Aerosmith * The Afters * All-American Rejects * Amos Lee * Andrew Bird * Andrew Peterson * Audio Adrenaline * Audioslave * The Band * The Beach Boys * The Beatles * Bebo Norman * Ben Folds Five * Ben Folds * Bjork * The Black Crowes * Blessed Union of Souls * Bob Dylan * Brandon Heath * Bryan Adams * Chris Rice * Clint Lagerberg * Coldplay * Counting Crows * David Crowder Band * dcTalk * Downhere * Elton John * The Exciting Mr. Brown * Fall Out Boy * Five For Fighting * Foo Fighters * Fountains of Wayne * Frank Sinatra * The Fray * Frou Frou * The Goo Goo Dolls * Graham Colton * HalfPastForever * Harry Connick, Jr. * Hellogoodbye * Hillsong United * Hootie & the Blowfish * Imogen Heap * Jack Johnson * Jack's Mannequin * Jackson Waters * James Taylor * Jars of Clay * Jason Walker * Jimmy Eat World * John Lennon * John Mayer * Jonezetta * Journey * Keane * Kelly Clarkson * Kevin Max * The Killers * Led Zeppelin * Mae * Maroon5 * Marvin Gaye * Mat Kearney * Matchbox Twenty * Michael W. Smith * Muse * MuteMath * My Chemical Romance * Needtobreathe * Otis Redding * Owsley * Paul McCartney * Paul McCartney & Wings * Paul Simon * The Police * Queen * The Raconteurs * Radiohead * Ray LaMontagne * Red Holt Chili Peppers * Relient K * Ryan Adams * Seal * Schaeffer * Sheryl Crow * Sigur Ros * Simon & Garfunkel * Snow Patrol * Steven Curtis Chapman * Stevie Wonder * Sufjan Stevens * Sugarcult * Switchfoot * Tait * Tenacious D * Third Day * Tim Hughes * Travis * U2 * VHS or Beta * The Wallflowers * The Who * Wilson Pickett * Wolfmother *The Zombies
Sounds Like
Chinese Water torture while on psychotropic drugs.
If you want to read a Long Bio, it is below. But let's be honest, most people just want the simple facts. Here they are:
My name is Chris Sligh. I am a singer/songwriter living in Nashville, TN. I write songs for myself and others. I produce other artists and myself. I travel the world wide with an incredible band of musicians and play shows as many days as I can. I am signed to Brash music out of Atlanta. I was on American Idol. I'm married with 2 dogs. My wife is beautifully awesome.
I think that's all you need to know for the short version.
THE LONG VERSION
Chris Sligh may have come to prominence through his appearance on America's popular television show American Idol<>, but the songwriting skill shown on his debut album Running Back to You comes from years of writing, practicing and training as an indie musician in Greenville, SC.
"Most people think that because they discovered me on Idol that that was the beginning," Sligh comments. "But people don't realize that I've put out 4 albums before the show. I have written worship songs that have been done in hundreds of churches. I've performed over 500 shows as an artist, plus 7 years of leading worship for churches...I've come 'this' close to being signed, both as a solo artist and in a band...believe me, American Idol wasn't the beginning."
Chris Sligh grew up in a conservative Christian home where Mozart, Beethoven and a little Jim Reeves was the craziest music he was allowed to listen to. But music was always an interest.
"At about 15, I started to explore the radio," Chris says, laughing. "At first it was all vocal pop stuff: BoyzIIMen, Shai, Michael Bolton - that was the stuff that I was naturally drawn to. Then some pop/rock stuff started to pop up for me: Bryan Adams, Blessid Union of Souls, R.E.M., Hootie...I still loved my pop stuff, but I seemed to gravitate towards pop/rock because the songs were great and the singing still had to be pretty good."
As a freshman in college, he started as a pre-law major. He admits that, though he was interested in music, doing something as a career was not on his radar. But a chance encounter with a singer/pianist lead to him being a part of a singing group during his freshman year, which lead to writing some of his first songs. Sligh explains, "Once I started singing, I realized pretty quickly that was what I wanted to do. So, I transferred to a better music program and studied voice performance because that was all I could do in music...sing."
Sligh's time at Bob Jones University was a time of exploration and coming of age. He began to realize that the pop music he had been told his whole life was sinful simply wasn't. He worked hard, did well in his classes and came out with a broad knowledge of music theory, arrangement capabilities and orchestration techniques.
"Bob Jones was weird and crazy, but from a music standpoint, they have a great music program...it's up there with some of the major conservatories. So, though I had to struggle with certain issues, I know I got a great education from some of the best teachers money can buy."
In 1999, a chance encounter at a local coffee house changed everything for Sligh: "I happened onto a concert with an artist named Bebo Norman. He was at this coffee house, playing songs on his acoustic guitar, telling stories and the place was packed! I was hooked. I bought his CD Ten Thousand Days and as I listened some more I said to myself, 'This is what I'm going to do with my life'."
