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. Purchased by Thorn EMI in 1992, Sparrow's parent underwent a demerger four years later to become the EMI Group, and the label is now part of the Capitol Christian Music Group. Sparrow Records rose to prominence with the signing of singer, songwriter, Contemporary Christian musician and minister Keith Green. Within a year of his 1976 signing by Sparrow, Green was the top selling Christian artist in America. 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, an annual compilation of the greatest hits in contemporary worship music. Roster Riley Clemmons Jimi Cravity Crowder Kristene DiMarco Colton Dixon (with 19 Recordings) Jon Foreman Amy Grant Hillsong United Hillsong Worship Hillsong Young & Free Mandisa Mosaic MSC Shawn McDonald NF (with Capitol Records) Britt Nicole (with Capitol Records) Christy Nockels Nichole Nordeman Passion Rend Collective (with Rend Family Records) Kristian Stanfill The Young Escape We the Kingdom Tauren Wells Former 2nd Chapter of Acts (disbanded) Above the Golden State Susan Ashton (active, unsigned) Audrey Assad (active, independent) Avalon (active, with Red Street Records) Margaret Becker (active, with Kingsway Music) Bellarive Dan Bremnes Steve Camp (active, unsigned) Michael Card (active, unsigned) Marcos Vidal (active, unsigned) Carman (deceased) Steven Curtis Chapman (active, with Reunion Records) City Harbor Daryl Coley (deceased) David Crowder*Band (disbanded, had moved to sixstepsrecords) Danyew Delirious? (disbanded) Bethany Dillon (active) Dogs of Peace (active) Earthsuit (disbanded) The Elms (disbanded) Kirk Franklin (active, with GospoCentric Records) Peter Furler (active, independent) Keith Green (deceased) Steve Green (active, unsigned) Rickey Grundy, (active, independent) Charlie Hall (active, with sixstepsrecords) Matt Hammitt Tramaine Hawkins Tim Hughes (active, with Survivor Records) Kari Jobe (active, with Capitol Christian Music Group) Jump5 (disbanded) Phil Keaggy (active) Donald Lawrence Luminate Barry McGuire (active, unsigned) Geoff Moore and the Distance (disbanded) Michael W. Smith (active, with Rocketown Records) Needtobreathe (active, with Atlantic Records) Newsboys (active, with Fair Trade Services) Christy Nockels (active, with sixstepsrecords) Out