Aaron Shust
Aaron Shust |
|---|
Aaron Shust is an American Contemporary Christian Music artist on the Brash Music label. Shust was named the songwriter of the year at the GMA Dove Awards of 2007, and his song "My Savior My God" received the Song of the Year award.[1]
Biography
Shust grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied music theory at Toccoa Falls College in Georgia. While there he studied Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach. He also became influenced by U2 and Bob Marley.[2] He began performing at churches and coffeehouses while at college.
Shust began leading worship at Perimeter Church, Duluth, Georgia in 2000 and recorded his album, Anything Worth Saying in 2004 with producer Dan Hannon who delivered the album along with a stack of others along to Brash Music for consideration. Brash Music signed Shust shortly thereafter.
2006
His second single "My Savior My God" was released January 20, 2006. The song was played on Christian radio stations around Christmas 2005. The song was listed at #19 on Radio and Records chart three weeks before the single was officially released to radio.
The song was listed #1 on six charts simultaneously by April 17: Radio and Records (R&R) Christian adult contemporary (AC) radio chart, R&R Christian AC monitor chart, CRW's AC radio chart, Billboard Hot Christian songs radio chart, most downloaded inspirational song on iTunes, and Billboard Hot Christian AC chart. The song spent 30 weeks in the Top 5 on the R&R Christian AC chart in 2006.[3] Digital downloads of the song have topped 75,000 copies, and the song has held the #1 spot on the iTunes Christian and Gospel chart for over three months.[3] The single was the second most played song of 2006 on Christian CHR radio as played on the Weekend 22.[4]. It was the #1 song of 2006 on 20 The Countdown Magazine. The song was awarded Song of the Year at the 2007 Annual GMA Dove Awards in Nashville.
Anything Worth Saying was the 5th best-selling "Praise and Worship" album of 2006, according to the Nielsen Soundscan report for 2006. It only sold 300 copies its first week, however.[citation needed]
2007
At the GMA Dove Awards of 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee, Shust was awarded three Dove Awards: Song of the Year ("My Savior, My God"), Songwriter of the Year, and New Artist of the Year.
Shust's second studio album, Whispered and Shouted, was released on June 5, 2007, and sold 5,000 copies its first week of release.[citation needed]
Present
In 2009, Shust's third album, Take Over, was released, including the Christian radio hit "To God Alone".[5] On October 21, he released a Christmas EP.
Personal life
Aaron lives in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania with his wife Sarah and their sons, Daniel and Nicky.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Christian |
US Heat |
US Indie | ||||||
| 2005 | Anything Worth Saying
|
63 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 2007 | Whispered and Shouted
|
151 | 5 | — | 17 | ||||
| 2009 | Take Over
|
197 | 15 | — | 21 | ||||
| Christmas EP
|
— | — | — | — | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Singles
| Year | Title | Album |
| 2005 | "Matchless" | Anything Worth Saying |
| 2006 | "My Savior My God" | Anything Worth Saying |
| 2006 | "Give It All Away" | Anything Worth Saying |
| 2007 | "Give Me Words to Speak" | Whispered and Shouted |
| 2007 | "Long Live the King" | Whispered and Shouted |
| 2008 | "Watch Over Me" | Whispered and Shouted |
| 2009 | "To God Alone" | Take Over |
| 2009 | "Come and Save Us" | Take Over |
| 2009 | "O come, O come, Emmanuel" | Christmas EP |
Awards
References
- ^ Results of the 2007 GMA Dove Awards, Retrieved April 27, 2007
- ^ About Aaron at his official website
- ^ a b Biography at 1cubed.com, Retrieved January 8, 2007
- ^ As played on the January 7, 2007 Weekend 22 countdown
- ^ http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/news/2009/08/05.AARON%20SHUSTS%20TAKE%20OVER%20RELEASES%20TO%20CRITICAL%20ACCLAIM.asp