Steven Curtis Chapman was born to Judy and Herb Chapman in
Paducah, Kentucky, on November 21, 1962. Steven's father is a guitar teacher and owns a music store in Paducah; Steven and his older brother Herb Jr. grew up playing the guitar and singing. After graduating from high school, Chapman enrolled as a
pre-med student at
Georgetown College in
Kentucky. After several semesters he transferred to
Anderson College in
Anderson west of
Muncie, Indiana for a short time but dropped out. He went to
Nashville to pursue a career in music. While in Nashville he briefly attended
Belmont University. He began working at an
Opryland USA music show in
East Nashville while being involved in songwriting. In the 1980s, Chapman wrote a song called "Built to Last", which was recorded by prominent
gospel group
the Imperials. The success of the song landed him a songwriting deal with
Sparrow Records; he rose to prominence there. By 2007, artists like
Sandi Patty,
Billy Dean,
Glen Campbell, the
Cathedral Quartet and
Roger Whittaker had recorded Chapman's songs. In 2001 with the release of
Declaration, Chapman got more attention in the
Billboard 200. That album along with 2003's
All About Love, peaked in the Top 15. The follow-up,
All Things New, peaked at No. 22. In 2006, Chapman toured several Asian countries. His website said that his concert for U.S. troops serving in
South Korea was the first Christian concert ever performed for the troops in that country, and a concert in
Shanghai, China, was "the first public performance by a
Gospel recording artist event in the city open to China passport holders", and the third-largest concert in Shanghai that spring. He went to Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Singapore on the tour. During the time, his song "The Blessing" reached No. 1 on
Thailand radio charts. In 2007, Chapman co-headlined
NewSong's annual Winter Jam tour with
Jeremy Camp. For the tour, he brought his sons' band,
Colony House, on tour to play as his backing band, along with longtime keyboardist Scott Sheriff. Chapman also released
This Moment, which included the hit singles "
Cinderella" and "Yours", in October 2007. "Cinderella" was chosen for
WOW Hits 2009. On April 20, 2008, Chapman was awarded a star on Nashville's Walk of Fame for his contributions in Christian music. On November 3, 2009, Chapman released his seventeenth album
Beauty Will Rise. Many of the songs from this album are inspired by the death of his daughter, Maria Sue. He claims that the songs on the album are his "personal psalms". Chapman, his wife, and two sons have a tattoo of the flower that Maria drew before her untimely death.
Move to Sony Music Chapman became a free agent following a series of deals in 2011 by
Citigroup that broke up EMI (and Sparrow Music), with the recorded music division sold to
Universal Music Group (UMG) and music publishing operations to
Sony/ATV Music Publishing. In August 2012, Chapman announced his recorded music move to
Sony Music, which had previously acquired his published music in the 2011 breakup. He released his fourth Christmas album,
JOY, on October 16, 2012, his first with Sony, being assigned to their
Provident Music Group's
Reunion Records imprint.
Deep Roots was released exclusively through Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. on March 11, 2013. In September 2013, Sony released Chapman's eighteenth album (the second with Reunion Records),
The Glorious Unfolding, which is also his first studio album in seven years that features completely original material. The album received critical acclaim, with many critics ranking it among his other chart-topping albums. The album peaked at No. 27 on the US
Billboard 200. From September 2014 until September 2017, Chapman hosted the Sam's Place: Music for the Spirit concert series at the
Ryman Auditorium in
Nashville and featured performances including
MercyMe,
Amy Grant,
Michael W. Smith, and
Third Day. In 2015, Chapman released "Warrior" as the official song for the soundtrack to
War Room. "Amen", was sent to Christian AC radio on October 6, 2015. In 2019, Chapman released the sequel to his
Billboard Bluegrass number one Album
Deep Roots entitled
Deeper Roots: Where the Bluegrass Grows, which also peaked at number one on the
Billboard Bluegrass chart.
Grand Ole Opry Membership On July 27, 2024, Chapman was invited to become a member of the
Grand Ole Opry by
Ricky Skaggs. He was inducted November 1, 2024 by
Lady A and is, to date, the only contemporary Christian musician to hold Opry membership. His father and brother joined him on stage to sing a song together and fulfilled his father's lifelong dream of singing at the Grand Ole Opry. ==Personal life==