Steven Curtis Chapman

As one of the most prominent artists in contemporary Christian music, Steven Curtis Chapman was first signed on to a songwriting deal in the early 1980s, based upon the strength of his song Built to Last . The song was recorded by the popular gospel group The Imperials.

Born and raised in Paducah, Kentucky, Steven learned to play several instruments while hanging out in his father's music store, excelling at guitar and piano. As a young man, he enrolled as a pre-med student at Anderson College in Indiana, but decided instead to pursue a music career. He moved to Nashville, where he began performing in a music show at Opryland USA. When he wasn’t performing, Steven was busy writing songs, a skill he learned from his father. I n 1987 he signed a record deal with Sparrow Records, where he rose to prominence.

Known for writing most of his own lyrics, Steven has recorded over 15 albums since his debut including For the Sake of the Call, The Great Adventure, Speechless, and All Things New. He is the all-time winner in GMA Music Awards, with 50 awards in his career. He is also the winner of several Grammy awards including Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 2005. In 2003, Steven starred in the film Christmas Child.

Steven and his wife Mary Beth live in Nashville, Tennessee and have three biological children, as well as three adopted girls from China. They are recognized advocates for adoption and together they founded Shaohannah's Hope, a charity organization which offers grants to qualifying families to help defray the cost of adopting, at home and abroad. Both he and his wife were awarded the Angels of Adoption award by a Congressional Committee for adoption in Washington, D.C.

On November 3, 2009, Chapman released his seventeenth album, Beauty Will Rise. Many of the songs from this album are inspired by the death of his daugher, Maria Sue.