also did well-known covers of already-famous songs such as "You Raise Me Up" by Secret Garden and "Bless the Broken Road" by Marcus Hummon. Selah went on to win a Dove Award for their debut album.
Their second album Press On was released in 2001, and also won a Dove Award, along with many nominations for individual songs in the album.
In April 2000, Nicol Smith released her self-titled solo debut on Curb Records.[6] She met and married Greg Sponberg in 2003. Nicol Sponberg released her second solo album, Resurrection (Curb Records), in 2004. The single "Crazy In Love" crossed over to the secular Adult Contemporary charts while songs like "Safe" continued to earn her airplay on Christian radio. Todd also produced a solo album, Alive, in 2004.
2005–2012
Nicol left the group in 2004 to pursue a solo career, and for most of 2005 Melodie Crittenden sang with the group.[7]
The 2006 Bless the Broken Road album was a project that teamed original Selah members Allan Hall and Todd Smith with a wide variety of guest singers.
After auditioning 15 female vocalists, Amy Perry became a full-time member based on her vocal abilities and spirituality.[7] Allan Hall also began to get a more active singing role, from originally being the band's accompanist.
2013–present
In 2014, Selah released You Amaze Us. The title track debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Christian Soft AC chart, becoming the first song in the history of the chart to do so.[8] "You Amaze Us” spent a concurrent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Christian Soft AC chart.
In 2014, Amy Perry and Alan Hall also released solo albums – Glory All Around (Perry) and Work of Love (Hall).
Discography
- 1999: Be Still My Soul
- 2001: Press On
- 2002: Rose of Bethlehem (Christmas album)
- 2004: Hiding Place
- 2005: Greatest Hymns
- 2006: Bless the Broken Road: The Duets Album
- 2007: Timeless: The Selah Collection (four-disc set; three discs previously released)
- 2009: You Deliver Me
- 2011: Hope of the Broken World
- 2014: You Amaze Us
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "Wonderful, Merciful Savior" | 1 | Inspo | Press On |
| 2005 | "You Raise Me Up" | 1 | Soft AC & Inspo | Hiding Place |
| 2006 | "Bless the Broken Road" | 5 | Soft AC | Bless the Broken Road: The Duets Album |
| 2011 | "I Turn to You" | 1 | Inspo | Hope of the Broken World |
| 2013 | "It Must Be You" | 1 | Soft AC | Single |
| 2014 | "You Amaze Us" | 1 | Soft AC | You Amaze Us |
Dove Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Inspirational Album of the Year for Be Still My Soul | Won |
| 2002 | Inspirational Album of the Year for Press On | Won |
| Traditional Recorded Gospel Song for "Hold On" | Won | |
| Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for "Wonderful, Merciful Savior" | Nominated | |
| Group of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Group of the Year | Nominated |
| 2005 | Artist of the Year | Nominated |
| Group of the Year | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year for "You Raise Me Up" | Nominated | |
| Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for "You Raise Me Up" | Nominated | |
| Inspirational Album of the Year for Hiding Place | Won | |
| Worship Song of the Year for "I Bless Your Name" | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Inspirational Album of the Year for Bless the Broken Road: The Duets Album | Won |
| Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for "All My Praise" | Nominated | |
| Inspirational Album of the Year for Greatest Hymns | Nominated | |
| Special Event Album of the Year for WoW Christmas (Green) | Nominated | |
| Worship Song of the Year for "Be Thou My Vision" | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Song of the Year for "Bless the Broken Road" | Nominated |
| Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year for "Bless the Broken Road" | Nominated | |
| Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for "Glory" | Nominated | |
| Group of the Year | Nominated | |
| Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for "Be Thou Near To Me" | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for "Hope of the Broken World" | Won |
| 2012 | Inspirational Recorded Album of the Year for "Hope of the Broken World" | Won |
| 2013 | Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for "It Must be You" | Nominated |
| 2014 | Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for "You Amaze Us" | Nominated |
References
- ↑ "Biography". Christianmusiclighthouse.com. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
- 1 2 "Nicol Smith". Thefish.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ↑ "About Selah". Webstix. Archived from the original on March 14, 2007. Retrieved March 15, 2007.
- ↑ "Selah". Christianmusic.about.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ↑ Krieg, Sheryl (February 17, 2010). "Christian group Selah is more than music". The News-Sentinel. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Selah's Nicol Smith Ready to Solo". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2000. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - 1 2 "Selah: Blessing the Broken Road". Cbn.com. Retrieved 2012-02-26.
- ↑ http://www.hearitfirst.com/news/selahs-you-amaze-us-debuts-at-number-1-as-history-making-title-cut-tops-chart-for-11-consecutive-weeks
External links
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