Charles Billingsley

An acclaimed CCM singer, songwriter, and worship leader, Charles Billingsley is known for his uplifting, pop/rock-influenced sound. Billingsley initially surfaced in the early '90s as a member of the group <a href="spotify:artist:1Ng8jGC4dL0gkkuh77pbpX">NewSong</a> before garnering yet more attention with his own Top 20 Christian albums, including 1999's Between the Now and Then and 2016's Right Here. Along with recording, he has worked regularly as worship pastor at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Born in 1970 in Clovis, New Mexico, Billingsley grew up in Alabama, where he first became interested in performing as a teenager while singing with his youth group. Along with gospel music, he also drew early inspiration from country, pop, and R&B sounds. It was while attending Samford University in Birmingham that he released his debut album, 1992's Choice of a Lifetime. Included on the album was the song "The Sparrow," which earned local radio play and helped launch his career. After another solo effort, Until Then: A Collection of Hymns, he signed on as a vocalist and trumpeter in the venerable Christian group <a href="spotify:artist:1Ng8jGC4dL0gkkuh77pbpX">NewSong</a>, joining their ranks in 1993. Billingsley led the band to new heights of popularity, scoring a series of CHR chart-topping hits and appearing on their breakthrough 1994 album People Get Ready. He left <a href="spotify:artist:1Ng8jGC4dL0gkkuh77pbpX">NewSong</a> in early 1996 to return to a solo career, releasing Change and Live!, both with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Crest+Music%22">Crest Music</a>, in 1997. Between Now and Then marked a switch to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Pamplin+Music%22">Pamplin Music</a>, and resulted in a Top 20 appearance on the contemporary Christian chart in 1999. It was followed by the next year's Marks of the Mission.

In 2002, Billingsley began a longstanding role as worship pastor at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. Around the same time, he signed with Perpetual Entertainment Group, releasing 2003's Secret Conversation and 2004's We Bless Your Name. A move to Red Tie Music brought 2007's holiday album, Christmas, and a 2007 collection of hymns titled Enduring Treasures. The following year, he returned with both Hope, Love and Music and Classics. Extraordinary Women 09 Live Worship arrived in 2009 and captured Billingsley's appearance at the Christian women's EW conference in Greenville, South Carolina. Also that year, he released God of the Ages: Live at Thomas Road, which landed on the Billboard Christian Albums chart.

He also founded his own Charles Billingsley Concert Ministry label, releasing 2011's Never Forsaken, the 2012 anniversary collection 20, and the 2012 companion live celebration In Concert. Only Jesus appeared in 2014 and included the song "Jesus, Only Jesus," which featured guest appearances by Michael O'Brien, <a href="spotify:artist:4q7PS6zi0CyrEo23orQCkW">Travis Cottrell</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:29PfPMTOAqc611mj1siNoH">Guy Penrod</a>. Two years later, he again cracked the Top 20 of the Billboard Christian Albums chart with Right Here, released on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22StowTown+Records%22">StowTown Records</a>. Produced by Grammy winners Keith Everette Smith and Seth Mosley, it featured the duet "See You Again" with <a href="spotify:artist:6qk2W9h3eE5UtPJlIatzsY">Meredith Andrews</a>. The holiday-themed It's Christmas Time Again followed in 2017. In April 2020, Billingsley returned with the Everette Smith-produced I Was Made for This. Along with originals, the album also included several well-curated cover songs, including a reworking of <a href="spotify:artist:1SZMaiNHfdUuU0qZKZ6y62">the Newsboys</a>' "We Believe," <a href="spotify:artist:7Bah8E0kCETqEpAHI6CPzQ">Mr. Mister</a>'s "Kyrie," and the <a href="spotify:artist:0Ty63ceoRnnJKVEYP0VQpk">Sting</a> ballad "Fragile." ~ Matt Collar