Leeland is a Christian rock band from Baytown, Texas. The band was formed in 2004, although lead singer Leeland Mooring had been writing songs beforehand. Leeland consists of Leeland Mooring (lead vocals, guitar), and Casey Moore (guitar, background vocals). The band's original line-up included Jeremiah Wood (guitar), who left the band in late 2006 and was replaced by guitarist Matt Campbell in early 2007, Jack Mooring (piano), Mike Smith (drums) and Jake Holtz (bass).
Leeland has released five studio albums, the latest in July 2016. The band received a Grammy Award nomination and two Dove Award nominations for their debut album Sound of Melodies (2006).[4][5] The band's third album, Love Is on the Move, was released on August 25, 2009.
After a five-year hiatus, Leeland released their fifth studio album in July 2016, Invisible, via the Bethel Music label.
Band history
Formation and initial years
Lead singer Leeland Mooring wrote his first song, "Shine," at the age of 11.[7] After giving a successful performance of the song at a church in Illinois, the Mooring family began touring the United States.[8] When he was 14, Mooring entered into Embassy Music's Ultimate Talent Search contest in Nashville, Tennessee, becoming a finalist in the songwriting and artist divisions.[3] Although he did not win the competition, one of the contest's judges, Kent Coley, took interest in the young teen.[3] A year later, Eddie DeGarmo, president of EMI CMG Publishing, also expressed interest in Mooring, and the two signed a songwriting contract on EMI/Capitol Music Group.[3] Less than a year later, Leeland Mooring, his older brother Jack Mooring, their cousin Jake Holtz, and friends Jeremiah Wood and Mike Smith, whom the Moorings had known for several years,[9] officially signed as a band onto Essential Records, a subsidiary of Sony BMG's Provident Label Group.[10] The five members began practicing at night after youth group in their church's building, which doubled as a funeral home.[3][11] Leeland Mooring's first name was used as the band's name because the members said that "it sounded cool".[12]
Drummer Mike Smith in 2007
Leeland began recording for their debut release, Sound of Melodies, in 2005, with Matt Bronleewe, Marc Byrd, and Steve Hindalong producing the album. It was released in the United States on August 15, 2006. At the 49th Grammy Awards on December 7, 2006, the album was nominated for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.[13] In 2007 the band received five GMA Dove Award nominations, including "New Artist of the Year"[14] and two nominations for their debut album Sound of Melodies.[5] The album was also released in Japan on March 21, 2007, with the title song, "Sound of Melodies," peaking at No.6 on the general Japan radio chart.[15]
The band has worked closely with Christian music legend Michael W. Smith, who remarked, "Leeland is the best thing I have heard in a long, long time".[16] Leeland Mooring co-wrote six songs on Smith's album Stand, and wrote one song by himself.[17] Jack Mooring married Smith's daughter Whitney Smith-Mooring on June 1, 2007.[18]
After four years as a member of Leeland, Jeremiah Wood left the band in October 2006 to pursue other endeavors.[19] Austin Tirado was hired as a temporary guitar player until February 2007. In February, Matt Campbell was hired as a temporary guitarist; he was added as an official band member after three months.
Leeland's second studio album, Opposite Way, was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee.[20] In November 2007, the band announced that the album would release on February 26, 2008.[20] Lead singer Leeland Mooring commented, "[Opposite Way] is primarily a call to our generation to passionately walk the 'opposite way' from the world, that it's OK to live the Christian life and to be on fire for God, even if it makes us look different."[21][22] In its debut week of release, Opposite Way peaked at No.72 on the Billboard Top 200 albums chart,[23][24] and also reached No.1 on the iTunes Christian Albums chart.[25] Starting in September 2007, Leeland began touring with Grammy Award-winning band Casting Crowns on their The Altar and the Door tour. The tour continued until May 1, 2008,[26] and was named the "highest-grossing Christian tour of the year" touring through 83 cities.[27]
The band's song "Tears of the Saints" from their debut album received two Dove Award nominations in 2008.[28] Lead singer Leeland Mooring was nominated for "Songwriter of the Year" and co-writer of the song "Be Lifted High" with Michael W. Smith.[28]
Their song "Brighter Days," from the Opposite Way album, was featured in the June 22, 2008, episode of the television show Army Wives.[29] The show's music supervisor, Frankie Pine, commented, "We thought the use of 'Brighter Days' in this episode of Army Wives was moving, and was the perfect fit for what we were looking for".[29] The song was also featured on the soundtrack of Fireproof, a film featuring actor Kirk Cameron.
In December 2008, the band's Opposite Way album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.[30]
Leeland's third studio album, titled Love Is on the Move, was released on August 25, 2009, in the United States.[31] The album's lead single "Follow You", which includes vocals from singer-songwriter Brandon Heath, was released to Christian radio on August 7.[32] In September, the band launched their "Follow You" Tour, co-headlining with Brandon Heath and featuring Francesca Battistelli as an opening act.[32][33]
Changes in membership and label
In early 2011, only a few months before the release of their fourth studio album, bassist Jake Holtz left the band to pursue a career with the US Army.[34]
In September 2015, Leeland announced via YouTube that they would be joining Bethel Music as part of the Bethel Music Collective,[35][36] after Leeland Mooring and Casey Moore established an organic friendship with Bethel's founding member, Brian Johnson.[37]
Leeland's fifth studio album, Invisible, was released on July 22, 2016.[38] It is the first album the band has released under the Bethel label, with Brian Johnson featuring on the song "Son Was Lifted Up".[37]
Their first album, Sound of Melodies, has been described as "sometimes worshipful, always melodic".[41] Leeland's style moved in a more rock direction with their second album Opposite Way. Allmusic reviewer Jared Johnson noted that the band "cemented their sound by creating electrifying walls of guitar" with their second release, having the same "energetic and melodic" sound as their first album.[42] Of their third album Love Is on the Move, Christian youth magazine StreetBrand said the album shows "just how much they have matured musically as a group, creatively as songwriters and spiritually as a band with a penchant for God-pleasing worship."[43]
Pillar is an American Christian rock band from Tulsa, consisting of members Rob Beckley, Noah Henson, Michael "Kalel" Wittig, and Lester Estelle II. The band has released nine studio albums, three EPs, and 24 singles since its formation in 1998.
Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman, Chad Butler, and Jerome Fontamillas. Guitarist Drew Shirley was also a member of the band from 2005 to 2022. After early successes in the Christian rock scene, Switchfoot first gained mainstream recognition with the inclusion of four of their songs in the 2002 film A Walk to Remember. This recognition led to the release of their major label debut The Beautiful Letdown, which was released in 2003 and featured the hit singles "Meant to Live" and "Dare You to Move". Their fifth album, Nothing Is Sound peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, and included the single "Stars." Their seventh album, Hello Hurricane (2009) received a Grammy Award for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album. They have been noted for their energetic live shows.
DC Talk is a Christian rap and rock trio. The group was formed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max Smith. They released five major studio albums together: dc Talk (1989), Nu Thang (1990), Free at Last (1992), Jesus Freak (1995), and Supernatural (1998). In 2002, the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music called dc Talk "the most popular overtly Christian act of all time."
The Great Awakening is the fourth studio album from the Christian rock band Leeland, released on September 20, 2011. The Great Awakening received a nomination to the 54th Grammy Awards for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.
Sanctus Real is an American Christian rock band formed in Toledo, Ohio, in 1996. The group is composed of Chris Rohman, Mark Graalman (drums), and Dustin Lolli. The band is best known for their number one singles "Lead Me", "Forgiven", "Whatever You're Doing", "I'm Not Alright", "Don't Give Up", "We Need Each Other", "Everything About You", and "The Fight Song". Since 2002, they have released five albums through the Sparrow Records label, an independent EP This Is Love, and "Changed" on Framework Records.
Petra is an American music group regarded as a pioneer of the Christian rock and contemporary Christian music genres and was, for many years, regarded as the "world's most popular Christian rock band". Formed in 1972, the band took its name from the Greek word for "rock". Though it disbanded formally in 2006, incarnations have played reunion shows in the years since and released two albums in November 2010, and in November 2017. In 2013, it reformed with a new drummer, Cristian Borneo, and recorded a new song titled "Holy is Your Name", before going back on tour.
MercyMe is an American contemporary Christian music band founded in Edmond, Oklahoma. The band consists of lead vocalist Bart Millard, percussionist Robby Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran and guitarists Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul.
Sonicflood is an American contemporary worship music band from Nashville, Tennessee, that has been touted as "The Fathers of the Modern Worship Movement." The group took the name "Sonicflood", a reference to a line in the Book of Revelation, chapter 19, verse 6.
Sound of Melodies is the debut album from Christian band Leeland released in August 2006 on Essential Records.
Leeland Dayton Mooring is an American worship musician, singer and songwriter known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Leeland, as well as serving a brief tenure as an ensemble worship leader with Bethel Music.
Brandon Heath is an American contemporary Christian musician. He has released eight studio albums: Don't Get Comfortable (2006), What If We (2008), Leaving Eden (2011), Blue Mountain (2012), No Turning Back (2015), Faith Hope Love Repeat (2017), "Enough Already" (2022), and "The Ache" (2024). He is best known for the No. 1 singles: "I'm Not Who I Was" and "Give Me Your Eyes". He was nominated four times at the Dove Awards of 2008 and won in the "New Artist of the Year" category. His second album was nominated for "Gospel Album of the Year" at the 51st Grammy Awards of 2009.
Opposite Way is the second studio album from the Christian band Leeland, released on February 26, 2008. The album reached #1 on the iTunes Store Christian Albums chart in its debut week. "Count Me In" and the title track "Opposite Way" have been released as radio singles.
Bethel Music is an American Christian music label and publishing group based in Redding, California, originating at Bethel Church. Bethel Music began as a local church music ministry to a global outreach made up of a collective of songwriters, artists and musicians.
Tauren Gabriel Wells is an American contemporary Christian singer, songwriter and pastor from Houston, Texas. Wells was the frontman of former Christian band Royal Tailor.
Invisible is the fifth studio album by Leeland, released on July 22, 2016 through Bethel Music.
Jennifer Louise Johnson is an American Christian worship singer, songwriter and worship pastor. She is a co-founding member of Bethel Music, and is one-half of the husband-and-wife worship duo, Brian and Jenn Johnson. She is also a senior worship pastor at Bethel Church in Redding, California, and a Senior Overseer of WorshipU, an online school of worship sponsored by Bethel.
We the Kingdom is an American contemporary Christian music band signed to the Capitol Christian Music Group. The band consists of multiple generations of relatives: Andrew Bergthold, Ed Cash, Martin Cash, and Scott Cash. The band's name comes after the idea that "the kingdom of God is here among us".
Michael Brandon Lake is an American Christian worship singer, songwriter, guitarist, and worship pastor. Lake is a former member of Maverick City Music and serves as a worship pastor at Seacoast Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Lake began his recording career with a successful crowdfunding campaign to produce an album in 2015, which resulted in the independent release of his debut studio album, Closer, in 2016.
Holy Water is the debut studio album by American contemporary Christian music band We the Kingdom, which was released via Capitol Christian Music Group on August 7, 2020. The album features guest appearance by Bethel Music, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Maverick City Music, and Bear Rinehart.
Dante Bowe is an American contemporary music singer, and songwriter. He is known as a former member of the Bethel Music collective and Maverick City Music.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
