The Collingsworth Family

Phil and Kim both came from a Christian upbringing. They met in high school and married upon graduating high school. Kim recalls, “We had our first date when I was 16, and he was 21. Poor guy, he had to wait on me to grow up. We were so in love and really wanted to get married. So, I decided to cram four years of high school into three so I could graduate from high school in 1986. The same year he would graduate from college. That plan worked well.”[1]

Phil and Kim Collingsworth started in the music ministry when they were musicians at a church camp in Petersburg, Michigan, in August of 1986. The two performed as a duo for 14 years, balancing gigs with raising children and Phil’s job at a life insurance agency. In 2000, they made the decision to tour full time. That’s also when their children — 10, 9, 6 and 2 at the time — became permanent members of the act.[2]

Phil and Kim have provided music presentations for church camps and extended-length revival campaigns. They have also held the positions of Minister of Music at Hobe Sound Bible Church in Hobe Sound, FL, and Director of the Music Division at Union Bible College and Seminary in Westfield, Indiana. Phil was Dean of Enrollment Management at his alma mater, God's Bible School and College, Cincinnati, Ohio.[3]

The Collingsworths signed with Crossroads Entertainment and Marketing in 2003.[4] In 2009, the Collingsworth Family signed with then new Christian label Stowtown Records.[5]

In 2014, The Collingsworth Family recorded two live projects in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Majestic, a live CD and DVD from piano performer Kim Collingsworth and friends stemmed from a show in Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium with a crowd of more than 2,300 over a 5-hour concert. A DVD, We Will Serve the Lord, was released in October, 2014.[6]

In 2018, they released their album Mercy and Love, a collection of covers and new songs.[3]

The group's influence extends beyond the United States. In 2003, they performed in Kosovo, where more than 6,500 U.S. Army personnel hear their Christmas concerts at two military bases. In 2004, they gave a concert in the Cayman Islands.[7]

The Collingsworth Family received the 2007 Harmony Award in the New Artist of the Year category from the Southern Gospel Music Guild.[4] Their album The Best of The Collingsworth Family – Volume 1 was nominated for Best Roots Gospel Album in the 2018 Grammy Awards.[8]

• Official website