CHRIS STEPHENS: Someday You'll Know

Chris Stephens

Someday You'll Know

© 2002 Chris Stephens

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

His love for children can not be denied in this mixture of Contemporary Christian rock, pop, and gritty folk.

tracks

1 I Will Follow You
2 Break Me Down
3 Someday You'll Know
4 Somebody's Watching You
5 Talk to Me, Talk to You
6 The Simon Peter in Me
7 Tightrope
8 Hold Us, Jesus
9 Paradise
10 Tiny Star
11 Thank You

notes

This page is designed to help you learn more about the artist, so let's see if I can paint you a picture of the man that I am proud to call my husband.

Well, I guess when painting a picture, the best place to start is the background. Chris Stephens grew up in a small Ohio town near Lake Erie. The oldest of three children, Chris has always had a very close relationship with his family, and he had a wonderful childhood. I always feel like I am there with him when he recalls happy memories of playing baseball with his family, fishing with his dad, worm hunting with his mom, spending time on his grandpa's farm, and picking on his brother and sister. His mother would tell you, "he was just a real good boy who liked to play in the crick a lot."

That boy grew into a man, and the man Chris is today is proof that his parents, Russ and Susie, did a phenomenal job raising him. His parents' love and support gave him the confidence he needed to make the move to Nashville to begin pursuing his desire to be a songwriter. Russ and Susie also gave him the two things that became the foundation of this CD project and all that is to come - a passion for music and a love of Christ.

Chris can not remember a time when music wasn't a part of his life. Instead of watching TV, Chris's parents enjoyed listening to the radio, so he was introduced to music at an early age. Russ and Susie gave Chris his first guitar when he was a very small child, and by the time he was four years old, Chris could sing every word to "The Star Spangled Banner" and "Hey Jude." Chris's parents fondly remember him singing while riding his rocking horse. Throughout elementary and junior high school, Chris had several solos and duets in school programs, and it was when he was ten years old that he received his first album. Chris was a member of the choir for all four years of high school and recalls being the "pitch pipe" when they went caroling. During his college years at Ashland College, where he earned his teaching degree, he participated in the choir for a year and minored in music theory. After college, Chris taught for four years and coached little league baseball, but he longed to be creating songs, and so he made the move to Nashville.

Christ has been an important part of Chris's life as long as music has. From the time he was a baby, Chris and his family regularly attended church. Recently, Russ told me that, "Susie was the one that saw to it that we were in church every Sunday." Every Sunday was not an understatement. Chris had perfect attendance in Sunday School for several years. He was involved in the youth groups, and as an adult, Chris played on the church dartball team. As a tiny baby the seed was planted, and as Chris grew in the church, he grew in faith. The more he came to know Christ, the more he loved Christ. It is as simple as that. I don't have a dramatic story to tell of how Chris was "born again." Or how he had a hard life until the day he accepted Jesus as his Savior. No, I'm happy to say that Chris is one of the few who was born with Christ in his heart, and has always kept Christ in his heart.

With Christ and music in his heart (though never imagining the two would coincide), Chris moved to Nashville in the summer of 1993 to pursue the competitive career of writing. He became employed, first at WalMart, then at Federal Express, in order to support himself, but when he wasn't at work, he was strumming out a tune, jotting down words, coming up with a new work of art. The style didn't matter. Chris wrote country, rock, some blues, and a couple lullabies. He just had these three-minute melodic masterpieces in him that had to come out. Chris performed at several clubs including the Bluebird Café and the Broken Spoke. Chris was totally devoted to his music and his dream.

Lucky for me, in December of 1998, Chris decided to become devoted to something, or should I say someone, else - me. A new husband, Chris worked hard to support both of us while I finished getting my teaching degree. Somehow Chris was able to balance all three roles - husband, writer, and employee. Looking back, the thing that amazes me most is how dedicated Chris was to everything. He gave 100% to me, he gave 100% to his music, and he gave 100% to FedEx. But wait. It gets better.

