Worship Leader Chris Sligh

by Don Chapman

2006 and 2007 were two whirlwind years for me. I left the church I had served for many years to concentrate on my worship websites. To stay connected I began attending Seacoast Greenville, a video church plant from Seacoast Charleston, and played in their praise band.

I became buddies with worship leader Chris Sligh, encouraged him to audition for American Idol, drove him to the Birmingham auditions several times (read about his first audition at my blog,) watched him make the top 40, then the top 20, then the top 12, then watched him get voted off at #10.

I had a blast being in the audience of American Idol and watching the behind-the-scenes action. Read more about it at my blog:

What's It Like To Be On American Idol

What's It Like To Be On American Idol Part 2

What's It Like To Be On American Idol Part 3

American Idol Timeline at HymnCharts

The Final Idol Adventure

Making it to #10 gave Chris the opportunity to travel all summer on the American Idol tour.

After the tour, Chris moved to Nashville, got a record deal (he had eleven labels after him at one point,) and began work on his major label debut helmed by Grammy award winning mega producer Brown Bannister.

Chris has continued to include me in his adventures, and I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Brown by arranging strings for the recording:

Recording Strings for Chris Sligh's CD

Chris's CD, "Running Back to You" released May 6, 2008. His first single, "Empty Me," is a top ten hit on Billboard's Christian chart. Visit Chris's website.

Chris had dreamed of making a living in music for years and had a few close calls with success, but American Idol gave him the exposure he needed. It's great to see someone with real talent make it once in awhile - not only does he have a great voice, he writes some of the catchiest songs I've ever heard. I can hardly wait to see what happens to him next!