Steven Curtis Chapman

Updated: Sep 16, 2023

Steven Curtis Chapman (born November 21, 1962 in Paducah, Kentucky) is an American contemporary Christian music singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.

Chapman began his career in the late 1980s as a songwriter and performer of contemporary Christian music and became the artist in Christian music with the most awards releasing over 25 albums. He is also the winner of five Grammy Awards and 59 Dove Awards, more than any other artist in history. His seven "Artist of the Year" Dove Awards are also an industry record. As of 2014, Chapman has sold more than 10 million albums and has 10 RIAA-certified gold or platinum albums. Chapman's songs that he has written have been recorded by The Imperials, Sandi Patty, Geoff Moore and many others.

After graduating from high school, Chapman enrolled as a pre-med student at Georgetown College in Kentucky. After several semesters he transferred to Anderson College in Indiana, but soon dropped out and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a career in music. He began working a music show at Opryland USA while dedicating time to songwriting.

Chapman was signed as a songwriter and later as a recording artist on Sparrow Records. His debut album First Hand was released in 1987. The first single "Weak Days" was his first Top 5 hit climbing to number 2 on the Christian radio charts. More albums followed in the late 1980s with Real Life Conversations and More To This Life.

In the 1990s, Chapman released For the Sake of the Call which garnered him number one hits, his first Grammy Award and went Gold selling half a million copies. In 1992, The Great Adventure became a success going Platinum selling a million copies, winning him more Grammy and Dove Awards. More albums followed throughout the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. These achievements strengthened his position in the Christian music scene.

More information on Steven Curtis Chapman at Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Curtis_Chapman

Discography

First Hand (1987)

Real Life Conversations (1988)

More To This Life (1989)

For the Sake of the Call (1990)

The Great Adventure (1992)

The Live Adventure (1993)

Heaven in the Real World (1994)

The Music of Christmas (1995)

Signs of Life (1996)