Song:I Can Only Imagine
Album:Playlist: The Very Best of MercyMe
The popular CCM band MercyMe crossed over to pop with the 2001 single I Can Only Imagine. The band is still very successful and the song was even turned into a movie. MercyMe are from Edmond, OK. Lead singer and songwriter Bart Millard met pianist James Bryson at a ministry in Lakeland, FL. They met guitarist Michael John Scheuchzer and they all moved to Oklahoma. They formed in 1994 and moved to Nashville in 1997 to try to get a record deal. When that didn't work out, they moved to Dallas and recorded several albums independently. Bassist Nathan Cochran and drummer Robby Shaffer joined. They signed with INO Records in 2001. They still record for them. INO was sold to Sony in 2011 and are now called Fair Trade Services. Almost There was MercyMe's first major label album in 2001 and I Can Only Imagine was the second single. It topped the Christian charts. Apparently it's the most played song in the history of Christian radio. In 2003, Dallas radio station 100.3 Wild FM played it as a joke for a staffer. But the song was heavily requested. Curb Records released it to pop radio. It reached #71 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Millard wrote the song about his late father. MercyMe won two Dove awards. I Can Only Imagine was turned into a film in 2018 starring Broadway actor J. Michael Finley as Millard. The film can be streamed on Amazon and Hulu. MercyMe are still very successful. A second guitarist Barry Graul joined in 2003. James Bryson left MercyMe to spend more time with his family. He has not been replaced. MercyMe still records for Fair Trade. Their latest CD Lifer was released in 2017. They are currently on tour. Here's the video for I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe.
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