4Him

4Him was a Contemporary Christian group founded in 1990 in Mobile, Alabama, US. The group has ten Dove awards, a Grammy nomination and three certified gold albums to their credit. The group was inducted into Alabama's Music Hall of Fame, following the awarding of The Governor’s Achievement Award. The group has also been featured performers for popular Christian Evangelist crusaders, Billy Graham and Luis Palau.

4Him
4Him plays at Lifest 2006
Background information
OriginMobile, Alabama, United States
GenresContemporary Christian
Occupation(s)Singers
InstrumentsVoice
Years active1990–2006
LabelsBenson, Word, INO
Associated actsTruth
Past membersAndy Chrisman
Mark Harris
Marty Magehee
Kirk Sullivan

4Him disbanded in 2006 to pursue individual careers of ministry and music. They have released 12 studio albums which have produced 27 number one singles.

The group has made sporadic reunion appearances since 2009.

History

Andy Chrisman, Mark Harris, Marty Magehee, and Kirk Sullivan originally met when they sang together in Truth, a Contemporary Christian vocal group founded in the late 1960s and directed by Roger Breland. Truth had a rotating roster of four male and four female vocalists. After three representatives from Benson Records attended several Truth concerts in the late 1980s during which Andy, Mark, Marty, and Kirk performed, Benson approached the quartet saying that they wanted to use the guys to create a new male four-member vocal group under the Benson label. "Where There Is Faith", their first single, stayed at No. 1 on the charts for eight weeks, two months before 4Him left Truth. Releasing their self-titled debut in 1990, they blended the traditions of Christian music's past, with modern pop production and practical lyrics.

In 1996, with the release of The Message, 4Him changed their overall sound in an effort to keep pushing the creative limits of the group. The guys replaced the over-the-top orchestrations and choral vocal arrangements with a stripped down, acoustic band approach where one of the guys would sing lead and the other three would sing backing vocals. On 1998’s Obvious, each member took more ownership of their music – becoming more involved in the production and songwriting aspects.

By 2004, all four of the guys reevaluated the future of the ministry. After close to seventeen years together, the members of 4Him decided to embark on solo careers.[1] On September 23, 2006, they performed their final concert at Cottage Hill Baptist Church in Mobile, AL, the city where 4Him’s 17-year journey first started. At that concert, various individuals (including family members, record producers, management, and Truth founder Roger Breland) were recognized for their contributions to 4Him’s ministry.

After disbandment

Andy Chrisman

Andy Chrisman released his freshman solo effort One in 2004, and is worship pastor at Church on the Move, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.[2] In 2008, he, along with the Church on the Move Praise Band, released Beautiful Name, a live worship CD.

Mark Harris

In 2005, Mark Harris released The Line Between the Two. In 2007, Harris won a GMA Dove Award in the category of Inspirational Song of the Year for "Find Your Wings". On September 25, 2007, he released his second album Windows and Walls on INO Records. On October 13, 2011, Harris released his third album Stronger In The Broken Places on Stylos Records. In 2012, Harris had the featured song, "When We're Together" in the film, Courageous. Until mid-2013, he served as artist-in-residence and worship pastor at Bay Community Church outside Mobile, Alabama. He currently serves as executive worship pastor at Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas.[3]

Kirk Sullivan

In 2010, Kirk Sullivan released his independent solo release Timeless on his website. Timeless contains "Get Down Mountain" (previously featured on the Encore album), a new reworked arrangement of his trademark song "The Basics of Life", and a bonus track of a song recorded when he was twelve years old.

Marty Magehee

In 2008, Marty Magehee released his independent solo release, Open, on his website. The first single, "Eyes Wide Open", was released to Christian radio in May 2008. The album also included the song "Runaway Train", which appeared on 4Him's final CD, Encore. He is also producing albums for other artists. In 2011, Magehee is on the faculty of Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, teaching courses in Worship Band, Studio Recording, Beats and Loops, and Songwriting.[4]

Reunions

After nearly five years apart, the quartet made their first reunion on the K-Love Friends and Family Cruise in January 2009.[5] A one-off concert in West Monroe, Louisiana took place in March, and another reunion happened on Kathy Troccoli's "KT and Friends Cruise" to Alaska in June 2010.[6] In early 2013, they performed several concerts on a tour dubbed "With One Voice" together with the group Avalon and solo Christian singer songwriter Cindy Morgan. In September 2015, they performed an 11-city 25th anniversary tour.[7]

Discography
  • 1990: 4Him
  • 1991: Face the Nation
  • 1992: The Basics of Life
  • 1993: The Season of Love (Christmas)
  • 1994: The Ride
  • 1996: The Message
  • 1998: Obvious
  • 2000: Hymns: A Place of Worship
  • 2001: Walk On
  • 2003: Visible
  • 2006: Encore... For Future Generations

Compilations

  • 1999: Best Ones
  • 2001: Chapter One... A Decade
  • 2004: Simply 4Him

Other album appearances

Video
  • 1991: Face the Nation
  • 1993: The Basics of Life
  • 1995: The Ride Comes Alive
  • 1996: The Message in the Making
  • 2006: Encore (from the Encore Farewell Tour, recorded at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia)

Awards and nominations

Grammys
  • 1997: Grammy nomination – Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for The Message

GMA Dove Awards
  • 1991: New Artist of the Year
  • 1993: Group of the Year
  • 1993: Inspiration Album of the Year for Generation to Generation
  • 1994: Group of the Year
  • 1994: Inspirational Album of the Year For The Season of Love
  • 1995: Group of the Year
  • 1998: Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year for "Center of the Mark"
  • 2003: Nomination for Inspirational Recorded Song of the Year

Other awards
  • 1990: CRR (Christian Research Report) Reporter Poll – Best New Artist
  • 1991: CRR (Christian Research Report) – Best Group
  • 1992: CRR (Christian Research Report) – Best Group
  • 1993: CBA Impact Award – Total Promotional Campaign, Music: The Basics of Life
  • 1994: CCM Magazine – Song of the Year: "For Future Generations"
  • 1995: American Songwriter – Christian Artist of the Year
  • 1996: CCM Readers' Poll – Favorite Long Form Video: The Ride Comes Alive

Other honors

References
  1. "4Him". 4him.net.
  2. "Church on the Move - Tulsa, OK". churchonthemove.com.
  3. "Mark Harris". March 9, 2015. Archived from the original on July 2, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  4. "The incurable creative junkie of Castle Pines". castlepinesconnection.com.
  5. "Premier Christian Cruises Presents the K-LOVE Friends & Family Music Cruise 2009". Archived from the original on July 18, 2008.
  6. "JRI CRUISES". Archived from the original on March 27, 2005. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
  7. https://www.premierproductions.com/blog/announcing-25-years-4him-tour
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