NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 14, 2022) -- GRAMMY® Award-winning country singer/songwriter, John Berry, has recorded a new album, Find My Joy, featuring heartfelt renditions of Gospel classics that have inspired him offstage and grounded his lauded musical journey.
Best recognized for his hit song “Your Love Amazes Me” and his incredible rendition of the Christmas classic “Oh Holy Night,” Berry seamlessly delivers timeless standards “How Great Thou Art,” “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” “I Surrender All” and several new songs, sharing the hope he has found personally with listeners everywhere. Berry’s rendition of the classic “I Surrender All” is available now wherever music is streamed. A second track, “How Great Thou Art,” will be available on March 4. The pre-sale link is available here.
Arranged and produced by multi-award-winning producer Steve Dorff, the project was recorded at Dorffmeister Studio, Sound Stage and Masterfonics. It was engineered by Craig White with assistance from David Bates and Joel McKenney; and it features keyboards by Jimmy Nichols, guitars by B. James Lowry and Justin Ostrander and background vocals by Tania Hancheroff, Kim Keyes, Joe Chemay and Robert Bailey. The album was programmed by Gene Miller with additional keyboards played by Dorff. Caelan Berry played drums on “Live Like You” and “How Great Thou Art.”
“I loved the idea of putting my musical spin on some of these incredible pieces of musical art,” added Steve Dorff. “John was so very collaborative in letting me be inventive in my approach to the overall sound and the production of the project.”
Dorff had not grown up listening to the traditional (Christian) versions of some of these songs and had not heard a few of them before, but he was drawn to the beautiful melodies. This allowed him to bring a unique sound and fresh ear to the production of these standards, adding his creative elements to the production, including an impressive string orchestra and choir.
The performance of “Something Bigger Than Me” included the 60-piece Utah Symphony Orchestra, arranged by Larry Herbstritt and conducted by Dorff, with piano from award-winning studio musician and recording artist Gordon Mote.
The title track was written in September 2020 by Dorff and Jack Cassidy. When Dorff played the song for Berry and his wife, Robin, while planning the new recording, Berry immediately connected with the message. He had been through a hard season physically, emotionally and mentally–battling throat cancer and carrying the burdens felt worldwide as he navigated the touring impacts of the pandemic. Diving into the new album and hearing and recording this song was part of his journey to find joy again.
“I love the opportunity I have had to create new music, and it is awesome to look back here at the beginning of a new year and see that for 10, 20, 25 years I have had new music to share. Amazing!” exclaimed Berry.
Showcasing Berry’s unmistakable voice that has garnered Platinum records and 20 hit singles, Find My Joy, available on Gaither Music Group’s Gaither Gospel Series, is distributed by Capitol Christian Music Group and Universal Music. The recording will be available to download and stream on all digital music platforms and at Christian retailers on March 25, 2022. Pre-orders can be placed now on Gaither.com and Amazon.com.
“Gaither Music Group is honored to partner with John and his team for this special recording,” stated Paul Sizelove, president of Gaither Music Group. “John has impacted countless people with his songwriting, performances and radio hits. He has developed a brand of faith and family that brings uplifting entertainment as well as encouragement to listeners, and we are excited to introduce his renditions of these timeless songs on the Gaither platforms.”
There is a backstory to this project. John was deep in the middle of his throat cancer treatment during Spring 2019 and as one can imagine, he was not in a good place as it was very hard for him physically, emotionally and mentally. Fast forward to 2020 and the world was navigating Covid and touring artists were faced with dealing with the issues of canceling tours and the unknown future as much of the world as we know it was shut down. John found himself looking for ways to keep productive and he was ready to dive into recording a new project. The single, “Find My Joy,” was written in September 2020 by Steve Dorff and Jack Cassidy. Jump ahead to January 2021, Steve Dorff played the song for John and his wife, Robin while meeting to discuss Steve arranging the songs for John’s new project. John immediately knew he wanted to record this song for his new faith-based album. It was shortly thereafter they discussed Steve producing the whole project. Hailing from New York City, Steve had not grown up listening to the traditional (Christian) versions of some of these songs and hadn’t even heard a few of them before but was drawn to the beautiful melodies, which allowed for him to bring a unique sound to the production of these standards. When John arrived at the studio to record vocals, Steve had added his creative elements to the production, including an impressive string orchestra and choir, to bring this incredible music to life. End result – this music is incredible!
