Point of Grace
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Point of Grace | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Arkadelphia, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Genres | Contemporary Christian, country |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | Word |
| Members | Shelley Breen Denise Jones Leigh Cappillino |
| Past members | Terry Jones Heather Payne |
| Website | pointofgrace |
Point of Grace is an all-female contemporary Christian music vocal group. The current trio consists of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino. The group started out as a quartet in 1991, with original members Breen and Jones, as well as Terry Jones and Heather Payne. Terry Jones left in November 2003 to spend more time with her family after the birth of her third child, with Cappillino joining in March 2004 for their 2004 release I Choose You. In June 2008, Payne announced her retirement from the group to spend more time with her family.
The group's self-titled debut album was released in 1993. In 2003, they released their ninth album, 24 – a compilation of 24 previous hits.
Biography
1991–1992: Early years
Point of Grace was formed at Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) in Arkadelphia, Arkansas by Denise Masters, Terry Lang, and Heather Floyd, who knew one another from Norman, Oklahoma and sang together in a 14-member female vocal group called The Ouachitones. The three women formed a trio within the group, and were singing a cappella after a sound check when an onlooker suggested that they should do something together. Shelley Phillips from Little Rock, Arkansas came to OBU on a scholarship in vocal performance and was singing in a group called the Praise Singers, made up of four women and four men, who traveled around the country performing. She was a roommate and sister of Masters in the Chi Delta, and when Masters, Lang, and Floyd decided to form a trio, Phillips suggested that she join to form a quartet.
The group called themselves Say So, taken from
1993–1995: Point of Grace and The Whole Truth
On August 23, 1993, led by the No.1[citation needed] single "I'll Be Believing", Point of Grace released their self-titled debut album. The album's next five singles also reached the top of the charts, a record that has not yet been equalled.[citation needed] In 1993, they were named New Artist of the Year at the 24th GMA Dove Awards and embarked on a national tour with Wayne Watson, for whom they sang backup after opening each concert. After that tour ended, they began doing concerts on their own.
The group went into the studio towards the end of 1994 to begin work on their second album, meeting 35 different songwriters.[
1996–1997: Life Love & Other Mysteries
In July 1995, having been featured in publications such as the
The group also began work on their third album. John Mays, the
On the day of the album release,
1998–2000: Steady On, A Christmas Story, and hiatus
Point of Grace began work on their new album in late 1997/early 1998, with producer Brown Bannister developing a more progressive, live band sound, and less programming than previous albums. Chris Eaton managed the vocal production, with more intricate vocal arrangements than previously. The group previewed some of the new songs, including "Jesus Is", "Steady On", and "Better Days", at one-off concert dates in the spring and summer of 1998, with a pause in the middle of recording for Terry Jones to give birth to her first child on April 15.
The remaining members appeared at the 1998
In July 1998, a new single was released, the title song from the album Steady On. A CD single was also released to Christian bookstores. The release include a pop remix and a dance remix version of "Steady On", as well as enhanced content on the CD, such as brief bios of the group members, excerpts from a new devotional book, a photo gallery, and other anecdotes. The album was released on August 4, 1998, and debuted at No.1 on the SoundScan sales chart, remaining in the Top 10 for seven consecutive weeks. It was certified gold by the RIAA in 1999 and platinum in 2002. The lead single and title track reached the top of the charts, becoming Point of Grace's 16th consecutive No.1 single. The next five singles achieved the same, making a total of 21 consecutive No.1s.
In October 1998, Point of Grace launched their first headline tour, "The Steady On Tour", also the first time they had toured with their own band, led by Dana Cappillino. In 1999, they won
After "The Steady On Tour" ended in the Spring of 1999, the band began work on their first
After the tour, the group took a year-long hiatus, regrouping occasionally for Women of Faith conferences and one or two individual dates. Word Records released Rarities & Remixes, a collection of remixed hits from their first two releases, four songs from their independent album, two rare tracks, and a live version of "Circle Of Friends".
