Steven Curtis Chapman

Biography

Steven Curtis Chapman (born November 21, 1962) 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 released over 25 albums. He has also won five Grammy Awards and 59 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, more Dove awards than any other artist in history. His seven "Artist of the Year" Dove Awards are also an industry record. As of 2022, Chapman has sold more than 16 million albums and has 10 RIAA-certified Gold or Platinum albums.
On July 27, 2024, he was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry by Ricky Skaggs.

Biography

Steven Curtis Chapman was born to Judy and Herb Chapman in Paducah, Kentucky, on November 21, 1962. Steven's father is a guitar teacher and owns a music store in Paducah; Steven and his older brother Herb Jr. grew up playing the guitar and singing.
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 for a short time but dropped out. He went to Nashville to pursue a career in music, briefly attending Belmont University. He began working at an Opryland USA music show in East Nashville while being involved in songwriting. In the 1980s, Chapman wrote a song called "Built to Last", which was recorded by prominent gospel group the Imperials. The success of the song landed him a songwriting deal with Sparrow Records; he rose to prominence there. By 2007, artists like Sandi Patty, Billy Dean, Glen Campbell, the Cathedral Quartet and Roger Whittaker had recorded Chapman's songs.

Sparrow Era

In 1987, Chapman released his first album, First Hand×First Hand6 February 1989 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1First Hand3:392Weak Days4:203Hiding Place5:004Run Away4:225Do They Know4:016Tell Me4:227Who Cares5:078Dying to Live3:389Said and Done5:1110My Redeemer is Faithful and True3:48. The album included the song "Weak Days", which peaked at No. 2 on the Contemporary Christian Music chart. In 1988, he followed with his second album, Real Life Conversations×Real Life Conversations1 April 1988 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Faithful Too4:032Tuesday's Child4:133For Who He Really Is5:084Consider It Done3:475His Eyes3:366The Human Race3:437Wait4:158Truth or Consequences5:089My Turn Now3:2910His Strength is Perfect4:37, earning him four more hits including the No. 1 song "His Eyes". The song, which was co-written with James Isaac Elliott, earned the Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year award from the Gospel Music Association in 1989. In the same year, he also won a GMA Award for Songwriter of the Year. Next Chapman released more albums including More to This Life×More to This Life5 October 1989 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1More to This Life5:152Love You With My Life3:243Waiting For Lightning3:444Living for the Moment4:525I Will Be Here4:296Who Makes the Rules3:327Treasure Island4:528Way Beyond the Blue5:469In This Little Room3:3810More Than Words4:3311Out in the Highways5:00 and For the Sake of the Call×For the Sake of the Call13 December 1990 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1For the Sake of the Call5:312What Kind of Joy4:363Busy Man4:294Lost in the Shadow5:015Higher Ways4:226Blind Lead the Blind4:477You Know Better3:438When You Are a Soldier3:359No Better Place3:5010Show Yourselves to Be4:2711For the Sake of the Call (reprise)1:17. These albums featured several No. 1 singles and were awarded several GMA Awards. The latter gave Chapman his first Grammy in the Best Pop Gospel Album category. These achievements strengthened his position in the Christian music scene.
In 1992, Chapman made a successful shift into a more mainstream audience with his album The Great Adventure×The Great Adventure19 June 1992 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Prologue2:372The Great Adventure4:373Where We Belong4:204Go There With You5:235That's Paradise5:036Don't Let the Fire Die4:507Got to B Tru4:208Walk With the Wise4:369Maria5:0310Still Called Today6:0111Heart's Cry3:11. The album garnered Chapman two more Grammys, for the album and for the title track video, again in gospel categories.

