Hillsong United (band)

This article is about the band. For the Hillsong Church youth ministry, see Hillsong United.

Hillsong United
Background information
Origin	Sydney, Australia
Genres	Worship music Contemporary Christian Christian Rock
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Hillsong Music Australia
Website	http://www.hillsongunited.com

The Hillsong United band is an Australian praise and worship band that originated as a part of Hillsong Church. The band tours the world, performing at the various Hillsong church locations as well as general concert venues. They compose the songs for their own performances and for the other Hillsong Church worship teams that perform at weekly services. Subsidiary bands perform monthly in London and at summer camps sponsored by Hillsong. The music style is Christian praise and worship.

History

The band was originally formed by close friends from within the youth ministry called "Powerhouse Youth", led by Hillsong Pastor Donna Crouch for many years. As the house band for the Powerhouse meetings, they played original songs and rearranged popular radio tunes at their weekly meeting for local youth aged 16–25 year olds. Band members sometimes also contributed to the larger interdenominational ministry Youth Alive and its albums (Worship leaders Marty Sampson and Darlene Zschech and Keyboardist and Music Director Peter King were significant members joining United through the interdenominational youth ministry led by evangelist Pat Mesiti). Most members of the band also attended Hillsong Church services. Dr. Mark Evans (Macquarie Uni) states in his Ph. D thesis, "A youth band was formed from the Hillsong music team, which took what was happening in the church musically and played it louder and rockier, appealing directly to a youth demographic". Steve McPherson (now Director of Hillsong Publishing), Deb Ezzy (Darlene Zschech's younger sister), Dave Willersdorf, Joshua Bonet and Donia Makedonez were significant members in the first Powerhouse band.

Powerhouse grew and split in the late 1990s into two youth groups: Powerhouse (18–25 years of age) and Wildlife (12-17 yrs). Reuben Morgan, assisted by Marcus Beaumont and Tanya Riches, were the administrators of the older Powerhouse band that also included Mark Stevens, Nigel Hendroff, Peter King and Raymond Badham. At the older group Peter King was the main piano player and music director, with later guitarist Nigel Hendroff taking this music directing role. In the younger ministry Wildlife, the former Channel V Leg-Up competition-winning Able band boys Joel Houston and Marty Sampson were trained by Hillsong Music Pastor Russell Fragar, with Able band's Luke Munns and Michael Guy Chislett being the main drummer and guitarist, respectively while Joel Houston played bass. Marty Sampson, Holly Dawson, Mark Stevens, Katrina Peoples, Michelle Fragar, Tanya Riches and Bec Mesiti were some of the original key vocalists. In the Summer of 1997, the team made a huge impact at their youth ministry's Summer Camp. Returning from Summer Camp, the youth ministries of Hillsong Church joined together on a monthly basis with these meetings called the "UNITED" Nights.

Delirious?' Martin Smith's song "Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble" was the theme song of the 1997 camp, and the momentum of youth carried well beyond this camp into the church services, changing the style of the music. Once these songs had been sung for many nights in a row, Reuben Morgan realised the need for new songs that allowed the youth a voice and so wrote "My Redeemer Lives". This song was included in the upcoming Hillsong album, By Your Siderecorded in February that year. This album also featured youth songs including the title track written by Marty Sampson ("By Your Side") and Luke Munns ("Stay").

Darlene Zschech suggested to Reuben Morgan that the youth band make an album in 1998 after so many songs were written in the youth ministry. As a result, the EP One was recorded.Everyday was recorded in 1999 and packaged with the Hillsong annual album. Both achieved Gold sales status in Australia. The band continued to release an album each year, rebranding as Hillsong United. In 2002 after Reuben Morgan stepped down as co-worship leader of the band, Joel Houston, the eldest son of the church's senior pastor Brian Houston, and Marty Sampson stepped up to lead the group together.

The band's members are involved in Hillsong Church services and also play for the megachurch. Many were volunteers who were not paid for their time or contribution. As such the lineup changes on a regular basis due to the volunteers needs and the needs of the church. Former original drummer Luke Munns made a transition from the drums to front the rock/indie band LUKAS. Following his marriage to Michelle on November 2006, Marty Sampson stepped down as one of the main worship leaders of the band. He contributed two more songs with United—'Devotion,' which he wrote and sang on the album, and 'Saviour King,' which he wrote w/ Mia Fieldes—before he officially stepped down. These songs were part of the 2007 release All of the Above. Popular New Zealand artist Brooke Ligertwood (aka Brooke Fraser) recently joined the band when she joined the church, first appearing on United We Stand, however left Australia and the Hillsong band to tour her solo album 'Flags'. Current members of the Hillsong United band include Jonathon Douglass (J.D.), Jadwin "Jad" Gillies, Joel Houston, Annie Garratt, Matt Crocker, Dave Ware, Jill McCloghry, Sam Knock, Dylan Thomas, Joel Davies, Braden Lang, Peter James, Matthew Tennikoff, Adam Crosariol (on bass guitar), Simon Kobler, Timon Klein, and Brandon Gillies (on drums).