2001–2003: Free to Fly, Girls of Grace, and 24
After the hiatus, Point of Grace regrouped in early 2001 to begin work on the follow-up to Steady On. They worked with six producers: Bannister, David Tyson, Nathan Nockels (who played keyboards for them on the Steady On Tour), Tom Laune, Glenn Garrett, and Wayne Tester, in order to achieve a diverse sound on the project. The lead single, "Blue Skies", was a radio hit, and reached No.1.
The album,
In early 2002, Point of Grace began work on a new project, the
The Girls of Grace album was released on August 20, 2002, and the first conference took place in October in
In 2003, the compilation album, 24 was released, featuring the group's 24 greatest hits and a new song, "Day By Day". They also released their first DVD, entitled 7, which contained the videos to seven songs. In November 2003, they published a hardcover book titled Keep The Candle Burning: 24 Reflections From Our Favorite Songs. The group spent 2003 doing one-off shows, "Girls of Grace" concerts, and appeared on Michael W. Smith's Christmastime Tour.
2004–2006: Lineup changes, I Choose You, and Winter Wonderland
In November 2003, Terry Jones announced her retirement from Point of Grace to focus on her family. She wrote a letter published on the group's website, along with a letter from the remaining members announcing that band leader Dana Cappillino's wife Leigh would replace Jones. Terry Jones's last tour with the group was the 2003 Christmastime Tour with
Cappillino's first album with Point of Grace was I Choose You, released on October 12, 2004. The album featured a rawer, less glossy sound, developed with new producers including Mark Hammond, Wayne Kirkpatrick and David Zaffiro. Brent Bourgeois, who produced the song "Forever On And On" from the Streams album, also produced one track. They spent the remainder of 2004 doing promotional appearances and participating again in Michael W. Smith's Christmastime Tour alongside The Katinas. In February 2005, they began the "I Choose You" Tour with Scott Krippayne and guest Charity Von. The tour visited 30 cities, and the set lists featured tracks from I Choose You as well as the group's back catalog.
After the tour, the group began work on their second Christmas release, recorded through the summer of 2005. Winter Wonderland was released on October 4, 2005. They launched their first Christmas tour, the Winter Wonderland Tour in late November, playing 16 concerts. The show had John David Webster, who had featured on Winter Wonderland, as a special guest, and local choirs participated in every show.
In 2006, the group resumed their Girls of Grace activities, and began working with Michael Passons, formerly of Avalon, who began touring with them. At one-off shows, the group's performances featured acoustic segments with Dana Cappillino and Michael Passons accompanying the vocalists on guitar and piano, respectively. Heather also gave birth to her third child in 2006. The group reprised the Winter Wonderland Tour in 2006 with guest Scott Krippayne.
2007–2009: How You Live
Point of Grace spent the first half of 2007 finishing their album
In February 2008, the band began the "All The World" Tour with guests Selah and Michael Passons, who had become the group's regular keyboardist.
In February 2008, Point of Grace was nominated for five
In June 2008, Heather Payne announced that she was retiring to spend time with her children and support her husband in his ministry. Breen, Cappillino and Denise Jones announced they would continue as a trio, and recorded new music for the re-release of their album How You Live, released in October 2008. The group's keyboardist Michael Passons, also a solo artist and former member of Avalon, sings on some of the group's older four-part harmonies.
The band released How You Live: Deluxe Edition and Tennessee Christmas: A Holiday Collection in early October, and went on their annual Winter Wonderland Tour in early December, with guest Ronnie Freeman.
In 2009, the group began by appearing at the Grand Ole Opry, performing "I Wish" and "How You Live (Turn Up The Music)". Their song, "I Wish", won the Dove Award for Country Recorded Song of the Year for songwriters, Cindy Morgan and Phil Madeira.
On August 23, 2009, the group appeared on
2010–present: No Changin' Us, A Thousand Little Things, Directions Home
The album No Changin' Us, produced by Nathan Chapman, was released on March 2, 2010, featuring a more country sound. They embarked on a fall tour with Mark Schultz, called the Come Alive Tour. Alongside the album, they released a cookbook, Cooking with Grace, co-written with Julie Adkison.