EMI Era

After Sparrow Records was purchased by EMI/Liberty, they began to market the album to a broader audience pushing it to gold status in 1993. The success of the album prompted Chapman to record one of his concerts and release it as The Live Adventure, both as a video and a CD. This continuation won Chapman more GMA Awards, and also a new award from American Songwriter magazine for Songwriter and Artist of the Year.
Heaven in the Real World, Signs of Life, and Speechless continued his success. In 2000, he provided the voice of Baloo in The Jungle Book Groove Party and reprised the role 22 years later in Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers. In 2001 with the release of Declaration, Chapman got more attention in the Billboard 200. That album along with 2003's All About Love×All About Love28 January 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1All About Love3:432Your Side of the World4:253How Do I Love Her4:58411-6-643:075You've Got Me3:456I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)3:447Echoes of Eden5:048Holding a Mystery4:229We Will Dance4:4110We Belong Together (Tarzan and Jane)3:1611With Every Little Kiss3:1312Miracle of You3:3513I'll Take Care of You4:2414I Will Be Here4:1315Moment Made for Worshipping6:1116When Love Takes You In4:47, peaked in the Top 15. The follow-up, All Things New, peaked at No. 22. Chapman has also released four Christmas albums, beginning with 1995's The Music of Christmas×The Music of Christmas14 September 1995 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / The Music of Christmas6:432Christmas Is All in the Heart5:163Angels We Have Heard on High5:414O Come, O Come, Emmanuel3:295Our God Is With Us6:436Interlude: The Music of Christmas4:467This Baby4:368Silent Night / Away in a Manger / O Holy Night6:039Carol of the Bells3:4410O Come All Ye Faithful4:1811Going Home for Christmas5:2512Precious Promise4:13. In 2003 he released Christmas Is All in the Heart exclusively through Hallmark Gold Crown Stores and in 2005, he released All I Really Want for Christmas and finally Joy was released in 2012. Chapman has been a frequent guest performer at Walt Disney World, and has been a guest narrator for Disney's Candlelight Processional, most recently appearing in 2016, 2019, and 2021.
In 2006, Chapman toured several Asian countries. His website said that his concert for U.S. troops serving in South Korea was the first Christian concert ever performed for the troops in that country, and a concert in Shanghai, China, was "the first public performance by a Gospel recording artist event in the city open to China passport holders", and the third-largest concert in Shanghai that spring. He went to Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Singapore on the tour. During the time, his song "The Blessing" reached No. 1 on Thailand radio charts.
In 2007, Chapman co-headlined NewSong's annual Winter Jam tour with Jeremy Camp. For the tour, he brought his sons' band, Colony House, on tour to play as his backing band, along with longtime keyboardist Scott Sheriff. Chapman also released This Moment, which included the hit singles "Cinderella×Cinderella1 January 2008 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Cinderella4:26" and "Yours", in October 2007. "Cinderella" was chosen for WOW Hits 2009. On April 20, 2008, Chapman was awarded a star on Nashville's Walk of Fame for his contributions in Christian music. On November 3, 2009, Chapman released his seventeenth album Beauty Will Rise×Beauty Will Rise2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Heaven Is The Face3:442Beauty Will Rise5:293See4:364Just Have To Wait3:385Faithful4:426Questions3:307Our God Is In Control4:008February 20th3:519God Is It True (Trust Me)3:2410I Will Trust You4:1511Jesus Will Meet You There4:1312Spring Is Coming4:34. Many of the songs from this album are inspired by the death of his daughter, Maria Sue. He claims that the songs on the album are his "personal psalms". Chapman, his wife, and two sons have a tattoo of the flower that Maria drew before her untimely death.

Move to Sony Music

Chapman became a free agent following a series of deals in 2011 by Citigroup that broke up EMI (and Sparrow Music), with the recorded music division sold to Universal Music Group (UMG) and music publishing operations to Sony/ATV Music Publishing. In August 2012, Chapman announced his recorded music move to Sony Music, which had previously acquired his published music in the 2011 breakup. He released his fourth Christmas album, JOY, on October 16, 2012, his first with Sony, being assigned to their Provident Music Group's Reunion Records imprint. Deep Roots was released exclusively through Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. on March 11, 2013. In September 2013, Sony released Chapman's eighteenth album (the second with Reunion Records), The Glorious Unfolding×The Glorious Unfolding27 September 2013 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Glorious Unfolding4:472Love Take Me Over3:013Take Another Step3:364Something Beautiful3:045Finish What He Started3:346Only One and Only You3:357See You in a Little While4:248A Little More Time To Love4:529Sound of Your Voice5:2510Together4:0311Michael and Maria3:4712Feet of Jesus3:45, which is also his first studio album in seven years that features completely original material. The album received critical acclaim, with many critics ranking it among his other chart-topping albums. The album peaked at No. 27 on the US Billboard 200.
From September 2014 until September 2017, Chapman hosted the Sam's Place: Music for the Spirit concert series at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and featured performances including MercyMe, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, and Third Day. In 2015, Chapman released "Warrior" as the official song for the soundtrack to War Room. "Amen", was sent to Christian AC radio on October 6, 2015. In 2019, Chapman released the sequel to his Billboard Bluegrass number one Album Deep Roots×Deep Roots11 March 2013 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus4:132How Great Thou Art4:463What a Friend We Have in Jesus3:184Blessed Assurance5:035Life Is Like a Mountain Railroad (Life’s Railway to Heaven)3:556He Touched Me3:087Hiding Place4:008Rock of Ages3:029Be Still and Know2:5810His Eyes3:3811My Redeemer Is Faithful and True3:2212Cinderella5:33 entitled Deeper Roots: Where the Bluegrass Grows×Deeper Roots: Where the Bluegrass Grows2019 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Where The Bluegrass Grows3:152Dive3:283'Til The Blue4:174Cinderella5:355Victory in Jesus3:426Great Is Thy Faithfulness2:487My Redeemer Is Faithful and True3:218How Great Thou Art4:489Life Is Like A Mountain Railroad3:5710I'll Fly Away2:5811Without Him3:1212Be Still and Know3:0013I'd Rather Have Jesus2:29, which also peaked at number one on the Billboard Bluegrass chart.

