# Tony Wood (musician)

Tony Wood is an American songwriter working primarily in the contemporary Christian music (CCM) genre. He has received five Gospel Music Association Dove Awards for songwriting.

## Early and personal life

Wood was raised in Chase City, Virginia and graduated from Bluestone High School (Skipwith, VA) and Averett College (now University in Danville, VA.) In 1987 he graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest, NC).

## Music career

His career began in 1990 when he signed a staff songwriting deal with Lorenz Creative Services (which was soon purchased and became the gospel division of BMG Music Publishing.) He was a staff writer for BMG for seven years while also serving as Minister of Youth/Music at Westwood Baptist Church in Nashville, TN. In 1998, he signed with Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing (Zomba/Universal) where he wrote exclusively until 2009 when he signed with Essential Music (SONY). From 2015 until the present he has been a staff writer for WORD Music Publishing.

## Awards

In 1998, Wood won the ASCAP Foundation's SAMMY CAHN AWARD created to commemorate the life and career of the lyricist who gave us "All The Way," "Let It Snow" and many others. This award is given yearly to an ASCAP member showing promise as a lyric writer. Other winners of this award have included John Mayer and Lori McKenna.
Wood has been nominated for the Gospel Music Association's DOVE AWARD in the Songwriter of the Year category and for having songs in SONG OF THE YEAR categories for: Rock/Contemporary Song, Pop Song, Inspirational Song, Rap/Hip Hop Song and Southern Gospel Song. He has won three times in the Inspirational Song of the Year category: FIND YOUR WINGS by Mark Harris ('08); JOSEPH by Jason Crabb ('11) and SATISFIED by Jason Crabb ('13.) He also won Musical of the Year for AS SURE AS MY REDEEMER LIVES ... SO SHALL I ('11).
In 2015 he won the Canadian Gospel Music Association's COVENANT AWARD for Pop Song of the Year for ONE SURE THING recorded by the Color.

## Selected credits

(SONG/artist/project)

