The Christians are a soul band from Liverpool, England, who scored several UK and international chart hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s. For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... In music, a band is a group of musicians, or musical ensemble, usually popular or folk, playing parts of a musical arrangement. ... Location within England Coordinates: , Sovereign state United Kingdom Constituent country England Region North West England Ceremonial county Historic county Merseyside Lancashire Admin HQ Liverpool City Centre Founded 1207 City Status 1880 Government  - Type Metropolitan borough, City  - Governing body Liverpool City Council Area  - Borough & City 43. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II... // A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... In popular music, a chart-topper is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a ranked list—a chart—of top selling or otherwise judged most popular releases. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ...

Band members

Originally, The Christians consisted of:

• Garry Christian (born 27 February 1955, in Liverpool) (lead vocals)
• Roger Christian (born 13 February 1950) (vocals, instrumentalist)
• Russell Christian (born 8 July 1956) (keyboards, saxophone, vocals)
• Henry Priestman (born Henry Christian Priestman, 21 July 1955, in Liverpool) (keyboards, guitars, vocals).

The name refers to the surname of the three brothers in the band, and is also coincidentally guitarist Henry Priestman's middle name. is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... A singer is a musician who uses their voice to produce music. ... is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A musician is a person who plays or composes music. ... is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... The saxophone (colloquially referred to as sax) is a conical-bored instrument of the woodwind family. ... is the 202nd day of the year (203rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... A family name, or surname, is that part of a persons name that indicates to what family he or she belongs. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Their friends and original band members from 1985 to 1995 included:

• Tony Jones (Bass Guitar, Double Bass)
• Paul Barlow (Drums, Percussion)
• Mike Bulger (Guitar, Vocals)

Chart history

Their first three singles all made the Top 40 in Britain, and their eponymously-titled 1987 debut album entered the UK Albums Chart at number 2, and eventually sold over a million copies. The highest placed single from this album was "Ideal World", which reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart. A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ... An eponym is a person (real or fictitious) whose name has become identified with a particular object or activity. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... The UK Albums Chart is a chart of the sales positions of albums in the United Kingdom. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ...

In 1988 they released a cover of the Isley Brothers' "Harvest For The World", with all proceeds going to charity. The video for the track was an animation, created by four leading animation companies, including Aardman Animations of Wallace and Gromit fame. The video won several awards, and the single reached number 8 in the chart. Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... The Isley Brothers are an American pop, R&B, funk and soul group who began their musical career in Cincinnati in the early 1950s. ... A charitable organization (also known as a charity) is a trust, company or unincorporated association established for charitable purposes only. ... A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... The bouncing ball animation (below) consists of these 6 frames. ... Aardman Animations, Ltd. ... Wallace and Gromit Wallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series of three British animated short films, a series of ten short-animated sequences, and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations. ...

1989 saw another charity single success, this time as performers on a version of "Ferry 'Cross The Mersey", released in aid of those affected by the Hillsborough disaster, which stayed at number one for several weeks (#5 in Germany). Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... The film and soundtrack album of 1965 is one of the more uncommon artefacts of Merseybeat, shown very rarely on TV and never issued on video The title song is more famous nowadays and has charted twice. ... The Memorial at Hillsborough. ... In popular music, a chart-topper is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a ranked list—a chart—of top selling or otherwise judged most popular releases. ...

Their second album, Colour released in 1990, reached number one in the UK Albums Chart and yielded the international hit "Words" which was #18 in the UK and Sweden, #5 in the Netherlands (for two weeks), and #1 in France (also for two weeks). In this country, the second single from the album, "I Found Out", reached #22 (#56 in the UK). In 1992, the following LP, Happy in Hell charted at number 18, its single "What's In A Word" entered the UK Top 40, and was a Top 20 hit in France (with there an impressive total chart run of 19 weeks); it also entered the German Top 75 reaching #60. Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... LP or lp may stand for: Look up LP in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The early 1990s saw the band continuing to tour, but declining in popularity. A "Greatest Hits" album, The Best of the Christians was released in 1993, and peaked at number 22. For the band, see 1990s (band). ...

Break up and reformation

Garry Christian moved to Paris in 1995 to record a solo album, effectively breaking up the band, although no formal announcement was made, and the door was open to future reformation. Four years later they began to perform together again in an "unplugged" acoustic format. In 1999 they carried out a thirty six date tour of the UK, with a similar tour undertaken in 2000. City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) The Eiffel Tower in Paris, as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer (solo is an Italian word literally meaning alone). ... It has been suggested that Unplugged be merged into this article or section. ...

By 2001 The Christians began to write songs for a 'comeback' album, Prodigal Sons, which was released in 2003. This was also supported by a UK tour in October 2003, and further promotion in France, Spain and UK throughout 2004. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 2005 Russell Christian decided he no longer wished to tour, and a decision was made to return to a full band format, rather than the four-man “unplugged” line-up that had been touring since 1999.

This new 'band' comprising Garry Christian (vocals), Jay Ankrah(acoustic guitar/backing vocals), Stewart Boyle (electric guitar), Bobby Kewley (bass guitar), and Jay Iving(drums) was unveiled on the 2007 tour. Acoustic guitar can refer to the following musical instruments: Nylon and gut stringed guitars: Renaissance guitar Baroque guitar Romantic guitar Classical guitar, the modern version of the original guitar, with nylon strings Flamenco guitar Steel stringed guitars: Steel-string acoustic guitar, also known as western, folk or country guitar Twelve... A backing vocalist or backing singer (or, especially in the U.S., backup singer or sometimes background singer) is a singer who sings in harmony with the lead vocalist, other backing vocalists, or alone but not singing the lead. ... Left: Rosa Hurricane, a heavy metal-style solid body guitar. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a bass string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, or using a pick. ... A drum kit (or drum set or trap set) is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer. ...

Albums

• The Christians (1987) - #2 UK
• Colour (1990) - #1 UK
• Happy In Hell (1992) - #18 UK
• Best of the Christians (1993) - #22 UK
• Prodigal Sons (2003)

The Christians was The Christians 1987 debut album and contained their first five UK hit singles. ...

References and external links

• The Christians on AMG
• The Christians Official Website
• Garry Christian Official Website
• Garry Christian's myspace site