Grand Ole Opry Membership

On July 27, 2024, Chapman was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry by Ricky Skaggs. He was inducted November 1, 2024 by Lady A and is, to date, the only contemporary Christian musician to hold Opry membership. His father and brother joined him on stage to sing a song together and fulfilled his father's lifelong dream of singing at the Grand Ole Opry.

Personal life

Chapman is a devout Christian and is married to Mary Beth Chapman (née Chapman). They met in the early 1980s at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana, and married in the fall of 1984. The couple live in Franklin, Tennessee, and have three biological children: Emily Elizabeth, Caleb Stevenson, and Will Franklin. They adopted three daughters from China; Shaohannah Hope Yan, Stevey Joy Ru, and Maria Sue Chunxi.
Chapman and his wife together have written three children's books with adoption themes: Shaoey And Dot: Bug Meets Bundle (2004), Shaoey and Dot: The Christmas Miracle (2005), and Shaoey and Dot: A Thunder and Lightning Bug Story with illustrations by Jim Chapman (2006). Chapman's modern fairytale, Cinderella: The Love of a Daddy and His Princess (2008) chronicles and celebrates the blessings of childhood, family, love, and life. Together with minister Scotty Smith, Chapman has authored two books for the adult inspirational market: Speechless (1999), and Restoring Broken Things (2005). Chapman's song "All About Love×All About Love28 January 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1All About Love3:432Your Side of the World4:253How Do I Love Her4:58411-6-643:075You've Got Me3:456I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)3:447Echoes of Eden5:048Holding a Mystery4:229We Will Dance4:4110We Belong Together (Tarzan and Jane)3:1611With Every Little Kiss3:1312Miracle of You3:3513I'll Take Care of You4:2414I Will Be Here4:1315Moment Made for Worshipping6:1116When Love Takes You In4:47" has been featured in commercials for the Fox television show Celebrity Duets. In 2016, he released the memoir Between Heaven and the Real World: My Story.
Chapman and his sons recorded a cover of the song "I Love My Lips" under the name of "Stevenson" after his oldest son Caleb Stevenson for the 2003 Veggie Rocks album. His sons Caleb and Will perform together as the band Colony House. Chapman is best friends with Geoff Moore. On November 10, 2011, Chapman and his wife became grandparents for the first time when a baby girl, Eiley Eliza Richards, was born to Emily and her husband Tanner Richards in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Chapman's brother-in-law, Jim Chapman, is the bass vocalist in the 1990s country music group 4 Runner and his father, Herb is also in the group. Steven's younger son, Will Chapman, married singer/songwriter Jillian Edwards from Richardson, Texas, which is next to Dallas, in December 2012. They have a daughter, Willow Faye, born in November 2017. Steven's older son Caleb is married to Julia, and they have two children, Noble (born 2012) and Olive (born 2018).