### CCM

WHEN THE TIME COMES/Avalon/Stand
RING THE BELLS/Big Daddy Weave w/ Meredith Andrews/Ring The Bells
CHASING REBELS/Ben Fuller/Who I Am
SING TO THE LORD/Bob Carlisle, Steve Camp, Greg Long, Clay Crosse/DAVID: Ordinary Man…Extraordinary God
GRACE OF MY LIFE/Brian Littrell/Welcome Home
END OF ME/Building 429/Building 429
MY FATHER IN ME/CAIN/CAIN ep
TELL ME/Carrollton/Sunlight and Shadows
GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD/Charles Billingsley/Never Forsaken
LET THERE BE LIGHT/Chris August/The Upside of Down
EMPTY ME/Chris Sligh/Running Back To You
STAINED GLASS WINDOW/Cochren & Co./Don't Lose Hope
ANCHOR/Colton Dixon/Anchor
WITH A THANKFUL HEART/Don Moen/Hiding Place
THIS IS CHRISTMAS/Evan Craft/Mercy In A Manger
YOUR LOVE IS LIFE TO ME/FFH/Found A Place
LIVING SACRIFICES/First Call/Pressing On
HEAVENLY HOSTS/For King and Country/A Drummer Boy Christmas
I'M LETTING GO/Francesca Battistelli/Paper Heart
THIS IS THE STUFF/Francesca Battistelli/Hundred More Years
CHRISTMAS IS/Francesca Battistelli/Christmas
WHEN THE CRAZY KICKS IN/Francesca Battistelli/If We're Honest
AS GOOD AS GOODBYE GETS/Gary Chapman/Outside
ORDINARY DAY/Ginny Owens/Beautiful
DANGEROUS/Group 1 Crew/Fearless
CRAZY LOVE/Hawk Nelson/Crazy Love
AMEN/I Am They/I Am They
DIAMOND/Jaci Velasquez/Diamond
THREE/Jackson Michelson/single
FEARLESS/Jasmine Murray/Jasmine Murray ep
IF I SHOUT/Jason Crabb/Whatever The Road
BEFORE/Jason Crabb/Just As I Am ep
IN THE ROOM/Jon Reddick/single
BREATHE/Jonny Diaz/Everything Is Changing
REJOICE/Jordan St. Cyr/single
ADORE HIM/Kari Jobe/Worship and Adore: A Christmas Offering
I REMEMBER/Kathy Troccoli/Together
NEW EYES/Kim Hill/ The Mercy Project
EVEN IF (The Healing Doesn't Come)/Kutless/Believer
THE GREATEST OF THESE/Larnelle Harris/Live in Nashville
DISTURB US LORD/Larnelle Harris/Disturb Us Lord
MY DELIVERER/Mandisa/Freedom
BROKEN HALLELUJAH/Mandisa/Freedom
JESUS, FIRM FOUNDATION/Mark Hall, Steven Curtis Chapman, Mike Donehey, Mandisa/Jesus Firm Foundation: Hymns of Wonder
FIND YOUR WINGS/Mark Harris/The Line Between The Two
NOTHING TAKES YOU BY SURPRISE/Mark Harris/Windows and Walls
ALL THINGS POSSIBLE/Mark Schultz/All Things Possible
JESUS ONLY JESUS/Matt Redman/Passion: Let The Future Begin
WHEN I LOCK EYES WITH YOU/Maverick City Music and UPPERROOM featuring Brandon Lake and Elyssa Smith/You Hold It All Together
LET HOPE ABOUND/Melinda Doolittle/live performance on 11/5/2021 for Inauguration of Belmont University President Dr. Gregory Jones
EVEN THEN/Micah Tyler/Different
THE ONLY THING GOOD IN ME/Michael English/The Prodigal Comes Home
FREEZE THE FRAME/Michael W. Smith/Christmas At Home
SON OF GOD/Michael W. Smith/It's A Wonderful Christmas
GOD WITH GOD/Michael W. Smith/Christmas At Home
I CHOOSE JESUS/Moriah Peters/I Choose Jesus
DON'T WANNA MAKE A MOVE/Natalie Grant/Stronger
ONE TRUE GOD/'NewSong/One True God
FOLLOW JESUS/Nicole C. Mullen w/ Selah/Ultimate Collection
LOOKING FOR A GIRL/OBB/Bright Side
HEALER/Paul Baloche & Aaron Shust/Your Name
THE LONGING/Petra/Double Take
CHRIST REMAINS/Phil Driscoll/A Different Man
TOP OF MY LUNGS/Phillips, Craig and Dean/Top Of My Lungs
COME AS YOU ARE/Pocket Full of Rocks/More Than Noise
GOD FORBID/ Point of Grace/Life, Love and Other Mysteries
YES, I BELIEVE/Point of Grace/Free To Fly
WASH ME AWAY/Point of Grace/A Thousand Little Things
SAVING GRACE/Ray Boltz/Seasons Change
SOBER ME/Ronnie Freeman/God Speaking
MAKE A MOVE/Royal Tailor/Black & White
TAKE ME BACK/Ryan Stevenson/ Weathering The Storm ep
FALLING FORWARD/Sandi Patty/Falling Forward
YOU LOVE ME/Sandi Patty/Artist Of My Soul
SOMETIMES HE CALMS THE STORM/Scott Krippayne/Wild Imagination
UNREDEEMED/Selah/You Deliver Me
BEAUTIFUL TERRIBLE CROSS/Selah/You Deliver Me
JESUS FIRM FOUNDATION/Shane & Shane/The Worship Initiative, Volume 22
YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE ME/Sidewalk Prophets/These Simple Truths
HOW GLORIOUS THE LOVE OF HEAVEN/Stars Go Dim/How Glorious The Love Of Heaven
CALVARY IS THE SEA/Steve Green/Experiencing God
UNRELENTING LOVE/Susan Ashton/Experiencing God
SHOW UP, CHOOSE LOVE/TobyMac/Life After Death
SWEET JESUS/Todd Smith w/ Matthew West/Alive
RING THE BELLS/Travis Cottrell w/ Natalie Grant/Ring The Bells
EVEN THIS/Wayne Watson/Even This
GOD WITH US/We Are Messengers/God With Us ep
LOOKIN' FOR YOU/Zach Williams/A Hundred Highways
I DON'T WANT CHRISTMAS TO END/Zach Williams/I Don't Want Christmas To End
TO THE TABLE/Zach Williams/Chain Breaker
WHILE WE'RE YOUNG/1 Girl Nation/1 Girl Nation
PSALM 112/4Him/Walk On
CANDLE IN THE RAIN/4Him/Visible
GOD IS ON THE MOVE/7eventh Time Down/#godisonthemove
THERE IS A GOD/33 Miles/33 Miles

