Dara Maclean

    Meridian will be among stops of a 35-plus city tour featuring several of the country’s top contemporary Christian bands and artists.

    Evangel Temple Church will host Big Daddy Weave’s Beautiful Offerings tour, which also features guest artists Chris August, Group 1 Crew and Dara MacLean. The touring concept is a first for headliner BDW, whose “The Only Name (Yours Will Be) is nominated for “2014 Worship Song of the Year” by K-LOVE Fan Awards.

    “This will be a night like we’ve never done before,” said Big Daddy Weave lead vocalist Mike Weaver in a release about the tour.

    “We’re going to play right from the beginning, not only on our songs, but also backing up our friends Chris August, Group 1 Crew and Dara Maclean. You’ll hear some radio favorites then join us during the second half of the evening as we all worship together, as beautiful offerings.”

    The heart behind the name “Beautiful Offerings,” Weaver continues, is, “After we receive that we’re redeemed by what Jesus has done, we need to look at ourselves the way He looks at us. Then, begin to live in the greater reality that Jesus bought for us on the cross. We are beautiful offerings, with an awesome opportunity to respond with our lives to bless the heart of God.”

    Evangel Temple’s Dusty Culpepper, coordinator for the Meridian concert, said the presentation will offer something for every musical taste.

    “Big Daddy Weave has been around for several years. Our choir sings their 2013 K-LOVE Fan Awards Song of the Year, ‘Redeemed,’ for congregational worship,” Culpepper said.

    “Chris August is a very polished artist; Group 1 Crew has a hip-hop feel; and Dara Maclean is a new artist whose songs have a strong message,” he said. “It’s not going to be a ‘showy’ show, the groups are very worship minded. The person who comes to this concert will experience God presence in a special way.”

    The tour – which kicked off Sept. 11 and is scheduled to continue through mid-November – includes stops in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Missouri, Louisiana, Alabama, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Indiana. Meridian is the tour’s only stop in Mississippi.

    “We are approached by a lot of different artists to perform at Evangel, and we really try to find the right fit for our church and our community,” Culpepper said. “This particular tour has several artists that we feel will be a blessing to the community.”

     Following are brief bios of the performers:

Big Daddy Weave

    Dove Award-winning band Big Daddy Weave, one of Christian music’s mainstays, is currently enjoying its career best-selling album, Love Come To Life, an album boasting three consecutive No. 1 radio singles: “Love Come To Life,” “Redeemed,” and “The Only Name (Yours Will Be).”

    The band, comprised of Mike Weaver, Jay Weaver, Jeremy Redmon, Joe Shirk and Brian Beihl, formed when the original members were attending the University of Mobile. In 2002, Big Daddy Weave stepped into the spotlight with the release of its second album, One and Only, which debuted in SoundScan’s Christian Top 5 and earned them a Dove Award nomination for “New Artist of the Year.” In 2010, Big Daddy Weave took home the Dove Award for “Christmas Album of the Year” for its seventh album, Christ Is Come.    

    In 2013, Big Daddy Weave’s monster hit song and career best-selling track, “Redeemed,” spent 11 weeks at No. 1, and took home the prestigious trophy for “Song of the Year” at the first-ever K-LOVE Fan Awards, while receiving nominations for “Christian Song of the Year” at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, and “Song of the Year” at the 2013 Dove Awards. The first Christian AC-Monitored radio chart of 2013 featured “Redeemed” in the number one position, while the first AC-Monitored chart of 2014 rang in with “The Only Name (Yours Will Be)” in the top spot.

    In March, Big Daddy Weave was recognized for the second consecutive year with a nomination for K-LOVE Fan Awards’ “Song of the Year” for their No. 1 single “The Only Name (Yours Will Be).”  The band has also been honored at ASCAP’s Christian Music Awards and is one of the 10 most played artists at Christian radio over the past decade.