Death of Maria Sue Chunxi Chapman

Maria Sue Chunxi Chapman died from her injuries and blood loss in a driveway accident on May 21, 2008. The accident happened eight days after Maria's 5th birthday. Will Chapman was pulling into the driveway of their house after he auditioned for a musical at school and Maria Sue was running to meet him so she could ask Will to put her on the monkey bars. They did not see each other in time and Will accidentally ran over Maria. Steven's family did CPR on Maria while they were waiting for the paramedics to arrive. They were unable to revive her. Maria was life-flighted via air medical services to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. The paramedics tried but failed to save Maria on the way to the hospital. Maria was pronounced dead on arrival. At the time of Maria's death, the Chapman family was preparing to celebrate Caleb's high school graduation from Christ Presbyterian Academy and Emily's engagement just hours before the accident.
During the memorial service for Maria, the family expressed their faith in God and their love for one another. After Maria's accident, the Chapman family spoke publicly about their loss and the role which faith played in their healing. They have appeared on Good Morning America, Larry King Live, in People, The 700 Club, and Huckabee. Maria was buried in the flower girl dress that she was planning to wear to Emily's October wedding. The family put Maria's ballet shoes, her favorite doll, letters from her brothers and sisters, and other personal mementos to Maria in her coffin. During the funeral service, Will kept Maria's security blanket around his shoulders. Maria Sue is buried in Williamson Memorial Gardens in Franklin, Tennessee. Chapman's next album, Beauty Will Rise×Beauty Will Rise2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Heaven Is The Face3:442Beauty Will Rise5:293See4:364Just Have To Wait3:385Faithful4:426Questions3:307Our God Is In Control4:008February 20th3:519God Is It True (Trust Me)3:2410I Will Trust You4:1511Jesus Will Meet You There4:1312Spring Is Coming4:34, is about Maria's death and its aftermath. Steven nearly quit his singing career due to Maria's death and he nearly chose to never sing "Cinderella×Cinderella1 January 2008 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Cinderella4:26” again, but soon realized that Maria would have wanted him to continue singing and to honor her memory by singing "Cinderella”. An investigation of Maria's death was performed by the Tennessee Highway Patrol. It was ruled as an accident and no charges were filed. In November 2009, a year after Maria died, Steven performed at a special concert at Harvest Christian Fellowship. Greg Laurie, the pastor of Harvest, suffered the loss of his own son, Christopher Laurie, just months after Steven's loss. Steven performed several songs from Beauty Will Rise.
Since Maria's unexpected death, Mary Beth Chapman has written and released a book about the death of her daughter called Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope. Steven and Mary Beth later honored Maria's memory by starting Maria's Big House of Hope.

Honorary doctorate

On May 7, 2011, Steven Chapman received an honorary doctorate of music degree from Anderson University and was the commencement speaker for the class of 2011.

Activism and charity work

In the late 1990s, Chapman became involved in youth violence prevention efforts following the 1997 Heath High School shooting at his alma mater in West Paducah. He dedicated a song, "With Hope", from his 1999 album, Speechless×Speechless15 June 1999 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Dive3:592Speechless5:073The Change3:464Great Expectations5:045Next 5 Minutes4:226Fingerprints Of God4:047The Invitation4:588Whatever4:029I Do Believe4:0310What I Really Want To Say4:2311With Hope5:1312The Journey3:0613Be Still And Know3:19, to the families who lost someone in the shooting. In addition, he was asked to sing at the joint funeral held for the three victims. Chapman later gave a memorial concert and joined Charles Colson and others in creating a video designed to sensitize teenagers to the signs of serious violence planning among peers and to encourage them to report plans that are told to them.
In 2009, Show Hope finished building Maria's Big House of Hope, a medical care center in China that provides holistic care to orphans with special needs. Maria's Big House of Hope is also dedicated to the memory of the late Maria Sue Chunxi Chapman. Also in 2009, Steven Chapman and Mary Beth Chapman received the Children's Champion Award from the charitable organization Children's Hunger Fund for their work with Show Hope. In September 2011, Chapman and his wife were awarded the Congressional Angels in Adoption award by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) in Washington, D.C.
Steven Chapman also has promoted the international charity World Vision for at least a decade, serving as spokesman for Project Restore, its program serving the U.S. Gulf Coast region in recovery from Hurricane Katrina, in cooperation with the Gospel Music Association. He has occasionally traveled to Uganda to help with the problem of street children, and to help orphans and adoption organizations. He has played at local churches, including KPC (Kampala Pentecostal Church) in Kampala, Uganda.
In 2020, Chapman was a featured guest at Keith & Kristyn Getty's Sing! Global 2020 Conference designed to train music leaders and instill the importance of solid doctrine and Gospel saturated lyrics in Christian music.

Politics

During the 2016 presidential election, Chapman encouraged evangelical Christians to trust that "God is on the throne" and "resist the urge to argue and fight with each other about our opinions." After the 2021 United States Capitol attack on January 6, Chapman released "A Desperate Benediction" as a live, home-studio video to his Facebook page. In the prose that accompanied the posting he wrote, "now more than ever before, it seems like the soul of our world (& our nation) is aching, longing and desperate for peace."