This Month in Christian Music History - May

This Month in Christian Music History - May

May 4, 1961 - Gospel artist Donald Lawrence was born.

May 4, 1972 - Worship leader Chris Tomlin was born.

May 7, 1988 - The number one Billboard Christian album position was held by Sandi Patti's "Make His Praise Glorious."

May 9, 2009 -- "Across the Earth" (stylized as [a_CROSS // the_EARTH] :: Tear Down The Walls]) is the name for the 11th Hillsong United Album. It was released in Australia on 9 May 2009.

May 11, 2008 - Well known Gospel songwriter Dottie Rambo died on May 11, 2008, as a result of injuries sustained in a bus accident along Interstate 44 just outside of Mount Vernon, Missouri. She had just finished a performance at Calvary Life Church in Granite City, Illinois and was en route to a Mother's Day show in Texas when the 1997 Prévost bus she was traveling in ran off the road, struck a guard rail and hit an embankment. Rambo was pronounced dead at the scene. Rambo's manager Larry Ferguson and his family were injured in the crash.

May 13, 2004 -- Helen Berhane, a member of the Rema church was arrested shortly after she released an album of Christian music. After she refused to sign a document pledging to end all participation in Evangelical activities, which included her music, she was detained at Mai Serwa military camp, north of the capital Asmara.  She had no possibility of contact with her family and was denied legal representation or medical care.

May 13, 1997 -- Bob Carlisle released his most successful record "Butterfly Kisses (Shades of Grace)," an album that also peaked at No. 1 on Billboard 200

May 17, 2007 -- Matthew West had a "career threatening" vocal surgery.  In April 2007 West began to experience "some vocal fatigue." He said "I had lost some of my vocal range, staying on higher notes and lower notes. I even began having a hard time speaking." At a vocal check-up in response to the issue, West's doctors at the Nashville Vanderbilt Voice Center discovered "hemorrhaging caused by some polyps." He was told by his doctors that vocal surgery was the only option, since a few weeks had passed. 

May 19, 1971 - Grammy Award winner Israel Houghton was born.

May 19, 2012 - Christians in the Philippines protest against Lady Gaga's Manila concert on the Born This Way Ball tour, claiming she sang "blasphemous songs" and played "anti-Christian music." 

May 21, 2008 -- Maria Sue Chunxi Chapman (the daughter of Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman) died from her injuries and blood loss in a driveway accident. Chapman's youngest son, Will Franklin, was pulling into the driveway of their house after he auditioned for a musical at school, and Maria Sue was running to meet him. They didn't see each other in time and Will accidentally ran over Maria. Maria was airlifted to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.  The paramedics tried to save her on the way to the hospital, but they couldn't. Maria was pronounced dead on arrival. The entire family was preparing to celebrate Caleb's high school graduation from Christ Presbyterian Academy and Emily's engagement just hours before the accident. 

May 22, 2012 - MercyMe released one of their most influential records in their career "The Hurt and the Healer." The album sold 33,000 copies on the first week of its release.

May 29, 1994 - Spending 6 weeks on top of Billboard's Christian album chart is Twila Paris' "Beyond a Dream"

May 30, 1998  -- Country artist LeAnn Rimes crossover to Christian music with her number one selling "You Light Up My Life: The Inspirational Songs."

May 31, 1979 - Hillsong's worship leader Marty Sampson was born.

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