Breakthrough – Chris McClarney


A songwriter and performer of bluesy contemporary Christian rock, Chris McClarney had an itinerant childhood due to the work of his youth pastor father until they settled down in Nashville around his early teens. After taking piano lessons, leading small worship groups, and engaging in songwriting in the context of outreach, he briefly pursued a record deal in his late teens before putting music aside to live and work in a Nashville mission. In his early twenties, he became worship leader at a local church, and a few years later found an investor to help make his self-released debut. Love Never Fails was recorded in two days at the Sound Kitchen in Franklin, Tennessee and released in 2008. McClarney got a record deal with Kingsway Music for his 2010 EP Introducing Chris McClarney, which featured the worship anthem “Your Love Never Fails,” co-written with Anthony Skinner. The song was quickly adopted by the Jesus Culture, a youth ministry based in California, and used as its theme song, delivering McClarney to a national churchgoing audience. The EP was followed later that year by the full-length Defender, which also included the song. Featuring new songs recorded live at the 2015 Jesus Culture Conference Sacramento, Everything & Nothing Less arrived that June via Jesus Culture Music and Capitol Christian Music Group. ~ Marcy Donelson

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