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Selah is a contemporary Christian vocal trio consisting of Todd Smith, Allan Hall, and Amy Perry. The group has been featured on The 700 Club, Hour of Power, and TBN.[not verified in body]
Selah | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Contemporary Christian, gospel |
| Years active | 1997–present[1] |
| Labels | Curb |
| Members |
|
| Past members | |
| Website | selahonline |
Group history
edit1997–2004: Original lineup
editSelah was originally formed by brother and sister, Todd and Nicol Smith (now Nicol Sponberg), along with friend Allan Hall.[2] The group quickly gained success with the release of their first album, Be Still My Soul, in 1999. They became known for transforming old Christian hymns into a more modern style and with their powerful voices and beautiful harmonies.[3] Todd and Nicol, who spent their childhood in Subsaharan Africa, brought many African elements to their songs as well. They are as comfortable singing in Kituba, as they are in English.[2] Todd gives credit for his music career to his missionary upbringing. "I've been singing in front of people since I was three," he said. "My parents are missionaries. When we came back to the United States, we had to visit each church that sponsored us. That was a good training ground."[4] They also did well-known covers of already-famous songs such as "You Raise Me Up" by Secret Garden and "Bless the Broken Road" by Marcus Hummon. Selah went on to win a Dove Award for their debut album.
Their second album Press On was released in 2001, and also won a Dove Award, along with many nominations for individual songs in the album.
In April 2000, Nicol Smith released her self-titled solo debut on Curb Records.[5] She met and married Greg Sponberg in 2003. Nicol Sponberg released her second solo album, Resurrection (Curb Records), in 2004. The single "Crazy In Love" crossed over to the secular Adult Contemporary charts while songs like "Safe" continued to earn her airplay on Christian radio. Todd also produced a solo album, Alive, in 2004.
2005–present
editNicol left the group in 2004 to pursue a solo career, and for most of 2005 Melodie Crittenden sang with the group.[6]
The 2006 Bless the Broken Road album was a project that teamed original Selah members Allan Hall and Todd Smith with a wide variety of guest singers.
After auditioning 15 female vocalists, Amy Perry became a full-time member based on her vocal abilities and spirituality.[6] Allan Hall also began to get a more active singing role, from originally being the band's accompanist.
In 2014, Selah released You Amaze Us. The title track debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Christian Soft AC chart, becoming the first song in the history of the chart to do so.[7] "You Amaze Us” spent a concurrent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Christian Soft AC chart.
In 2014, Amy Perry and Allan Hall also released solo albums – Glory All Around (Perry) and Work of Love (Hall).[citation needed]
Discography
editAlbums
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] |
US Christ [9] | |||
| 1999 | Be Still My Soul
|
— | 24 | |
| 2001 | Press On
|
— | 23 | |
| 2002 | Rose of Bethlehem
|
— | 16 | |
| 2004 | Hiding Place
|
61 | 2 |
|
| 2005 | Greatest Hymns
|
117 | 3 | |
| 2006 | Bless the Broken Road: The Duets Album
|
43 | 1 | |
| 2009 | You Deliver Me
|
66 | 4 | |
| 2011 | Hope of the Broken World
|
87 | 4 | |
| 2014 | You Amaze Us
|
59 | 3 | |
| 2017 | Unbreakable[11]
|
132 | 5 | |
| 2019 | Firm Foundation[12]
|
— | 49[13] | |
| 2020 | Step Into My Story
|
|||
Compilations
edit| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Christ [9] | ||
| 2007 | Timeless: The Selah Collection | — |
| 2016 | Greatest Hymns, Vol. 2
|
8 |
| 2018 | You Raise Me Up: Greatest Hits[14]
|
— |
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Peak positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Christ. [15] |
Christ Airplay [16] |
US Christ AC [17] | |||
| 2004 | "You Raise Me Up" | 2 | 1 | Hiding Place | |
| 2005 | "All My Praise" | 22 | 19 | ||
| 2006 | "Bless the Broken Road" | 5 | 5 | Bless the Broken Road: The Duets Album | |
| "Mary Sweet Mary" | 26 | 9 | |||
| 2009 | "Hosanna" | 30 | 27 | You Deliver Me | |
| 2010 | "Unredeemed" | 38 | — | ||
| "You Deliver Me" | 46 | — | |||
| 2011 | "Were You There" | 45 | — | Press On | |
| 2012 | "I Turn To You" | 16 | 12 | Hope of the Broken World | |
| 2013 | "It Must Be You (Moses)" | 36 | — | non-album single | |
| 2014 | "You Amaze Us" | 28 | 22 | 21 | You Amaze Us |
| 2017 | "I Got Saved" | 34 | — | — | Unbreakable |
Other appearances
edit- Grace, Jim Brickman: "Be Thou Near to Me"
- Church in the Wildwood: Cherished Hymns, Gaither Homecoming: "Take My Hand, Precious Lord/Just a Closer Walk With Thee"
Dove Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Inspirational Album of the Year | Be Still My Soul | Won |
| 2002 | Press On | Won | |
| Traditional Recorded Gospel Song | "Hold On" | Won | |
| Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year | "Wonderful, Merciful Savior" | Nominated | |
| Group of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2003 | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| Group of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Song of the Year | "You Raise Me Up" | Nominated | |
| Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Inspirational Album of the Year | Hiding Place | Won | |
| Worship Song of the Year | "I Bless Your Name" | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Inspirational Album of the Year | Bless the Broken Road: The Duets Album | Won |
| Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year | "All My Praise" | Nominated | |
| Inspirational Album of the Year | Greatest Hymns | Nominated | |
| Special Event Album of the Year | WOW Christmas (Green) | Nominated | |
| Worship Song of the Year | "Be Thou My Vision" | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Song of the Year | "Bless the Broken Road" | Nominated |
| Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year | "Glory" | Nominated | |
| Group of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year | "Be Thou Near To Me" | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Hope of the Broken World | Won | |
| 2012 | Inspirational Recorded Album of the Year | Won | |
| 2013 | Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year | "It Must be You" | Nominated |
| 2014 | "You Amaze Us" | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "Biography". Christianmusiclighthouse.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
- ^ a b "Nicol Smith". Thefish.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ^ "Selah". Christianmusic.about.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- ^ Krieg, Sheryl (February 17, 2010). "Christian group Selah is more than music". The News-Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
- ^ "Selah's Nicol Smith Ready to Solo". Billboard. March 25, 2000.
- ^ a b "Selah: Blessing the Broken Road". Cbn.com. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
- ^ "Selah's YOU AMAZE US Debuts at #1 as History-Making Title-Cut Tops Chart For 11 Consecutive Weeks - News - Hear It First on HearItFirst.com". Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ "Selah Chart history: Top 200 Albums". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ^ a b "Selah Chart history: Top Christian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ^ "Unbreakable - Selah | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ^ "Firm Foundation by Selah". NewReleaseToday. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ "Selah". Billboard.
- ^ "You Raise Me Up: Greatest Hits by Selah". NewReleaseToday. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ "Selah - Chart history (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ^ "Selah - Chart history (Christian Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ^ "Selah - Chart history (Christian AC)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2018.