Sparrow Records

{{Infobox record label

| name = Sparrow Records

| image = Sparrow Records Logo.png

| parent = {{ubl|UMG (2012–present)|EMI (1996–2012)|Thorn EMI (1992–1996)}}

| founded = {{start date and age|1976|2}}

| founder = Billy Ray Hearn

| distributor = Capitol CMG

| genre = CCM, gospel

| country = United States

| location = Brentwood, TN, U.S.

| url = {{URL|sparrowrecords.com}}

}}

Sparrow Records is a Christian music record label and a division of Universal Music Group.

History

Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then artists and repertoire (A&R) director at Myrrh Records.{{cite book |last=Mount |first=Daniel J. |title=A City on a Hilltop? The History of Contemporary Christian Music |year=2005 |url=http://www.danielmount.net/ccm.html |access-date=February 12, 2007 |pages=48–50, 53 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070203163712/http://www.danielmount.net/ccm.html |archive-date=February 3, 2007 }} Barry McGuire was the first artist signed to the label, followed quickly by John Michael Talbot and his brother Terry, Janny Grein, and Annie Herring of 2nd Chapter of Acts; all of whom released albums with Sparrow in May of that year.{{cite book |last1=Cusic |first1=Don |title=The Sound of Light: A History of Gospel Music |date=1990 |publisher=Bowling Green State University Popular Press |location=Bowling Green, Ohio |isbn=978-0-87972-497-9 |page=159 |url=https://archive.org/details/soundoflighthi00cusi/page/158/mode/2up}}

Purchased by Thorn EMI in 1992, Sparrow's parent underwent a demerger four years later to become the EMI Group,{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/thorn-emi-moves-into-gospel-music-with-us-purchase-1554773.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/thorn-emi-moves-into-gospel-music-with-us-purchase-1554773.html |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Thorn EMI moves into gospel music with US purchase |work=Independent |date=September 30, 1992}}{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/vote-solid-for-thorn-demerger-1310081.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220524/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/vote-solid-for-thorn-demerger-1310081.html |archive-date=May 24, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Vote solid for Thorn demerger|website=Independent|date=August 17, 1996}} and the label is now part of the Capitol Christian Music Group.{{cite book |last=Hendershot |first=Heather |title=Shaking the World for Jesus: Media and Conservative Evangelical Culture |year=2004 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago, Illinois |isbn=0-226-32679-9 |chapter=Why Should the Devil Have all the Good Music? Christian Music and the Secular Marketplace |pages=56 |url=https://archive.org/details/shakingworldforj0000hend}}

As of 2009, Sparrow's artists include Britt Nicole, Chris Tomlin, Mandisa, Matt Redman, Matthew West, Steven Curtis Chapman and Switchfoot. Since 1996, a popular production of Sparrow Records has been the annual WOW Hits contemporary Christian music series. In 1998, the WOW franchise then added the annual WOW Gospel series of albums. The WOW Worship series was introduced in 1999.