### Southern Gospel/Country Gospel

HOLDING YOU/Bill Gaither/Homecoming Lullabies
ROOM FULL OF STORIES/Booth Brothers/Speak Jesus
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY/Booth Brothers/Room For More
REAL FAITH/Brian Free and Assurance/Real Faith
NEVER BEEN/Crabb Family/20/20
I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES/Gaither Vocal Band/Peace of the Rock
TRUTH IS MARCHING ON/Gold City/Revival
BREATHE DEEP/Guy Penrod/Breathe Deep
FIELDS/the Isaacs/Nature's Symphony in 432
GRACE ENOUGH/Janet Paschall/Home Again
WHAT THE BLOOD IS FOR/Jason Crabb/Love Is Stronger
GOOD LORD WILLING/Jim Brady Trio/A New Chapter
BEAUTY OF THE BLOOD/Joseph Habedank/Welcome Home
HERE HE COMES/Joseph Habedank/Resurrection
RELIGION ISN'T WORKING ANYMORE/Joseph Habedank/Change Is Coming
HOUR I FIRST BELIEVED/Karen Peck and New River/No Worries
KEEPERS/Karen Peck and New River/2:22
HELLO AFTER GOODBYE/Legacy Five/God's Been Good
FIRST CLASS, WRONG FLIGHT/Mark Lowry/Mouth in Motion
UNREDEEMED/the Martins/New Day
LITTLE IS MUCH/Michael English/Love Is The Golden Rule
WELL DONE MY CHILD/the Nelons/Right On Time
PEACE AT LAST/the Nelons/Peace At Last
NEVER NOT GOD/the Sound/God Is Real
THE MIRACLE/Russ Taff/Homecoming Lullabies
MOUNTAIN MOVER/Talley Trio/Rise Above
THE HEALER HASN'T LOST HIS TOUCH/Tribute Quartet/Living The Stories
HAS THERE EVER BEEN/Triumphant Quartet/Living In Harmony
BIGGER THAN SUNDAY/Triumphant Quartet/Bigger Than Sunday
BEST THING/Triumphant Quartet/Bigger Than Sunday

### Others

NO BLOOD/Cledus T. Judd/ Things I Remember Before I Forget
GLITTER AND GLORY/Heidi Montag/Glitter and Glory ep
INK/Joe Diffie/Songs From Mark Twain: Words and Music
WONDER OF WONDERS/Jonathan Cain/Wonder of Wonders ep
DON'T PULL AWAY/Jessica Simpson/Jessica
IF NOT FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST/Jim Nabors/When He Spoke
LIVE TO WORSHIP/Joy Williams/Girls of Grace
SNOW GLOBE/Matt Wertz/Snow Globe
CLOSER TO HOME/Oak Ridge Boys/Front Row Seats
SING IT NOW/Reba McEntire/Sing It Now
BETWEEN HERE AND HEAVEN/Booth Brothers w/Restless Heart/Between Here and Heaven
ALL IS WELL/Ricky Skaggs/Blessed Assurance: New Hymns of Fanny Crosby
I HEAR A WHISPER/Rob Mathes/Experiencing God
23 (The Lord Is My Shepherd/Ronan Tynan/The Dawning of the Day
OLD PHOTOGRAPHS AT CHRISTMASTIME/Todd Tilghman/Old Photographs At Christmastime
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE/Tim Rushlow/Unfinished Symphony ep
WESTERN FLYER/Western Flyer/Western Flyer

## Choir musicals

In addition to writing individual songs for recording artists, Wood has written many seasonal musicals for church choirs. Some highlights are:

### Christmas

WHAT KIND OF THRONE (Word Music)
HE SHALL BE CALLED (Word Music)
MY HEART LONGS FOR CHRISTMAS (Lillenas Music)
JOURNEY OF FAITH (Lifeway Music)
GOD SPEAKING (Benson Music)
ONE QUIET NIGHT (Benson Music)
JESUS: THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THAT NAME (Brentwood Music)

### Easter

BLESSED DAWN (Word Music)
AS SURE AS MY REDEEMER LIVES ... SO SHALL I (Word Music)
GOD OF THE EMPTY TOMB (Benson Music)
IN CHRIST ALONE (Brentwood Music)

### Patriotic

AMERICAN DREAMERS (Word Music)
PRAYER FOR AMERICA (Benson Music)
TRUTH IS MARCHING ON (Benson Music)

## Book

In 2014, Wood released his first book. The devotional gift book A PARENT'S BOOK OF PRAYERS (Broadman & Holman Publishing) contains 365 prayers, one per day, based on a Biblical theme that a parent can pray for their child.