Tracklist - Find My Joy
Great Is Thy Faithfulness - Traditional arrangement by Steve Dorff / John Berry
I Surrender All - Traditional arrangement by Steve Dorff / John Berry
Find My Joy - Steve Dorff / Jack Cassidy
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus - Traditional arrangement by Steve Dorff / John Berry
It Is Well With My Soul - Traditional arrangement by Steve Dorff / John Berry
Something Bigger Than Me - Steve Dorff / Marty Panzer
How Great Thou Art - Stuart K. Hine
Blessings - Laura Story
Blessed Assurance - Traditional arrangement by Steve Dorff / John Berry
Live Like You - Steve Dorff / Jack Cassidy
Stay current with John Berry on his website johnberry.com and follow him on social media platforms Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.
Music is available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and YouTube Music. Download on Amazon Music and iTunes and watch video content on YouTube.
About Gaither Music Group:
One of the largest independent Christian music companies in the world and a household name for millions of fans,Gaither Music Group, in partnership with Primary Wave Music Publishing, is known worldwide for its award-winning and top-selling recordings, including the Gaither Gospel Series, of which 133 products have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum. These recordings, which encompass more than 177 video copyrights, showcase gospel music pioneers; many of the finest performers in the gospel and country genres; up-and-coming acts; and country artists including The Oak Ridge Boys, Jimmy Fortune, Joey+Rory, Alabama, Alan Jackson, The Statler Brothers, George Jones, Vince Gill, Josh Turner, Tennessee Ernie Ford, The Isaacs and others. The brand has partnered with Sandi Patty, Gloria Gaynor, Steven Curtis Chapman and a host of acclaimed talents from various fields of music. Gaither Music Group has garnered sales of more than 40 million DVDs and CDs, including such PBS stalwarts as Billy Graham: God’s Ambassador, the only authorized video autobiography of Reverend Billy Graham; The Gospel Music of Johnny Cash; and three Elvis Presley projects, including He Touched Me and The Gospel Music of Elvis Presley, in conjunction with the Elvis Presley Estate.
About John Berry:
Grammy award-winning country star, John Berry is gearing up for the release of his new album in 2022 and just wrapped his 2021 Christmas With John Berry, The Silver Anniversary Tour. He took advantage of being off the road for the bigger part of 2020 and created new opportunities to continue his reach to his fan base as well as new ones. Highlights include partnering with Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt for his weekly series, "Songs and Stories For Kids," which charted multiple times on the Pollstar Live Stream Chart. He released a new video and re-recorded a new single for "The Graduation Song," started a new podcast, Faith, Family & Friends with John & Robin Berry and ended the year with his 24th annual Songs and Stories with John Berry Christmas. In 2019 John Berry celebrated the 28th anniversary of signing his first record deal. He released “The Richest Man,” dedicated to his father from the new album Thomas Road. In 2019, Berry was diagnosed with throat cancer, requiring 35 treatments combined with radiation and chemotherapy. In 2018 charted at #30 on the Music Row Breakout Charts with the single, “Beautifully Broken,” which is featured in the soundtrack for the movie of the same name. Berry has placed 20 singles on the country hit parade charts, six of which went Top 5 as well as a No. 1 on the Billboard and Radio & Records country charts. He has earned numerous Gold and Platinum records. Berry's co-written "A Mind Of Her Own" and "Kiss Me In The Car" introduced him to radio audiences in 1993. Then, "Your Love Amazes Me," "What's In It For Me" and "You And Only You" thrust him to stardom in 1994. "Standing On The Edge Of Goodbye," "I Think About It All The Time," and "If I Had Any Pride Left At All" were all major hits the following year. "Your Love Amazes Me" earned Berry a 1995 GRAMMY nomination. In 1996, he scored a GRAMMY win for his participation in Amazing Grace: A Country Salute to Gospel Vol. 1. Berry took "Change My Mind" into the country music Top 5 in that same year. "She's Taken A Shine" became an even bigger hit in 1997. The same year he was nominated for CMA Vocal Event of the Year for "Long Haired Country Boy" with Charlie Daniels and Hal Ketchum. Both fans and the media took note when "There He Goes" was released as a 1999 duet with Patsy Cline. Berry's two most recent albums, What I Love The Most and his holiday album, Christmas, are both available now on his website and iTunes and other digital retailers. Berry's TV show, Songs & Stories with John Berry, aired weekly for two years on Heartland Television, The Family Channel, The Country Network, Roku (via Heartland), AMG TV, Country TV (New Zealand), and Keep It Country TV (UK). For more information, visit songsandstories.com. Follow John on his website at www.johnberry.com.