LOS ANGELES (Word Records) - Word Records is set to release Amy Grant's Greatest Hits 1986-2004 on October 12. The CD features 17 of Grant's digitally re-mastered pop hits including "Baby Baby," "The Next Time I Fall" and "Every Heartbeat," along with two new recordings, "The Water," produced by Ed Cash (Chris Tomlin, Bebo Norman) and co-written by Grant, with her husband, Vince Gill, on electric guitar, and "Come Be With Me," featuring Keb' Mo', co-written by Beth Nielsen Chapman (Faith Hill's "
This Kiss").
Featuring Grant as executive producer, Greatest Hits 1986-2004 picks up where her platinum-selling 1987 retrospective, The Collection, left off. The project represents 15 of Grant's Top 40 AC (Adult Contemporary) hits, nine of which were also pop Top 40 hits as well.
Signed as a 15-year-old, Grant released a series of albums in the late 70's and early 80's that helped invent the Contemporary Christian genre. Innumerable "first-for-a-Christian-artist" landmarks followed, as did Grant's crossover pop stardom, beginning with her 1986 duet with Peter Cetera, "The Next Time I Fall" (No 1 pop/No 1 AC), from his Solitude/Solitaire album. "Saved By Love" (Top 40 AC) and "Lead Me On" are culled from Grant's gold-selling 1988 album, Lead Me On, that won the fifth of her five GRAMMY Awards and was named the No 1 record in the history of Christian music by CCM Magazine.
Greatest Hits 1986-2004 brings together "Baby Baby" (No 1 pop/No 1 AC), "Every Heartbeat" (No 2 pop/No 2 AC), "That's What Love Is For" (No 7 pop/No 1 AC), "Good For Me" (No 8 pop/No 4 AC) and "I Will Remember You" (No 20 pop/No 2 AC), all from 1991's Heart In Motion, Grant's first Top 10 pop album and biggest seller, at five times platinum. The double platinum, Top 20 House Of Love (1994) contributes its title track duet with Gill (No 37 pop/No 5 AC), "Lucky One" (No 18 pop/No 2 AC) and "The Paradise Mix" of Grant's No 18 AC cover of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi."
After a cover of 10cc's "The Things We Do For Love" (No 24 AC) from the soundtrack to Mr. Wrong (1996), Greatest Hits 1986-2004 continues with "Takes A Little Time" (No 21 pop/No 4 AC), "Like I Love You" (No 10 AC) and "I Will Be Your Friend" (No 27 AC) from 1997's gold-selling, Top 10 Behind The Eyes. Also included is the Top 40 AC title track from 2003's Top 40 album, Simple Things, Grant's first project of new material in six years. Additionally, Greatest Hits 1986-2004 includes an exclusive bonus track, "Baby, Baby" (Heart In Motion Mix).
"This project represents an amazing set of groundbreaking songs," said Word Records president, Barry Landis. "Through her music, Amy paved the way for so many new artists who have a passion for making great music that goes beyond church walls."
Over the course of Grant's career, she has sold over twenty-four million records worldwide, including one quintuple platinum record, a triple platinum record and a double platinum record, as well as six platinum and three gold records. Five of her songs have hit No 1 at mainstream radio, in addition to multiple No 1 hits at Christian radio. Additionally, her work has been honored with five GRAMMY Awards, twenty-four Dove Awards and many other accolades, including being nominated into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 2003. Grant has also been noted for her humanitarian contributions, receiving among other honors the Pax Christi Award from St. John's University in 1994.
The release of Greatest Hits 1986-2004 marks the beginning of a busy fall for Grant, who is set to make numerous television appearances in support of the project including "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on October 18 and "The View" on October 21. In November, she will launch the "Simply Christmas" Tour with Gill, the Nashville Chamber Orchestra and special guest, comedian Henry Cho.
The Word Label Group, a division of Word Entertainment, a Warner/Curb company, is home to both the Word and Squint record labels. The artist roster heralds some of today's top Christian music performers and songwriters including Amy Grant, Point of Grace, Jaci Velasquez, Sixpence None The Richer, Building 429, Nicole C. Mullen, Karen Clark Sheard, Randy Travis and American Idol's George Huff. The Word Label Group leads the industry with over fifty years of music-making history.