It was the turning point of his life, he says. The next day he went out and bought an acoustic guitar at a pawn shop, and immediately started writing songs, one of the first being a simple prayer that is shining moment on his debut label album Running Back to You: "Vessel" - the song was also the title song to his debut album in 2001, Vessel.
"After buying that acoustic guitar, pretty much everything else became secondary. I played that thing every second I could. I wrote hundreds of songs over the next year or so...then when I got kicked out of BJU, I decided I wanted to record an album...I just had to figure out how."
How came with a local studio that offered a simple deal: if you record with me, you can do it for free, as long as you don't put your name on it. Sligh explains: "This producer, Steve, had this thing, and it really was a pride check. If I record do I really have to have my name on it, so that everyone who gets it knows me? And I decided I didn't. We set up a website and an email where people could email me and I've literally gotten emails the world over from people who got that first album no knowing who it was, just blessed by the songs."
The first album lead quickly to a second album with real money, and Chris actually put his name on the CD! The album Someone Just Like You quickly became a fan favorite and Chris began to perform all over the southeast with his band of 17 year olds.
"At the time, the only musicians I knew were guys in the youth group of my church and they introduced me to guys they went to school with. We put together the Chris Sligh band, originally enough, and started playing shows. I was 23 and they were all 16! Talk about an experience."
The Chris Sligh band regularly sold out shows and became a buzz band in the blossoming music scene of Greenville, SC. In 2002, Chris went to GMA's Seminar in the Rockies where he placed 2nd place in the pop songwriting contest. Then in 2003, the whole band went to the Seminar and did the band competition. That year, Chris won the songwriting competition with a worship song "Only You Remain".
That summer, however, was a time of transitions. Chris got married in May, won the GMA event in July and in August, his band mates went to college and the band broke up.
"It was an interesting time. I had met this guy name Joey Bradley who had been in a band that had been signed and it didn't work out. We became friends and decided to start a 2 frontman band, so when the guys went to college, we started this band called Half Past Forever. Man, it was great...we wrote tons of songs and we practiced all the time and finally started playing shows live."
Half Past Forever quickly became a mainstay in the South Carolina music scene. In 2004 they began recording their debut in Nashville with Stephen Leiweke, who had worked with Jars of Clay's independent debut and with artists like Margeret Becker, Cindy Morgan and many others.
"That first time with Stephen was culture shock," Chris says. "I had always produced out of necessity...I had no idea what I was doing. But Stephen, man...he is a great engineer, he is a great song cutter and he made us really work to be great. In the end, we made a great pop worship album that I still love."
The self-titled debut came out in 2005 and soon after, Joey decided to leave the band. "Joey had been the main reason we were doing more worship-type stuff. He originally had been the lead singer of the band...so when he moved on, it freed us up to do more of the mainstream thing that I was really wanting to do."
The band went through several lineup changes, eventually settling on Chris (vox/gtr/keys), Adam Fisher (gtr/vox/keys) and Cole Edmonson (bass/vox). The band never settled on a drummer, hiring out for shows.
"Half Past Forever, part deux, was a renaissance of sorts for me. For the first time in 5 years, I took time off from a band and just wrote. Adam had brought over this old computer with a recording program called Logic on it. I would sit up in my attic room, sweating because it was so hot and just write and record, write and record, write and record."
Within a couple of months, Chris had written 50 new songs that had been demoed. At that point the band got together and learned the songs, re-arranging, re-demoing until they finally found what was right. At the same time, they slowly but surely began to play shows in the mainstream. In the summer of 2006, the band won a large contest with a mainstream radio station in Columbia, SC to open for a major label band, receiving over 110,000 votes. And from there, things began to explode for the band.
"It was funny...I had played for 5 years in the CCM market and couldn't get anyone to notice me. We had fans, sure, but labels just didn't get me. Literally within 3 months of the new HPF playing our first show, we had major labels calling. It was nuts! Then American Idol happened."
American Idol happened indeed. Chris Sligh exploded onto the national spotlight with an audition that was named by Entertainment Weekly as one of the top 10 in Idol history. He was funny, he was quirky, he didn't look like the models that make up so much of pop music and on top of it all, he had a great voice. People were taken aback and Sligh was an early favorite.
Though he ended up not capitalizing on his early promise with the show, he met his goal of making the top 10 and was able to go on tour with the show. But more importantly, it opened up doors to finally make a full-time career out of music.
"I love what Idol has done for me and I appreciate the show...but ultimately I couldn't care less about the show, IF it didn't lead to something else. The show is a 3 months experience, at least on tv, plus 3 months of touring. What about the rest of my life...Idol doesn't mean anything if I don't get to do music full time. I don't need to be famous, I don't need to be rich...I just want to make a living doing music."