    Big Daddy Weave’s current radio single “Overwhelmed” is currently No. 15 with and rising on the Billboard Christian AC-Monitored chart. “Overwhelmed” is the fourth single from their latest album, Love Come To Life: The Redeemed Edition, which contains three consecutive Billboard Christian AC No. 1 radio hits – “Love Come To Life,” “Redeemed,” and “The Only Name (Yours Will Be)” – a career first for the band. The group also recently received a Dove Award nomination for “Worship Song of the Year” for their No. 1 radio hit, “The Only Name (Yours Will Be).”

Chris August

    Fervent Records’ Chris August quickly became a favorite in the CCM genre. With an impressive sweep at the 42nd Annual Dove Awards, he earned awards for “New Artist of the Year” and “Male Vocalist of the Year,” adding him to an elite group of only three artists in the history of the show who have received both awards. He also claimed the nod for “Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year” for his debut album No Far Away. The album delivered August’s debut single “Starry Night,” which stayed No. 1 for six consecutive weeks on Billboard’s Christian/AC chart.

    August released his much anticipated sophomore record, “The Upside of Down,” in 2012, which was painstakingly crafted and co-produced with award-winning producer Ian Eskelin. August is a self-taught pianist, guitarist, and producer who has previously toured with pop sensation Ashlee Simpson and has worked/co-wrote with artists such as Ryan Cabrera, Brian McKnight and Jessica Simpson before shifting his focus to a solo career.

 

Group 1 Crew

    Group 1 Crew has become one of the leading hip-hop focused acts in the Christian music scene, broadening the parameters of faith-based music with songs that percolate with energy and resonate with the truth of God’s grace.

    To date, the talented group has had four hit singles break into the Top 5 on Billboard’s Christian CHR chart, including, “He Said (featuring Chris August),” which went to No. 1. They have earned five Dove Awards; three for the Rap/Hip-Hop Album Of the Year Category and two for the Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song with “Movin’” and “Walking on the Stars.” They also received a 2012 Dove Award for Special Event Album of the Year, thanks to Blanca’s collaboration on The Story.

    Group 1 Crew made their national TV performance debut on “The Mo’Nique Show” and their music has been featured in a variety of popular television shows, including NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” FOX’s “The Simple Life,” Style Network’s “Kimora Lee Simmons: Life in the Fab Lane,” MTV’s “Run’s House” and The CW’s “One Tree Hill.”

 

Dara Maclean

    

    Powerful vocalist and songwriter Dara Maclean first sparked the music industry’s interest with her 2011 debut, You Got My Attention. The album introduced a powerful new voice in Christian pop, steeped in Motown and soul and beaming a heart for the broken and struggling. The LP reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Christian Albums chart, and album tracks “Suitcases” and “Free” each hit the Top 20 on Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart. “Suitcases” appeared on the 2012 installment of WOW Hits, celebrating Christian radio’s biggest songs, and You Got My Attention closer “Home” was included in The Bible: Music Inspired By The Epic Mini-Series, a companion to the smash History Channel series.

    The Texas-bred singer-songwriter earned a New Artist of the Year nomination in the 43rd Annual GMA Dove Awards, and spent nearly two years straight on the road with some of Christian music’s biggest names, including Casting Crowns and Newsong, and on major tours including Winter Jam and the KLOVE Acoustic Christmas Tour. Maclean has earned high critical praise throughout, NewReleaseTuesday including her among its Top 10 New Female Christian Singers in 2012, noting that “Dara displays the strongest vocals I’ve heard in years.”

    Maclean is also passionate about raising awareness and bringing an end to human trafficking and is an advocate for the International Justice Mission.

Want to go?

What: Beautiful Offerings tour with Christian music artists Big Daddy Weave and featuring guests Chris August, Group 1 Crew, and Dara Maclean.

When: Nov. 2, 6 p.m.

Where: Evangel Temple Church

Tickets: $20, general admission; $18, groups/students/military. Tickets available at the Bible Bookstore and itickets.com