# Third Day
**Third Day** is an American Christian rock band formed in 1991 in the Atlanta, [Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/georgia-u-s-state) area by singer Mac Powell and guitarist Mark Lee. Over a career spanning nearly three decades, the band sold more than 10 million albums, achieved 31 No. 1 [Christian radio](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-radio) singles, and released 14 studio albums, winning four [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards) along the way.[1](https://www.thirdday.com/home) The band's name comes from the biblical account of Jesus's resurrection on the third day after his crucifixion.[2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/) Third Day disbanded in 2018 after a farewell tour and later reunited for a 30th anniversary tour.[1](https://www.thirdday.com/home)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1991, Powder Springs/Marietta, Georgia area, by Mac Powell and Mark Lee[1](https://www.thirdday.com/home) • [2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/) |
| Sales and chart record | More than 10 million albums sold, 31 No. 1 singles, 14 studio albums[1](https://www.thirdday.com/home) |
| Awards | Four Grammy Awards (11 nominations), 24 Dove Awards, one American Music Award, Georgia Music Hall of Fame induction (2009)[1](https://www.thirdday.com/home) • [3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/third-day/8529/) • [2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/) |
| Grammy-winning albums | Come Together (2003), Wire (2005), Wherever You Are (2007), Live Revelations (2010)[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/third-day/8529/) |
| Genre | Christian rock with Southern rock influences; styles listed include Christian rock, contemporary Christian, gospel, and Southern rock[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p182586/biography) • [5](https://www.ftsmusic.com/articles/third-day-christian-southern-rock-roots) |
| Original run | 1991 to 2018, ending with a farewell tour announced March 2, 2018, later expanded to 20 shows[6](https://www.ccmencyclopedia.com/post/third-day) |
| Reunion | Reunited in 2025 for a 30th anniversary tour in 2026, with a final leg in 2027[1](https://www.thirdday.com/home) |
## Formation and early years
The band's founders were high school classmates. Powell moved to the Atlanta area as a high school sophomore, and in 1991 he and Mark Lee, while attending McEachern High School in Powder Springs, played in a garage band called Nuclear Hoedown during their senior year.[2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/) • [7](https://www.macpowell.com/) At one performance the pair played with another local group whose members included Tai Anderson, David Carr, and Billy Wilkens. After being asked to pose together for a photograph, the two groups decided to reform as a single band under the name Third Day.[2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/)
The band recorded its first demo in lieu of payment for a performance, then recorded its first album, *Contagious* (1994), which was well received locally. Wilkens left during the recording, and the remaining members replaced him with guitarist Brad Avery, who brought a more rock-and-roll sound.[2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/) After playing at the Strand Theatre in Marietta, the band signed with the independent label Gray Dot Records, and the label re-released the debut as the self-titled *Third Day* on Reunion Records in 1996.[6](https://www.ccmencyclopedia.com/post/third-day) • [4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p182586/biography)
## Sound and influences
Critics had trouble categorizing the band's sound, labeling it a mixture of southern rock, gospel, and pop music.[2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/) AllMusic summarizes the debut's style as "Hootie & the Blowfish meets Lynyrd Skynyrd meets Pearl Jam," and notes that songs such as "Thief," "Consuming Fire," and "Love Song" became concert fixtures.[8](https://www.allmusic.com/album/third-day-mw0000184233) The band's [Southern rock](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-rock) character grew from its geographic setting: the Atlanta area's tradition, carried by the Allman Brothers Band and [Lynyrd Skynyrd](https://www.edgepedia.org/lynyrd-skynyrd), entered a contemporary [Christian music](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-music) (CCM) market whose dominant sound was polished pop rock.[5](https://www.ftsmusic.com/articles/third-day-christian-southern-rock-roots)
The lyrical message was openly evangelical. Bassist Tai Anderson described it in a 2004 [CBS News](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-news) report as "a straightforward, simple gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ," and the band deliberately sought to carry that message to secular audiences through mainstream media appearances.[9](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rocking-for-christ/)
## Commercial peak
Offerings was the turning point in the band's commercial trajectory. The albums *Conspiracy No. 5* (1997) and *Time* (1999) were both nominated for Grammy Awards, and constant touring built a national audience.[2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/) • [3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/third-day/8529/) In 2000 the band released *Offerings: A Worship Album*, which was not expected to match its predecessors commercially but far surpassed expectations and became the band's first album certified Platinum.[2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/) • [10](https://gospelmusic.org/news/blog-third-day-looks-back-on-15-years-of-modern-worship) It was followed by *Offerings II: All I Have to Give* in 2003.[2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/)
