Top Contemporary Christian Artists 39 WOW - 2000: THE YEAR'S TOP 30 CHRISTIAN ARTISTS AND SONGS- Various Artists -Sparrow /Chordant Pos. ARTIST (No.Of Charted Albums) Imprint/Label 40 FOURTH FROM THE LAST-The Ws- 5 Minute Walk/SaraBellum /Chordant 1 KIRK FRANKLIN (i) Gospo Centric/Interscope/ Word 2 STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN (2) Sparrow/ Chordant Top Contemporary Christian Imprints 3 DC TALK (i) Virgin / Forefront/Chordant 4 POINT OF GRACE (2) Word 5 SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER (1) Squint/ Pos. IMPRINT No Of Charted Albums) Word 6 AVALON (2) Sparrow /Chordant 1 SPARROW (27) 7 MICHAEL W. SMITH (2) Reunion /Provident 2 DREAMWORKS (2) THE YEAR IN CHARTS 8 NEWSBOYS (.1) Star Song /Chordant 3 MYRRH (io) Top Contemporary Christian Continued from page YE -95 9 TRIN -I -TEE 5:7 (i)B- Rite/Word 4 WORD (6) Distributors 10 JAC1 VELASQUEZ (t) Myrrh/Sony Discos/Word 5 FOREFRONT (9) Players Club," also ranked No. 19 for that (1) Myrrh/Word T6 GOSPO CENTRIC (2) Pos. DISTRIBUTOR (No. OfCharted Albums) year. T6 1NTERSCOPE (2) The top albums artist is DMX, followed by 8 SQUINT (3) 1 EMD (63) Juvenile. Lauryn Hill is the top solo female, Top Contemporary 9 REUNION Christian Albums (6) 2 INDEPENDENTS (43) and TLC is the top female group. The top 10 INTEGRITY (8) 3 UNIVERSAL(7) imprint for the second year in a row is Pos. TITLE Artist- Imprint/Label No 4 BMG (25) Limit, and the top label is IDJMG. The top 5 WEA (9) distributing corporation is Universal. 1 THE NU NATION PROJECT -Kirk Franklin - Combining singles and albums, Gospo Centric/Interscope/Word the top R &B /Hip -Hop artist is R. Kelly. Following 2 THE PRINCE OF EGYPT- Soundtrack- 4sv him as solo male artist is Jay -Z. The DreamWorks /Provident SPARROW top solo female is Lauryn Hill, followed by Faith Evans. 3 TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL: THE ALBUM- Dru Hill is the top group. The No. 1 imprint Soundtrack -550 Music /Myrrh/Word EMD is Arista, and the leading label, like last year, 4 WOW - 1999: THE YEAR'S 30 TOP is Arista. CHRISTIAN ARTISTS AND SONGS-Various Top Contemporary Christian Labels EMI MUSIC DISTRIBUTION Artists-Sparrow/Chordant COUNTRY 5 SUPERNATURAL -dc Talk -Virgin/Forefront/ Pos. LABEL (No. Of Charted Albums) Let's look back at Lonestar's Chordant record in the year -end recaps of the past few years. In 1996, 6 SPEECHLESS-Steven Curtis Chapman -Sparrow/ 1 CHORDANT (71) the group placed a respectable 10th on the Chordant 2 WORD (37) Hot Country Singles & Tracks tally with "No 7 SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER-Sixpence None 3 PROVIDENT (29) News." A year later, it just missed the top 10, The Richer-Squint/Word 4 MADACY (4) C HO' R FDA NT OISTRIBUTION GROUP. coming in 11th with "Come Cryin' To Me." 8 THE PRINCE OF EGYPT - ISPIRATIONAL- 5 DAYWIND (i) And in 1998, Lonestar was just two spots Soundtrack -Dream Works /Provident out of the top 40, ranking 42nd with "Everything's 9 WOW WORSHIP: TODAY'S MOST 30 Changed." Well, everything has changed for POWERFUL WORSHIP SONGS -Various the group, as they claim the No. 1 Artists-Mara nath a! /Integrity/Word song of 1999 with "Amazed." It was just a few months 10 STEADY ON -Point Of Grace -Word ago that "Amazed" completed an amazing run 11 BREATH OF HEAVEN - A CHRISTMAS at No. 1 on the COLLECTION Country Singles & Tracks -Vince Gill With Patrick Williams And chart, staying on top for eight weeks, His Orchestra -MCA Nashville /Sparrow/Chordant the longest run at No. 1 for a country single since 12 THE PRINCE OF EGYPT - NASHVILLE - David Houston had a nine -week run with Soundtrack-DreamWorks (Nashville)/Provident "Almost Persuaded" in the summer of 1966. 