Chris Sligh's New Recording

Finally, Chris is able to make the major label recording he's always dreamed of. He began recording in December with Grammy-winning uber producer Brown Bannister along with the finest Nashville session players. Chris is using a few songs on the new CD from his independent recording "Take a Chance On Something Beautiful." He told me that Brown liked my string arrangements and wants to use them on the new CD.


Before Christmas I visited Chris in Nashville and got to meet Brown and watch Chris record. Brown is a great guy! None of that Nashville attitude. It seems like people at the top of their game are nice, normal folks and the wannabes are often the ones with the fake smile.

We had lunch at the famous Lovelace Cafe and I enjoyed hearing Brown's stories of the early days of Christian music. I remember those days fondly. Sigh - the golden age of Christian music, when a new Amy Grant record was a major event.


Every hit song of hers would spawn new genres. When she sang "El Shaddai" suddenly everyone had a song out with some Hebrew words in it. When "Angels Watching Over Me" came out, suddenly everyone had a song about angels! And did you know Amy had planned on releasing "I Can Only Imagine," but instead let Mercy Me do it first (the song was written by Mercy Me's lead singer, Bart Millard) - graciously allowing the song to launch the band's career. I really loved it when Michael W. Smith and Amy would collaborate. He'd play on her records and they'd write songs - like "Thy Word." I told Brown I missed those days. He said he does, too!

Producer Stephen Leiweke on left, Brown on right

Along with Blanton & Harrell, Brown was around at the birth of CCM - he produced Amy's first recording and others from her heyday. Check out his wikipedia entry - the list of artists he's worked with is astounding. And now I get to work with the man who's produced music I've loved for over 20 years! Somebody pinch me. Chris Sligh is my hero LOL!

If anyone has a chance of making it in music, Chris Sligh does: great voice and songwriting talent, funny personality plus a top team of professionals behind him. The new CD should be out in the first quarter of 08 and he'll then begin a short tour.

Chris Sligh Update

People often ask me about Chris Sligh and what's going on with him. Chris moved to Nashville right after the American Idol tour at the end of the summer.

At one point he had 11 record labels interested in him. Two in particular were practically fighting over him. And to think he was about ready to give up music and get a real job only a year ago!

He eventually decided on Brash Music. I really like these guys - they're ex music biz people who want to reinvent the industry. And to help them think outside the music biz box - CEO Mike McQuary (known as "McQ") was the president of MindSpring, an old Internet company that merged with Earthlink around the turn of the century.

Brash has quite a track record. They're not a Christian music company, but they're behind the mega-popular Aaron Shust, a humble worship leader from Atlanta's Perimeter Church who has taken the CCM world by storm. Out of nowhere Aaron won the Dove award (Christian Grammys) for artist of the year, songwriter of the year, and his song, "My Savior, My God" won song of the year. Something tells me the inbred Nashville CCM suits aren't too happy about that.
Brash sought Chris out and we all went to lunch one day here in Greenville. I love hearing music biz stories and they had a bunch. One familiar thread that ran through the conversation was how traditional record labels tend to flush money down toilets. I mean just burn through money like there's no tomorrow. After explaining how they're attempting to save themselves - and the artists - tons of money by actually thinking and planning, I exclaimed, "What? You're trying to apply business principals to... the music industry?" Cackles ensued.

Chris is managed by Blanton, Harrell, Cooke & Corzine - the people who virtually invented the Christian music industry some 20 years ago - the people behind Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Kathy Troccoli, Point of Grace, Aaron Shust and Bebo Norman. I think Chris is in very good hands with them.