Country Roads Take Him Home

On October 7, a native son will return to Tyler to put on a performance for friends, family and thousands of fans from all across East Texas. With six records, seven number 1 singles, three GRAMMY nominations, 16 Dove Awards, a gold album and a platinum album on his resume, you might think East Texas’ own Chris Tomlin would have other dates planned. But he returns to the Oil Palace with the same zeal and enthusiasm as if it were his first, biggest, best show – the way he approaches all of them.

Tomlin was born in Tyler, and raised with his brothers in Grand Saline. He started playing music at a fairly young age, but admitted it wasn’t his first love. “I’d had a couple of little garage bands that were … well, really horrible,” Tomlin laughed. “We would just play anything we could for fun. I got an opportunity to play regularly in my church in Grand Saline – they were really very gracious and let me play a lot. It was a great time for me to just figure things out and learn how to play. I loved music, but I was probably more into sports growing up, to be honest with you. But it was definitely something I got more serious about later in my high school years. I didn’t really start traveling around with music until right after I graduated from high school.”

When he thinks about returning to East Texas, Tomlin displays a childlike enthusiasm that embodies his love of home and also his continued passion for his musical calling. Regardless of the fact that he’s quite literally a world traveler, Tomlin is genuinely excited to be headed here. “Actually, I just flew home from Brazil yesterday,” he said with a chuckle. “I love coming back. You know, it’s home, so I love playing here and coming back ... This is where I grew up and I can remember thinking, as a kid, ‘Man, the Oil Palace: that’s the biggest deal in the world!’ I saw a lot of great concerts there when I was a kid. I think it’s just a privilege and an honor that we can still be here doing it. We’ve been playing a long time, and I’m always very blown away by people coming out to our shows here – and we’re just really looking forward to it.”

Tomlin and his band will be in town – of course to visit friends and family and probably get a little home cooking – but also in support of his new record And If Our God Is For Us, scheduled for release on Nov. 16. The band is looking to take a step forward musically, but Tomlin assures that it’s not going to be too radical of a departure from the sound that’s prompted Time Magazine to refer to him as “the most-often sung artist anywhere.”

“I think people will find it different than some of our other albums,” Tomlin said. “Some of our other albums seem to be a little bit more organic, musically, and on this record some of the songs are more beat-driven, which is really fun. For me, it’s the idea that the heart of the song continues to be the same – that is writing songs for worship in a church, songs that give people a voice … that’s the heart of the record – these are songs that can give people hope, give people light and voice to worship God in. The idea behind the record is that title, ‘If Our God Is For Us.’ And, if you really believe that, then just fill in the blanks: everything is possible. Anything is possible no matter where you find yourself. I’m very excited about it – excited about these songs and having people connect with the music.” For fans of his past efforts, this album will be a fresh sound, as well as a good entry point for new fans. But, Tomlin impresses that he’s devoted not to leave anyone behind.

“I want people to be able to grasp [these songs] and want to use them in their own church,” he said. “That would be amazing! That’s the goal. And, I want anyone to be able to pick it up and think, ‘I can play that song.’ We want to make it very interesting musically, but we want it to be very playable and very singable – very accessible.

“When I’m writing, I have people in mind. I’m thinking about people – ‘How does this translate to them? How can I write this in a way that people can really get a hold of it? How can this become something that people want to sing and can sing and want to be a part of – whether that’s a person just driving down the road listening to the radio or if it’s a worship leader at a church or a choir or whatever. I don’t shoot for a target audience: ‘This is my age group, these are my demographics, I’ve got to do this.’ These are just songs that come out of me.”

After 10 years of constant work; touring, performing, leading worship in his church in Atlanta and others across the entire planet, Tomlin still finds originality and inspiration fairly easy to come by – probably because he doesn’t see it as something that originates within himself.

“I don’t really struggle with the inspiration, really, because I feel like for some reason it’s just like a waterfall,” Tomlin stated. “I just kind of stand under a waterfall and God just ... pours out all this goodness … Especially now that we’re building a church and putting all of that together. We’re not just a band cruising around playing concerts; we’re trying to build our own local church while doing these global events. When you’re a part of something like that, it just keeps you really, really close to people, close to God’s heart – trying to bring something fresh for people. It’s never the same old thing for us – it’s always turning and twisting. Luckily, I am just surrounded by amazing and incredibly gifted people. It takes a great team to do something like this – not only the band, but we just have great songwriters that love songs for the church. They have a heart for it, and that’s their focus. It’s always a special time.”

Plus, there’s the always-intoxicating sensation of bringing others along for the ride. After years onstage and in the studio, Tomlin said his favorite aspect of his profession is playing music live.

“That live element is my favorite,” he said. “I love being there and seeing people light up over these songs. When a song comes, I enjoy the writing process. But I really enjoy being out there playing, seeing what it means in people’s lives when you’re a part of it out there, together. That’s why being at the Oil Palace will be so much fun, because I love that.”

There’s not a whole lot left of this world for Chris Tomlin to conquer. Since putting out his first recorded effort in 2000, the accolades, sales and shows haven’t stopped. But neither has Tomlin – and he doesn’t plan on it anytime soon. He’s got too much going on.

“We’re in the very infant stages of it, but planning this church [Passion City Church, in Atlanta, Georgia where Tomlin has been working for a couple of years] is amazing. We’ve got a great vision for what we think this church can be, not only in this city but around the world. … We’re very excited about that. It’s probably one of the main focuses right now, as a band. And I don’t think we’ll stop touring any time soon – I love that.”

Genre or age or level of success notwithstanding Tomlin answers some questions like almost anyone who simply loves to play music. “God put a great passion in me for this,” he said, contentedly. “It’s just what I love so much – it’s not work to me. I don’t consider it work. Sure the travel can be grinding and grueling, but it’s a passion in my life. And that’s my prayer for anybody – that they walk in their passion, in what they love, that they live out what they love and that they are really all about it. They don’t get stifled by life or get in the rut of what you’re passionate about. I always have to remind myself, my life isn’t about me. My own life isn’t about me, it’s about a greater purpose – there is something that is bigger than this little world that I have, and that’s what I want to live for. I’m talking about the glory of God, the grace of God in people’s lives and in my own life – and I want others to experience that.”