JONATHAN NELSON JOINS INTEGRITY MUSIC's ARTIST ROSTER
For the last few years, there's been much industry buzz about Jonathan Nelson and his songwriting abilities.
Now, Integrity Music has signed the praise and worship leader to an exclusive, long-term recording and publishing contract.
Nelson and his ensemble, Purpose, will release their first Integrity CD "Right Now Praise" on February 5, 2008 worldwide.
The uplifting radio single "My Name is Victory" has been one of the most added new singles at gospel radio the last two weeks according to Radio & Records magazine.
The stellar collection is rounded out with a dozen other songs featuring gospel luminaries such as Sheri Moffet-Jones on "Yes, Out There", William Murphy on "Great and Mighty", Nikki Ross on "Already Mine" and Nelson's twin brother Jason on "Right Now Praise."
Nelson has either written or co-written such modern day gospel smashes as Youth for Christ's "The Struggle is Over" which was #1 on Billboard magazine's Hot Gospel songs chart for a dozen weeks in 2007. He also penned other chart hits such as Donald Lawrence's Top 10 smash "Healed", Rudolph McKissick Jr.'s "The Right Place", "Melonie Daniel's "Praise is My Weapon" and both "Destiny" and "Great Praise" for Stephen Hurd. He also wrote, "Manifest" from Bishop T.D. Jake's Grammy-winning "A Wing and a Prayer" CD.
"I think that Integrity is the perfect label home for Jonathan because of his strength and proven success as a songwriter in Gospel music and because of his amazing gift as a worship leader," says Integrity Music Artist Development Director Chris Springer.
Nelson grew up in church and earned his first professional singing gig when he assembled some singing friends to back Karen Clark Sheard when she performed at Baltimore's Greater Bethlehem Church (where his father was the pastor) in 2000. Following the concert, Nelson and his friends formed Purpose. They have since backed a who's who in music, ranging from BeBe & CeCe Winans to Michael McDonald. Their debut CD, "Everything You Are: Live in Baltimore," was released in 2003 and featured the regional hit "Healed," which was eventually picked up by Donald Lawrence and made into a national hit.
