# MercyMe
**MercyMe** is an American contemporary [Christian music](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-music) band formed in 1994 in Greenville, Texas, best known for the crossover hit "I Can Only Imagine" and for holding the record for the most No. 1 songs on Billboard's Christian Airplay and Christian AC Airplay charts.[1](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/MercyMe/231692311) • [2](https://www.targetcenter.com/news/detail/just-announced-mercyme26) The band has sold more than 9 million albums worldwide and has received numerous Grammy nominations, [American Music Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-music-awards), a Billboard Music Award, and multiple GMA Dove Awards and K-LOVE Fan Awards.[1](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/MercyMe/231692311)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1994, Greenville, Texas[1](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/MercyMe/231692311) |
| Current lineup | Bart Millard (lead vocals), Mike Scheuchzer (guitar), Barry Graul (guitar), Nathan Cochran (bass), Robby Shaffer (drums)[3](https://www.rioranchoeventscenter.com/events/mercyme-awe-wonder-tour/) |
| Signature song | "I Can Only Imagine" (1999 independent release; 2001 on *Almost There*), the first digital single in Christian music history certified platinum[1](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/MercyMe/231692311) • [4](https://www.travelok.com/music-trail/artist/mercyme) |
| Sales | Over 9 million albums sold worldwide; 10x-Platinum band certification cited by tour promoters[1](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/MercyMe/231692311) • [2](https://www.targetcenter.com/news/detail/just-announced-mercyme26) |
| Chart record | Nearly 30 songs to the top of the charts, more than 65 multi-format No. 1s; record for most No. 1s on Billboard's Christian Airplay and Christian AC Airplay charts[2](https://www.targetcenter.com/news/detail/just-announced-mercyme26) |
| Decade honors | Billboard named "Word of God Speak" the No. 1 Song of the Decade and MercyMe the No. 1 Artist of the Decade in Christian Songs and Christian AC Songs (2009); Billboard's Top Christian Artist of both the 2000s and 2010s[1](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/MercyMe/231692311) • [2](https://www.targetcenter.com/news/detail/just-announced-mercyme26) |
| Studio albums | Six independent albums (1995–2000), then major-label releases from *Almost There* (2001) through *Wonder & Awe* (2025), the band's 12th studio album[4](https://www.travelok.com/music-trail/artist/mercyme) • [2](https://www.targetcenter.com/news/detail/just-announced-mercyme26) |
## Origins and early years
Before the band formed, lead singer [Bart Millard](https://www.edgepedia.org/bart-millard) lost his father to cancer during his first year of college.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mercyme-mn0000870809) That loss became the seed of the band's defining song: Millard wrote "I Can Only Imagine" about his father's death, and the phrase itself had been in an old notebook of his for years before it became a song.[1](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/MercyMe/231692311) • [6](https://cbn.com/article/not-selected/mercyme-who-we-are)
From 1995 through 2000 MercyMe released six independent albums: *Pleased to Meet You*, *Traces of Rain*, *Traces of Rain Volume II*, *The Need*, *The Worship Project*, and *Look*, amassing sales of about 100,000 units.[4](https://www.travelok.com/music-trail/artist/mercyme) • [7](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/ASCAP/00s/ASCAP-Playback-2002-11-12-A.pdf) "I Can Only Imagine" first appeared on *The Worship Project* before its 2001 major-label release.[8](https://news.pollstar.com/2003/04/07/mercyme/) After opening for the [Christian rock](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-rock) band Audio Adrenaline, the band met manager Scott Brickell and, with his encouragement, moved to Nashville and then Texas, playing up to 200 concert dates a year.[4](https://www.travelok.com/music-trail/artist/mercyme)