In 2001 the band drew a crowd of 15,000 to a homecoming concert at HiFi-Buys Amphitheatre in Atlanta and released an interactive DVD of the show, the first of its kind in Christian music.[2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/) Later releases included *Wire* (2004), *Wherever You Are* (2005), *Revelation* (2008), *Move* (2010), *Miracle* (2012), and *Lead Us Back: Songs of Worship* (2015).[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p182586/biography) The band also contributed to a companion album to the film *The Passion of the Christ*, which won Grammy and Dove awards in 2005.[2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/)
Four of the band's albums won Grammy Awards: *Come Together* for Best Rock Gospel Album at the 45th ceremony (2003), *Wire* for Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album (2005), *Wherever You Are* for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album (2007), and *Live Revelations* for Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album (2010).[3](https://www.grammy.com/artists/third-day/8529/) By 2004 CBS News was calling Third Day the top [Christian rock](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-rock) group in America, noting appearances on *The Tonight Show* and at the [Republican National Convention](https://www.edgepedia.org/republican-national-convention).[9](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rocking-for-christ/)
## Lineup changes and breakup
The classic lineup of the mid-2000s comprised Powell (vocals, guitar), Mark Lee (guitar), Tai Anderson (bass), David Carr (drums), and Brad Avery (guitar).[9](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rocking-for-christ/) In 2008 the band announced Avery's departure, and the remaining quartet continued recording and touring until 2018.[2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/)
On March 2, 2018, Third Day announced a farewell tour, initially scheduled for 12 shows and later expanded to 20.[6](https://www.ccmencyclopedia.com/post/third-day) AllMusic lists the band as disbanded in 2018, active from the 1990s through the 2010s.[4](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p182586/biography) After the farewell, Powell released two solo albums, *New Creation* and *I Love Jesus*, both of which debuted atop the Top Christian & Gospel album charts.[7](https://www.macpowell.com/)
## Reunion and 30th anniversary
In 2025 the band reunited, and in the spring of 2026 it completed a 30th [Anniversary](https://www.edgepedia.org/anniversary) tour that sold out multiple arenas across the United States, with a 30-show run spanning arenas and a finale in the band's hometown Atlanta market.[1](https://www.thirdday.com/home) • [11](https://presidiosentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025-Presidio-Sentinel-July.pdf) In November 2026 the band is scheduled to co-headline a 12-city arena trek with TobyMac and [Chris Tomlin](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-tomlin), before completing the final leg of the 30th Anniversary tour in 2027.[1](https://www.thirdday.com/home) In August 2024, before the reunion, the band had released a twenty-fifth anniversary deluxe edition of *Time*, its third studio album.[2](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/)
## Other uses of the name
A decade before the Atlanta band's rise, a different group called Third Day operated in Ontario, Canada. That band, primarily jazz-influenced progressive rock with members including Lazarus Varla, Steve Kennedy, and Dave Geldart, released one album on the Canadian label Tunesmith in 1982.[12](https://www.christianmusicarchive.com/artist/third-day-canada)
## References
1. [Third Day – Official Website, About the Band](https://www.thirdday.com/home)
2. [Third Day, New Georgia Encyclopedia (originally published Sep 17, 2003; last edited Nov 14, 2024)](https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/third-day/)
3. [Third Day Grammy Awards and Nominations, Recording Academy (grammy.com)](https://www.grammy.com/artists/third-day/8529/)
4. [Third Day – Biography, Discography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p182586/biography)
5. [Third Day and the Christian Southern Rock Roots Movement, From The Stem](https://www.ftsmusic.com/articles/third-day-christian-southern-rock-roots)
6. [Third Day, CCM Encyclopedia](https://www.ccmencyclopedia.com/post/third-day)
7. [Mac Powell – Official Website, About](https://www.macpowell.com/)
8. [Third Day (1996 album) review, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/third-day-mw0000184233)
9. [Rocking For Christ, CBS News, December 1, 2004](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rocking-for-christ/)
10. [Third Day Looks Back on 15 Years of Modern Worship, Gospel Music Association, March 5, 2015](https://gospelmusic.org/news/blog-third-day-looks-back-on-15-years-of-modern-worship)
11. [Presidio Sentinel, July 2025: 30th Anniversary Tour announcement](https://presidiosentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2025-Presidio-Sentinel-July.pdf)
12. [Third Day (Canada), Christian Music Archive](https://www.christianmusicarchive.com/artist/third-day-canada)
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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 › Pop rock and power pop bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 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