The annual Hillsong United CD/DVD was recorded for many years during the Hillsong youth ministry's October conference Encounterfest, and albums released in the first quarter of the following year. The 2007 album All of the Above was the first album to be fully studio recorded. The band has toured in a number of countries, leading worship for thousands in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Hillsong United posted on their Facebook page 28 March 2010 that they were heading in to record their next album. This new studio project was recorded at 301 Studios in Sydney, Australia. After much anticipation, "Aftermath" was released on 15 February 2011. During its release, it reached number four on iTunes' Top Albums downloaded in the U.S.

Discography

Main articles: List of Hillsong albums and Hillsong Music

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		AUS	NZ	US
All of the Above	Released: 17 March 2007 (AUS) Genre: Contemporary Christian Label: Hillsong Music Australia	6	13	60
Aftermath	Released: 15 February 2011 Genre: Contemporary Christian Label: Hillsong Music Australia, Sparrow	4	12	17

Live albums

• 1999: Everyday
• 2000: Best Friend
• 2001: King of Majesty
• 2002: To the Ends of the Earth
• 2004: More Than Life
• 2005: Look to You
• 2006: United We Stand
• 2008: The I Heart Revolution: With Hearts As One
• 2009: [a_CROSS//the_EARTH] :: Tear Down the Walls

Studio albums

• 2007: All of the Above
• 2011: Aftermath

EPs

• 1998: One
• 2007: In a Valley by the Sea

Other Albums

• 2006: Unidos Permanecemos (United We Stand in Spanish)
• 2010: Con Todo (With Everything in Spanish)

DVDs

• 2004: More Than Life (bonus DVD with album)
• 2005: Look to You (bonus DVD with album)
• 2006: United We Stand (bonus DVD with album)
• 2007: All of the Above (bonus DVD with album)
• 2008: The I Heart Revolution: With Hearts As One (Music DVD)
• 2010: The I Heart Revolution: We're All in This Together (Documentary DVD/Blu-ray)

Tours

• 2007

The Hillsong United 2007 Tour was a tour by Hillsong United with supporting acts such as Starfield (in Toronto) to promote their 2007 album All of the Above in the United States and Canada. The tour began on 13 April 2007 in Detroit, Michigan and ended in Tacoma, Washington on 7 August 2007.

• 2009: Across The Earth Spring Tour 2009
• 2010: Across The Earth Europe Tour 2010
• 2011: Aftermath North American Tour 2011

Success and achievements

List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		AUS Albums Chart	NZ Albums Chart	U.S. Billboard 200	U.S. Billboard Christian Albums	U.S. Billboard Digital Albums	U.S. iTunes Top Albums Chart	Australia iTunes Top Albums Chart
All of the Above	Released: 17 March 2007 (AUS) Genre: Contemporary Christian Label: Hillsong Music Australia	6	13	60	1	60	?	2
[a_CROSS//the_EARTH] :: Tear Down the Walls	Released: 9 May 2009 (AUS) Genre: Contemporary Christian Label: Hillsong Music Australia	22	21	21	1	56	1	1
Aftermath	Released: 15 February 2011 Genre: Contemporary Christian Label: Hillsong Music Australia, EMI	4	12	17	1	5	4	1

See also

• Youth Alive Australia
• The I Heart Revolution: With Hearts as One

References

• "Hillsong United Webpage". Published by Hillsong Church. Retrieved 8/1/2008.
• "Hillsong United on Integrity Music". Published by Integrity Media. Retrieved 8/1/2008.
• "Review on Christianity Today". Published by Christian Music Today. Retrieved 8/1/2008.
• "Shout to the Lord!: Music and Change at Hillsong 1996- 2007". Dissertation for the award of Masters of Philosophy, Australian Catholic University. Riches, Tanya.
• "Secularising the Sacred: The Impact of Geoff Bullock on Contemporary Congregational Song in

Sydney, 1990-1999". Dissertation for the award of PhD, Macquarie University, 2002. Evans, Mark.

• "Open up the Doors: Music in the Modern Church" London: Equinox, 2006. Evans, Mark.

External links

• Official website
• Hillsong United Albums
• Site francophone sur Hillsong et United. Discographie complète
• Interview @ Christian Music Today, 6/07