Chris Marion
Encyclopedia
Chris Marion is an American musician
best known as a member of Little River Band
and for his contribution to the gospel
music industry.
Born in Belton, Texas
, on Elvis Presley
's birthday and growing up in rural Virginia
, Marion started his musical career as a pianist for his traveling family gospel group. He started taking piano lessons at age 4 and continued classical training on piano, trombone, and voice through college.
After graduating with honors from Chilhowie High School in 1980, he passed up a scholarship to a Georgia Technical Institute to pursue a degree in Music at Carson-Newman College
in Jefferson City, Tennessee
although eventually graduating with a degree in Psychology. It was the time at Carson Newman that made end roads and relationships that led Marion to Nashville, Tennessee
to pursue music professionally.
Since moving to Nashville in 1987, Marion has toured with the likes of Steven Curtis Chapman
, Tony Elenburg, Shenandoah
, Beth Moore
and Jeannie Seely
of the Grand Ole Opry
. In 1994, along with Danny Myrick, Marion founded the country rock band Western Flyer
on the Step One Record label which garnered four charting Billboard
singles in the country genre along with critical praise.
As the writer and producer of a variety of children's musical projects, Marion has received 4 Gospel Music Association
Dove Award nominations. He has been involved in projects involving Lifeway Christian Resources
VBS and other religious products for Word Records
, Benson Records
and others. As a producer, Marion was part of team that worked with Garth Brooks
, Doug Stone, the Oak Ridge Boys and Charlie Chase.
At the end of 2004, Marion was invited to join the famed classic rock band, Little River Band
in which he is a keyboardist
and sings, touring internationally.
In 2011, Marion founded TourPRO, a touring personnel resource that facilitates personnel placement with artists and tours.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
best known as a member of Little River Band
Little River Band
Little River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only...
and for his contribution to the gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
music industry.
Born in Belton, Texas
Belton, Texas
Belton is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,623 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bell County.Belton is part of the Killeen – Temple – Fort Hood metropolitan area.-Geography:...
, on Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's birthday and growing up in rural Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Marion started his musical career as a pianist for his traveling family gospel group. He started taking piano lessons at age 4 and continued classical training on piano, trombone, and voice through college.
After graduating with honors from Chilhowie High School in 1980, he passed up a scholarship to a Georgia Technical Institute to pursue a degree in Music at Carson-Newman College
Carson-Newman College
Carson–Newman College is a historically Baptist liberal arts college located in Jefferson City, Tennessee, United States. Enrollment as of 2006-2007 was about 2,050. The college's students come from 44 U.S. states and 30 other countries. Studies are offered in approximately 90 different academic...
in Jefferson City, Tennessee
Jefferson City, Tennessee
Jefferson City is a city in Jefferson County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,760 at the 2000 census. The city was originally named Mossy Creek, but was changed in 1901 to honor Thomas Jefferson...
although eventually graduating with a degree in Psychology. It was the time at Carson Newman that made end roads and relationships that led Marion to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
to pursue music professionally.
Since moving to Nashville in 1987, Marion has toured with the likes of Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.After starting his career in the late 1980s as a singer/songwriter of contemporary Christian music, Chapman has since been recognized as one of the most prolific singers in the genre,...
, Tony Elenburg, Shenandoah
Shenandoah (band)
Shenandoah is an American country music group founded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in 1984 by Marty Raybon , Ralph Ezell , Stan Thorn , Jim Seales , and Mike McGuire...
, Beth Moore
Beth Moore
Wanda Elizabeth "Beth" Moore is an American evangelist, author, and teacher. Moore founded , a biblically-based organization for women, in 1994. It is based in Houston, Texas, and it primarily focuses on aiding women who desire to model their lives on evangelical Christian principles...
and Jeannie Seely
Jeannie Seely
Jeannie Seely is an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry star. She is best-known for her 1966 Grammy award-winning Country hit, "Don't Touch Me", which peaked at No...
of the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
. In 1994, along with Danny Myrick, Marion founded the country rock band Western Flyer
Western Flyer
-Track listing:#"Western Flyer" – 3:53#"She Should've Been Mine" – 3:41#"His Memory" – 3:20#"Cherokee Highway" – 4:45...
on the Step One Record label which garnered four charting Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
singles in the country genre along with critical praise.
