Longtime singer-songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman recently became the first contemporary Christian musician to have 50 No. 1 songs in his genre.
Chapman, 60, achieved the milestone after his single "Don't Lose Heart" became a No. 1 radio hit.
"I'm completely blown away by the support for this song and for my music, even after so many years," Chapman said in a statement shared on Instagram. "To ever have a number one song at radio as an artist/songwriter is a dream come true, and to have fifty is simply unbelievable! This only happens because of an amazing team and a community of friends around me who have believed in the unbelievable. I'm grateful and humbled beyond words."
According to Religion News Service, his first No.1 single, "His Eyes," appeared on his 1988 Real Life Conversations album. Other hit songs by Chapman include "Cinderella," "I Will Be Here," "For the Sake of the Call," "Hiding Place," "The Great Adventure," and "It's Christmas Time Again," among others.
Chapman joins a short list of notable musicians with 50 No. 1 songs in their genres. This list includes pop star Madonna and country singers George Strait and Conway Twitty.
"Don't Lose Heart" appeared on Chapman's 2022 album Still, which centered on his family's experience with loss and grief following the accidental death of his 5-year-old daughter, Maria Sue. Maria Sue was killed in a vehicle accident in their family's driveway in 2008.
"Living between heaven and the real world — that's kind of where I feel like I am right now, longing for heaven more than ever now because I believe that's where my daughter is," he told Religion News Service in a 2017 interview. "And yet (I am) still living in a very real world with unfixable things and brokenness."
At the time, he released his book, "Between Heaven and the Real World: My Story."
A new version of "Don't Lose Heart" was released in February featuring country singer Mitchell Tenpenny.
"We are so honored and excited to be a part of Steven's 50th No. 1 song with 'Don't Lose Heart,'" Holly Zabka, president of Provident Entertainment/Sony Music, said in her company's announcement about the artist. "This unprecedented and monumental achievement for Steven is a testament to the incredible artist and songwriter he is and can only be outshined by the countless lives that have been changed by his music."
Chapman also has 16 albums that have made the Billboard 200 chart. He has also won 59 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards — more than any other artist — and five Grammy Awards.
Chapman will begin his spring tour on March 2.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Jason Kempin/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
