Biography

Musical career

Since 1981, Twila Paris has released 22 albums, amassed 33 number one Christian Radio singles, and was named the Gospel Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year three

years in a row. She is regarded as more than just a pop songwriter because familiar Paris songs, like "He Is Exalted", "We Will Glorify" and "We Bow Down", are also found in many

church hymnals.

Paris released her first full-length album, Knowin' You're Around, in 1981, and along the way she has written books, recorded children's music, and created timeless worship songs.

Her song "God Is In Control" won a GMA Song of the Year award in 1995 and her 1992 Sanctuary release won the GMA Praise & Worship Album of the Year. She has won five GMA

Dove Awards and three American Songwriter Awards.

Paris has helped to pioneer today's praise and worship music and contributed greatly to making this informal style acceptable to normally more conservative churches.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Paris released mainly contemporary Christian pop songs. But in recent years, she has focused on recording new versions of some of her worship standards

and writing new praise and worship music. Her 2005 album He Is Exalted: Live Worship collects a number of favorite songs commonly used in praise and worship of Paris's and

presents them in a more typical style of live worship music. After her song "He Is Exalted" was used in churches in Brasil, Paris re-recorded it in the Portuguese translation they were

using. This version appears on her 1992 award winning, genre defining Praise and Worship album Sanctuary. The album remains one of her bestselling discs to date.

Although widely associated for much of her career with Star Song Communications, EMI switched her over to Sparrow Records in 1996, before her contract ended after 2003. In 2005,

she switched to the praise and worship label Integrity Music for He Is Exalted: Live Worship.

Twila released Small Sacrifice, on December 26, 2007 which was available only through her website and at Lifeway Christian Stores. This album married the two parts of her career by

including both inspirational pop/adult contemporary songs and original praise and worship compositions. Her first radio single from Small Sacrifice was "Live to Praise".



Musical influence

Paris is often cited as one of the foremost trailblazers of the modern hymn style and one of the only living hymnists in the tradition of hymn-writing set forth in England and the United

States decades prior.[1] Some of Paris' songs have been included in the hymnals by a variety of churches including the United Methodist church and various Charismatic churches. [2]

Paris was heavily influenced in her early career by the music of Keith Green, Kelly Willard, and Jamie Owens-Collins. Her #1 single, "Do I Trust You" was written in response to Keith

Green's untimely death in 1982. Willard and Owens-Collins sang background vocals for her on her Keeping My Eyes On You album.



Personal life

Twila Paris is the daughter of Oren II and Rachel Inez Paris. Oren Paris II is the founder and Chancellor of Ecclesia College in Springdale, Arkansas. Twila has been married to Jack

Wright for more than 20 years, and has a son, Jack Paris Wright who was born in 2001. She has three siblings: Starla Novak (wife and mother of 3), Oren Paris III (President of Ecclesia

College), and Angie Paris Snyder (producer and recording artist).


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