Out of Eden

Out of Eden
Background information
Genres	Urban contemporary gospel, R&B, CCM
Years active	1994–2006
Labels	Gotee Records
Associated acts	Virtue, Mary Mary, The Katinas, Verbs (aka Knowdaverbs)
Past members
Lisa Kimmey Andrea Kimmey-Baca Danielle Kimmey

Out of Eden was an American Gospel music group often identified with R&B, and contemporary Christian music. It featured sisters Lisa Kimmey, Andrea Kimmey-Baca, and Danielle Kimmey. The group was active from 1994 to 2006, producing seven albums through Gotee Records and receiving "Urban Album of the Year" and "Urban Song of the Year" at the Dove Awards of 2003.

Musical career

Origins

The band consisted of three sisters Lisa Kimmey, Andrea Kimmey-Baca and Danielle Kimmey, all born in Richmond, Virginia between 1975 and 1982 to Robert Kimmey and DeLise Perkins Kimmey Hall.^[1] When the girls were young, their parents divorced and they moved with their mother and to Nashville, where DeLise was offered a teaching position at Fisk University. Danielle and her sisters initially sang back-up for their mother, who was a classical pianist.^[2] After their stepfather unsuccessfully attempted to garner attention for the girls by sending a video of their singing to various record labels, Danielle and her sisters were discovered by Toby McKeehan, who formed the record label Gotee Records to produce their music.^[1]

In 1994, they released their debut Lovin' the Day. The first single off the album was a remake of the Bill Withers 1978 single "Lovely Day" and was a Christian Contemporary Music hit.^[3] Their second album, in 1996, More Than You Know was even more successful and catapulted the sisters into the CCM spotlight.

Mainstream Success

Their third album was the acclaimed No Turning Back which was released in 1999. Released in 2002, their fourth and best-selling Gotee album, This Is Your Life, entered the Billboard 200, peaking at #178. The album tied for "Urban Album of the Year" at the Dove Awards of 2003, with a song from the album, "Meditate" going on to win the award "Urban Recorded Song of the Year". The album was also nominated for a Stellar Award.

Another two years went by before the up-tempo album Love, Peace & Happiness was released. This album was nominated for Dove Awards in the Urban Gospel Album of the Year category and Urban Gospel Song of the Year category for the song "Soldiers".

In early 2005, Out of Eden presented an a cappella version of an old hymn at a "Focus on the Family" chapel service, and received a standing ovation. Struck by the response to the hymn and the power of the lyrics, they decided to explore a new side of their musical talents and released a CD of remakes of classic hymns titled Hymns.^[4] The album was nominated for a 2006 Grammy award in the Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album category.^[5]

In June 2006, the group announced that they would disband after the release of their greatest hits album titled The Hits.

Awards

Year	Award-giving body	Award
2003	Dove Awards	Urban Album of the Year for "This Is Your Life", shared with Souljahz for "The Fault Is History"
		Urban Song of the Year for "Meditate" from "This is Your Life"

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US	US Christian	US Gospel
Lovin' the Day	First studio album Released in 1994 Labels: Gotee Records Formats: CD, Cassette	—	10	—
More Than You Know	Second studio album Released in 1996 Labels: Gotee Records Formats: CD, Cassette	—	14	29
No Turning Back	Third studio album Released on June 15, 1998 Labels: Gotee Records Formats: CD, Cassette	—	6	9
This Is Your Life	Fourth studio album Released on January 29, 2002 Labels: Gotee Records Formats: CD	178	11	6
Love, Peace & Happiness	Fifth studio album Released on Feb 20, 2004 Labels: Gotee Records Formats: CD, Digital Download	—	16	20
Hymns	Sixth studio album Released on March 29, 2005 Labels: Gotee Records Formats: CD, Digital Download	—	29	—

Compilations

Year	Album
2006	Out of Eden: The Hits First compilation album Released on August 1, 2006 Labels: Gotee Records Formats: CD, digital download

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Carpenter, Bil. Uncloudy Days: The Gospel Music Encyclopedia. Hal Leonard Corporation, 2005. Page 319-320
2. ^ Bush, John. "Out Of Eden Biography on Yahoo! Music". Music.yahoo.com. http://music.yahoo.com/ar-260525-bio--Out-Of-Eden. Retrieved 2011-10-04. 
3. ^ Out of Eden | View the Music Artists Biography Online | VH1.com
4. ^ Out of Eden - Music^{[dead link]}
5. ^ Jones, Kim. 2006 Grammy Awards Nominees and Winners. April 26, 2010. About.com. Accessed on July 11, 2010.

External links

• Allmusic entry