Newsong's Winter Jam Kicks Off With Record-Breaking First Weekend

NASHVILLE, TN (Winter Jam Official Website) - WINTER JAM, the concert that has grown to become the annual premier tour event in Christian music, started its '06 run with a record-breaking first weekend, with 18,000 concertgoers attending the first three shows in Atlanta, Chattanooga and Memphis, announced Troy VanLiere, partner in VanLiere & Wilcox, and manager for Integrity Music's NewSong, which is hosting WINTER JAM '06 for the 10th straight year.

In addition to NewSong, WINTER JAM's artist line-up includes Newsboys, tobyMac, ZOEgirl, Hawk Nelson, and Krystal Myers. The tour will visit 31 cities every weekend from January 13 to March 19. In addition to the music, WINTER JAM features "Sphere Of Fear," a motorcycle stunt show, and guest speaker, David Nasser, a youth evangelist and author of A Call to Grace.

According to Eddie Carswell of NewSong, the spiritual impact is as important to the WINTER JAM story as are the successful concert attendance figures. In addition to the estimated 300 decisions made for Christ, 439 also made commitments to sponsor children in Holt International Children's Services "Waiting Child Program," a monthly sponsorship program that brings sustaining hope and support to orphaned, abandoned or vulnerable children awaiting full-time adoptions.

"I can think of no more satisfying way to start the New Year than to be a part of this life-changing WINTER JAM tour. To see kids make decisions for Christ and to see them also supporting an important ministry like Holt International is what it's all about for NewSong," said Carswell. "It's fantastic to be part of such a phenomenal, entertaining and inspiring concert experience."

WINTER JAM '06 continues this weekend in Ft. Myers and Tampa, Fla. The remaining dates and locations can be found at www.newsongonline.com or www.jamtour.com. For more information about Holt International, visit www.holtintl.org.

About NewSong: NewSong is a Dove Award winner and GRAMMY nominee. NewSong has recorded 14 albums including its latest and first on the Integrity Music label, Rescue, which features the radio singles "Rescue" and "Psalm 40". Among NewSong's 18 No. 1 singles are such signature songs as "Arise My Love," "Can't Keep A Good Man Down," "Red Letter Day," and last year's cross-over hit, "When God Made You," a duet with Natalie Grant. Their holiday anthem, "The Christmas Shoes," became a No 1 mainstream radio hit, and inspired a series of New York Times-bestselling books and two CBS Movies of the Week, including 2005's holiday ratings success "The Christmas Blessing." Their multi-artist "Jam" Tours, which they began hosting in 1995, have grown to become the largest attended Christian music tours in the industry.