I Am They, a Christian band from Carson City, Nevada[2][3] was initially formed as a worship ministry called "Solomon's Porch" for what was intended to be a single night worship gathering on October 31, 2008, hosted at Calvary Chapel Carson City. After a positive reception from the local church community, the band continued holding bi-monthly worship gatherings.
After receiving an offer from local Christian concert promoters, Ian Bullis and Jonathan Velasquez,[citation needed] to open for CCM artist Matthew West in January 2009, the band began to write original material and formally changed their name to I Am They in order to differentiate it from the bi-monthly worship ministry they hosted.[citation needed]
The band signed to Provident Label Group in the summer of 2013 and went into the studio in January 2014 to record their self-titled debut at Yackland Studios in Nashville, TN with Producer Jonathan Smith and Executive Producer Jason Ingram. Their debut album was released on January 27, 2015.[4]
In winter and spring of 2015, the band was a part of the national touring "Rock & Worship Roadshow" alongside MercyMe, Crowder, and Group 1 Crew, followed by a tour with Matt Maher on the spring leg of the Saints & Sinners tour.[5]
In August 2015, I Am They received a Dove Award nomination for New Artist of the Year.[6]
In March 2016, Abbie Parker replaced Stephanie Kulla as the lead female vocalist for the band. On the same day, the band released a new single "Make A Way" featuring Abbie Parker.[7] I AM THEY released the 4-song worship EP The Resting Place - EP in June 2016.
In April 2017, a new vocalist, Houston resident Jon McConnell, was introduced with the release of the band's new song, Crown Him.[8]
In early 2019, a new drummer/percussionist, Nicole Hickman, joined the group, allowing Sara Palmer to focus on planning and promotion full-time. Nicole had spent a number of years touring with Holly Starr.
In January 2022, the band announced that they had signed with Big Future Music Group in a joint venture with Truss Records. The announcement also pictured and listed Cheyenne Mitchell as vocalist, in place of previous lead female vocalist Abbie Parker.[1][9] On September 29, 2022, the band announced they were disbanding after 14 years.[10] They performed their last concert on December 8 of that year, streaming it on their YouTube page.[11]
Former Members
Matthew Hein – vocals, guitar, banjo, dobro, mandolin (2008-2022)
Separate from their standard singles released to radio, the band has released numerous worship songs with session music videos. They have typically been covers, but not exclusively.