Newly married and new members in our church, Chris and I figured the best way to grow more spiritually and meet new people was to get more involved in our church. So, we began attending Sunday School, we were on a couple committees, and on several occasions Chris sang a song or two during our service. For one such occasion, I suggested that Chris write a new song, a Christian song. I believe Chris's response was, "I don't know how." It didn't take him long to figure it out. I gave him a few ideas. He took a couple of them and within a couple hours Chris composed his first contemporary Christian song.

After that song, Chris felt so fulfilled. He said it meant so much to him to write something that actually had a message, God's Word. He never had a desire to write anything else since that day. He just felt so blessed to think that the two things that were so much a part of who he was growing up and were so dear to his heart had merged to become the one thing he is about.

This is a very brief background. I wish I could write more about the stories Russ and Susie has shared with me over the years. I wish I could share my own stories, but I could go on forever, and it's time to paint the portrait - the actual picture of Chris Stephens.

Since that day when his first Christian song was born, he began writing, reading the Bible, and writing some more. His desire had changed. Though it was still to write songs, it was also to touch somebody's heart by sharing God's Word and doing God's work. When he compiled enough songs to put together a CD project, he decided to take the opportunity. And so, five months after our baby girl, Alison, came into our lives, Chris's first contemporary Christian CD project was born.

When my aunt and uncle came to visit shortly after Alison's arrival, they told us about Mission Jamaica. Their church helps support Garland Hall, an orphanage in Jamaica both monetarily and by going on mission trips and helping with maintenance and with the thirty to thirty-five children. Chris being a new father wanted to help these children, but how? I think he felt like how much could one person do? But to these children, just one dollar is such a blessing. Chris decided to join my aunt and uncle's church on their mission and donate a percentage of his proceeds from the CD. I know he is so proud and honored to be helping out and doing God's work.

Who is Chris Stephens? Chris Stephens is a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a friend, a neighbor. Chris is someone who will go to work and do whatever he can to help out his managers and coworkers. Chris is someone who will smile and say, "hello" to a stranger. Chris is someone who would willingly walk with you through your sorrow so you don't have to go through it alone. Chris is someone who appreciates the simple things in life. Chris is someone who appreciates you for who you are. Chris is a talented writer, a wonderful person, and a faithful Christian.

And just as a photo is never as good as seeing the real person, this picture I've attempted to paint doesn't do justice to the man I am proud to call my husband.

reviews

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  • An Album from Someone Who Has Lived It
    author: Doug Paule

    Chris Stephen's album is incredible. Too many artists today write and record songs about feelings and events that they have never really experienced. One listen to the songs on this album and you can tell Chris has lived them. Songs like Someday You'll Know, Hold Us Jesus, and Thank You are clearly written and performed with a deep, spiritually based emotion. This album shows Chris and his family are wonderfully blessed.

  • author: Tom

    Chris did a outstanding job on the writing and arrangment of this cd. I had the honor to see him when he was home for a fundraiser and helped him out by running the sound for him. He did it unplugged...Awesome!

  • "From the heart" works well for Chris Stephens' first CD.
    author: Phil Gardner

    Chris Stephens' first essay into Christian music strikes a deep, personal chord. The words are clearly from his heart; they don't sound pre-packaged and well-marketed like so much of the genre. There's no "Since I got Jesus, I've got the world by the Fruit-of-the-Looms." Chris's stuff is too real, to cruciform for that. As for sound, folks who were listening to music back in the 1970's just may hear a little Jim Croce in Chris's tone. There's just a little edge to it that makes the listener sit up and take notice. I'm looking forward to his next one!

  • Chris is one of those new stars that we all wait for.
    author: John R Peterson Jr.

    I have have listened to Chris Stephens CD and all the songs are great. I really get touched when I listen to The Simon Peter in Me song. Chris has a talent that is truly from God and he is Blessed beyond measure. John R. Peterson Jr. Aberdeen Wa.

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