## Breakthrough: "I Can Only Imagine" and *Almost There*
In 2001 MercyMe signed to INO Records and released *Almost There*, its first major-label studio album.[4](https://www.travelok.com/music-trail/artist/mercyme) The album went gold in less than a year and was eventually certified triple platinum (3 million units).[9](https://secure.cbn.com/cbnmusic/Interviews/700club_mercyme03.aspx) • [10](https://magazine.web.baylor.edu/news/story/2018/behind-music) In January 2002 "I Can Only Imagine" reached No. 1 on the Christian music charts, and at the 33rd GMA Dove Awards in 2002 the band won Song of the Year and Contemporary/Pop Song of the Year for the song, with Millard taking [Songwriter](https://www.edgepedia.org/songwriter) of the Year.[11](https://cr-assets.localretailconnect.com/preview/9780830791910.pdf) • [12](https://www.ccmencyclopedia.com/post/almost-there-2001)
The song then crossed to mainstream radio in 2003, reaching radio stations across the country after first topping [Christian radio](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-radio).[6](https://cbn.com/article/not-selected/mercyme-who-we-are) Music journalist Barry Alfonso, author of *The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music*, credited the breakout to timing, as fewer Christian artists were then looking to pop radio.[13](https://missionpictures.com/news/how-did-i-can-only-imagine-become-the-biggest-christian-hit-ever-and-inspire-a-movie/) In 2014 the song surpassed 2 million digital downloads, making it the first Christian song certified double platinum in the digital domain; publisher [Simon & Schuster](https://www.edgepedia.org/simon-and-schuster) now lists it as 4x platinum, while tour promoter materials describe it as 5x platinum.[14](https://darkmode.wppool.dev/www.billboard.com/music/music-news/mercyme-interview-inhale-exhale-new-album-9564626/) • [1](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/MercyMe/231692311) • [2](https://www.targetcenter.com/news/detail/just-announced-mercyme26) Billboard later named *Almost There* the fourth-best Christian album of the decade for 2000–2009.[10](https://magazine.web.baylor.edu/news/story/2018/behind-music)
## Later career
After nearly a decade with INO Records, MercyMe moved to the Columbia-owned Fair Trade label and released *The Worship Sessions* in 2011.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mercyme-mn0000870809) The band has remained with Fair Trade founder Jeff Moseley and manager Scott Brickell since signing its first contracts with them in 2000.[10](https://magazine.web.baylor.edu/news/story/2018/behind-music) Subsequent albums traced a shifting sound: *The Hurt & the Healer* (2012) peaked at number seven on the pop charts, *Welcome to the New* (2014) took a more danceable approach with jazz, rock, and roots elements, the Christmas album *MercyMe, It's Christmas!* (2015) debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Holiday Albums Chart, and *Lifer* (2017) reached No. 1 on Christian Soundscan and No. 10 on the Billboard Top 200 in its first week, with the hit "Even If."[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mercyme-mn0000870809) • [15](https://refreshedmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Refreshed-SD-12.15.pdf) • [1](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/MercyMe/231692311)
The band's tenth studio album, *inhale (exhale)*, arrived in April 2021 with guest appearances from [Rascal Flatts](https://www.edgepedia.org/rascal-flatts) vocalist [Gary LeVox](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-levox) and [Gloria Gaynor](https://www.edgepedia.org/gloria-gaynor), followed by *Always Only Jesus* in 2022, whose lead single "Then Christ Came" was developed from a demo on the previous album with help from Phil Wickham.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mercyme-mn0000870809) • [16](https://www.ccmmagazine.com/features/mercyme-releases-new-album-always-only-jesus/) The 12th studio album, *Wonder & Awe*, was released on August 8, 2025, featuring the No. 1 single "Oh Death," inspired by Millard's father-in-law.[2](https://www.targetcenter.com/news/detail/just-announced-mercyme26) • [5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mercyme-mn0000870809)
