I Am They was an American Christian music band from Carson City, Nevada, formed in 2008. The band consists of five members and was first signed to Essential Records. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2015. They were most recently signed to Big Future Records.[1]
I Am They | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Carson City, Nevada |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2008–2022 |
| Labels | Essential, Big Future |
| Past members |
|
| Website | iamthey |
Background
editI Am They, a Christian band from Carson City, Nevada[2][3] was initially formed as a worship ministry called "Solomon's Porch" for what was intended to be a single night worship gathering on October 31, 2008, hosted at Calvary Chapel Carson City. After a positive reception from the local church community, the band continued holding bi-monthly worship gatherings.
After receiving an offer from local Christian concert promoters, Ian Bullis and Jonathan Velasquez,[citation needed] to open for CCM artist Matthew West in January 2009, the band began to write original material and formally changed their name to I Am They in order to differentiate it from the bi-monthly worship ministry they hosted.[citation needed]
The band signed to Provident Label Group in the summer of 2013 and went into the studio in January 2014 to record their self-titled debut at Yackland Studios in Nashville, TN with Producer Jonathan Smith and Executive Producer Jason Ingram. Their debut album was released on January 27, 2015.[4]
In winter and spring of 2015, the band was a part of the national touring "Rock & Worship Roadshow" alongside MercyMe, Crowder, and Group 1 Crew, followed by a tour with Matt Maher on the spring leg of the Saints & Sinners tour.[5]
In August 2015, I Am They received a Dove Award nomination for New Artist of the Year.[6]
In March 2016, Abbie Parker replaced Stephanie Kulla as the lead female vocalist for the band. On the same day, the band released a new single "Make A Way" featuring Abbie Parker.[7] I AM THEY released the 4-song worship EP The Resting Place - EP in June 2016.
In April 2017, a new vocalist, Houston resident Jon McConnell, was introduced with the release of the band's new song, Crown Him.[8]
In early 2019, a new drummer/percussionist, Nicole Hickman, joined the group, allowing Sara Palmer to focus on planning and promotion full-time. Nicole had spent a number of years touring with Holly Starr.
In January 2022, the band announced that they had signed with Big Future Music Group in a joint venture with Truss Records. The announcement also pictured and listed Cheyenne Mitchell as vocalist, in place of previous lead female vocalist Abbie Parker.[1][9] On September 29, 2022, the band announced they were disbanding after 14 years.[10] They performed their last concert on December 8 of that year, streaming it on their YouTube page.[11]
Former Members
edit- Matthew Hein – vocals, guitar, banjo, dobro, mandolin (2008-2022)
- Cheyenne Mitchell (2022)
- Justin Shinn – keys, organ, concert drum, banjo, mandolin, bass (2008-2022)
- Nicole Hickman (2019–2022)– drums, percussion
- Brandon Chase (August 2019[12]–2022) – vocals, guitar, banjo
- Stephanie Kulla (2015) – vocals
- Bobby Stiehler – bass, percussion
- Raul Aguilar Jr. – bass
- Adam Palmer (2015-2019) – vocals, guitar, Nashville high-strung guitar, banjo, dobro, concert drum
- Sara Palmer (2015-2019) – drums, percussion
- Jon McConnell (until late 2019[12]) – vocals, guitar, keys
- Abbie Parker (2016–2021) – vocals, harmonium, keys
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Christ [13] |
UK C & G | ||
| I Am They |
|
10 | — |
| Trial & Triumph |
|
23 | 15 |
| Faithful God |
|
43 | — |
Extended plays
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| The Prelude[16] |
|
| Sanctuaries[17][18] |
|
| Resting Place[19] |
|
| Chapel Sessions |
|
Singles
edit| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Christ [20] |
US Christ Air. [21] |
US Christ AC [22] |
US Christ Digital [23] | ||||
| "From The Day" | 2014 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 40 | I Am They | |
| "We Are Yours" | 2015 | — | 38 | — | — | ||
| "Make A Way" (radio version) | 2016 | — | 43 | — | — | ||
| "Crown Him" | 2017 | — | 43 | — | — | Trial & Triumph | |
| "My Feet Are on the Rock" | 2018 | 23 | 16 | 15 | — | ||
| "Scars" | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | |||
| "No Impossible with You" | 2019 | 20 | 15 | 12 | — | ||
| "White Christmas" | — | 31 | 26 | — | non-album single | ||
| "Faithful God" | 2020 | 19 | 20 | 14 | — | Faithful God | |
| "Promises" | 2021 | — | 25 | 27 | — | ||
Promotional singles
editSeparate from their standard singles released to radio, the band has released numerous worship songs with session music videos. They have typically been covers, but not exclusively.
| Single | Year | Album | Original artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| "No Longer Slaves"[25] | 2016 | Resting Place (EP) | Bethel Music |
| "Resting Place (To the Cross)"[26] | I Am They | ||
| "Reckless Love"[27] | 2018 | non-album single | Cory Asbury |
| "Tremble"[28] | Mosaic MSC | ||
| "Christ Be Magnified"[29] | 2021 | Cody Carnes |
References
edit- ^ a b "BFMG ANNOUNCES JOINT VENTURE WITH TRUSS RECORDS, SIGNS I AM THEY". www.bfmg.com. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ Jesus Freak Hideout. "I Am They". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
- ^ Cummings, Tony (April 15, 2016). "I Am They: New lineup for the country rock worshippers from Nevada". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ Mike Sion (January 21, 2015). "Big year ahead for Christian folk-pop sextet I Am They". Reno Gazette-Journal.
- ^ "THE 7th Annual Rock & Worship Roadshow, presented by Compassion International, announces official tour dates". PRWeb. November 19, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- ^ "The 46th Annual GMA Dove Awards Nominees Announced Today in Nashville". August 12, 2015. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- ^ Hallels (March 25, 2016). "I Am They Welcome Abbie Parker & Releases New Single "Make a Way"".
- ^ "I AM THEY - Crown Him". April 7, 2017.
- ^ "Abbie Parker - Session Vocalist & Songwriter". soundbetter.com. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ "I AM THEY disbanding after 14 years". Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ "I AM THEY // FINAL CONCERT - YouTube". Retrieved August 27, 2023.
- ^ a b "I Am They - Membership change". I Am They - Facebook page. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ "I Am They - Chart History (Top Christian Albums)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ "I Am They – I Am They". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "I Am They – Trial & Triumph". ITunes. March 2, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "i am "They" - The Prelude EP". JesusFreakHideout.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Sanctuaries EP - I Am They". Spotify. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "I Am They - Sanctuaries Album Art". advntdesign.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Fans find "Resting Place" with new EP from I Am They". JesusWired. June 11, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ "I Am They - Christian Songs". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "I Am They - Christian Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
- ^ "I Am They - Christian AC Songs". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "I Am They - Christian Digital Songs Sales". Billboard. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
- ^ "I Am They - Scars". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- ^ "No Longer Slaves (Single) by I Am They". NewReleaseToday. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ "Resting Place (To the Cross) (Single) by I Am They". NewReleaseToday. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ "Reckless Love (Single) by I Am They". NewReleaseToday. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ "Tremble (Single) by I Am They". NewReleaseToday. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ "Christ Be Magnified (Song Session) (Single) by I Am They | CD Reviews And Information | NewReleaseToday". NewReleaseToday. NRT Media, Inc. March 8, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.