Born Christopher Dwayne Tomlin in the city of Grand Saline, Texas on May 4, 1972, he was the eldest of three boys. Music was evidently a very big part of his early years. He grew up listening to a range of sounds – country, in particular – and he received his first guitar lessons from his dad.

Chris Tomlin: Music of the Faithful

“He had given me the gift to write music, and I better start writing it!”

The music industry is more often about drugs and pimps than it is about faith, so artists like Chris Tomlin are something of a rarity in the mainstream. Yet this singer-songwriter of the faith manages to bring his message – and that of the Big Man Upstairs – to a wider audience through his music. Whether that's due to his talent or Divine Providence is entirely up to interpretation.

Chris Tomlin Comes to Town

Born Christopher Dwayne Tomlin in the city of Grand Saline, Texas on May 4, 1972, he was the eldest of three boys. Music was evidently a very big part of his early years. He grew up listening to a range of sounds – country, in particular – and he received his first guitar lessons from his dad. Such a musical upbringing didn't take long before it paid off. After learning to play guitar at 11, Tomlin wrote his very first worship song at 14.

College came next for Chris Tomlin, but that was where his plans changed. It was during those years at school that he felt that his calling was a lot closer to Christ than it was to the corporate ladder. He spent a good part of the 1990's at youth worship events in and around Texas. Events organized by radio host Dawson McAllister were often his venue to lead in worship sessions.

After finishing college and earning his degree in Psychology, Tomlin resumed with his performances and his writing. It was in 1997 that the pastor Louie Giglio approached Tomlin, asking him to work for Giglio's Passion Conferences. Tomlin agreed to come on board – a decision that would eventually benefit both Tomlin and the Passion Movement.

It was also around this time that Tomlin's musical act was coming together. While doing work at the Woodlands United Methodist Church, he met some of the other artists who would go on to form his current band lineup. Today, he consistently tours and performs with Daniel Carson on electric guitar, Jesse Reeves on bass, Travis Nunn at the drums and Matt Gilder on the piano.

Chris Tomlin, Christian Troubadour

Tomlin's partnership with Giglio turned out to be the leg up that his music career needed. 2001 saw the release of Tomlin's debut solo project, The Noise We Make. The album established him as an up-and-comer on the scene with the singles Be Glorified, Forever and Kindness all making it to the Christian music charts by 2005.

Live EP 545, meanwhile, was released in 2002 and featured two additional tracks on top of the three popular ones from The Noise We Make. That same year, his live album Not to Us hit the store shelves. It was with his 2004 album Arriving, however, that Tomlin truly cemented his name in the niche. Arriving brought Tomlin, his music and his cause to a very wide fan base.

Arriving would go on to earn platinum certification from the RIAA in 2008 and a wider audience for the now-popular Chris Tomlin. Indescribable, The Way I Was Made, How Great Is Our God and Holy Is the Lord from the album all became #1 hits. His first live album, Live from Austin Music Hall, was released in 2005, followed by See the Morning in 2006. The latter earned gold RIAA certification and two Grammy nominations.

Did You Know That...

...Tomlin's start on the guitar was a blessing in disguise? An episode with mononucleosis prompted his father to buy him a guitar. The rest was history.

...the title of Arrival came from a biblical passage? Tomlin points Isaiah 40 as his inspiration.

...plans were already made had he not gone into music? Before his change of direction in college, Tomlin originally intended a degree in physical therapy.

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