## Film adaptations
The story behind "I Can Only Imagine" became the 2018 film *I Can Only Imagine*, which depicted Millard's fraught relationship with his abusive father and their reconciliation; it became one of the most successful faith-based films and one of the highest-grossing music biopics.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mercyme-mn0000870809) • [17](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/i-can-only-imagine-2-reviews-critics-split-faith-based-sequel) A sequel, *[I Can Only Imagine 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/i-can-only-imagine-2)*, reached theaters in February 2026, exploring life after writing a megahit; critics were split on the result.[18](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/02/i-can-only-imagine-2-film/) • [17](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/i-can-only-imagine-2-reviews-critics-split-faith-based-sequel)
## Touring
MercyMe has sold out venues including [Radio City Music Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/radio-city-music-hall) and [Red Rocks Amphitheatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-rocks-amphitheatre).[1](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/MercyMe/231692311) The MercyMe LIVE Tour, announced in May 2026 by the Awakening Foundation, spans 24 cities from October 8 at the Columbus Civic Center in [Columbus, Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/columbus-georgia), to November 15 in Minnesota, with Jeremy Camp, Tim Timmons, and Sam Wesley.[19](https://www.wtvm.com/2026/05/14/mercyme-bringing-fall-tour-columbus/) A spring 2027 run with Ben Fuller and Peter Burton, beginning March 11, 2027 in Roanoke, Virginia, is listed on the band's Live Nation schedule.[20](https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ9175_R0/mercyme-events)
## References
1. [MercyMe, Official Publisher Page, Simon & Schuster](https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/MercyMe/231692311)
2. [Just Announced: MercyMe, Target Center](https://www.targetcenter.com/news/detail/just-announced-mercyme26)
3. [MercyMe – Awe + Wonder Tour, Rio Rancho Events Center](https://www.rioranchoeventscenter.com/events/mercyme-awe-wonder-tour/)
4. [MercyMe, Oklahoma Music Trail, TravelOK.com](https://www.travelok.com/music-trail/artist/mercyme)
5. [MercyMe Biography by Ashleigh Kittle, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/mercyme-mn0000870809)
6. [MercyMe: This is Who We Are, CBN](https://cbn.com/article/not-selected/mercyme-who-we-are)
7. [ASCAP Playback, November 2002](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/ASCAP/00s/ASCAP-Playback-2002-11-12-A.pdf)
8. [MercyMe, Pollstar News (2003)](https://news.pollstar.com/2003/04/07/mercyme/)
9. [MercyMe: Spotlight on Worship, CBNmusic](https://secure.cbn.com/cbnmusic/Interviews/700club_mercyme03.aspx)
10. [Behind the Music, Baylor Magazine (2018)](https://magazine.web.baylor.edu/news/story/2018/behind-music)
11. ["Why?" and "What If?" (MercyMe band book excerpt)](https://cr-assets.localretailconnect.com/preview/9780830791910.pdf)
12. [Almost There (2001), CCM Encyclopedia](https://www.ccmencyclopedia.com/post/almost-there-2001)
13. [How did 'I Can Only Imagine' become the biggest Christian hit ever (and inspire a movie)?, Mission Pictures](https://missionpictures.com/news/how-did-i-can-only-imagine-become-the-biggest-christian-hit-ever-and-inspire-a-movie/)
14. [MercyMe 'inhale/exhale' Interview With Bart Millard, Billboard](https://darkmode.wppool.dev/www.billboard.com/music/music-news/mercyme-interview-inhale-exhale-new-album-9564626/)
15. [MercyMe Christmas, Refreshed Magazine (2015)](https://refreshedmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Refreshed-SD-12.15.pdf)
16. [MercyMe Releases New Album 'Always Only Jesus', CCM Magazine (2022)](https://www.ccmmagazine.com/features/mercyme-releases-new-album-always-only-jesus/)
17. ['A Marvel Movie For Evangelicals.' I Can Only Imagine 2 Reviews Are In, CinemaBlend (2026)](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/i-can-only-imagine-2-reviews-critics-split-faith-based-sequel)
18. [MercyMe Holds On to a Hit in 'I Can Only Imagine 2', Christianity Today (2026)](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/02/i-can-only-imagine-2-film/)
19. [MercyMe bringing fall tour to Columbus, WTVM (May 14, 2026)](https://www.wtvm.com/2026/05/14/mercyme-bringing-fall-tour-columbus/)
20. [MercyMe – 2026 Tour Dates & Concert Schedule, Live Nation](https://www.livenation.com/artist/K8vZ9175_R0/mercyme-events)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Rock, indie, and pop groups › Rock bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license