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JFH Music News Report

GRAMMY ® Recognized Singer/Songwriter Matthew West Presents
First, Full Length Holiday Project Titled The Heart of Christmas

Album Features VINCE GILL, AMY GRANT and MANDISA

gmc to Debut World Premiere Movie
Based on West’s Viral Holiday Hit “One Last Christmas”
Starring Candice Cameron Bure, George Newbern and Jeanne Nelson


Matthew West, The Heart Of Christmas
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NEWS SOURCE: The M Collective
October 4, 2011

Nashville, Tenn. Oct. 4, 2011… GRAMMY ® nominee Matthew West is debuting his first, full-length holiday project today, October 4, titled The Heart of Christmas. The 12 song record features an equal mix of Christmas classics and original holiday tunes penned by West. Fellow GRAMMY ® winners and nominees join West on the album including Vince Gill in “Leaving Heaven,” Amy Grant on “Give This Christmas Away” and Mandisa for “Christmas Makes Me Cry.” The Heart of Christmas was produced by Pete Kipley (MercyMe, Kristin Chenoweth). To purchase The Heart of Christmas on iTunes ®, visit http://bit.ly/oixmMH.

“Since the beginning of my career, I've dreamed of making a Christmas album,” explains West, “and I'm so excited to finally get that chance this year! The Heart of Christmas is a collection of original songs I've written, and some of my favorite classics. I was honored to have iconic artists like Amy Grant, Vince Gill, and Mandisa from American Idol join me on a few of the songs, and those are personal highlights for me.”

The Heart of Christmas movie will premiere on gmc Sunday, December 4 at 7 p.m. ET. This gmc World Premiere Movie was inspired by the true story of Dax Locke, the two year old from Washington, Illinois, whose struggle with Leukemia sparked a worldwide outpouring of support for his family and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. The story inspired a “Decorate for Dax” campaign where thousands in the community of Central Illinois decorated their houses for Dax for Christmas- even though it was October. West wrote the hit song “One Last Christmas” as a tribute to Dax and his family. Candice Cameron Bure (Make It or Break It, Full House), George Newbern (Father of the Bride, Justice League) and Jeanne Neilson (Faith Like Potatoes) star. West also makes an appearance in the film as Mark Hurtgen.

In support of The Heart of Christmas, the album’s title track will be released to radio along with a music video, and West will embark on a Christmas tour with Mandisa in the month of December, details and tour dates will be announced soon.

Additionally, West just scored his fourth No. 1 hit with “Strong Enough” which is now No. 1 at AC Monitored. He will be headlining “The Story of Your Life Tour,” and will be featured on the Winter Jam tour this fall. For all tour information, visit www.matthewwest.com.

# # #

More information on Matthew West:
GRAMMY ® nominated singer/songwriter Matthew West’s discography includes acclaimed releases: Happy (2003), History (2005) and Something to Say (2008). His latest studio album, The Story of Your Life, was inspired by 10,000 stories from every state in the U.S. and 20 countries. The album released on October 5, 2010, and garnered attention from CNN Online, Fox News, Billboard Magazine, Country Weekly, American Songwriter and more. The Story of Your Life gave West the largest street week debut of his career selling over 10,000 units the first week landing at No. 3 on Christian Soundscan, and No. 41 on the Billboard Top 200. In conjunction with Harvest House Publishers, West teamed up with best selling author Angela Thomas for “The Story of Your Life” book. The Heart of Christmas marks West’s first full-length Christmas project. A multiple ASCAP “Song of the Year” winner, West has had four No. 1 radio hits including his latest, “Strong Enough.” His songwriting credits include Rascal Flatts, Billy Ray Cyrus, Diamond Rio and more.

For more info on Matthew West visit the JFH Artists Database.

 

 



 

 

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