The summer of 2010 was spent recording a new holiday album,
A new album, A Thousand Little Things, was released on May 1, 2012.[2]
Another album, Directions Home, was released on April 7, 2015.
In April 2018, they released a hymn and worship album called Beautiful Name.[3] In August 2018, Point of Grace were inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall Of Fame.[4]
In October 2021, they released a new Christmas album called Sing Nöel.[5]
Other activities
Mercy Ministries
Since the beginning of their career, Point of Grace have supported Mercy Ministries of America, a non-profit organization that works with young women facing issues such as abuse, depression, unplanned pregnancies and eating disorders. The group frequently promote Mercy Ministries at their concerts, and founder Nancy Alcorn or other representatives from the organization have frequently appeared on tour with them to describe the work of Mercy Ministries. Alcorn is a regular featured speaker at the Girls of Grace conferences.
Compassion International
In 2006, the group began showing support for Compassion International, a Christian child-sponsorship organization dedicated to the long-term development of children living in poverty around the world. In March 2006, Heather Payne and her husband Brian traveled to El Salvador to meet their sponsored child, and in April 2006, Shelley Breen, Denise Jones and Leigh Cappillino went to Ecuador to meet their sponsored children. The group has partnered with Compassion to raise awareness for poverty and urge their listeners to sponsor children as well.
Discography
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Year | Title |
| 1993 | Point of Grace |
| 1995 | The Whole Truth |
| 1996 | Life Love & Other Mysteries
|
| 1998 | Steady On |
| 1999 | A Christmas Story |
| 2001 | Free to Fly |
| 2004 | I Choose You |
| 2007 | How You Live |
| 2010 | No Changin' Us |
| 2012 | A Thousand Little Things |
| 2015 | Directions Home |
| 2018 | Beautiful Name |
Awards and nominations
GMA Dove Awards
Books
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Life, Love & Other Mysteries |
| 1998 | Steady On... Secured by Love |
| 1999 | Circle of Friends |
| 2000 | When Love Came Down at Christmas |
| 2002 | Girls of Grace |
| 2003 | Keep the Candle Burning: 24 Reflections From Our Favorite Songs |
| 2004 | Girls of Grace: Q&A with Point of Grace |
| 2005 | Girls of Grace: Make It Real |
| 2008 | How You Live |
| 2010 | Cooking with Grace |
| 2020 | How You Live: Lessons Learned from Point of Grace |
Tours
- The Whole Truth Tour with Phillips, Craig & Dean and Cheri Keaggy(1995)
- The Life Love & Other Mysteries Tour with 4Him (1996–97)
- The Steady On Tour with special guests Watermark (1998–99)
- An Amy Grant Christmas Tour (with Michael W. Smith and The Katinas) (1999)
- The Free To Fly Tour with special guests FFH (2001–02)
- The Christmastime Tour with Michael W. Smith and The Katinas (2002, 2003, 2004)
- The I Choose You Tour with Scott Krippayne and special guest Charity Von (2004)
- The Winter Wonderland Tour with special guest John David Webster (2005)
- The Winter Wonderland Tour with special guest Scott Krippayne (2006, 2007)
- The All The World Tour with special guests Selah and Michael Passons (2008)
- The Winter Wonderland Tour with special guest Ronnie Freeman (2008)
- The Come Alive Tour with Mark Schultz (2009–10)
References
- ^ Top Music Charts – Hot 100 – Billboard 200 – Music Genre Sales
- ^ "Point of Grace | A Thousand Little Things Available Today". Archived from the original on June 22, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- ^ "Point of Grace Bow First-Ever Hymns Recording April 3". March 27, 2018.
- ^ "Point of Grace Inducted into Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame". August 9, 2018.
- ^ Cluver, Ross (October 29, 2021). "Point of Grace Releases New Christmas Album 'Sing Noel'". CCM Magazine. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
External links
- Official website
- Girls of Grace Conferences
- NewReleaseTuesday.com Exclusive Interview with Denise Jones
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