The Christian legacy of "American Idol"
Kurt Neuswanger • Apr 30, 2021
If you’re like me, you have never watched “American Idol.” But this made-for-TV talent show has given us a long list of Christian artists.
In 2003, Joanna Beasley
(“This Same Love”) was the first Christian musician to emerge from American Idol during its second season. In 2008, she recorded her debut “This Same Love” with (then-unknown) worship leader Chris McClarney.
In 2006, Mandisa
(“Voice of a Savior”) was famously insulted by host Simon Cowell, who made rude comments about her weight. A week later, she returned and told him, “I want you to know I forgive you.
I figure if Jesus could die for all of my wrongs so I could be forgiven, I could certainly extend that same grace to you.” Her first album was titled “True Beauty.”
In 2007, Phil Stacey
(“Inside Out”) was a Top 5 finalist. His father and both grandfathers were Church of God pastors. Phil joined the Navy and was the lead vocalist for a Navy Band.
Also in 2007, Chris Sligh
(“One”) finished in 10th place behind Phil Stacey. In 2011, he had an acting part in the movie “October Baby” and was a worship leader in Niwot, Colorado.
In 2008, Jason Castro
(“Rise To You”) finished in fourth place. He is a first generation Columbian American from Texas.
Also in 2008, Jasmine Murray
(“While You Were Holding Me”) was a finalist. She was later named Miss Mississippi in 2014.
In 2009, Danny Gokey
(“Hope In Front Of Me”) was the third place finalist He had been a worship director at a church in Milwaukee, and also was an over-the-road truck driver.
Also in 2009, Scott MacIntyre
(“Fifty Second Chances”) (no relation to KJOL’s Scott McIntire) finished in eighth place. He was was the first visually impaired finalist, being blind from birth. In 2006, he received a kidney transplant, which failed in 2014. But in 2015, he underwent a second kidney transplant.
And in 2009, Shae Wilbur
(“Mercy Calling”) was also a contestant, although she did not make it on TV. Shae, aka Sharon, is the daughter-in-law of Messianic worship leader Paul Wilbur. She is also the daughter of Joel Chernoff, the founder of the 1970s Messianic band “Lamb.” In 2019, she recorded a duet with Danny Gokey (“Unmovable”).
In 2012, Colton Dixon
(“Through All Of It”) finished in the Top 7. The next year, he won a Dove Award for Best Contemporary Album.
Finally, Lauren Daigle
(“How Can It Be”) is one of the most successful Christian artist to date. Ironically, she never made it to the finals. In 2010 she was cut before the round of 24. In 2011, she failed to make it to the Hollywood round. In 2012, she reached Hollywood but was cut in the first Las Vegas round. Daigle has since gone on to set a record with “You Say” which has been the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 Christian singles for 145 weeks and counting.
Our annual Spring FriendRaiser is underway for the month of April; and as a part of that, our theme this year is Share The Light. As you share the Gospel and the Light of Christ, KJOL has compiled 30 tips for every day of the month. Here they are:
During KJOL’s April “Friendraiser” month, we want to say THANK YOU to our faithful supporters. And THANK YOU to everyone who makes a first-time donation. And finally THANK YOU to God, the giver of all good gifts in our lives, starting with Jesus Christ! KJOL has a lot of new songs that say THANK YOU. I hope you enjoy them! That Thank You Song! Citizen Way Thank God Stars Go Dim Thank You Life.Church Worship I Thank God Housefires Thanks Giver Crowder Thanks and Praise Lucy Grimble and Vineyard Music A Thousand Thank Yous Sarah Kroger Thankful VERSES Thank You Jesus For The Blood Charity Gayle
In January, we told you about four new artists at the KJOL music blog . This month, we have four more new artists. Jordan Smith “This Is Jesus” Jordan Smith is a 30 year old Kentucky native who grew up singing in the church choir. In 2015, he won NBC’s The Voice. He sang “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” and "Mary Did You Know." Natalie Layne “Amen” Natalie Layne is a 24 year old Colorado Springs native, where she was a worship leader at New Life Church. She received a masters degree in piano from Belmont University in Nashville. In 2019, she won Belmont’s Christian Showcase. She continues to serve as a worship leader at her church in Nashville. Terrian “Big God” Terrian (Woods) is a singer/songwriter from Memphis. She is also a member of TobyMac's band Diverse City. And she serves on the staff of AngelStreet in Memphis, which mentors girls as part of an all girls choir. Seph Schleuter “Counting My Blessings” Seph Schlueter ( pronounced “seff shleeter”) spent 7 years as a missionary. In 2020 he formed the worship collective Damascus Worship, in conjunction with the organization “Damascus” which conducts two-year programs to develop leaders who will impact their generation for Christ with the aim of bringing revival to the Catholic Church.
He had noticed we had been off the air on 94.5 FM in Delta…and I related to him it was one of “those” weekends for our poor equipment. Not only did our AM 1400 Delta transmitter go down causing us to make a very expensive replacement only weeks before, but our FM transmitter in Delta went down at the same time as our Montrose 91.9FM transmitter, and only hours after our whole network went down across the Western Slope!
The other day a kindly woman knocked on my door asking for a donation to help build the local swimming pool. I came back with a glass of water. Doesn’t it feel great to give to a good cause??
The English version of the hymn “How Great Thou Art” turns 75 years old in 2024. To mark the anniversary, a new recording has been released, including a brand new verse by Matt Redman. First a little history… Swedish pastor Carl Boberg wrote the original lyrics in 1885. Boberg said that after a strong thunderstorm passed by, he opened his window and heard church bells ringing. He immediately was inspired to write his poem, set to the tune of a Swedish folk melody. It was translated into Russian, where English missionary Stuart Hine heard it while in Ukraine in 1931. He wrote two new verses (3 & 4) and translated it into English in 1949—which is the 75 th anniversary. British missionaries around the world soon began to spread the song. Eventually it reached Billy Graham and George Beverly Shea , who performed it during Graham’s 1957 New York Crusade. The audience liked it so much, they asked Shea to sing it over and over. Graham then used it every week on his Hour Of Decision radio program. Fifteen artists have now collaborated to record the 75th anniversary edition, called “How Great Thou Art (Until That Day)” . When you hear the song on KJOL, the first two voices are from Chris Tomlin and Hillary Scott . The remaining voices include: Kari Jobe and her husband, Cody Carnes Naomi Raine (Maverick City Music) Taya (formerly with Hillsong) Blessing Offor (from Nigeria) Matt Maher (who also plays piano) Matt Redman For the 75 th anniversary, the Stuart Hine Trust commissioned Matt Redman and Mitch Wong to write a new fifth verse: Until that day When heaven bids us welcome, And as we walk this broken warring world, Your kingdom come, Deliver us from evil, And we’ll proclaim our God how great You are! And we’ll proclaim, our God how great You are Redman said they wanted to tie the verse to Stuart Hine’s work in Ukraine, especially in light of the current conflict there. “I wanted the word ‘war’ in there,” said Redman . “It’s kind of a gritty word. But we have to sing about both the everyday and the eternal.” Time will tell if the fifth verse becomes a staple in hymnals. But few will argue that “How Great Thou Art” is one of America’s favorite hymns. And with this new rendition, hopefully it will continue to be loved by future generations.
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