Casting Crowns

Posted on by katrine

The story of Casting Crowns started in 1999 in beautiful Daytona Beach, Florida. Mark Hall formed a band to lead worship at a youth group there. The band consisted of Juan and Melodee DeVevo (acoustic guitar and violyn), and Hector Cervantes (electric guitar). After two years the band moved to Gorgia where they picked up two new band members Chris Huffman (bass) and Megan Garrett (keyboard and accordion). They lead youth worship at Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church for a year before the final member of Casting Crowns, Andy Whilliams (drums), joined.


In 2001 and again in 2002 Casting Crowns released independent albums. They were discovered by Steven Curtis Chapman who co-produced their self titled album in 2003. The album was hugely popular, eventually going platinum meaning it sold more than 100,000 copies. Casting Crowns was one of the fastest selling debut artists in Christian music history. The album won Mark Hall the Dove awards for Songwriter of the Year and the whole band received awards for New Artist of the Year, Contemporary Album and Song of the Year.

 

The following year they released a platinum-selling live CD/DVD called Live From Atlanta and in 2005 they released their second studio album. Lifesong debuted #9 on the Billboard top 200 Albums chart. This album was also certified platinum. That year Mark Hall received the Dove award for Songwriter of the Year again, and the Group of the Year and Song of the Year awards. The next year they released a second live CD/DVD called Lifesong Live, followed in 2007 by their latest studio album The Altar and the Door. This album debuted #2 on Billboard and of course, that was followed by a The Altar and the Door Live CD/DVD. Casting Crowns released a Christmas Album called Peace on Earth in 2008.

Casting Crown’s fourth major studio album, Until the Whole World Hears, was released on November 17, 2009, debuting at #4 on the Billboard 200. It sold over 167,000 copies in its first week alone, setting a new record for the highest Christian album debut in history. That was followed by Until the Whole World Hears…Live the following year.

 

Casting Crowns’ latest album features the song “Courageous” which is also the tittle track on the soundtrack of the Courageous movie. The album is called Come To the Well (2011).