Ever wonder what it would have been like to hear The Beatles in a small venue in Liverpool long before they exited a plane in the United States? Do you wish you could have heard The Martins at a Sunday night sing in their home church as children? Perhaps you saw 4HIM in concert while they were still with Truth or would like to have been a fly on the wall at the first auditions for the Gaither Vocal Band?

Audience members and fans may soon be looking back at the past few “early” years of CrossWay in a “not so different” light as this young group catapults to a new respect and greater popularity in the Gospel music scene.

Formed in 1998, a group who began as four young twenty-something’s emulating the traditions of four-part harmony has turned into an up-and-coming southern Gospel mainstay, creating a unique vocal blend all their own and re-defining “quartet music” for future generations. CrossWay’s current recording with Spring Hill Music, entitled This I Know, has been turning industry heads since it hit the shelves; the first single, “It Looks Like Love to Me,” went racing up the southern Gospel radio charts, remaining in the Top 5 on the national charts for five consecutive months in 2004-05. The follow-up single, which features Matt, was the number one “pick hit” and the number one “new release” by DJs nationwide upon its release.

Continuing that momentum, CrossWay picked up two more DOVE nominations in 2005 for Southern Gospel Recorded Song of the Year (“It Looks Like Love to Me”) and Southern Gospel Album of the Year (This I Know) in addition to multiple nods including Album and Song of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year (Matt McFarland), Progressive Song and Progressive Southern Album of the Year for the 2005 SoGospelNews.com’s annual awards. “To be nominated in a category with folks like The Gaither Vocal Band, The Crabb Family, Mark Lowry and others is such an honor for us,” stated Marty. “With direction from Phil Johnson and Michael Sykes, This I Know had a sound of its own from the time we entered the studio…it was different than anything we’d done. To see it impact people’s lives is an encouragement to us and rejuvenating to our ministry.”

That ministry includes over 150 dates annually. CrossWay joined the Crabb Family and the McRaes on the Crabb Jam 2005 tour, which took them to over 20 cities, backed by The Crabb Family Band. The tour was a “first” for the industry with a stage of artists all under the age of 30, singing individually and together in unique vocal collaborations.

“We love working with the Crabb Family,” explains Paul. “The band adds so much energy to what we do and we love working with the group, not only as musicians but as friends…the chemistry on stage felt natural with both of these groups who now feel like family.”

CrossWay met Matt in Myrtle Beach, SC, while singing in a musical production. Matt joined the group in 2003, and since that time, the group’s sound and production have given them a harmony that is unique—incorporating elements of country and pop into their quartet-based style. Matt and his wife, Jenny, make their home in Chattanooga. Paul lives in Nashville and Chris and his wife, Carla, now live in Columbus, Mississippi. Original group member, Marty Hurt and his wife Christy, recently became parents of triplets, and Marty decided to “get off the road.” Stepping into Marty’s spot is Scott Rogers from Cleveland, Alabama, near Birmingham. Scott and his wife, Leigha, have two daughters, Bayley, six, and Emilee, five. His background in Christian music is very similar of that of Paul, Chris, and Matt.

“I didn’t really realize what southern Gospel music was,” remembers Paul. “After I was saved, a friend took me to a concert and I was hooked, not only with the music but with the message. Christian music is where God has called me to be and I couldn’t be happier. I love everything about it—singing on stage, meeting new friends across the country, sharing God’s love with others…even eating at fast food restaurants day after day!”

“CrossWay represents some of the newest, freshest music in the southern Gospel genre,” stated Spring Hill Music A&R director and general manager and producer/songwriter Phil Johnson. “Their youth and energy are invigorating.”

BILLBOARD MAGAZINE agreed in a recent story featuring CrossWay as artists who are defining the future of the southern Gospel genre. The group also incorporated the genre’s past as the legendary Oak Ridge Boys joined them on This I Know for the recent single, “Long Arm of Love.” CrossWay has made several appearances alongside other Gospel heroes on the Gaither Homecoming concert stage, and the group recently had its first charting single at inspirational radio.

“We are very thankful for what God has done through our group,” explains Chris, “but none of it would be worth anything if we weren’t experiencing God at work in our lives and helping others embrace His work in their lives…that is why we travel…that is what counts in the end.”

And in the end, there are sure to be some folks back in Mississippi, and throughout the country saying, “CrossWay…oh, we knew them when….”