Sidewalk Prophets and Tigirlily Gold

Sidewalk Prophets was first formed in 2003 by lead singer David Frey and guitarist Ben McDonald while both were attending Anderson University in Indiana. Without their knowledge one of their demos was stolen, which was then entered into a contest, leading to their performance in the competition. This resulted in them catching the attention of a number of radio disc jockeys and label people, including Audio Adrenaline's Will McGinnis. McGinnis gave the chance to the duo to play for a huge crowd, interspersed with label executives, which led to a showcase event. Eventually, the then duo signed a deal with Word Records, and was joined by guitarist Shaun Tomczak, bassist Cal Joslin, and drummer Justin Nace.

Their first record with Word Records, which was entitled “These Simple Truths,” was released in 2009. The album went on to win a Dove Award for Best New Artist as well as a nomination for Pop/ Contemporary album of the Year. On top of that, the single “You Love Me Anyway” peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Christian Singles chart. The band went to tour with the Rock and Worship Roadshow with many other artists including MercyMe and Francesca Battiselli. Additionally, in 2011 the band was nominated for another award for Artist of the Year.

Their third album with Word Records entitled “Live Like That” was released in 2011 and even featured some of the band’s fans (who were selected through a contest to provide back up vocals). Sidewalk Prophets also released a Christmas album in 2012 entitled “Merry Christmas To You” through Fervent Records.