Gotee Records is a record label founded by Christian hip hop performer Toby McKeehan (known professionally as TobyMac), Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood.[1] The label began as a production company. At the time of the label's founding, McKeehan was a member of dc Talk.
Gotee Records | |
---|---|
Founded | 1994 |
Founder | Toby "TobyMac" McKeehan, Todd Collins, Joey Elwood |
Distributor(s) | Gotee |
Genre | Pop rock, contemporary Christian music, Christian rap, Christian rock |
Country of origin | United States |
Location | Franklin, Tennessee |
Official website | gotee |
Formation of Gotee
McKeehan and Collins intended to produce Out of Eden's Lovin' the Day, but they couldn't find a label to sign the act to, and so formed Gotee Records and began distributing the band's material on their own.[1] The label was a part of EMI Christian Music Group. However, they bought back EMI's minority share to become fully independent again as of March 31, 2008.[2] Toby McKeehan is currently the president of the company and as of 2009, the label is currently distributed by Warner Bros. Records.
McKeehan got the name "Gotee" from the song "Socially Acceptable" on dc Talk's album Free at Last. A member of the band GRITS was doing the background vocals, and he was saying, "Let it go, T, let it go." ("T" refers to Toby). McKeehan happened to be growing a goatee on his face at the time, and when Mark Heimermann pointed out the coincidence, he decided to name his new record company, "Gotee Records".
However, McKeehan does not publish his own albums under this title; instead he publishes his own records under the same label dc Talk was signed to, ForeFront Records. He owns the name the Gotee Bros.
In May 2015 Gotee was acquired by Zealot Networks. Zealot's Nashville office is headed by former Gotee artist John Reuben. As part of the acquisition Gotee is still operated independently.[3]
Artists
Current artists
- Cochren & Co.
- Aaron Cole
- Finding Favour
- Hollyn
- Jon Reddick
- Ryan Stevenson
- Terrian (stylized as TERRIAN)
- Richlin (stylized as RICHLIN)[4]
Former artists
- Abandon Kansas (active, independent)
- Flynn Adam (active, independent)
- Jeff Anderson (active)
- Capital Kings (disbanded)
- Christafari (active, on Soul of Zion Entertainment)
- Curious Fools (disbanded)
- Jeff Deyo (active, on Indelible Creative Group)
- Deepspace5 (active, on Deepspace5 Records)
- DJ Maj (active, on Tractor-Beam Records)
- Family Force 5 (active, currently Independent)
- Fighting Instinct (disbanded)
- 4th Avenue Jones (disbanded)
- The Gotee Bros. (disbanded, side project of tobyMac of DC Talk)
- Jamie Grace (active independent)
- GRITS (on hiatus)
- House of Heroes (active, currently independent)
- I Am Terrified (active, currently independent)
- The Katinas (active, unsigned)
- Sarah Kelly (active, currently an owner of Sarah Kelly Music School)
- Jennifer Knapp (active, currently unsigned)
- Knowdaverbs (changed name to Verbs; currently with 1280 Music)
- Johnny Q. Public (disbanded)
- LA Symphony (on hiatus; members now performing solo)
- Liquid (active, unsigned)
- Mars Ill (active, on Deepspace5 Records)
- Morgan Harper Nichols (active independent)
- Our Heart's Hero (active, currently independent)
- Out of Eden (disbanded)
- Relient K (active, on Mono Vs Stereo Records)
- Stephanie Smith (on hiatus; currently in Copperlily)
- Sonicflood (active on Resonate Records)
- StorySide:B (disbanded)
- B. Reith (active, currently independent)
- John Reuben (active, currently Independent)
- Ayiesha Woods (active, independent)
- Paul Wright (active, unsigned)
- Andy Zipf (active, with P is for Panda Records)
Compilations
- Gotee Records presents: Showcase
- We Are Hip Hope
- Freaked! A Tribute to dc Talk's Jesus Freak
- Gotee Records Freshman Class 2000
- Gotee Records: The Soundtrack
- Ten Years Brand New
- Gotee Night Out
- Hip Hope Hits collection[5]
- Tis the Season to be Gotee
- Tis the Season to be Gotee Too
- Gotee Records: Twenty Years Brand New
See also
- List of record labels
- EMI Christian Music Group
- Joey Elwood
- Mono Vs. Stereo (Independent Rock Imprint of Gotee)
References
- ^ a b Price, Deborah Evans (December 7, 1996). "Gotee grows into Christian boutique". Billboard Magazine. 108 (49): 11–13.
- ^ Gotee Records Now Fully Independent Company http://www.freegotee.com/news.php
- ^ "NEWS: Zealot Networks Acquires Gotee Records". The Gospel Music Association. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ "JFH News: Gotee Records Welcomes New Artist RICHLIN". Jesus Freak Hideout. February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
- ^ "Various Artists Hip Hope Hits 2009". Jesus Freak Hideout, 02/07/2009, written by Scott Fryberger
External links
- Official website
- Gotee Records Photo Group on Flickr Pictures of Gotee artists in concert, with fans, backstage, etc.