Israel Houghton

Israel Houghton
[[File: Israel houghton4 |frameless|alt=|]]
Background information
Also known as	Israel & New Breed
Born	May 19, 1971 (1971-05-19) (age 40) Oceanside, California, United States
Genres	Contemporary Christian, gospel, contemporary worship
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, producer, arranger
Instruments	Guitar, piano
Years active	1997—present
Labels	Integrity
Associated acts	Cindy Cruse-Ratcliff, CeCe Winans, Michael W. Smith
Website	israelhoughton.net

Israel Houghton (pronounced, hoh’-tin) (born May 19, 1971) is an American Christian singer and worship leader, mostly known for his cross-cultural style of Christian music that fuses elements from gospel, jazz and rock. Houghton is usually credited as Israel & New Breed and currently signed to Integrity Music. Houghton is a worship leader at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. "All Around" is on the Digital Praise PC game Guitar Praise.

Musical career

Recording career

He has been graced with two gold-selling albums, six Dove Awards, two Stellar Awards, a Soul Train Award, and four Grammy® Awards—for "Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album" for The Power of One, “Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album” for A Deeper Level, “Best Traditional Gospel Album” for Alive In South Africa, and “Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album” for Love God, Love People.

Production career

Israel produced an album by Michael Gungor called "Bigger Than My Imagination". This album was acclaimed as "one of the year's best worship albums" in a 2003 Christianity Today review.^[1]

Other performances

He has served as worship leader for the Promise Keepers and Champions for Christ events, as well as the Hillsong Conference 2006—2010, and Hillsong Conference Europe 2008-2010. Israel currently serves as a worship leader (alongside of Cindy Cruse-Ratcliff, Steve Crawford and Da'dra Crawford-Greathouse) at Lakewood Church in Houston, TX, pastored by Joel Osteen.

Israel and New Breed accompanied Alicia Keys at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards for a performance of George Michael's "Freedom '90."

Israel and New Breed performed at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, taking part in a segment saluting Gospel music, alongside the likes of Aretha Franklin and BeBe Winans.

Israel also sang with Michael W Smith on his 2008 Album, "A New Hallelujah", recorded at Lakewood Church in Houston, TX.

Discography

Albums

Whisper It Loud

• Released: 1997
• Format: CD
• Label: Warner Brothers

New Season

• Released: 2001
• Format: CD
• Label: Integrity

Nueva Generacion

• Released: 2001
• Format: CD
• Label: Integrity

Real

• Released: 2002
• Format: CD
• Label: Integrity
• Tracks: 1. Prelude, 2. Better, 3. Get Up, 4. 'Bout It 'Bout It, 5. Real, 6. Nothing Else Matters, 7. Go Back, 8. Taste And See, 9. Weight Of Your Glory, 10. Magnificent And Holy, 11. Don't Want To Leave/I Still Love You

Live From Another Level

• Released: 2004
• Format: CD
• Label: Integrity
• Tracks: Disc 1: 1. Come In From The Outside, 2. Again I Say Rejoice, 3. Again I Say Rejoice (Reprise), 4. We Win, 5. All Around, 6. You’ve Made Me Glad, 7. I Hear The Sound, 8. Spoken Word by Bishop Garlington, 9. So Easy To Love You

Disc 2: 1. Friend of God, 2. Spontaneous Worship, 3. Friend, 4. Friend Medley, 5. Rise Within Us, 6. Another Breakthrough, 7. Lord Of The Breakthrough, 8. Breath Into Me, 9. Awesome Medley, 10. Here I Am To Worship, 11. Holy, 12. Going To Another Level

Alive In South Africa

• Released: 2005
• Format: CD
• Label: Integrity

A Timeless Christmas

• Released: 2006
• Format: CD
• Label: Integrity

A Deeper Level

• Released: 2007
• Format: CD
• Label: Integrity

The Power of One

• Released: March 24, 2009
• Format: CD/Digital Download
• Label: Integrity/Columbia
• Tracks: Fourteen
• Bonus tracks: "Others" (iTunes pre-order)
• Singles: "Just Wanna Say"

Love God, Love People

• Released: August 31, 2010
• Format: CD/Digital Download
• Label: Integrity/Columbia
• Bonus tracks: "Love God Love People (Incorporated Elements Remix)" (iTunes)
• Singles: "You Hold My World"

Other recordings

• "Champions for Christ" - Hi5 (Worship Leader, 2002)
• "Where Are the Fathers?" from He-Motions (EMI Gospel, 2004)
• "Send Me to the Nations" from A Wing & A Prayer (EMI Gospel, 2003)
• Lakewood Live: We Speak to Nations (Integrity, 2002)
• Lakewood Live: Cover the Earth (Integrity, 2004)
• Lakewood Live: The Gift
• Lakewood Live: Free to Worship
• Free Chapel Live: Moving Forward
• Lakewood Live: Hope for Today Worship^[2]
• Free Chapel Live: Power of the Cross (Integrity, 2009)
• New Breed Live: Generation Love (2009)

Awards

Year	Award-giving body	Award
2005[3]	Stellar Awards	Male Vocalist of the Year for Live from Another Level
2005	Stellar Awards	Contemporary Gospel Album of the Year for Live from Another Level
2004[4]	Dove Awards	CD of the Year for Live from Another Level
2004	Dove Awards	Contemporary Gospel Song of the Year for "Again I Say Rejoice"
2006[5]	Grammy Awards	Best Traditional Gospel Album for "Alive in South Africa"
2008[6]	Grammy Awards	Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for " A Deeper Level"
2010	Grammy Awards	Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for "The Power Of One"
2011	Grammy Awards	Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album for "Love God. Love People."

Personal life

He is of mixed heritage, Jamaican and French-as told by him personally-and was raised in a Mexican-American neighborhood. He and his wife Meleasa, and his three children, Mariah, Israel 'Sonny Boy' and Milan 'Lillie' currently reside in Houston, Texas.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ "ChristianityToday album review". ChristianityToday.com. http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/reviews/2003/biggerthanmyimagination.html. 
2. ^ Lakewood Church web site - url: http://bookstore.joelosteen.com/p-5912-hope-for-today.aspx
3. ^ "20th Annual Stellar Award Winners". GospelFlava.com. http://www.gospelflava.com/stellar/stellarresults-2005.html. 
4. ^ "Israel & New Breed". The Envelope. http://theenvelope.latimes.com/factsheets/awardsdb/env-awards-db-search,0,7169155.htmlstory?searchtype=person&query=israel+%26+new+breed. Retrieved 2007-06-13. 
5. ^ "Grammy Award Winners". The Recording Academy. http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx. Retrieved 17 September 2009. 
6. ^ "Grammy Nomination List". http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/50th_show/list.aspx. 

• "Dove Award Recipients for 2005". Published by the Gospel Music Association. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
• "Dove Award Recipients for 2006". Published by the Gospel Music Association. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
• "38th Annual Dove Award Recipients". Published by the Gospel Music Association. Retrieved 26 April 2007.
• "49th Annual GRAMMY Awards Winners List". Published by The Recording Academy. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
• Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music (First printing ed.). Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. p. 438. ISBN 1-56563-679-1. 

External links

• Biography by Israel's Label
• CBN Interview with Israel Houghton
• Israel & New Breed at Allmusic
• Israel Houghton at the Internet Movie Database
• Israel Houghton at the Two Days of Hope conference

Persondata
Name	Houghton, Israel
Alternative names
Short description	Worship leader
Date of birth	1972
Place of birth	Oceanside, California, United States
Date of death
Place of death