Within a few weeks of being off the show, Chris had been contacted by 11 labels, eventually settling on Brash Music, a mainstream indie label with ties to the Christian market. For management, he settled on one of the largest in Christian music: Blanton, Harrell, Cook and Corzine, who manage Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Aaron Shust, and Bebo Norman.
"When I first met with BHCC, they had heard how influential Bebo was to me, so they had him come into the office and hang out with me...and I was sold! Hey, I'm still a music fan!"
He began to record his label debut with Brown Bannister helming the production. Bannister is a legend in Christian music, producing nearly every major Christian artist in the last 20 years. Will Owsley produced 3 tracks and Chris brought in Stephen Leiweke from the HPF days to co-produce 3 tracks with Brown.
"Recording with Brown while still working with guys like Will and friends like Stephen was an incredible experience. Brown was my hero going in as a producer and ended up my hero as a man. He's a legend in this community and has produced some of the biggest Christian albums of all time, but is still filled with humility and is incredibly gracious...if I can ever find success, I hope I handle it with the same grace."
Running Back to You has been referred to as an incredible debut and has received high ratings nearly across the board from reviewers both mainstream and Christian. USA Today gave the album 3.5 our of 4 stars, calling Chris "the most musically ambitious Idol"; Christian website soul-audio.com gave the album 9.5/10; while famed Christian music website Jesus Freak hideout gave it 4.5/5 stars while calling it "...one of the year's best albums." The album's first single "Empty Me" is a top 10 single. And as of July 2008, he was the year's best-selling new artist (in CCM).
But for all the accolades, Sligh's focus stays grounded and looking forward. "You know, I love the accolades. I love getting good reviews. I love that my music is well-received. But the focus is to connect. So, I'll be hitting the road hard. I'll be spending time with fans at shows. I'll be connecting online, through my blog ( Click Here ), through myspace...the key to making a career is to connect. That's all that I care about."
"Let's be honest: plenty of Idols have come off the show and never made a career. I'm not any more talented than them...I certainly am not better looking than them. So, what's gonna set me apart? I simply have to do things better than they did, learn from their mistakes and make a career. I can't rely on Idol fans to buy the record, I have to work my tail off to connect with an audience that maybe hasn't heard of me before. I have to make fans of other artist fans of me...that only comes with working as smart as possible. Believe me Idol changed my life! But I'm treating my career as if it never happened...I think as an artist I can't rely too much on the show to bring me fans...I have to make those fans."
I endorse products from the following companies:
Dean Markley Strings, Fender Guitars, Focusrite Audio Products, Gibson Guitars, Hagstrom Guitars, IK Multimedia, Keeley Pedals, KRK Monitors, M-Audio, Michael Kelly Guitars, Snapjack Cables, Taylor Guitars & Ultrasone Headphones
Management: Blanton, Harrell, Cook & Corzine 615.627.0457..
Booking: Third Coast Artist Agency 615.297.2021
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)
"The Spirit and the bride say... 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life...."He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming soon.' Amen, come Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:17-20)
I just wanted to let you know that my new album JUST released onto iTunes! Also, a donation will be made for every album download to aid America Samoa after teh devastating Tsunami from last week. Let me know what your favorite song is!!
Thx for dropping by and listening to my tunes! Please let your friends know both my worship rock CD's are for sale on my site, and now on iTUNES!! These CD’s were co-produced by Ron Davis the engineer on the Grammy/Dove award winning CD, “Shout to the Lord!” I've also got some FREE DOWNLOADS!
“Here I Stand” just charted in the Top 20! Be sure to ask to hear it at your local radio station! Everyone please come see the video and leave me a comment! May God bless you, and draw you closer as you surrender to Him!
Mark 11:24 (New King James Version)
Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith. ”
Hey dude! I'm Nate, lead vocals for the christian progressive rock band called Broken Buildings. I just wanted to say to ya that I really love the fact that after American Idol you chose to do Christian music! I am one of your biggest fans and I really admire you and what you do for God! Broken Buildings is coming out with our first ever single at the end of this month and we would love if you would check us out! God bless dude!
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”
Galatians 3:13 (New King James Version)
Praise you Lord Jesus for redeeming us from the curse! No more sickness, no more bondage, no more poverty all because of the price You paid our God, our Lord and our King! We can never praise you enough for all that You have done for us. Holy, holy, holy is Jesus Christ the Lord!!!
Hey ... thnx for the add ! Just stoppin by da check out ya site and drop a lil LuV on ya page. IF YOU LIKE GOOD MUSIC AND TRUE LYRICS THEN HIT ME UP !!! www. myspace. com/dblo10 Thank you for all the help and support :)
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