"Contemporary Christian Music group NewSong came together in the early ‘80s during church at Valdosta, Georgia's Morningside Baptist Church. The quartet's popularity, comprised of Eddie Carswell, Billy Goodwin, Eddie Middleton and Bobby Apon, quickly rose within their church circuit before they decided to start releasing albums on their own. Though they formed in 1981 by 1982 when talks with Covenant Records began, they had already released three independent albums together. And after a record deal was set, the group released their first LP Son in the Eyes a year later in 1982 before they moved to the Word label and followed up with 1984's The Word. With Word they released several more albums, including 1986's Trophies of Grace, 1987's Say Yes! and 1989's Light Your World before they moved to the Benson label and released their debut with the record company in 1993, All around the World. The album saw four CHR hits, including ""More God,"" ""Got Me Going,"" ""Hero of the Faith"" and the title track.That same year co-founders Middleton and Apon left the group to pursue a solo career and spend more time with their family, respectively, and by the next year four new members joined the group, including Russ Lee, the former vocalist in another CCM group. Their next few albums saw a continuous streak of number one hits as the group continued to see more lineup changes. Apon passed in 1999 and was recognized on the group's next album, Arise, My Love, The Very Best of NewSong. Their holiday themed album Christmas Shoes appeared in 2001 followed by More Life in 2001 and Rescue in 2005.Besides creating Christian based music the group has always been active in humanitarian efforts, particularly regarding underprivileged children. They have worked with World Vision numerous times along with Holt International."