13 SONGS 4 LIFE - FEEL THE POWER!- Various Lonestar's triumph means this is Artists -Time Life /Madacy the first year in the last three that Tim McGraw does 14 IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT-Avalon-Sparrow/ not have the No. 1 song of the year. Chordant But he is in the top five for the fifth year running. Four 15 STEP UP TO THE MICROPHONE-Newsboys- years ago, he was No. 3 with "I Like Star Song/Chordant It, I Love It." Three years ago, "She Never Lets It Go 16 TRIN -I -TEE 5:7- Trin- i- tee5s7 -B- Rite/Word To Her Heart" was No. 5. Two years back, his 17 SHOUT TO THE LORD 2000 -Various Artists - duet with wife Faith Hill Hosanna! /Integrip/Word on "It's Your Love" was the top single of the year. And last year 18 WOW - THE 90S: 30 TOP CHRISTIAN McGraw was No. 1 again, with "Just To See SONGS OF THE DECADE -Various Artists-Word You Smile." For 1999, he ranks No. 5 with 19 YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE - INSPIRA- "Please Remember Me" (Curb). TIONAL SONGS-LeAnn Rimes-Curb/Chordant George Strait finished seventh last year with "I Just Want 20 JACI VELASQUEZ foci Veldsquez-Myrrh/Word To Dance With You," but twice since 1996 he 21 CHRISTMASTIME- Michael W. Smith -Reunion/ has had the -up Provident runner song of the year. In 1996, it was "Blue Clear Sky," 1997 22 40 ACRES- and in it Caedmon's Call- Essential /Silvertone/ was "One Night At A Time." Provident He's back in sec- ond place this year, with "Write This 23 A MAZE OF GRACE-Avalon-Sparrow/Chordant Down." Jo Dee Messina repeats her feat from last N CHASE THE SUN -The Supertones-BEC /Chordant year of placing two titles in the year-end 25 SONICFLOOD -Sonicflood-Gotee /Chordant top 10. In 1998, she was No. 2 with "Bye Bye" and 26 LIVE THE LIFE- Michael W. Smith -Reunion/ No. 4 with "I'm Alright." Provident This year, she is No. Kirk Franklin 3 with "Lesson In Leavin "' and No. 7 with 27 ANYBODY OUT THERE ? -Burlap To Cashmere - "Stand Beside Me." The only Squint/A&M/Wo rd other artists to pull a double in the top 10 since 1995 are 28 1 WANT TO BE LIKE YOU -FFH- Essential/ men: Trace Adkins, George Strait and John Provident Michael Montgomery. 29 LET IT HAPPEN -MxPx -Tooth &Nail/Chordant Last year, Tim McGraw was second on the 30 TIME- Third Day- Essential /Silvertone /Provident list of Hot Country Singles & Tracks Artists. 31 PRAY-Rebecca St. fames-Forefront/Chordant That was his highest year -end ranking, 32 KANSAS-Jennifer Knapp-Gotee/Word until now. For the first time, he is the No. 1 artist of 33 LIVE FROM THE POTTER'S HOUSE -T.D. the year. In second place are the Dixie Chicks, Jakes With The Potter's House Mass Choir- Integrity/Word moving up from sixth last year, when they 34 A CHRISTMAS STORY -Point Of Grace -Word were a new act. The top solo female artists are 35 A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER Amy Grant- Jo Dee Messina, Martina McBride Myrrh/Word and Shania Twain. The top males after McGraw 36 STREAMS -Various Artists -Word are George Strait, Kenny Chesney and Alan 37 PASSION FOR PRAISE VOLUME ONE- Jackson. The Carman- top groups after the Dixie Sparrow/Chordant Chicks are Lonestar and Alabama. 38 KENNEDY CENTER HOMECOMING: A Diane Warren completes her triple CELEBRATION OF OUR FAITH & crown by being the No. 1 country songwriter. HERITAGE -Bill & Gloria Gaither And Their She has previously topped the pop and R&B - Homecoming Friends -Spring House /Chordant year Continued on page YE -104 BILLBOARD DECEMBER 25, 1999 YE-101 .