As the writer and producer of a variety of children's musical projects, Marion has received 4 Gospel Music Association
Gospel Music Association
The Gospel Music Association was founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of Gospel music. There are currently about 4,000 members worldwide...
Dove Award nominations. He has been involved in projects involving Lifeway Christian Resources
LifeWay Christian Resources
LifeWay Christian Resources, based in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the largest providers of Christian resources in the world. LifeWay has been recognized as one of the "Best Employers in Tennessee" by BusinessTN magazine.-Background:...
VBS and other religious products for Word Records
Word Records
Word Records is a Christian record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a division of Word Entertainment , which, itself is co-owned by Warner Music Group and Curb Records...
, Benson Records
Benson Records
Benson Records was founded by Bob Benson & John T. Benson, beginning as the John T. Benson Music Publishing Company in 1902. The record label started out as Heart Warming Records and would come to house labels such as Impact Records, Greentree Records, RiverSong, StarSong and Home Sweet Home...
and others. As a producer, Marion was part of team that worked with Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
, Doug Stone, the Oak Ridge Boys and Charlie Chase.
At the end of 2004, Marion was invited to join the famed classic rock band, Little River Band
Little River Band
Little River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only...
in which he is a keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
and sings, touring internationally.
In 2011, Marion founded TourPRO, a touring personnel resource that facilitates personnel placement with artists and tours.
Discography
| year | title | artist | contribution |
| 1989 | Compassionate Heart | Tony Elenburg (Milk and Honey) | keys/bass/vocals/production |
| 1990 | Dr. Newheart's Christmas Cure | Kathie Hill Kathie Hill Kathy Hill is an American songwriter best known for her contribution to gospel music in the genre of children's music and works.Born in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Kathie Hill went on to receive a BA in Musical Theatre, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music... (Starsong) |
keys / arrangement |
| 1993 | The Don't Be Afraid Brigade | Kathie Hill Kathie Hill Kathy Hill is an American songwriter best known for her contribution to gospel music in the genre of children's music and works.Born in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Kathie Hill went on to receive a BA in Musical Theatre, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music... (Genevox) |
keys / arrangement |
| 1993 | My Wife, My Life | Charlie Chase (RCA RCA RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor... ) |
keys / vocals /production |
| 1994 | Hans Bronson's Gold Medal Mission | Kathie Hill Kathie Hill Kathy Hill is an American songwriter best known for her contribution to gospel music in the genre of children's music and works.Born in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Kathie Hill went on to receive a BA in Musical Theatre, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music... (Genevox) |
keys / arrangement |
| 1994 | Western Flyer | Western Flyer Western Flyer -Track listing:#"Western Flyer" – 3:53#"She Should've Been Mine" – 3:41#"His Memory" – 3:20#"Cherokee Highway" – 4:45... (SOR) |
keyboards/vocals |
| 1996 | Back in America | Western Flyer Western Flyer -Track listing:#"Western Flyer" – 3:53#"She Should've Been Mine" – 3:41#"His Memory" – 3:20#"Cherokee Highway" – 4:45... (SOR) |
keyboards/vocals/producer |
| 1996 | Nic at Night | Kathie Hill Kathie Hill Kathy Hill is an American songwriter best known for her contribution to gospel music in the genre of children's music and works.Born in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Kathie Hill went on to receive a BA in Musical Theatre, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music... (Genevox) |
keys / arrangement / songwriter |
| 1997 | The Christmas Family Tree | Kathie Hill Kathie Hill Kathy Hill is an American songwriter best known for her contribution to gospel music in the genre of children's music and works.Born in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Kathie Hill went on to receive a BA in Musical Theatre, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music... (Genevox) |
keys / arrangement / songwriter |
| 1997 | Levite Genes | Kathie Hill Kathie Hill Kathy Hill is an American songwriter best known for her contribution to gospel music in the genre of children's music and works.Born in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Kathie Hill went on to receive a BA in Musical Theatre, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music... (Genevox) |
