1984 studio album by Amy Grant
Straight Ahead Released April 6, 1984 Recorded 1983–1984 Studio Caribou Ranch , Nederland, Colorado The Bennett House , Franklin, TennesseeBullet Recording, Nashville, Tennessee; Mama Jo's Studio, North Hollywood, California Bill Schnee Studio , North Hollywood, CaliforniaAir Studios , London, EnglandGenre Contemporary Christian music Length 38 :36 Label Myrrh Producer Brown Bannister
Straight Ahead is the sixth studio album by Christian music artist Amy Grant , released in 1984.
Straight Ahead was the follow-up to Grant's ground-breaking 1982 album Age to Age . Containing songs that were more aggressive than the ones found on Age to Age , Straight Ahead was not as commercially successful as its predecessor. Nonetheless, it still topped Billboard's Christian album chart for 61 weeks, knocking Age to Age from the number-one position. The song "Angels " was also a No. 1 Christian radio hit for 13 weeks, and won a Grammy Award for "Best Gospel Performance, Female ." Straight Ahead would be certified gold in 1985. The song "Thy Word" is based on Psalm 119:105.[3]
In 2007, Straight Ahead was reissued and digitally remastered by Grant's new record label, EMI /Sparrow Records . The remastered edition is labeled with a "Digitally Remastered" logo in the 'gutter' on the CD front.[4]
Straight Ahead was the first Christian album to chart on the Billboard 200 chart. A&M reissued it in 1985, just as Grant was appearing on the Grammy Awards performing "Angels".
Track listing [ edit ] Title Writer(s) 1. "Where Do You Hide Your Heart" Amy Grant , Michael W. Smith 3:57 2. "Jehovah" Geoffrey P. Thurman 5:57 3. "Angels " Grant, Brown Bannister , Gary Chapman , Smith 4:10 4. "Straight Ahead" Grant, Chapman, Smith 3:47 5. "Thy Word" Grant, Smith 3:19 6. "It's Not a Song" Robbie Buchanan, Chapman 3:27 7. "Open Arms" Grant, Chapman, Bruce Hibbard 3:22 8. "Doubly Good to You" Rich Mullins 3:12 9. "Tomorrow" Grant, Chapman, Hibbard 3:24 10. "The Now and the Not Yet" Pam Mark Hall 3:36
Personnel [ edit ] Amy Grant – lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 5, 9, 10) Robbie Buchanan – Roland Jupiter 8 (1, 2, 5), acoustic piano (2, 3, 8), synthesizers (4), keyboards (6, 7), arrangements (6), Fender Rhodes (7, 9) Michael W. Smith – keyboards (1-5, 8, 9, 10), Yamaha GS2 (1, 2, 3, 8), acoustic piano (4, 5, 9, 10) Alan Steinberger – additional synthesizers (1, 5, 6, 9), synthesizers (10) Shane Keister – additional synthesizers (2, 5, 8), synthesizers (3), organ (4) Gary Chapman – backing vocals (1, 4, 5, 9), guitar (4), guitar solo (4) Jon Goin – electric guitar (1), "fly" guitar (1), guitar (2, 3, 4, 6-10) Dann Huff – guitar solo (1), guitar (9) Dean Parks – guitar (7) Mike Brignardello – bass (1-4, 6-10) Andy Widders-Ellis – stick bass (3) Duncan Mullins – bass (4) Paul Leim – drums (1-4, 6-9) Kenny Malone – drums (10) Lenny Castro – percussion (1, 7, 9) Farrell Morris – percussion (8, 10) Alan Moore – string arrangements (2, 8) Donna McElroy – backing vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 9) Kim Fleming – backing vocals (1, 4, 5, 9) Gary Pigg – backing vocals (2, 3) Debrorah Black – backing vocals (3) Bill Champlin – backing vocals (3) Tamara Champlin – backing vocals (3) Carmen Twillie – backing vocals (3) Marty McCall – backing vocals (3) Leann Jones – backing vocals (5) Curt Lyles – backing vocals (5) Mark Mason – backing vocals (5) Steve George – backing vocals (6) Richard Page – backing vocals (6) Thomas Cain – backing vocals (6) Chris Harris – backing vocals (7) Billy Sprague – backing vocals (7) David Thornton – backing vocals (7) Ron Downey – backing vocals (10) Production
Brown Bannister – producer Michael Blanton – executive producer Dan Harrell – executive producer Gary Chapman – executive producer Jack Joseph Puig – engineer Jim Baird – additional engineer Kevin Burns – additional engineer Gene Eichelberger – additional engineer Steven Ford – additional engineer Jerry Mahler – additional engineer Daniel Garcia – additional engineer Dennis Hill – design Mike Borum – photography Aaron Rapoport – photography Music videos [ edit ] Music videos were released for "Angels" in 1984 and "It's Not a Song" in 1985.
Weekly charts [ edit ] Year Chart Position 1984 Top Contemporary Christian 1 1985 The Billboard 200 133
Year-end charts [ edit ] Year Chart Position 1984 U.S. Billboard Inspirational Albums 3 1985 1 1986 8
End-of-decade charts [ edit ] Chart (1980-1989) Rank US Billboard Top Contemporary Christian[5] 11
Certifications and sales [ edit ] Accolades [ edit ] GMA Dove Awards
Year Winner Category 1985 Straight Ahead Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year
Grammy Awards
References [ edit ]
Studio albums Christmas albums Compilation albums Live albums Singles/EPs Television Related articles