Did you know that many of the top Christian albums of all time are from the 1980’s? No, this doesn’t mean there haven’t been great albums released since then! The way music is delivered has changed tremendously from the 1980’s and many people started focusing on buying individual tracks after digital downloads became popular. If you think about the success of Christian music artists, there are many different achievements to consider. Some have been around far longer than others, like Michael W. Smith. Some have won numerous Grammy Awards, such as dcTalk, Steven Curtis Chapman, Jars of Clay and Al Green. Some have produced more albums and tracks. No matter how you decide who your top 10 Christian artists are, one measure is to consider the albums that have remained at the top of the charts for the longest period of time.
Carman is a talented musician who was talented as an artist before giving his life to Christ when he was 20. The height of his career was through the 1980’s and 1990’s, but he is still producing albums today. He has 25 albums out and Revival In the Land was produced earlier in his career.
P.O.D. (Payable on Death) became popular in the 90’s and continue to perform today. Original members Sonny Sandoval, Marcos Curiel and Wuv Bernardo didn’t begin as a Christian band until after Sonny’s mother died and he converted to Christianity. Satellite was one of their most popular albums, but others include The Fundamental Elements of Southtown (1999), Payable on Death (2003), Testify (2006) and When Angels & Serpents Dance (2008).
LeAnn Rimes is known as a country star today, but she started as a Christian artist. You Light Up My Life was one of her last Christian albums before she switched over to country and pop music.
Amy Grant came storming into the spotlight in the Christian music world in the late 1970’s and stayed there long after she successfully switched over to focus on country and pop music. Lead Me On was her 11th album, but fewer songs became mainstream hits.
Amy Grant’s Unguarded album was her ninth album released. There were a few secular songs on this album and it included three tracks that became mainstream hits. Grant helped write seven of the ten tracks.
Switchfoot began as a Christian rock band and their most successful album is The Beautiful Letdown. They rose to success after four of their songs were featured in the movie A Walk to Remember (starring Mandy Moore). Mainstream hits from The Beautiful Letdown album include “Meant to Live” and “Dare You to Move.”
dcTalk was hugely popular in the 1990’s and their most successful album was Free at Last. They created music videos for three of the films, including “Jesus Is Just Alright”, “Luv is A Verb” and “The Hardway.” This album included 17 tracks and 26 different vocalists, musicians, sound engineers, programmers and other individuals who all helped create the unique songs. The members of dcTalk were Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait and Kevin Max. Toby McKeehan is now known as TobyMac, Michael Tait is currently the lead singer of Newsboys and Kevin Max is the lead singer of Audio Adrenaline.
Grant’s album Straight Ahead helped her reach milestones as an artist, including winning a Grammy Award for “Best Gospel Performance, Female” for the song “Angels”. She helped write six of the ten songs and Rich Mullins wrong track #8, Doubly Good to You.
There is a reason why Sandi Patti has been called The Voice and why her career took off in the 80’s. She continued her ride up the Christian music ladder until personal issues hindered her through the middle to late 1990’s. Patty’s Morning Like This album came out in 1986 and she won a Grammy Award in 1987 for the “Best Gospel Performance, Female.”
Grant’s Age to Age album was her most successful one as a Christian artist and the one that cemented her career as a singer. Two singles, “Sing Your Praise to the Lord” and “El Shaddai” became instant hits on mainstream Christian stations. The album was the first Christian album certified gold and the first Christian platinum record.
Although many of these albums are older, there are so many excellent songs! Some of these artists, like dcTalk, have broken up while other artists, like Amy Grant, don’t focus on exclusively Christian music anymore. What Christian albums do you love?
I am a Christian writer and editor that lives in northern Michigan and thoroughly enjoy music, movies, TV shows, books and other entertainment with a Christian focus. My favorite song is "Oceans" by Hillsong United because it reminds me that has big plans for me and everyone else who puts their trust in Him. There are many movies that have impacted my life, but a few include God's Not Dead, The Shunning and Letters to God. I also write for www.faithandentertainment.com and love connecting with readers, so please don't hesitate to contact me! When I'm not writing I enjoy watching movies and laughing with my busy toddler and husband.