keys / arrangement |
| 1998 | Dr. Newheart's Neck up Check Up | Kathie Hill Kathie Hill Kathy Hill is an American songwriter best known for her contribution to gospel music in the genre of children's music and works.Born in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Kathie Hill went on to receive a BA in Musical Theatre, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music... (Word) |
keys/arrangement (Dove Award nomination) |
| 1998 | Legacy | Chris Marion (NCS) | artist / producer |
| 1999 | The Oasis Project | Marion/Myrick/Wood (Genevox) | keys/producer/creator |
| 2000 | Fish Tales | Kathie Hill Kathie Hill Kathy Hill is an American songwriter best known for her contribution to gospel music in the genre of children's music and works.Born in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Kathie Hill went on to receive a BA in Musical Theatre, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music... (Word Word In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own... ) |
keys / arrangement |
| 2000 | Black and White | Chris Marion (NCS) | artist / producer |
| 2001 | Sketches | Chris Marion (NCS) | artist / producer |
| 2001 | Esther-Ordinary Faith | Kathie Hill Kathie Hill Kathy Hill is an American songwriter best known for her contribution to gospel music in the genre of children's music and works.Born in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Kathie Hill went on to receive a BA in Musical Theatre, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music... (Word Word In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own... ) |
keys / arrangement |
| 2001 | Operation Christmas Child | Kathie Hill Kathie Hill Kathy Hill is an American songwriter best known for her contribution to gospel music in the genre of children's music and works.Born in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Kathie Hill went on to receive a BA in Musical Theatre, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music... (Word Word In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own... ) |
keys/arrangement (Dove Award nomination) |
| 2002 | Woven in Time | Steve Green (Word Word In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own... ) |
vocals/choir (Dove Award nomination) |
| 2002 | Good News from a Grave | Kathie Hill Kathie Hill Kathy Hill is an American songwriter best known for her contribution to gospel music in the genre of children's music and works.Born in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Kathie Hill went on to receive a BA in Musical Theatre, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music... (Word Word In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own... ) |
keys / arrangement |
| 2003 | Pieces | Chris Marion (NCS) | artist / producer |
| 2003 | Holy Moses | Kathie Hill Kathie Hill Kathy Hill is an American songwriter best known for her contribution to gospel music in the genre of children's music and works.Born in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Kathie Hill went on to receive a BA in Musical Theatre, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music... (Word Word In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own... ) |
keys / arrangement (Dove Award nomination) |
| 2004 | Unashamed Love | Travis Cottrell (Integrity) | keys |
| 2003 | Christmas SOCCER Team | Kathie Hill Kathie Hill Kathy Hill is an American songwriter best known for her contribution to gospel music in the genre of children's music and works.Born in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Kathie Hill went on to receive a BA in Musical Theatre, University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music... (Word Word In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own... ) |
keys / arrangement (Dove Award nomination) |
| 2005 | 321 Broadway | Fanny Grace (Sony Sony , commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues.... /BMG BMG Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann... ) |
keyboards |
| 2006 | Rearranged | Little River Band Little River Band Little River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only... (Compass) |
keys/vocals |
| 2007 | Greatest Hits Live | Little River Band Little River Band Little River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only... (Sony Sony , commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues.... /BMG BMG Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann... ) |
keys/vocals |
| 2007 | We Call It Christmas | Little River Band Little River Band Little River Band is an Australian rock band, formed in Melbourne in early 1975.The group chose the name after passing a road sign leading to the Victorian township of Little River, near Geelong, on the way to a performance. Little River Band enjoyed sustained commercial success in not only... (Little River Band Productions) |
keys/vocals |