Israel Houghton (pronounced, hoh’-tin) (born May 19, 1971) is a Grammy Award-winning American Christian singer and worship leader, mostly known for his cross-cultural style of Christian music that fuses elements from gospel, jazz and rock. Houghton is usually credited as Israel & New Breed and currently signed to Integrity Music. Houghton is a worship leader at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. "All Around" is on the Digital Praise PC game Guitar Praise.

Career [edit]

Recording [edit]

Houghton has earned two gold-selling albums, six Dove Awards, two Stellar Awards, a Soul Train Award, and four Grammy® Awards—for "Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album" for The Power of One, “Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album” for A Deeper Level, “Best Traditional Gospel Album” for Alive In South Africa, and “Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album” for Love God, Love People.

Production [edit]

Houghton produced an album by Michael Gungor called "Bigger Than My Imagination". This album was described as "one of the year's best worship albums" in a 2003 Christianity Today review.^[1]

Other performances [edit]

This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately. (February 2009)

Houghton has served as worship leader for the Promise Keepers and Champions for Christ events, as well as the Hillsong Conference 2006—2010, and Hillsong Conference Europe 2008-2010. Israel currently serves as a worship leader (alongside Cindy Cruse-Ratcliff, Steve Crawford^{[disambiguation needed]} and Da'dra Crawford-Greathouse) at Lakewood Church in Houston, TX, pastored by Joel Osteen.

Israel and New Breed accompanied Alicia Keys at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards for a performance of George Michael's "Freedom '90."

Israel and New Breed performed at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, taking part in a segment saluting Gospel music, alongside the likes of Aretha Franklin and BeBe Winans.

Houghton also sang with Michael W Smith on his 2008 Album, "A New Hallelujah", recorded at Lakewood Church in Houston, TX.

Personal life [edit]

Houghton's mother is white and biological father is black. His mother was 17 when she got pregnant. It was suggested she have an abortion, but she refused. Houghton and his wife Meleasa, and his three children, Mariah, Israel, and Milan 'Lillie' reside in Kingwood, Texas.^[2][3]

Discography [edit]

Albums [edit]

Other recordings [edit]

• "Champions for Christ" – Hi5 (Worship Leader, 2002)
• "Where Are the Fathers?" from He-Motions (EMI Gospel, 2004)
• "Send Me to the Nations" from A Wing & A Prayer (EMI Gospel, 2003)
• Lakewood Live: We Speak to Nations (Integrity, 2002)
• Lakewood Live: Cover the Earth (Integrity, 2004)
• Lakewood Live: The Gift
• Lakewood Live: Free to Worship
• Free Chapel Live: Moving Forward
• Lakewood Live: Hope for Today Worship^[4]
• Free Chapel Live: Power of the Cross (Integrity, 2009)
• New Breed Live: Generation Love (2009)
• Free Chapel Live: Echo

Awards [edit]

References [edit]

• "Dove Award Recipients for 2005". Published by the Gospel Music Association. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
• "Dove Award Recipients for 2006". Published by the Gospel Music Association. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
• "38th Annual Dove Award Recipients". Published by the Gospel Music Association. Retrieved 26 April 2007.
• "49th Annual GRAMMY Awards Winners List". Published by The Recording Academy. Retrieved 2007-02-13.
• Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music (First printing ed.). Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. p. 438. ISBN 1-56563-679-1. 

External links [edit]

• Israel Houghton's website
• Biography by Israel's Label
• CBN Interview with Israel Houghton
• Israel & New Breed at Allmusic
• Israel Houghton at the Internet Movie Database
• Israel Houghton at the Two Days of Hope conference